Intercollegiate Specialty Examination in Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery — Section 1 — Information & Free Practice

About Intercollegiate Specialty Examination in Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery — Section 1

Intercollegiate Specialty Examination in Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery — Section 1 · GB

Key exam facts

Provider

The Joint Committee on Intercollegiate Examinations (JCIE), through its Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery Intercollegiate Specialty Board, governs the examination on behalf of the four surgical Royal Colleges. Pearson VUE provides test-centre computer-based delivery.

Format

Section 1 is a computer-based written knowledge examination comprising two Single Best Answer (SBA) papers taken on the same day at Pearson VUE centres in the UK and Ireland. Section 2 clinical and oral assessments are excluded from this bank.

Exam questions

Total questions: 240.

Time limit

Each paper allows 2 hours 15 minutes of answering time; the two papers total 4 hours 30 minutes on the same day. This excludes any check-in, tutorial or interval time.

Passing score

A diet-specific pass mark: the Angoff cut score for a day-one consultant standard plus one Standard Error of Measurement (SEM). There is no single fixed percentage pass mark stated in the standard-setting policy.

Exam fee

GBP: for examinations through 31 December 2026, Section 1 is £580 within the £2,000 combined Section 1 and 2 fee; from 1 January 2027, Section 1 is £600 within the £2,070 combined fee. The full combined amount is payable on application and credited to the candidate fee account; resit section fees are deducted from that account. Fees are reviewed annually and may be revised.

Topics covered

• Elective Orthopaedics

  • A wide knowledge of orthopaedic disease in both children and adults which includes congenital and genetically determined disorders, metabolic disorders, degenerative diseases and disturbances, and disabilities resulting from disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems. This knowledge should extend from clinical diagnosis through management to rehabilitation.
  • A sound knowledge of the standard operative procedures used and their complications.
  • A knowledge of the standard investigative techniques used in orthopaedics.
  • A knowledge of specialised areas such as the spine, the hand, etc.

• Trauma

  • A sound knowledge of the care of musculoskeletal trauma from the initial resuscitation through reconstructive surgery to complications and their management, and relevant aspects of rehabilitation. Musculoskeletal trauma includes fractures of limb bones, joint injuries, spinal injuries including neurological damage, pelvic fractures, injuries to muscle, tendon, ligament and nerve, hand injuries, multiple injuries and the principles of shock and resuscitation.
  • An adequate knowledge of visceral, neurosurgical and skin trauma, such as would enable an orthopaedic surgeon to undertake primary diagnosis and treatment of these injuries if specialist expertise were not immediately available.

• Basic Science

  • A knowledge of surgical anatomy relevant to the practice of orthopaedic and trauma surgery.
  • The development of the musculoskeletal system.
  • The physiology and biochemistry of musculoskeletal tissues.
  • The pathology of common conditions including tumours, degenerative and inflammatory arthritis, metabolic bone disease and fracture healing.
  • Bacteriology encountered in orthopaedic practice including operating theatre design and the role of antibiotics.
  • Tissue transplantation in orthopaedic and trauma practice.
  • The principles of genetics as applied to the musculoskeletal system.
  • The science of investigative techniques, including the principles of radiography and the effects of radiation on the skeleton, the physical basis of computerised tomography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, the scientific basis of electrophysiological investigations.
  • Biomechanics relevant to the musculoskeletal system. This would include the physical properties of the tissues we deal with (bone, cartilage, and implants for reconstructive surgery and fracture fixation), patterns of gait and limb movement and the effect of forces acting on the skeleton.
  • A sound knowledge of prosthetic and orthotic practice including the principles of design, prescription and fitting of standard prostheses, and the principles of orthotic bracing for the control of disease, deformity, and instability.
  • A working knowledge of statistics relevant to orthopaedic practice.

How to prepare

Work through the topics, read the explanation after each answer, and revisit the areas where you miss questions. Use the official outline and reference materials below to guide your study.

These independent practice questions are not actual exam items and do not guarantee a passing result.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources and references

• JCIE T&O Regulations and Scope

  pp.3–4, A–C

• T&O Surgery Curriculum August 2026 Version 3

  p.33, 5.3.6

• ISCP T&O Curriculum Introduction

  Curriculum PDFs

• JCIE T&O Regulations and Scope

  p.3, Section 1

• JCIE T&O Regulations and Scope

  p.3, Guide to the Scope and Format

• JCIE T&O Regulations and Scope

  p.3, Paper 1 and Paper 2

• JCIE Standard Setting in Section 1 Examinations

  p.1, Step 3

• JCIE Frequently Asked Questions

  Q1

• T&O Surgery Curriculum August 2026 Version 3

  p.33, 5.3.6

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