Otolaryngology Mock Oral Exam Checklist for Personal-Case Sessions
A complete operational checklist for simulating the published practice-based format without reproducing secure content or compromising patient confidentiality.
Key takeaways
- Use ten fully de-identified personal or original educational cases and divide them into two timed sessions.
- The mock should test chart command, clinical judgment, operative communication, complication rescue, professionalism, and transitions—not trivia recall alone.
- Examiners should probe with neutral follow-up and avoid coaching during the timed session.
- Debrief only after the session and assign a small number of repeatable remediation drills.
Two weeks before the mock
- Choose ten cases representing the candidate’s actual breadth, complexity, outcomes, and known weak domains.
- Confirm every personal case is fully de-identified before faculty or platform access.
- Create a source-of-truth timeline and identify the records or images that may be shown.
- Write original examiner objectives, likely pivots, and one complication branch per case.
- Assign two examiners per session when possible and brief them on neutral follow-up.
- Choose timing, break length, room or video setup, and permitted materials.
Examiner briefing
| Do | Avoid | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Ask one decision at a time | Long compound questions | The candidate’s reasoning and timing remain interpretable. |
| Interrupt when an answer is complete or off track | Teaching during the timed case | The simulation preserves pressure and allows later debrief. |
| Probe indication, alternatives, anatomy, complication, and outcome | Only asking factual recall | Practice remains aligned to clinical defense. |
| Record exact unsafe or missing statements | Global impressions alone | Feedback becomes actionable and reproducible. |
| Use original prompts and de-identified material | Recalled secure exam content | Confidentiality and examination integrity are protected. |
During each timed session
- Five cases are queued and the clock is visible to examiners but not distracting to the candidate.
- The candidate starts with a concise summary and is redirected if chronology consumes the case.
- At least one case tests unstable airway or hemorrhage rescue.
- At least one case tests an imperfect outcome, complication, or change from plan.
- At least one case requires operative anatomy and a bailout threshold.
- Examiners mark factual command, primary plan, safety, communication, and professionalism.
- No coaching, reassurance, or detailed feedback occurs until the session ends.
Debrief in three layers
- 01
Immediate safety
Correct any delayed airway, hemorrhage, neurologic, sepsis, wrong-site, or unsafe-procedure response first.
- 02
Case command and judgment
Identify inaccurate facts, missing indication, uncommitted alternatives, weak operative sequence, or poor complication ownership.
- 03
Communication and timing
Review opening length, answer-first behavior, correction, transitions, filler, and response to interruption.
- 04
Repeat drill
Assign one personal case, one catalog variant, and one rescue branch to repeat within seventy-two hours.
Final readiness checklist
- Can deliver every selected-case summary accurately in sixty to ninety seconds.
- Can identify the immediate threat and act before ordering nonessential tests.
- Can describe common operations with landmarks, verification, and bailout.
- Can discuss a complication and outcome honestly without blame.
- Can handle five cases in sequence without carrying the prior case forward.
- Can complete two sessions with stable pacing, voice, and attention.
- Has verified official logistics and protected all patient information.
Put the framework under pressure
Rehearse the exact decisions in your own cases.
Voice-first cases, adaptive examiner follow-up, imaging, complications, and structured educational feedback for otolaryngology (ent).
Questions candidates ask
Frequently asked questions
Does the current ABOHNS Oral Exam use cases from the candidate’s own practice?
Yes. ABOHNS states that beginning with the September 2025 Oral Exam, candidates are examined on cases from their practice. A nine-month case collection log and peer review are required for application and eligibility.
How many cases are discussed in the redesigned oral format?
ABOHNS transition materials describe ten cases selected in advance, divided into two sessions of five cases. Because the Board calls the redesign an evolving process, candidates should confirm their current portal instructions.
Can I upload my personal cases to SurgiTest?
SurgiTest can be used to rehearse fully de-identified personal cases. Never upload protected health information, identifiable photographs, exact dates, record numbers, unredacted records, or metadata that could identify a patient.
Should the mock use only the candidate’s own cases?
Use personal cases for chart command and ownership, then add original catalog variants to test breadth and adaptability. All personal material must be fully de-identified.
When should the last full mock occur?
A final complete simulation is often most useful early in the last one to two weeks, leaving time for targeted correction without exhausting the candidate immediately before travel.
Source transparency
Official references
Board requirements, dates, and candidate instructions can change. Confirm current details directly with ABOHNS and the Board’s candidate portal.
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