title: Factors associated with passing the European Board of Paediatric Surgery Exam.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The European Board of Paediatric Surgery (EBPS) includes a written Part 1 and an oral/practical Part 2 component. The goal of this study was to describe the EBPS examination candidate pool, and to determine factors associated with successfully passing the examination.
  
  
  METHODS
  A database including all registered candidates for the EBPS exams since 2005 was constructed. Queried information included demographics, training location, language proficiency, and written/oral scores. Logistic regression analysis was performed to elucidate variables predictive of examination success.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Until 2013, a total of 370 candidates registered for the part 1 examination and 147 successfully passed part 2. Pass rates for part 1 were 68, 65, 20, and 0 % on first, second, third, and forth attempts, respectively. Pass rates for part 2 were 79 % for both first and second attempts. Training in a single country was associated with passing Part 1 (p = 0.048), while having completed at least some training in an English-speaking country increased the chance of passing Part 2 (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pool of EBPS examination candidates is highly diverse and international. First- and second-attempt pass rates are similar for both parts. Candidates who completed all their training in non-English-speaking countries may wish to consider additional English language practice to increase their chances of success.
authors.affiliation: European Board of Paediatric Surgery, Glasgow, Scotland, UK, oliver.muensterer@unimedizin-mainz.de.
authors.forename: Oliver J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Muensterer
authors.forename: Matthew E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Bronstein
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mackenzie
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carachi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002568:Certification / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013043:Specialties, Surgical / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data