How to pass the EBO exam: scoring, technique and a 2027 study plan

The European Board of Ophthalmology Diploma (EBOD) examination, also called the EBO Comprehensive Exam, is one exam with two parts sat on the same day. Part I is 30 traditional MCQs, each a stem with five true/false statements, plus 30 SBAs in 2 hours: 150 true/false items and 30 SBAs, for a maximum raw score of 180. Part II is 8 standardized cases across 4 stations: a 60-minute face-to-face viva in person, or 80 minutes of typed free-text answers online.

There is no separate Part I exam to book or bank, and the exam is in English only. Passing gives the title Fellow of the European Board of Ophthalmology (FEBO); residents get a temporary certificate until they show proof of specialist registration.

Be wary of older guides, including some national pages. The EBO describes a 52-question true/false paper for exams up to 2020; SBAs were added in 2021, and the current 30 + 30 format without negative marking has applied since May 2024. Re-check the EBO's structure page before your 2027 sitting.

Each Part I item scores 1 if correct and 0 if wrong or unanswered. Scores are rescaled to a 1-10 scale on which the cohort mean minus one standard deviation becomes 6, and the final score is 0.4 × Part I + 0.15 × each of stations A to D. You need 6 or more in Part I and overall. Only one station may fall below 6, and only if Part I and the overall score are both over 6. For example (illustrative numbers), Part I at 6.5 with stations of 7, 7, 7 and 5.5 gives 6.575, a pass.

What this means in practice:

Part I draws on 10 fields with no published weighting: Optics, Refraction and Contact Lenses; Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus; External, Corneal and Adnexal disease; Glaucoma, Cataract and Refractive Surgery; Retina, Vitreous and Uvea; Neuro-ophthalmology; Orbital Disease and Oculoplastic Surgery; General Medicine relevant to Ophthalmology; Ophthalmic Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology; and Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

The EBO also publishes 8 separate syllabus documents by topic.

Part II has four stations of two cases each: A, optics, refraction, strabismus, pediatrics and neuro-ophthalmology; B, cornea, external disease, orbit and adnexa; C, glaucoma, cataract and refractive surgery; D, posterior segment, ocular inflammation and uveitis.

The EBO's non-exhaustive reading list: AAO BCSC sections 3 to 13, Kanski's Clinical Ophthalmology, Taylor and Hoyt's Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the Kline/Foroozan Neuro-ophthalmology Review Manual, the Krachmer Cornea Atlas and Holland/Mannis Ocular Surface Disease. The framework curriculum is the EBO/UEMS European Training Requirements (approved by UEMS in October 2024). Use one core text per topic and the rest for gaps.

What follows is general exam technique, not EBO policy. For SBAs, answer from the stem before reading the options, pin down what is being asked (diagnosis, next test, first-line treatment), then choose the best option offered.

Pace yourself. With 60 questions in 120 minutes you average 2 minutes each, and a true/false stem is worth five points against one for an SBA, so do not let a stubborn SBA eat true/false time.

For the five-statement true/false stems:

Part II questions are open-ended with no answer options. The EBO's examples include describing an image, giving a diagnosis and differential, choosing investigations and outlining management. Answers are marked against a model answer with whole or partial marks, for content rather than length, and listing every possible cause is not rewarded. Onsite, an examiner uses a scoring grid; online, examiners review your typed free text.

Match practice to your sitting. Online, you type answers for 8 cases in 80 minutes (the 2025 online briefing described about 5 questions per case), so train short, bullet-style answers. In person, you speak to 2 examiners in English for 60 minutes, so rehearse aloud with a colleague against the clock. Cover all four stations, since only one may fall below 6.

This structure mirrors the EBO's example question types; it is a rehearsal aid, not an official marking scheme:

A question bank helps most with Part I and with finding weak areas early. Practice both formats, keep an error log tagged by the 10 fields and 4 stations, and return to Kanski or BCSC for every miss rather than memorizing answers. Sit a few full 60-question sets in 2 hours to learn the pace.

OphthoMentor has original SBA questions and EBO-style five-statement true/false items, each with an explanation and many with decision flowcharts. All 713 published questions (as of 26 September 2026) are open on a free account with no card and no expiry, organized by the 13 BCSC-aligned subspecialties, and a free public library sits at ophthomentor.com/ophthalmology-questions. Features include timed mock exams, weak-topic drills, a readiness dashboard (readiness estimate with a pass line), resident discussion threads and oral case (viva) stations. Premium (299 SEK per year) adds spaced-repetition review on every question and unlocks every oral case station.

Two caveats: the EBO endorses only the learning materials on its own website, and a readiness estimate is only a guide because the pass mark is set by each cohort.

The fee is €600, or €400 for residents from EBO-accredited training centers, non-refundable and non-transferable. Places are limited and allocated first come, first served, so apply early. Request adjustments such as extra time by email when you apply, with supporting evidence.

Residents must be in their final year on the exam date and upload a Head of Department approval letter, and National Delegates confirm eligibility. UK residents can sit from year 4 with a training number, and Irish trainees from year 4 after the MRCSI.

Swiss candidates register through the Swiss Ophthalmological Society (SOG) from 1 October to 1 December 2026 for the exam on Friday 14 May 2027 in Interlaken. Applying directly to the EBO does not lead to the Swiss specialist title, and Swiss candidates cannot take the Berlin autumn session.

Applications for the 16 October 2026 online sitting closed on 20 May 2026. The 2027 sittings are:

Online sittings are remotely proctored, with one link per part; the EBO's 2025 briefing named ProctorExam, with answers in Speedwell eSystem. You need a Windows or Mac laptop with Chrome, a webcam and a microphone; tablets and phones are not allowed. A disconnection of more than 5 minutes invalidates the exam, and one 5-minute toilet break is allowed while the timer runs. In 2025, Part I ran in the morning and the cases in the afternoon. Results take about 4 weeks according to the EBO's current pages (the 2025 briefing estimated 2).

In person, Part I is taken on EBO-provided tablets and the viva is face to face with 2 examiners. In Paris on 8 May 2026, Part I ran 09:30-11:30 and the viva 13:30-18:30, with results emailed the next day; whether Berlin 2027 will follow suit is not published. Part I runs to 2.5 hours only if a technical problem forces paper answer sheets.

Practical checks: