FRCR 2B Short Cases & Oral Exam: A Comprehensive Revision Resource
This teaching resource has been developed by a consultant radiologist with over 15 years of FRCR 2B teaching experience, with the goal of providing candidates with a structured and high-volume case database for exam preparation.
A UK Consultant Radiologist 15+ years of FRCR teaching · frcrcases.co.uk
The Oral Cases Exam
The FRCR 2B Oral Cases Exam
Editor’s Take
From teaching many hundreds of candidates, I have garnered the following facts: the average FRCR delegate encounters approximately 2000 oral case specific learning opportunities prior to the exam, across differing learning including books, teaching, websites and courses. Importantly, candidates often estimate that they have only seen about a third of these cases repeated in the actual exam.
My advice is to focus on high yield cases covering breadth, but make sure you have a solid technique that you can fall back on.
How does this resource help your revision?
The oral cases component is divided into two sections: the Exam Technique Builder and High Yield FRCR 2B Revision Cases.
Part 1
Technique Builder
This resource has been designed for candidates struggling with presenting a case in the style of the FRCR 2B exam. Our objective is to show you how to present a case and give you the steps to build a reproducible technique which you can apply to other areas. This is delivered by written and audio model answers.
Part 2
High Yield Cases
We have three separate modules covering Nuclear Medicine, Mammography and Ultrasound. We have selected these cases based on feedback as these are areas which with regards to exposure and learning opportunities are off the beaten path making them particularly difficult to revise. Our aim is to provide you with a balanced exposure, allowing you to revise and practice. In particular for the Ultrasound section there is a large emphasis on UK MDT level management.
The Short Cases Exam
FRCR 2B Short Cases Support
Editor’s Take
The Short Cases component replaced the old Rapid Reporting exam and is now far more representative of how radiologists actually work within the NHS. Rather than focusing purely on trauma films, the new format tests candidates across chest radiographs, musculoskeletal imaging and abdominal radiographs, with each case requiring a structured written response covering three components: observations, diagnosis/differentials and recommendations. However, this is still the component which is easiest to revise and comes down to a numbers game.
You should aim to see 1500 cases in the 3–6 months before the exam.
How can this resource help you?
My experience, and this is backed by research, is that if someone is shown 1000 x-rays over 4 months equally distributed over time, they will forget 50–60% of the cases seen in the first 2 months by the end of month 4. These cases have been designed to be reviewed twice over a 90 day period for maximum benefit. We also include two abdominal radiograph specific packets because this is something trainees truly struggle with.
1,500
Target cases before exam
35
Packets in this resource
90
Day review cycle
How the content is organised
1-33
Mixed Cases
Cases reflect the recommended exam ratio with approximately 75% adult and 25% paediatric cases, covering chest radiographs, musculoskeletal imaging and abdominal radiographs.
34-35
Abdominal Radiograph Focus
A dedicated deep dive into abdominal radiograph interpretation. Cases include perforation, volvulus and other high yield presentations.
The teaching methodology
Cases are deliberately grouped by anatomical region. You might work through a right upper lobe collapse, followed by a right upper lobe mass, then a right rib destruction – all in sequence. This is intentional. Seeing similar pathologies side by side trains your eye to spot subtle but critical differences, which is exactly the skill required on exam day.
How to get the most from this resource
- Prioritise short cases revision - performance here has a direct and measurable correlation with the amount of practice you put in
- Work through all 35 packets systematically, including the abdominal radiograph focused packets
- Use the three part answer structure for every case: observations → diagnosis/differentials → recommendations
- Go through the full set of cases twice before your exam date