European Exam in General Cardiology 2020 (EEGC)

Date: Tuesday 16 June 2020
Venue: Pearson Vue Exam Centres across the UK
Registration: Register online now.
Fees: £420.
(The fees for the EEGC exam have remained unchanged for the past five years. However due to increasing administration costs we have consequently increased prices for 2020)
Closing Date: Tuesday 4th February 2020
NB Requests to register for the exam after the closing deadline will be declined!.

About the Exam

The European Examination in General Cardiology (formerly known as the Knowledge Based Assessment or KBA in the UK) is administered by the European Society of Cardiology, in conjunction with UEMS Cardiac Section and the national cardiac societies. 

For up to date information regarding the exam, please visit the The European Union of Medical Specialists website.

How EEGC fits in with UK cardiology training
The UK curriculum defines the necessary knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to achieve a CCT in Cardiovascular Medicine. The EEGC is taken in ST5, towards the end of core training and assesses the core knowledge required by the current UK Cardiology Curriculum.

From 2018, the exam sat by UK trainees contains UK-specific questions relating to UK guidance and legislation. The EEGC score is not used to aid decisions about allocation to advanced modules. Trainees who do not achieve the required standard in the EEGC in ST5 will be able to progress to ST6 and ST7 providing the other elements of their performance are judged satisfactory at the ARCP. The EEGC is offered on an annual basis, so if necessary trainees have opportunities to re-sit the exam in ST6 and ST7. A satisfactory performance in the EEGC is required before attainment of a CCT.

An EEGC Guide has been created to give candidates an overview of what the exam is for, how it fits into their training programme, what the exam will look like and how to prepare. There are also 10 sample questions supplied that candidates can review.

Important information for candidates

1. Registration requirements - Important information about registration for 2020.
2. Cancellation Terms and Conditions - Cancellations must be made in writing to BCS. Cancellations received 8 weeks before the exam: full refund less administration fee £20. Places on the exam cannot be transferred.
3. Reasonable Adjustments, Appeals, Complaints and Misconduct. To request information on reasonable adjustments and appeals, please contact education@bcs.com
4. View the 2020 checklist of candidates’ roles and responsibilities.
   

 

How to prepare
The UK cardiology curriculum prepares trainees for a career in cardiology and hence an aptitude for lifelong learning is essential. There is no exclusive list of appropriate sources of information for the EEGC - trainees are encouraged to read widely and use whatever means they prefer to keep up-to-date. 
Further information on the structure and organisation if the EEGC is available in “ Behind the scenes of the European Examination in General Cardiology” available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2018-314495 with advice on “How to succeed in the EEGC: a guide for trainees and their trainers” available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/heartjnl-2018-314496.

Examples of good reference sources include:

Training courses e.g. BCS & Mayo Clinic Cardiology Review Course  
Textbooks e.g. ESC Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine including ESC CardioMed
Educational articles e.g. Education in Heart
Guidelines e.g., ESC, AHA, ACC 
Online reviews e.g. theheart.org 
Online educational material e.g ESCel, Cardiosource, ESC webinars and cases
Academic journals e.g. Heart (Free/discounted for BCS Members), NEJM, EHJ, Lancet, Circulation, JACC