ECAR Residency Examination Information

Overview of the ECAR Examination Process

The ECAR examination is the final step for candidates (Residents) to become certified as Diplomates in animal reproduction. It is a rigorous, structured process involving eligibility assessment, application, examination, and evaluation.

1. Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to sit the ECAR exam, candidates must:

• Have successfully completed an ECAR-approved standard or alternative residency programme.

• Have submitted:

  • A case diary and activity diary (in ECAR-specified format).

  • Two peer-reviewed publications (as first author or co-author; in journals with impact factor ≥0.7).

  • Two conference presentations at international meetings (e.g., EVSSAR, ESDAR, ECAR).

  • A Supervisor’s report confirming progress and readiness.

• Meet submission deadlines:

  • Application: by May 15 of the examination year.

  • Exam questions and fees: by August 31.

2. Application and Approval

• Applications are submitted to the Education and Residency Committee (ERC).

• The ERC reviews the application and documentation.

• If criteria are met, the ERC provides final approval for the candidate to take the exam.

3. Examination Format

The exam is conducted in English and includes two parts:

A. General Part

• 100 multiple choice questions (each with one correct answer)

• 25 essay questions

  • 10 Long essay style questions

  • 15 Slide (Case) based questions

• Covers broad topics in:

  • Physiology, pathology, and endocrinology of reproduction.

  • Diagnosis and treatment of reproductive disorders.

  • Reproductive surgery, imaging, biotechnology.

  • Legal and ethical aspects of breeding and biotechnology.

• Species covered: small animals, ruminants, porcine, equines and biotechnology (all which have equal question weighting).

B. Subspeciality Part

• Held the day after the general part.

• Focuses on the candidate’s declared subspeciality:

  • (a) Small animal reproduction

  • (b) Equine reproduction

  • (c) Ruminant reproduction and herd health

  • (d) Porcine reproduction and herd health

  • (e) Reproductive biotechnology

• Based on:

  • Case scenarios, diagnostics, treatment planning.

  • Lab material analysis (e.g. biopsies, semen, embryos).

• MCQs, Case based and Written answers required.

4. Scoring and Passing Criteria

• A minimum of 55% is required in each part

• An overall score of 70% is required to pass

• The difficulty of each question is pre-assessed by the Examination Committee to adjust expectations accordingly

5. Re-examination Policy

• Candidates who fail any part of the exam must re-apply to retake all sections.

• Full exam fees must be paid again.

• Candidates have up to 4 total attempts within 8 years of first being eligible.

• Failing to pass within:

  • 5 years of first attempt, or

  • 8 years of approval
    => Requires re-evaluation by the Board, and possibly additional training.

6. Feedback and Appeals

• The Examination Committee provides written feedback to failed candidates and their Supervisors.

• Candidates can appeal adverse decisions (e.g., exam denial, failure) through ECAR’s formal Appeals Procedure.

Please look at the information in the Accordion below regarding 'Examinations Guidelines' and 'How to use the ExamSoft' Examination Software.