Information for the CSC Assessment 2026
- Preamble
From 1 October 2026, the CSC Assessment will be compulsory in order to obtain the Core Surgical Curriculum (CSC) certificate. This CSC Assessment forms part of the CSC and comprises 60% of the questions previously included in the Core Surgical Exam; it takes place at the same time as that exam. The questions relate to the content of the CSC "White Book". In the conventional Core Surgical Exam, additional subject-specific questions must also be answered.
- Organizer
Basic examination association for surgical specialist training
- Realization
Examination board for the Core Surgical Exam
- Date
Saturday, 24 October 2026
- Time
approx. 11:00 AM - 01:30 PM
- Location
University of Bern
- Language
English
- Examination fee
The exam fee is CHF 360.00 for one-time participation.An additional CHF 200.00 will be charged for late (01.09.2026 - 10.09.2026) or incomplete registrations!
- Registration
April 24 - August 31, 2026
Please note that the regular registration deadline is 31.08.2026. A processing fee of CHF 200.00 will be charged for late registration (possible until 10.9.2026).Registrations after 10.09.2026 can no longer be considered for organizational reasons.
Please note:
The payment of the examination fee must be made within the payment deadline and no later than 20 days before the exam date.- Authorization
The CSC assessment is designed to evaluate candidates’ basic knowledge of core surgical training. It is therefore recommended that candidates complete the e-learning component of the Core Surgical Curriculum before registering for the exam.
Only those who hold a Swiss or recognised foreign medical degree will be admitted to the CSC assessment.
- Further training regulations (WBO)
Information on the continuing education programs of the specialist societies can be found at the specialist societies or at SIWF / ISFM
- Preparation
To prepare for the CSC assessment, we recommend that you work through the Core Surgical Curriculum’s e-learning programme.
- Documents
Handout
In the document linked above you will find further information on the correct procedure for completing and submitting the exam. You will also be provided with a printed copy of the handout at the examination.- Resignation
If you withdraw from the exam, the fee will not be refunded. If you cancel your registration or fail to attend the exam, the full amount remains payable, regardless of the reason.
Core Surgical Exam and/or Core Surgical Curriculum
Since 2024, various postgraduate training programmes in surgical disciplines have stated that candidates may sit either the Basic Examination and/or the Core Surgical Curriculum for the first part of the specialist examination.
You can find out which further training programs this regulation already applies to on the website of the Swiss Institute for Further and Continuing Education (https://www.siwf.ch/weiterbildung/facharzttitel-und-schwerpunkte.cfm).
If nothing is specified in the training program of the desired specialization, the Core Surgical Exam still applies.
Passing limit
The pass mark will be determined in 2024 following the introduction of the new assessment content and the amendment of the CSC regulations by means of a standard setting according to the scientifically recognized Hofstee** method. This is based on estimated values (minimum and maximum pass mark, minimum and maximum failure rate) of the examination board, which are mathematically and graphically transferred to the current distribution of points. To ensure a constant level of requirements, a comparison is also made with the pass thresholds of previous years.
**Livingston, Samuel A. & Zieky Michael J. (1982), Passing Scores, A Manual for setting standards of performance on educational and occupational tests, Educational testing Service; USA.
Bloch R, Hofer D, Krebs, R., Schläppi, P., Weiss, S., Westkämper, R. & Jakob, L. Competent testing. Handbook for planning, conducting and evaluating specialist examinations. Institute for Education, Training and Continuing Education IAWF. Berne: 1999
The evaluation and statistical/technical processing is ensured through cooperation with the Institute for Medical Education (IML) in Bern. For over 40 years, it has offered examination services primarily in medical education and training, but also in a variety of non-medical areas. Currently, over 200 written and practical examinations are being supervised, some of which make use of digital media, including the federal examinations for the university medical professions (human medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, chiropractic) for the Federal Office of Public Health FOPH.