Named after the pioneering Scottish ophthalmologist, Sir Stewart Duke-Elder, this exam is intended for medical students who have completed their ophthalmology undergraduate teaching, but it is open to all medical undergraduates provided they have not graduated at the time of the examination. Students may take the examination on more than one occasion provided they have not yet graduated and have not previously won the prize.
The exam is a notoriously competitive and difficult exam to sit during medical school. Each year students can register for the exam before December and the exam is held in early March. Two hours are allocated to answer ninety multiple choice questions. The standard of some questions that students encounter is beyond those of the undergraduate ophthalmology curriculum experienced during medical school. It consists of questions from the different sub-specialties within ophthalmology (Eye News).
Sponsored by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, the ca
