From January 2018 the Specialty Certificate Examination (SCE) in Gastroenterology and the European Section and Board of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Examination (ESBGHE), was replaced by the European Specialty Examination in Gastroenterology and Hepatology (ESEGH).
The ESEGH is the General Medical Council (GMC, UK) approved mandatory summative assessment of knowledge for UK trainees in Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
For European based candidates, the examination is a demonstration of having achieved the knowledge necessary to fulfil the requirements of the ESBGH curriculum which is a Europe-wide description of the level expected of a specialist in gastroenterology and hepatology. The ESEGH is mandated for trainees in the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Candidates from Europe, UK, and the rest of the world can take this high quality examination which ensures that certified specialists have sufficient knowledge of gastroenterology and hepatology.
The ESEGH is delivered once a year. See the table for key dates for the next examination below:
| Diets | Examination date | Application period | Reasonable Adjustment Deadline | Results release | Certificates posted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/01 | 9 April 2025 | 18 December 2024 - 15 January 2025 | 23 January 2025 | 4 weeks after exam | 8 weeks after results release |
Please ensure you apply for your examination within the application period and have submitted your reasonable adjustment request by the reasonable adjustment deadline.
Eligibility requirements
There are no entry requirements for the ESEGH although candidates in UK training posts would normally take the examination as part of their higher specialty training. The European Specialty Examination in Gastroenterology and Hepatology Board have reviewed the performance of candidates in the United Kingdom and now advise UK based trainees dual accrediting in General Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology to attempt the examination during ST5 in order to ensure that they have time for 3 attempts prior to CCT. Those in single accreditation programme may wish to consider a first sitting in their ST4 year.
EU candidates would normally take the examination towards the end of their specialization.
If you have passed the SCE in Gastroenterology or the European Section and Board of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Examination, you are not permitted to apply for the ESEGH.
How to apply
Instructions on how to apply for the new examination are here.
Examination fees
| Candidates sitting the examination in the UK | £700 |
| Candidates sitting the examination in ESBGH full member, associate member and observer countries* | €800 |
| Candidates sitting the examination in all other countries and territories | £875 |
*A defined list of countries is available here.
Qualification
For UK trainees who hold MRCP(UK), have gained the ESEGH and who are recommended for a CCT will be entitled to apply for the postnominal MRCP(UK) (Gastroenterology).
ESBGH full member, associate member and observer countries: The ESEGH is currently mandated in the Netherlands and Switzerland for local trainees. Please contact the ESBGH directly for further information.
Curricula and blueprints
UK candidates
The Specialty Training Curriculum for Gastroenterology is published by the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians Training Board (JRCPTB).
European candidates
The Blue Book 2017, approved by the Union of European Medical Specialties (UEMS): The ‘Blue Book’ defines the curriculum of Gastroenterology and Hepatology training. The Blue Book aims to harmonise the training in gastroenterology across European countries by setting the standards in Gastroenterology education and practice and by implementing quality control in all parts of GI training.
The examination is made up of questions from across the curricula, selected to match the blueprint:
Resources for trainees
Preparation for the ESEGH requires a wide breadth of knowledge around the curriculum and should involve reading of textbooks, journals and guidelines.
Suggested sources and reading are listed below:
Conferences
- American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)
- British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL)
- British Viral Hepatitis Group (BVHG)
- British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG)
- Digestive Disease Week (DDW)
- European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL)
- Regional Society meetings
- Royal Colleges of Physicians
- United European Gastroenterology (UEG)
Guidelines
- BSG
- National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment Programme
- National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
- Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN)
Journals
- Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics
- European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- Frontline Gastroenterology
- Gastroenterology
- Gut
- Journal of Hepatology
- Lancet
- New England Journal of Medicine
- UEG Journal
Textbooks
- Oxford Handbook of Gastroenterology and Hepatology 2006 (S Bloom, G Webster)
- Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease, 9th Ed, 2010 (M Feldman, Laurence S Friedman)
- Textbook of Gastroenterology, 5th Ed, 2008 (Ed T Yamada)
- The Textbook of Hepatology, 3rd Ed, 2007 (Ed J Rodes)
- Best of Five MCQS for the European Specialty Examination in Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Oxford Higher Specialty Training) 2021 (Thomas Marjot, Colleen McGregor, Tim Ambrose, Simon Travis, Aminda De Silva, Jeremy Cobbold)
Online resources
Sample questions
The questions are in ‘best of five’ multiple choice format. This format, in addition to testing core knowledge and comprehension, also assesses the ability to interpret information and to solve clinical problems. There will be five options – one correct answer and four alternatives to the correct answer. The four distractors will be closely related to the preferred option but less correct, therefore acting as plausible alternatives.
These questions give an indication of the type of question you can expect in the examination. Take part in this interactive sample test:
Results report
The selected metrics report provides details about the previous year's examination. All the statistics are intended to help candidates to be more informed and better prepared for the examination. The reports are also available to other stakeholders (e.g. deaneries’ representatives, board members, trainees’ supervisors) who would like to find out more about candidates’ performance in order to be able to make informed decisions about training programmes or examination standards