I have been aware for some time that the amount of material aimed at candidates for the FRCA greatly outweighs that designed for trainers. There is so much good material available to revising candidates that there is really no excuse for sitting the examination inadequately prepared. Whilst this volume will hopefully help in revision terms, it is equally targeted at those worthy seniors who make themselves available for ‘mock’ oral examinations. I have used my experience of examining to ensure that the content of this book gives a representative feel for the real situation. Trainers wishing to conduct practice orals will find 10 ready-made structured examinations within. The format closely follows the current procedure of the primary FRCA and there are thus three topics to each subject – in line with current marking. Aspiring candidates will, I hope, also benefit from the revision material which is deliberately written in a semi-discursive style.

It is obviously imperative when training candidates about to sit the Royal College Examinations, that the subject matter is apposite. I hope those who read and use this book will appreciate the suitability of its content. Readers may care to note that the educationalist approved term for ‘Viva’ is now ‘Structured Oral Examination’ or SOE for short. This book therefore uses this parlance throughout.

My thanks are extended to my two co-authors, both of whom have played a large role in the organisation of the FRCA preparation courses at Coventry.