Biomedical scientist examinations – histopathology reporting
The Stage A and C BMS examinations are for candidates in Stage A or C of the RCPath/IBMS Advanced Specialist Diploma in Histopathology Reporting.
The examination is designed to test a candidate’s applied knowledge and skills relevant to the curriculum. Candidates should be familiar with the curriculum.
Candidates must be registered with the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) before applying for the Stage A examination.
The Stage A exam date for autumn 2025 is 1 October to be held in Keele, Staffordshire. The Stage C date for autumn 2025 is 16 and 17 October to be held in Shrewsbury. The application window will open online 7 July and close 18 July 2025.
Examination format
Stage A examination
The Stage A examination will consist of 15 stations, which are made up of 13 question stations and 2 rest stations. Candidates will move around each station. After the completion of each station, candidates must post their answer sheet(s) into the ballot-style box or envelope provided. Candidates will not be allowed to access examination material during the rest stations. The examination will last for approximately 3 hours. There will be internal and external examiners present for the duration of the examination.
In this stage the exam will involve a mixture of microscopic assessment of slides, macroscopic assessment of specimens and face-to-face stations. The face-to-face stations will require no written answers, but the other cases will take the form of short answers. For example, candidates may be required to write a histopathology report based on their assessment of the slide and then questions related to this pathologic process.
The examination will last 3 hours and is akin to the Stage A examination medical histopathology trainees sit. Both the portfolio and examination must be passed before a candidate can proceed to Stage B.
Stage C examination
The Stage C examination is akin to the FRCPath Part 2 histopathology examination and consists of several parts including objective structured practical examinations (OSPEs), surgical cases, long cases and macros. One part involves the assessment of 20 cases, which will be provided in 10 pairs of haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained slides in 20 minute slots over 3 hours and 20 minutes. The cases will include a mixture of neoplastic and non-neoplastic material. They will vary in difficulty from straightforward cases readily diagnosable on a single H&E section, to more complex cases requiring more detailed description, differential diagnosis and special techniques, and cases not capable of diagnosis on a single H&E, which should prompt an approach for further techniques, extra blocks and specialist opinions.
Another part involves 4 long cases that may include, for example, a number of H&E stained slides or a single H&E stained slide with immunohistochemistry sections. 20 minutes is given for each case and candidates are expected to discuss the microscopic findings and additional material to make a final diagnosis or to discuss a differential diagnosis.
In a further part, candidates will be provided with pictures of pathology specimens with clinical information and will be asked to prepare their responses to specific questions and to mark on the photographs where they would take blocks. 2 x 20-minute slots will be provided to view a total of 4 cases, followed by a 20-minute discussion with 2 examiners. Formal written reports are not required in this exercise, which is designed to allow candidates to demonstrate their capabilities in gross pathology and familiarity with block selection in the context of the RCPath minimum datasets.
There will also be 2 x 20-minute OSPEs. One is conducted face to face with 2 examiners while the other is a written exercise only. Possible topics include management/clinical governance type and multidisciplinary team type cases, although this list is not exhaustive.
The order that candidates will undertake these different parts of this examination will vary and will be dependent on the number of candidates.
For further information and the curriculum, please see the IBMS website.