About the European Board Examination in Neurology

Overview

The European Board Examination in Neurology is a joint exam of the UEMS Section of Neurology (European Board of Neurology, EBN) and the European Academy of Neurology (EAN). It is based on the European Training Requirements for Neurology (ETRN, version 2021).

Successful candidates are awarded the title Fellow of the European Board of Neurology (FEBN). This is not the same as the title Fellow of the EAN, and the diploma currently has no legal consequences for the right to practise.

The exam has been held every year since 2009 (it was cancelled in 2020). It is based on European practice, but candidates from outside Europe are welcome. 99 candidates sat it in 2023 and 149 in 2024; 8% failed overall in both years.

Format

• Written part: 70% of the final mark. About 100 multiple-choice questions on the main topics and diseases of the ETRN, answered on your own computer.
• Closed book: About 40 questions in the first 60 minutes (90 seconds each), without references. They are based on a published list of review papers and guidelines (see below).
• Open book: About 60 questions in 180 minutes (three minutes each), in two 90-minute sessions of 30. You may use your own paper references, such as a textbook.
• Question type: One best answer. The exam report describes best-of-five questions; in the 2023 official example set, most items have five options and some have four.
• Marking: Scores are corrected for guessing, with no negative marking. The pass mark is set after the exam from the scores of the best-performing candidates; in 2023 and 2024 a combined score of 55 out of 100 (written 70%, oral 30%) was a pass.
• Oral part: 30% of the final mark: an essay of at most 800 words on public health or ethics, a critical appraisal of a topic (CAT) and a clinical case from your own practice, 10% each. Each is presented for 5 minutes, then discussed for 5 minutes. The three must come from different fields of neurology; the essay and CAT are sent in beforehand and checked for plagiarism.
• Delivery: The 2027 written and oral exams are online only, with webcam and microphone on throughout, a government photo ID and nobody else in the room.
• Language: English. A dictionary in your own language is allowed.
• Fees: €600 until the early-bird deadline, €700 after it. Fees are not refunded on cancellation; a resit the following year costs less.

Eligibility

• Open to candidates who have completed, or are close to completing, neurology training.
• No certificates are required. The Board assumes basic training in general practice and a national programme with at least three years of clinical neurology; only an identity document is checked on the day.
• You do not need to attend the EAN Congress, but candidates get a discount on its registration fee.

Upcoming sittings

The exam is held once a year. Recent written exams were on 19 May 2023 and 7 June 2024; the 2027 exam is in May.

Dates are set by the board and can change. Always check the official page before you apply.

Closed-book reading list

The 23 papers listed for the closed-book questions on the European Board Examination page (October 2026); the Board says the list is subject to change, and the papers are available there as PDFs. The Area column is our own grouping. No percentage blueprint is published: the open-book questions cover the main topics and diseases of the ETRN.

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