Pattern of Examination
1. The IAP Neonatology Chapter office bearers have the discretionary powers to decide the venue of fellowship examination based upon the number of candidates to be examined, availability of infrastructure and examiners, and the willingness of Institute to conduct the examination as per the guidelines of the chapter.
2. All annual exams henceforward shall be held after 31 Jan and 31 July of the respective years to ensure completion of the stipulated training programme period. The date for submission of fees henceforth for all future exams shall be fixed for theannual fresh batch exam between 1 Oct to 15 Nov & for midterm exams 1May -15 June. Examination will be conducted over 2 / 3 / 4 days depending upon the number of candidates taking the exam.
3. While candidates’ convenience will be kept in mind, they may be required to be present on all days of the examination or only on specific days.
4. A ratio of 1 examiner per 4-6 students shall be ensuredat least half the number of examiners will be from outside the institute (and maybe outside the city / state) to be finalized by the examination coordinator in consultation with the Chairperson.
5. The theory papers will be set by two sets of examiners independently. The questions will be communicated to the chairperson / fellowship program in-charge of the chapter or an independent authority figure with no interest in the exam, and both sets of theory papers (I and II) will be brought to the examination hall in sealed envelopes. One of the envelopes will be opened for each of theory papers I and II.
6. Each theory paper will be of 3 hours duration. The basic pattern will be as below; however, this may vary with the examiners.
Theory papers: (200 marks) (100 X 2)
a) Paper – I: Theory questions: Theory Paper 1 of 100 marks shall have 80% questions from the Website question bank. Out of 100 marks for theory paper 1, 20% marks shall be MCQ based for exploring the knowledge, aptitude, analysis and core concept understanding. There will be choice of answering five questions out of six or seven. Each question will carry equal marks (20 marks). The questions may be long answer questions or multiple short notes, diagrams, or flow charts. Theory paper I will cover topics like community neonatology, demography, embryology, Pathophysiology of illnesses, recent advances, medicolegal aspects, preventive neonatology, fetal therapy, relevant aspects of obstetrics, human lactation and protocols in case of specific maternal illnesses.
b) Paper – II: Case-based questions: There will be a choice of answering 5 out of six or seven questions, each question carrying equal marks (20 marks). Theory paper II will contain 7 case illustrations. The purpose of this paper will be to test the candidate’s ability to evaluate the case correctly and make correct clinical use of knowledge to make appropriate decisions.
7. Practical examination will consist of one long case, two short cases, ten spots for identification, and viva voce, inclusive of questions on the clinical study. The practical examination components will be staggered to accommodate all candidates, on one / two / three days.
a) Long case (80 marks): Each candidate will be given ½ hour to prepare for one long case and maximum ½ hr to present the same. Examples: MAS, RDS, CLD, HIE, congenital heart disease, multiple birth trauma, hydrops etc
b) Short cases (2 X 40 marks each): each candidate will be given ½ hour to prepare two short cases and maximum ½ hr to present both short cases (15 min each). Examples: spinal dysraphism, CP, congenital heart disease, hyperbilirubinemia etc.
8. Viva voce by both examiners together (40 marks): 5 - 6 questions will be asked. The topics will cover recent advances, clinical study done by the candidate, equipments, procedures, drugs, X-rays, ECGs, lab reports, basic concepts of statistics, neonatal resuscitation etc.
9. OSCE, 10 spots (marks 50).
10. The clinical/Research study (Marks – 40) will be evaluated on the following aspects –
a) Clinical relevance in India, study size and statistical significance 10 marks
b) Type of study – prospective/ retrospective, comparative, controlled, randomized, blinded etc 10 marks
c) Presentation – use of flowcharts, clinical photographs, clarity of results 10 marks
d) Discussion, comparison with similar other studies, ability to analyze the strengths, limitations and scope of the clinical study 10 marks
11. All fellowship co-ordinators with 3 or more years of ongoing programme may be eligible to serve as examiner and a formal letter be sent to the Secretariat to add their name to the Central pool of Examiners.
12. No examiner shall serve on 2 consecutive terms. Examiners with 2 terms or more shall be given a break for 1 year from the last exam.
13. A student who does not pass exams in 3 attempts within 3 years of his end of fellowship tenure shall be ineligible for certification.
14. 80% of questions for Paper 1 shall be from the question bank for Jan 2014 exam onwards. The Question bank for theory papers shall be available on website. The exam committee shall maintain & update the MCQ & Question bank database.
15. Exam pattern for theory paper is modified for Jan 2015 exam onwards.
- Theory Paper 1 of 100 marks shall have 80% questions from the Website question bank.
- Out of 100 marks for theory paper 2, 40% marks shall be MCQ based for exploring the knowledge, aptitude, analysis and core concept understanding.
- Total theory marks of max of 200 & practicals (300 max) remain same.
16. All students admitted in Jan 2014 shall have the modified exam pattern as outlined above.
17. Candidates are strongly advised to allow for any transport delays when planning their travel to the examination centres.
a) Under no circumstances will candidates be permitted to enter the examination room later than half an hour after the start of a written examination.
b) Attempts will be made
to reschedule an examination for those candidates who arrive late for the start of the Clinical Examination, wherever possible at the allocated centre, although an alternative cannot be guaranteed.
c) Refunds will not be granted to any candidate not permitted to enter the examination on the grounds of late arrival.
d) It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that the Secretariat is informed of an intended withdrawal from any part of the IAP Neonatology Fellowship Examination at the earliest opportunity. Candidates may telephone in an emergency, but notice of withdrawal from any part of the examination must in all cases be received in writing by the Secretariat within 2 weeks of date of the examination.
e) Fees cannot be transferred to the next examination.
18. The IAP Neonatology Chapter reserves the right to bar any candidate from sitting or passing any examination for any reason. Examples of reasons that may be deemed to be sufficient are:
- Where there is any doubt concerning the sufficiency or authenticity of the Certificates produced by the candidate
- Where there exists any other reason that causes the IAP Neonatology Chapter to doubt the fitness of the candidate to become a competent Fellow. Such reasons may include criminal behaviour or other professional misconduct
- Where the candidate is suspected of cheating or attempting to cheat in this or any other examination
- Should an application be found to be incomplete in any manner, the IAP Neonatology Chapter reserves the right to reject that application
19. Any invigilator or examiner present shall be empowered to refuse to allow a candidate to continue with an examination on grounds of misconduct. Where an Invigilator suspects a candidate of infringing examination
Room Rules they shall:
- confiscate any unauthorised material in the possession of the candidate
- endorse the candidates script on the front cover with a note of the time when the alleged infringement was discovered. In cases of suspected collusion, invigilators should endorse the script of each candidate suspected of being involved. Wherever possible an invigilator should require another invigilator to act as witness by countersigning the endorsement
- allow the candidate(s)in question to continue the examination
- inform the candidates(s) in question at the end of the examination, that a written report of the incident will be submitted to the Head of Examinations
- prepare within three working days a written report on the alleged incident and send it with any confiscated materials and their source(s) to the Secretariat.
20. Candidates shall not leave the examination room temporarily during the period of the examination unless given the express permission by the invigilator(s). If such permission is given they will not take any personal belongings with them and shall not attempt to contact any other person or consult any material relating to the examination whilst outside the examination room.
21. Candidates who leave the examination room during the period of the examination without the express permission of the invigilator, shall be considered to have completed their work and shall not be readmitted.
22. Candidates may not leave the examination room during the first thirty minutes of the examination or in the fifteen minutes before the scheduled end of the examination.
PENALTY FOR MISCONDUCT
1. Minor Offences (Technical infringements of Examination Rules)
- Verbal or written warning
- Reduced mark in the unit of assessed work involved (possibly failing the examination)./li>
2. Serious Offences (serious infringement of Examination Rules, use of unauthorised materials or crib notes in examinations, any second offences involving assessed work, inappropriate behavior to a patient/examiner/candidate in the Clinical Examination)
- Fail in the Examination concerned
- Fail in all sections of the Examination
- Fail in the Examination concerned and suspension from taking the Examination for a specified period
- Fail in all sections of the Examination and suspension from taking the Examination
- Permanent debarment from the Examination
