How long is the FRCR 2B viva?

Two 30-minute oral stations, six cases in each, with two examiners per station.

What is the FRCR 2B pass rate?

There is no fixed pass rate. The standard is set for each sitting, so it moves between sittings.

Is the FRCR 2B viva just about spotting the diagnosis?

No. Each case is scored on five domains, including management, safety and communication - not the diagnosis alone.

Can you prepare for the FRCR 2B viva from outside the UK?

Yes. Management is marked against UK guidelines (NICE, RCR, NHS), so the safe answer is learnable wherever you trained.

How the FRCR 2B viva is marked - and how to prepare

Last updated: 21 June 2026

The FRCR 2B viva is scored on five domains - radiology knowledge, observation, clinical reasoning, clinical safety and management, and communication - across two 30-minute stations, double-marked by two examiners, with no fixed pass rate. So spotting the diagnosis is only the first mark on each case.

If you are preparing for it, the hardest part is usually not the radiology. It is not knowing what the examiners want, what to say out loud, or whether you are ready. This guide removes that. It explains what each part of the 2B involves, how the viva is actually scored, and how to prepare for the one part you can least predict - so you walk in knowing what a good answer sounds like.

The FRCR 2B at a glance

Three parts: short-case reporting, long-case reporting, and the oral viva.
The viva: two 30-minute stations, six cases each, two examiners per station.
Five domains scored per case - not the diagnosis alone.
Double-marked and averaged; no half marks.
No fixed pass rate - the standard is set for each sitting.

What the FRCR 2B exam involves: the three components

The 2B has three components, and you need to reach the standard across all of them.

Component	What you do	Cases	Marks available
Short cases	Report short cases at pace	25	5 each (125)
Long cases	Report a smaller set in more depth	6	5 each (30)
Oral (viva)	Talk through cases live with examiners	Two 30-min stations, 6 cases each	Five domains per case

The reporting sessions test whether you can produce a clear, safe report. The viva tests whether you can think and talk through a case out loud - a different skill, and the one most candidates under-rehearse.

How the FRCR 2B viva is scored: the five domains

In the viva, every case is scored on five domains, not on the diagnosis alone:

radiology knowledge
observation
clinical reasoning
clinical safety and management
communication

Spotting the finding earns the first part. The rest of the marks come from what you do with it - the next step, safe management, the right urgency - and how clearly you say it. You can name the diagnosis correctly and still lose marks when the management and communication are not there. This is the gap most candidates do not rehearse: they prepare to recognise, not to speak the full answer.

How the FRCR 2B viva is marked: double-marking and the pass standard

Every case is marked by two examiners, and your score is the average of the two.
There are no half marks. A zero is not a blank - it is an examiner deciding the answer failed.
The pass standard is set for each sitting, not fixed in advance.

That is why there is no single pass rate you can rely on - it moves from one sitting to the next. Chasing a percentage is the wrong target. Reaching the standard on every case is the right one.

Why people fail the FRCR 2B viva

The RCR's examiners' reports repeatedly flag the same gaps in both the reporting cases and the viva. Marks are usually lost in the same places:

Naming the finding but stopping there, instead of giving the next step and safe management.
Weak communication - not saying clearly who you would tell and what you would do.
Running out of time, or rewriting reports, in the reporting sessions.

Rare diagnoses are not the problem. Most marks are lost on common cases handled incompletely, not exotic ones missed.

How to prepare for the 2B viva

The viva rewards a structured spoken answer - the same shape every time - so you are not improvising under pressure. A reliable structure for almost any case:

Recognition - name the finding in the words that score.
Next step - the one test that confirms it or changes the plan.
Management and safety - what to do, urgent action first.
Communication - who to tell, and how to hand it over.
Killer - the dangerous look-alike you have to rule out.

Drill that structure out loud, against the clock, until it comes automatically. Reading cases silently is not the same as saying the answer - and saying it is what is marked.

FRCR 2B viva: quick answers

How long is the FRCR 2B viva?: Two 30-minute oral stations, six cases in each, with two examiners per station.
What is the FRCR 2B pass rate?: There is no fixed pass rate - the standard is set for each sitting, so it moves between sittings.
Is the viva just about spotting the diagnosis?: No. Each case is scored on five domains, including management, safety and communication - not the diagnosis alone.
Can you prepare from outside the UK?: Yes. Management is marked against UK guidelines (NICE, RCR, NHS), so the safe answer is learnable wherever you trained.

Know exactly what to say.

Tungsten People trains the spoken viva answer the way it is scored. Every diagnosis becomes the same five-step answer - Recognition, Next step, Management and safety, Communication, Killer - rehearsed out loud, against the clock, on your own schedule and in any timezone. You stop wondering what a good answer sounds like, because you have already said it.

See FRCR 2B prep

Sources

Exam structure and scoring: RCR - FRCR Part 2B scoring system. Reasons candidates fail: RCR - examiners' reports (radiology). Always confirm current arrangements on the RCR website.