European Board Certification
The FEBS-MBS is the European fellowship in metabolic and bariatric surgery. This guide covers the exam, its format, eligibility, the topics tested and how to prepare.
Content reviewed 26 August 2026 against current guidelines.
FEBS-MBS is the qualification awarded on passing the EBSQ examination in Metabolic-Bariatric Surgery, run by the UEMS Section of Surgery, Division of Metabolic-Bariatric Surgery, jointly with the IFSO European Chapter (IFSO-EC). Passing awards the title Fellow of the European Board of Surgery (FEBS) in Metabolic-Bariatric Surgery.
The examination provides a harmonised European standard covering patient selection, operative technique, revisional surgery, metabolic physiology and complications.
Written Examination (MCQ)
Oral Examination
To pass, candidates need at least 50% in each part AND at least 75% overall (225 of 300 points). Both parts are sat on-site after an eligibility review.
Indications & Selection
Patient selection criteria and preoperative workup.
Sleeve Gastrectomy
Technique, outcomes and complication management.
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass
Technique, outcomes and internal hernia management.
Revisional Surgery
Sleeve-to-bypass, SADI and endoluminal options.
Metabolic Physiology
Mechanisms of metabolic improvement and diabetes remission.
Nutrition & Complications
Micronutrient deficiency patterns after sleeve versus bypass.
The examination is held annually at the IFSO-EC Congress, following a two-step eligibility and examination process with limited places.
Exam dates, fees and the exact eligibility thresholds change each cycle — always confirm the current requirements on the UEMS Division of Metabolic-Bariatric Surgery pages (uemssurg.org) and with IFSO-EC before applying.
FEBS-MBS is the recognised European subspecialty credential in metabolic and bariatric surgery, valued by accredited bariatric centres.
Preparation consolidates revisional decision-making and nutritional management — the areas that most differentiate safe, high-volume bariatric practice.
Use IFSO and EAES position statements as your primary references, master revisional decision-making (sleeve-to-bypass vs SADI vs endoluminal options), and know the micronutrient deficiency patterns after sleeve versus bypass. Practise timed MBS questions to build recall speed.
SurgBoardsQ&A offers more than 1,000 metabolic and bariatric surgery practice questions mapped to the FEBS-MBS syllabus, each with a full guideline-referenced explanation.
FEBS-MBS has two parts: a written paper of 100 multiple-choice questions and an oral examination (three clinical case discussions plus a critical appraisal of a scientific paper), totalling 300 points. It is held annually at the IFSO European Chapter congress, and candidates need at least 50% in each part and 75% overall to pass.
Yes — 50 FEBS-MBS practice questions are free with no credit card required.
Every question is written by Pablo Lozano Lominchar, MD, PhD, and mapped to this board’s published syllabus. Before it enters the bank it has to pass an automated check: five options, a written explanation, and a citation — a named society guideline or a named trial. Benign and functional topics cannot be published without a society guideline; oncological ones cite NCCN, ESMO or AJCC, and the classification systems that govern a topic — Bethesda, TIRADS, Atlanta, Prague, Chicago — have to appear where they apply. The author has audited the full active bank against current guideline versions: what fails is re-cited, rewritten or withdrawn. 650 questions are currently withdrawn and are served to nobody.
Scope of authorship. FEBS-MBS sits outside the author’s own subspecialty practice, which is surgical oncology — peritoneal malignancy, sarcoma, hepatopancreatobiliary and complex pelvic surgery. No diplomate of this board has signed these questions off. What they offer is traceability rather than personal authority: every answer names the current guideline or trial it rests on, so you can check it at the source before you trust it. Found an error? Tell us — it gets corrected or withdrawn.
SurgBoardsQ&A provides more than 1,000 practice questions mapped to the exam syllabus, each with a detailed explanation and guideline citation.
Start practising
50 questions free, no credit card required. Filter by board, topic, or difficulty. Explanations cite ESMO and NCCN.