Sport and Exercise Medicine specialty exam

Exam Overview

The Sport and Exercise Medicine Specialty exam is designed to assess the knowledge, skills, competence, and professional attitudes required of a doctor who wishes to practice as a Sport and Exercise Medicine physician in the United Kingdom.

There are two parts to this exam, and candidates must pass Part 1 and Part 2.

There are also revision courses, and recommended resources available to support your learning ahead of the examination.

Already know which diploma you want to apply for?

SEM Part 1

SEM Part 2

Successfully completing Part 1 and Part 2 of the exam provides formal accreditation in the field of Sport and Exercise Medicine. The exam is essential for candidates wishing to:

Previously, members were required to have passed parts 1 and 2 of the FSEM membership exam to join as a Member. This was changed during an EGM vote, meaning that in the future the MFSEM examinations will serve as a specialty exam, rather than a membership exam. Passing the MFSEM Part 1 Exams in 2024 and the Part 2 Exam in April 2025, will still serve as a route to membership as this transition of a new route to membership takes place.

Sport and Exercise Medicine specialty exam revision course

The British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM) run revision courses for parts 1 and 2 of the SEM Specialty Examination. The courses usually take place four weeks prior to each part of the exam.

~ Please note that this revision course is organised and conducted entirely independently by BASEM. Therefore, FSEM takes no responsibility for content provided by external organisations. It is recommended all participants should consider this when enrolling and to ensure that the course aligns with their study needs.

For further details about the course please contact BASEM directly.

Find out more

Exam Resources

Some texts in this reading list for Sport and Exercise Medicine will be more useful for the purposes of revising for the FSEM Membership Examination. Others should be used principally as reference guides and have been included to encourage the candidate’s interest in the broad discipline of Sport and Exercise Medicine.

The curriculum for Sport and Exercise Medicine can be found on the JRCPTB website

• ACSM’s Exercise is Medicine: A Clinician’s Guide to Exercise Prescription. Jonas and Phillips. Lippincott, William & Wilkins, 2009

• ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. Lippincott, William & Wilkins, 2009

• Anatomy at a Glance. Faiz and Moffatt. Blackwell 2006

• Basic Biomechancis. Hall. McGraw-Hill, 2006

• Clinical Sports Anatomy. Franklyn-Miller, Falvey, McCrory and Brukner. McGraw-Hill, 2010

• Clinical Sports Nutrition. Deakin. McGraw-Hill, 2006

• Exercise Physiology: Energy, Nutrition and Human Performance. McArdle, Katch and Katch. Lippincott, William & Wilkins, 2006

• Exercise Testing and Interpretation: a Practical Approach. Cooper and Storer. Cambridge University Press, 2008

• Clinical Sports Medicine. Brukner and Khan. McGraw-Hill, Fifth Edition

• Concise Guide to Sports Injuries. Read. Churchill Livingstone, 2008

• DeLee & Drez’s Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. DeLee, Drez and Miller. Saunders, 2009

• Essential Sports Medicine. Higgins, Brukner and English. Wiley-Blackwell, 2006

• Orthopaedic Medicine: A Practical Approach. Kesson and Atkins. Buterworth-Heinemann, 2005

• Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science and Medicine. Kent. Oxford University Press, 2006

• Oxford Handbook of Sports and Exercise Medicine. MacAuley. Oxford University Press, 2006

• Principles and Practice of Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. Garrett, Speer and Kirkendall. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, 2000

• Sports Injuries: Prevention and Treatment. Peterson and Renstrom. Martin Dunitz, 2001

• Sports Injuries: Recognition and Management. Hutson. Oxford University Press, 2001

• Sports Medicine Secrets. Mellion, Putukian and Madden. Hanley & Belfus Inc., 2003

• Textbook of Musculoskeletal Medicine. Hutson and Ellis. Oxford University Press, 2005

• The Musculoskeletal System at a Glance. Bulstrode and Swales. Wiley & Sons, 2007

• The Olympic Textbook of Medicine in Sport. Schwellnus. Wiley-Blackwell, 2008

• ABC of Resuscitation. Colquhoun, Handley and Evans. BMJ Books, 2003

• Pocket Radiologist: Musculoskeletal Top 100 Diagnoses. Stoller, Tirman and Bredella. Saunders, 2002

• Rheumatology and Orthopaedics. Coote and Haslam. Mosby, 2004

• Sports Psychology: Concepts and Applications. Cox. McGraw-Hill, 2002

• Advanced Examination techniques in Orthopaedics. Harris and Stanley. Cambridge University Press 2003

• Clinical Tests for Musculoskeletal System. Buckup. Thieme, 2008

• Injection Techniques in Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. Saunders and Longworth. Churchill Livingstone, 2006

• Musculoskeletal Injection Skills. Kesson, Atkins and Davies. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2003

• Physical Examination in Orthopaedics. Apley and Solomon. Hodder Arnold Publication, 1997

• Practical Musculoskeletal Ultrasound. McNally. Churchill Livingstone, 2005

• AMSSM Sports Medicine CAQ Study Guide. S Paul M.D., S Rand M.D., M Stovak M.D. and M P Hilgers M.D.

• British Journal of Sports Medicine

• American Journal of Sports Medicine

• Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine

• International Musculoskeletal Medicine

• Sports Medicine

• SportsMed Update

• Sports Injury Bulletin

All lists correct as of November 2020

Curriculum

The SEM Specialty Exam is based on the curriculum for Sport and Exercise Medicine. Candidates are highly advised to become familiar with the SEM curriculum on the JRCPTB website. The syllabus is formatted to mirror the curriculum.

You can find further information on Higher Specialty Training in Sport and Exercise Medicine on our training pathway page

FSEM Memberships

Looking to join FSEM as a member? Check out our membership options!

Diploma Exams

Learn about the Diploma Examinations FSEM also provide.

Training Pathways

Find out more about the pathways you can take within Sport and Exercise Medicine.