Core Revision
The DOccMed oral on MS Teams: the rules and how to prepare
Core Lens
The DOccMed oral on Teams, in six points
- Twenty minutes on Teams. The oral runs for 20 minutes on MS Teams, and each of the two examiners questions you for about 10 minutes.
- Half the marks. The oral and the written portfolio each carry half the marks, and a pass needs at least 50% in the oral and at least 50% overall.
- The room rules. Only a passport or driving licence counts as ID, you show the room with a 360-degree scan, and no notes are allowed.
- Recorded, then deleted. The Faculty records each oral and deletes the recording after 60 days, or once any appeal has ended.
- If the connection drops. The guidance allows 5 minutes to reconnect, so keep a charged back-up device in another room.
- Before the day. Rehearse each report aloud without notes, including why you left things out, and run a timed 20-minute mock on Teams with two colleagues.
Figures checked against the Faculty of Occupational Medicine’s own pages on 29 September 2026; the Deep Dive has the detail and the sources.
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The DOccMed oral is a 20-minute examination on Microsoft Teams with two examiners, each questioning you for about 10 minutes on your own portfolio and closely related issues. It is recorded, you may not use notes and you can ask the invigilator to share your portfolio on screen. The portfolio and the oral are worth half each. To pass you need at least 50% in the oral and at least 50% overall. This guide covers how the 20 minutes runs, the Faculty’s November 2025 rules for the day, what the regulations say you must show and a two-week preparation plan. Checked against fom.ac.uk on 29 September 2026.
How the 20 minutes runs
Join the Teams meeting 15 minutes before your start time and be ready to wait up to 15 minutes in the lobby; if the delay is longer, the examinations team will contact you. The invigilator admits you just before the scheduled start, asks you to show your ID to the camera, asks for a 360-degree view of the room and reads a set of instructions. Your 20 minutes begin only after those checks. Two examiners then question you for about 10 minutes each. The Faculty says a conflict-of-interest check has already been carried out with the examiners.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| At least two weeks before | Tell the Faculty about any change to your phone number |
| Before the day | Install the Teams app on the device you will use (the Faculty advises against a mobile phone); test your camera, microphone and connection with a test call or a meeting with someone you know; keep a charged backup device in another room |
| 15 minutes before | Join the meeting and wait in the lobby for up to 15 minutes |
| Checks | ID to the camera (passport or driving licence only), a 360-degree room scan and the invigilator’s instructions |
| 20 minutes | Two examiners, about 10 minutes each, on your portfolio and closely related issues |
How it is marked
The regulations give the portfolio and the oral half the marks each. You pass if you score at least 50% in the oral and at least 50% overall. The written portfolio is marked on the template’s 13 sections. The oral then explores the same two reports.
| Component | Share | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 50% | Counts towards the overall mark; marks may be deducted for poor presentation |
| Oral | 50% | At least 50% in the oral |
| Overall | 100% | At least 50% overall |
The regulations say you must be able to defend omissions as well as statements, so prepare to discuss what is missing from your reports, not only what is in them.
The rules for the day
The Faculty’s oral examination guidance (November 2025) applies to the DOccMed and the Diploma in Occupational Health Practice. In summary:
- ID: passport or driving licence only, shown to the camera.
- Room: you must be undisturbed for the whole exam. The invigilator asks you to turn your webcam or laptop through 360 degrees to show the room is secure (for example no books or papers, second monitor, headphones or smartwatch) and to use your phone’s front camera or a mirror to show there are no notes on your monitor. Your phone must then be switched off and out of reach.
- Not allowed: books, notes or written materials; recording devices; smart devices such as a smartwatch; a second monitor; background effects.
- No notes at all: you may not refer to notes or make them during the exam.
- Your portfolio: you can ask the invigilator to share an electronic copy on screen. No extra time is given for this.
- Recording: every oral is recorded. Recordings are deleted after 60 days or once any appeal has finished.
- If your connection drops: reconnect straight away. If you are back within 5 minutes, the exam may resume, with the lost time added at the end. If reconnecting takes longer than 5 minutes, or the connection is lost again, the exam becomes void and no refund is given.
- If the examiner’s connection drops: you are not penalised and the lost time is added at the end.
- Poor sound: examiners may add up to 2 minutes if sound problems were significant.
- Extra time: the oral lasts 20 minutes unless you are entitled to extra time.
What the regulations say you must show
The regulations describe the oral as exploring your portfolio and closely related issues. You must show that you personally did the work and that you can defend what you wrote and what you left out. The portfolio itself must show that you can apply occupational health and safety principles in practice. Taking the template’s sections in turn, be ready to explain without notes:
- how you arranged the visit, who you met and what you saw;
- why you classified the hazards as you did and why you chose your main hazards;
- how each risk assessment followed the five steps and why you advised the controls you did;
- what the measurements showed, what values you would expect and which legislation applies;
- how you reached your view on occupational aetiology and on fitness for work;
- how you gained consent to communicate with the employer and how you protected confidentiality.
A two-week preparation plan
The plan assumes your portfolio has been uploaded and cannot change, so the work is knowing it and defending it.
| Days | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Reread the portfolio as submitted. List every number, regulation and recommendation in it and learn them: you cannot use the list on the day. |
| 3–4 | Authenticity. Practise a two-minute spoken account of each report: how you arranged the visit, what you saw, how you assessed the worker. |
| 5–6 | Omissions. Go through the template’s hazard groups (physical, chemical, biological, psychological and ergonomic) and each case section. For anything you left out, prepare a one-sentence reason. |
| 7–8 | Closely related issues: the legislation and guidance behind your reports, for example COSHH and EH40, the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, RIDDOR 2013, the Equality Act 2010, fit notes and GMC confidentiality guidance. |
| 9–10 | First mock oral on Teams: 20 minutes, two colleagues taking about 10 minutes each, your portfolio shared on screen, no notes. |
| 11–12 | Second mock with different questioners. Tighten the answers that ran long or drifted. |
| 13 | Technical rehearsal: Teams app, test call, ID, room scan and a backup device in another room. |
| 14 | A light review of your list of numbers, then rest. |
If you need people to practise with, the Society of Occupational Medicine’s DOccMed support page lists a DOccMed register, a WhatsApp group and mentoring.
Practice questions from the template
These are our practice prompts, built from the template sections and the regulations’ wording about defending statements and omissions. They are not a list of actual exam questions.
- How did you arrange the visit and who showed you round?
- Why did you choose this as the main hazard rather than another?
- What exposure levels would you expect here? What would change your advice?
- You did not mention shift work. Was that deliberate?
- Was this condition caused or made worse by work? How do you know?
- How did you get the worker’s consent to write to the employer?
- What would you do if the manager asked for the diagnosis?
How this fits the platform
The DOccMed package includes a viva trainer with mock oral stations and flashcards for rehearsing answers aloud. The portfolio template guide sets out the 13 marked sections that the oral explores. The free Core Tools are interactive revision tools.
Quick answers
How long is the DOccMed oral?
20 minutes unless you are entitled to extra time, with two examiners questioning you for about 10 minutes each. The time starts after the invigilator’s checks.
Can I have my portfolio in front of me?
Not on paper or on your own screen. You can ask the invigilator to share an electronic copy on screen, but no extra time is given.
What ID do I need?
A passport or driving licence only, shown to the camera.
What happens if my internet drops?
Reconnect straight away. If you are back within 5 minutes the exam may resume, with the lost time added at the end. If it takes longer, or the connection is lost again, the exam is void and no refund is given.
What mark do I need to pass?
At least 50% in the oral and at least 50% overall, with the portfolio and oral worth half each.
Can I take notes during the oral?
No. The guidance says no notes or written materials may be referred to or made.
