ACS ERRA Frequently Asked Question

You can reach the ERRA staff at acserra@facs.org or by calling 312-202-5127.

No, you can enroll directly via the “Enroll Now” button which does not require you to sign in.

No, a surgery residency program staff member will register their institution at the program level, not by resident.

No, for ERRA, enrollment is completed by program. Residents are only self-identified by name at the time of their administration.

Upon registration, a program’s contact person will receive a receipt via email and can look up the invoice and payment confirmation by logging into their account on facs.org.

We ask that all programs submit payment or evidence of payment by the deadline. If no payment has been received by the time results are ready for distribution, a program’s results may be withheld until payment is received. 

Email or call the ERRA Administrator or Manager for more information. These calls will be most impactful if you already reviewed the Administration and Proctoring Guide or Administration Overview video beforehand.

We do not offer a resident option.

The ACS ERRA is a psychometrically rigorous, formative assessment of PGY-1 preparedness, focusing on 20 clinical topics that entering surgical residents are likely to encounter. Results of the three-hour, online assessment administered during the first weeks of residency are used to formulate individual learning plans (ILPs) between residents and their program director.

The ACS Fundamentals of Surgery Curriculum® (ACS FSC) is a highly interactive, case-based online curriculum that addresses the essential content areas that all surgical residents need to master in the early years of training. ACS FSC is a self-paced learning resource that includes over 110 cases that can be completed by individuals and used for study purposes across many months. 

ACS ERRA and ACS FCS are independent and complementary; the ACS ERRA score reports list corresponding ACS FSC modules that can be used as learning resources for independent study.

Yes, this is the most common option. Otherwise, some programs or hospitals have designated separate proctors for testing labs.

We strongly encourage Program Administrators to system test the computer IN ADVANCE of the testing date at the testing location. Please see the Administration and Proctoring Guide on how to do so.

You will not need a secure lockdown browser since the assessment itself is already designed securely.

Program Directors do not need to take the entire assessment. We do not suggest that. Instead, we recommend they take enough to gain an academic understanding of the assessment’s contents. Program directors will not receive a score report of their results.

We strongly encourage them to take ERRA at the same time as residents—otherwise, we need advanced notice for logging and facilitating.

Call or email ACS staff as soon as possible. Though uncommon, multiple testing dates may be permitted. Moving the testing date or time is allowed, but we kindly ask for Program Administrators to do this with as much advance notice as possible so ACS staff can be on standby for any assistance. 

If this occurs, please call ACS staff at the email or phone listed above. The assessment usually autosaves, so residents will likely be able to pick up where they left off. To be sure, ACS staff can view from their end over a phone call. Please refer to the “Troubleshooting / Emergency Circumstances” section of the APG.

We do not send sample Score Reports so as to preserve the security and integrity of the assessment.