The demonstration of cognitive skills is assessed by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery by written examination. These tests are taken during residency training in Thoracic Surgery, for the initial certification process, and for the maintenance of certification process by current diplomats. The Self Education Self Assessment in Thoracic Surgery (SESATS) is the most common method for diplomates and candidates to test their fund of knowledge of Thoracic Surgery. As of this writing, SESATS 10 is the latest version.

This application consists of the full complement of SESATS 8, including questions, answers, video and photographic media, critiques, and references. As such, the above features are not current, but are relatively old and dated. The application is to be used as an educational tool only, but the user should be aware that, due to advancements or changes in the body of knowledge in Thoracic Surgery, answers and critiques may not represent the current state of the art and science of Thoracic Surgery.