Abstract Context: Traditional viva exams (TVE) has high subjectivity and low reliability as they are not conducted uniformly. Structured viva examination (SVE) brings uniformity in the viva, remove bias and provides conducive atmosphere to the students Objective: To compare students’ assessment by structured viva examination (SVE) and traditional viva examination (TVE) and study the perception of students and faculties towards SVE. Methodology: Comparative educational study was done after ethical consideration. Hundred students consented of which nine dropped out. As there were three examiners, 91 students were divided into three groups: A (32), B (29) and C (30). Examiner A, B and C conducted TVE in their respective groups. Following this, sensitisation of faculty and students towards SVE was done. Same examiners then conducted SVE using pre-validated questions and checklists. Feedback from students and faculty were obtained using pre-validated five-point Likert scale questionnaire. Significance of mean was analysed by paired t test. P value<0.05 was considered significant. Result: Of the three examiners, mean marks given by Examiner C in SVE (8.9±2.8) and TVE (7.8±1.5) varied significantly (p=0.046). Over 85% of the student preferred giving SVE as would help them prepare and score better. All faculty agreed that SVE was a fair method of assessment but low faculty strength and time management could limit its use. Conclusion: SVE may be considered as a preferred tool of assessment as it minimises bias, reduces inter-examiner variation and motivate students to prepare well for viva. Running title: Structured viva examination as an assessment tool