ANZCA Primary

It is intended for trainees in the ANZCA anaesthesia training program, forming an early milestone before advanced training and fellowship. If you are unsure whether you are eligible to sit, or when in your training you should attempt it, check with the ANZCA training team rather than relying on second-hand advice from colleagues.

Four domains: anaesthesia, pain medicine, perioperative medicine, and the basic sciences relevant to anaesthesia practice. The basic sciences carry substantial weight, so physiology, pharmacology, physics and measurement should be revised as seriously as clinical topics - examiners commonly use clinical scenarios to test underlying scientific principles.

We could not verify the current format, duration or item counts: the college's Primary Examination page returned an error when checked. Treat any figure you hear from peers as unconfirmed and obtain the official format and timing from ANZCA directly before you build a revision timetable around it.

The passing standard is not published in the material available to us, and it may change between sittings. Do not plan to a rumoured percentage. Prepare to a consistently high standard across all four domains, since a weak domain is the most common reason candidates fall short overall.

Fees, application windows and sitting dates are set by the college and were not available in our source material. Contact ANZCA or your hospital's training supervisor for the current fee schedule and closing dates, and apply well ahead - late applications are typically the easiest way to lose a whole training year.

The retake policy and any attempt limits could not be confirmed from the available source. Policies of this kind are frequently revised, so confirm the current rules with the college before your first attempt - the answer affects how much margin you should build into your study plan.

Most candidates need several months of consistent, spaced revision rather than a short intensive burst, because the syllabus is broad and largely recall- and application-based. Start with the basic sciences, since they underpin everything else, then integrate clinical topics through case-based practice and structured answer rehearsal.

Neglecting basic sciences in favour of clinical topics, passive reading instead of active recall, and poor structure in verbal or written answers. Candidates also lose marks through shallow breadth - knowing a little about everything but unable to reason a problem through. Practise explaining mechanisms aloud and under time pressure.

Build fundamentals first - physiology, pharmacology, physics and statistics - then layer on anaesthesia, pain and perioperative medicine, revisiting the sciences as they appear in clinical contexts. Finish with timed practice and structured answer drills, and keep a log of recurring errors to target in your final weeks.