ANZCA Final Exam study plan
ANZCA Final Exam · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Anaesthesia
Map the anaesthesia syllabus into a personal topic list and rank each topic by exam frequency and your own confidence gap
Explain the pharmacology of induction agents, neuromuscular blockers and reversal agents from memory without notes
Derive the dose, onset and offset of each routinely used anaesthetic drug and state the factors that alter them
Practise ten short-answer questions on general anaesthesia principles under timed conditions
Your checkpoint
A one-page drug table (agent, dose, onset, duration, key adverse effect) covering at least 15 anaesthetic drugs, plus a scored set of 10 timed short answers
Anaesthesia
Describe the components and safety features of the anaesthetic machine and breathing circuits
Interpret capnography and pulse oximetry waveforms and explain the causes of each abnormal pattern
Calculate oxygen delivery, fresh gas flow and volatile agent consumption for common circuit configurations
Work through five equipment or monitoring failure scenarios and state the immediate corrective action for each
Your checkpoint
A written troubleshooting algorithm for three critical equipment/monitoring failures, each with a stated first action and escalation step
Anaesthesia
Compare regional and general anaesthetic techniques for a set of common operations and justify the choice
Explain the anatomy, landmarks, technique and complications of spinal, epidural and major peripheral nerve blocks
Describe the recognition and management of local anaesthetic systemic toxicity
Answer eight structured questions on regional anaesthesia technique and complications
Your checkpoint
A comparison table matching at least six common operations to a preferred anaesthetic technique with a two-line justification each
Anaesthesia & Perioperative medicine
Explain the pathophysiology, risk stratification and perioperative management of the major cardiac and respiratory comorbidities
Describe the assessment and optimisation of a patient before major surgery, including functional capacity and frailty
Summarise the evidence behind enhanced recovery pathways and apply it to a colorectal and an orthopaedic case
Answer twelve mixed anaesthesia and perioperative medicine questions under exam timing
Your checkpoint
A completed mock paper of 12 timed questions with a written self-mark and a list of the three weakest areas identified
Perioperative medicine
Explain the recognition and management of the major perioperative emergencies, including anaphylaxis, malignant hyperthermia and massive haemorrhage
Describe the principles of perioperative fluid therapy, transfusion and coagulopathy management
Outline the assessment and management of the patient with sepsis or acute kidney injury presenting for surgery
Construct a management plan for four perioperative crisis scenarios
Your checkpoint
Four written crisis management plans, each covering recognition, immediate actions, drug doses and escalation
Pain medicine
Explain the physiology of nociception and the pharmacology of opioid and non-opioid analgesics, including mechanisms and adverse effects
Compare the analgesic techniques available for acute postoperative pain and state the indications and contraindications of each
Describe the assessment and multimodal management of chronic pain, including neuropathic pain and the role of interventional procedures
Answer eight structured questions on pain medicine
Your checkpoint
A multimodal analgesia plan for three different surgical procedures, each listing drug, dose, route and rationale
Anaesthesia & Pain medicine & Perioperative medicine
Integrate anaesthetic, pain and perioperative knowledge by working through ten full-length case-based questions
Identify and close the three weakest topics carried forward from earlier weeks' self-marking
Rehearse verbal structuring of answers aloud for a set of high-yield topics
Review all previously written summaries and condense them into a single revision sheet
Your checkpoint
A one-page consolidated revision sheet covering the highest-yield facts across all three domains, plus a log of 10 case-based questions attempted
Anaesthesia & Pain medicine & Perioperative medicine
Sit a full timed mock examination under exam conditions across all three domains
Review every incorrect answer and write the correct reasoning in your own words
Re-test the weakest topics identified at week 4 and week 7 to confirm improvement
Finalise a concise pre-exam summary and a plan for the final 48 hours
Your checkpoint
A completed full mock examination with a scored mark, a corrected error log and a documented improvement against the week 4 baseline
Milestones
Week 2: Can state the first-line action for three equipment or monitoring failures without referring to notes
Week 4: Scored at least 60 percent on the 12-question mixed mock paper, with no domain below 50 percent
Week 6: Can write a complete multimodal analgesia plan for an unfamiliar procedure in under 10 minutes
Week 8: Scored at least 70 percent on the full timed mock, with all three domains above 60 percent and a documented gain over the week 4 baseline