Primary Examination

Eligibility Criteria
Primary Examination Application Form
Venues and Critical Dates
Format of the Examinations
Requirements for Passing the Primary Examination
Exemption
Awards
Primary Examination Reports
Primary Examination Preparation Courses

The Primary Examination is a test of knowledge and understanding of the basic sciences applied to anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine.

You are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the subject matter and show your ability to integrate the relevant information so that it is applicable to the practice of clinical anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine.

The subject matter is defined in the Syllabus for the Basic Sciences in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care.

The Primary Examination consists of two subject areas:

• Physiology including clinical measurement
• Pharmacology including statistics

You must pass both subject areas in order to complete the ANZCA Primary Examination.

Successfully completing the Primary Examination is a significant milestone in your journey to Fellowship and thus requires a substantial amount of dedicated study. You cannot proceed to Advanced Training until you have passed the Primary Examination.

You may choose to sit either or both subjects during an examination sitting. The same fee will apply regardless of how many subjects you sit.

There is no penalty if you sit both subject areas and pass only one. You will be credited with the subject area that you passed and will be required to sit the other subject area at a later date. You will, however, have to pay a new Examination Application Fee.

Further information on the Primary Examination can be found in Regulations 14 & 15.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to sit the Primary Exam, you must:

• Be registered as a Trainee with the College;
• Have a recognised medical degree and complete at least 12 months of Prevocational Medical Education and Training (PMET);
• Pay the Primary Examination Form Fee and have no other outstanding ANZCA fees; and
• Complete the Primary Examination Application Form ( 352 kB) - must be received by the College at least eight weeks before the start date of the examination.

You do not need to have already started training at an ANZCA-approved Training Site to sit the exam, but you must be registered with the College and send documented evidence you're eligible to sit the exam at least two weeks prior to the closing date.

Venues and Critical Dates

Late applications and late documentation will not be accepted after the closing date for an examination.

Format of the Examinations

Candidate Information Sheet ( 82.6kB)

Each subject area is divided into three sections with a different format as given in the table below.

Requirements for Passing the Primary Examination

To attend the Oral section of the Primary Examination, candidates must obtain a mark of at least 40% in the MCQ and 40% in the SAQ sections. To achieve a pass in either subject area you must obtain a mark of at least 50 per cent in the sum of the multiple choice (25%) short answer (25%) and viva (50%) sections.

Exemption

Exemption is rare for most Trainees and is only likely to apply if you have completed an overseas qualification which has been accepted by Council as comparable to the College’s examination. This means that if you passed, for example, the primary examination of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, you will not be exempted unless you've completed the FRCA. Application for exemption must be made to the College, and will be considered by the Assessor.

Awards

The Renton Prize is awarded to the eligible candidate who obtains the highest total marks in both subject areas of the Primary Examination in a single sitting.

If you present for only one subject area, you are not eligible for the prize. Eligible candidates must pass all sections of the examination and achieve a combined score of at least 75 per cent.

The Prize takes the form of a medal and was initially established by the Faculty of Anaesthetists, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, in 1956.

Primary Examination Reports

Examination reports are prepared in order to provide examination candidates and their supervisors with information about the way in which the performance of candidates in recent examinations were assessed by the examiners, so that candidates may prepare appropriately for future examinations.

The individual reports are not intended to represent model answers nor imply that all points mentioned are necessary in order to achieve a pass. All Trainees are urged to read the questions carefully and answer the question asked. All supervisors are encouraged to discuss the most recent reports in detail with candidates they are preparing for future examinations.

List of recent Primary Examination Reports available to download in PDF format

Primary Examination Preparation Courses

Each year some of the Regional Offices conduct courses designed to assist Trainees preparing to present for the Primary Examination. Demand is often significant, so priority is given to applicants who have registered to sit the examination. You must also be registered with the College as a Trainee.

Information regarding course dates, course descriptions and enrolment forms are available from the following regional and national web pages:

• New South Wales
• Queensland
• South Australia & Northern Territory
• Victoria
• New Zealand