Learn more about the resources that will aid in assessment preparation for anaesthesia trainees. Specific PEx, FEx and PCIA-related resources can be accessed via the dedicated drop-downs. Further detail on assessments may be found in the ANZCA Anaesthesia Training Program Curriculum and ANZCA Anaesthesia Training Program Handbook.
Guide index
Library > Library guides > Training & examinations > Anaesthesia training resources
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Borrowing books
ANZCA library provides access to a large range of print items, specialising in anaesthesia and pain medicine-related titles.
For further information about requesting books, see the Borrowing books page
A note on exam texts
Several acronyms are used repeatedly by the texts listed in this guide. What follows is a summary of the key acronyms.
Appendix 2 - Study Guide for the primary exam can be accessed below.
Appendix 2: Study Guide for the Primary Exam
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Candidates are advised that all examination questions are based on Learning Outcomes and that the great majority of information required is contained in the recommended texts.
We've highlighted a number of texts that can be used for revision purposes. Please ensure that you refer to the information in the Recommended Reading List texts at all stages.
MCQ resources
A Primer for the Primary FANZCA examination
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1,000 Practice MTF MCQs for the Primary and Final FRCA
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Written for anaesthesia trainees, this comprehensive text covers all the MCQ preparation required for both the Primary and Final FRCA exams. Broken down into five sections, there are 150 questions for each of the physics, pharmacology, anatomy, and physiology sections, and a fifth section of 400 questions covering clinical anaesthesia. The first four sections of 150 questions match the Primary exam and are laid out to follow its format. The fifth clinical section covers the entire clinical syllabus. The authors are educators in anaesthesia and surgery and their wealth of experience has been brought together in this text to benefit the next generation of anaesthetists. Covering the entire syllabus, with 1,000 expertly distributed questions, this is the most comprehensive text available for MCQ preparation for both parts of the FRCA.
Get Through Primary FRCA: SBAs
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With 300 brand new single best answer questions and reasoned answers, this comprehensive revision guide provides the candidate with the definitive, revision resource for the newly introduced inclusion of SBA questions as part of the Primary FRCA examination.
Get Through Primary FRCA: MTFs
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With 300 brand new multiple true-false (MTF) questions and reasoned answers, Get Through Primary FRCA: MTFs, along with the companion SBA volume, provides candidates with the definitive revision resource for this challenging examination.
MCQs for the Primary FRCA
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Designed specifically for the Primary FRCA examination, this book contains true/false multiple choice questions. It is divided into the three specific areas outlined in the FRCA curriculum: physics and measurement, physiology, and pharmacology. Each section includes a brief introduction, 170 mcqs and answers with explanations.
This text also includes answers with explanations and cross-references to key textbooks, allowing you to read more on difficult areas.
MCQs for the Primary FRCA
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Designed specifically for the revised Primary FRCA examination, this book contains true/false multiple choice questions. It is divided into the three specific areas outlined in the FRCA curriculum: physics and measurement, physiology, and pharmacology. Each section includes a brief introduction, 170 mcqs and answers with explanations. Uniquely the book includes answers with explanations and cross-references to key textbooks, allowing you to read more on difficult areas.
SBAs and MCQs for Drugs in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care
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Designed to complement the highly popular Drugs in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, this companion title provides high quality pharmacology practice questions for exam revision. Focusing specifically on pharmacological principles and agents, it is tailored for postgraduate exams in anaesthesia and intensive care including the FRCA, FFICM, the EDAIC, and the EDIC. Over 230 True/False MCQs and Single Best Answers help readers to test and consolidate knowledge learnt from Drugs in. Questions are arranged into 17 subject-themed chapters such as 'Intravenous anaesthetic agents' to focus revision. Structured questions and answers are accompanied by detailed explanations, cross-references to Drugs in where relevant, and further reading.
Anesthesiology Examination and Board Review, 7e
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Short Answer Questions in Anaesthesia, 2e
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See the Written exams - MCQ section of the Exam Preparation guide for additional MCQ and SBA-related resources.
See the Written exams - SAQ section of the Exam Preparation guide for additional SAQ and CRQ-related resources.
The Anaesthesia Science Viva Book, 4e
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The Anaesthesia Science Viva Book 4e provides detailed, accessible summaries of the core questions in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and clinical measurement and equipment that may be covered in the oral part of the Final FRCA exam. In addition to a comprehensive update, this edition includes new subject material in each of the four basic sciences, with over 200 condensed summaries of the most relevant topics in the examination. Continuing to offer candidates an insight into the way the viva works, the book provides general guidance on examination technique, and readily accessible information relating to a wide range of potential questions. Written by a former senior examiner for the Diploma of the Fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, with previous editions recommended by Anaesthesia UK, formerly a prime educational resource for trainee anaesthetists, the book remains an essential purchase for every Final FRCA candidate.
The Anaesthesia Viva 1: A Primary FRCA Companion. Vol 1: Physiology & Pharmacology, 2e
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This first volume covers the essentials of physiology, pharmacology, and statistics and gives the candidate a comprehensive range of possible questions and exemplary model answers to provide the perfect self-learning tool, and it is also useful as a concise reference for the established anaesthetist, being packed with up-to-date information on fundamental questions that face the anaesthetist on a daily basis.
Anesthesia Oral Board Review: Knocking Out the Boards, 2e
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Dr Podcast Scripts for the Primary FRCA, 2e
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Widely popular amongst exam candidates, Dr Podcast Scripts is a great way to revise for your Primary FRCA. Providing questions and model answers spanning the breadth of the exam syllabus and fully updated in this second edition, this revision aid allows you to experience the format of questions likely to be asked and it provides tips on how to excel in the exam. Supplemented with helpful illustrations to explain answers, you will learn what to expect in the exam and how differently worded questions on the same topic require modified approaches. Written and updated by successful candidates providing insight and experience of the exam, all the material has been reviewed by experienced consultants with detailed knowledge of the educational standards. If you are preparing for your Primary FRCA exam, Dr Podcast Scripts for the Primary FRCA is a must!
Miller's Anesthesia Review, 3e
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Passing the Primary FRCA SOE: A Practical Guide
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The Structured Oral Examination can be the hardest component of the Primary FRCA examination to prepare for, but help is at hand. This book has been specifically designed to give realistic practice questions and to show you how to phrase and develop your answers. The questions included have been mapped to the FRCA examination curriculum and reflect both core and niche subject areas. Questions are presented as full mock examinations and also divided by section, enabling you to use the book in whichever way you find most effective.
Physics for the Anaesthetic Viva
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Physics for the Anaesthetic Viva is a succinct and practical text that comprehensively covers all aspects of the physics and clinical measurement curriculum for the FRCA examinations. Each section begins by explaining the basic science concepts, which are then expanded and related to everyday practice. Illustrations are used to enhance understanding of the concepts, and are presented in such a way as to be easy to reproduce in the exam setting. In addition, sample viva questions are provided at the end of each chapter to test learning, or for use in a mock viva session. Written by trainees for trainees, this book provides exactly what you need to pass the exam.
The Physiology Viva: Questions and Answers, Rev Ed
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Fluid & electrolyte physiology -- Acid-base physiology -- Cardiovascular physiology -- Respiratory physiology -- Renal physiology -- Endocrine physiology & metabolism -- Physiology of blood -- Gastrointestinal physiology -- Neurophysiology -- Physiology of muscle & the neuromuscular junction -- Maternal, foetal & neonatal physiology -- Clinical measurement -- Miscellaneous topics.
The Primary FRCA Structured Oral Examination Study Guide 1: Physiology and Physics, 3e
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The Primary FRCA Structured Oral Examination Study Guide 1: Physiology and Physics 3e provides answers to the questions regularly posed by the FRCA examiners. The key information to succeed in the Primary FRCA examination has been collated and is delivered it in a relevant and user-friendly layout, making exam preparation easier.
The Primary FRCA Structured Oral Examination Study Guide 2: Pharmacology and Clinical Topics, 3e
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The Primary FRCA Structured Oral Examination Study Guide 2: Pharmacology and Clinical Topics 3e provides answers to the questions regularly posed by the FRCA examiners, with key information to succeed in the Primary FRCA examination collated and delivered in a relevant and user-friendly layout, making exam preparation easier.
See the VIVAs (Oral & clinical exams) section of the Exam Preparation guide for additional VIVA-related resources.
The ANZCA Primary Exam Companion
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The First Year: What You Should Know After a Year of Anaesthesia Training (Revised Edition)
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Recommended
This book is not an exam primer nor is it a comprehensive textbook of anaesthesia. This is the book you give to the trainee specialist who is about to embark on their anaesthesia training. It contains the information they need to formulate and develop a safe practice of anaesthesia. This book lucidly describes and justifies the core knowledge, behaviours and practical skills that a junior trainee would be expected to possess after a year of anaesthesia. Written specifically for Australasian specialist anaesthetic trainees and those doing the Rural Generalist Anaesthesia (RGA) training course, this book fills the gaping hole in the existing anaesthetic literature. The curriculum for the Introductory Training period and the RGA is comprehensively addressed in this book.
Physics, Pharmacology and Physiology for Anaesthetists: Key Concepts for the FRCA, 2e
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A key requirement of the primary and final FRCA examinations is a sound understanding of the basic sciences behind anaesthetic practice. It is important to be able to describe these principles clearly, particularly in the viva section of the examinations. Featuring several new topics, this fully updated new edition provides all the important graphs, definitions and equations which may be covered in the examinations.
Physics and Measurement for Anesthesia: Basic Science Essentials for Anesthesia and Critical Care Exams
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Anesthesia is a practical, clinically based medical science. Its conduct requires Anesthesiologists and Intensivists to learn and understand the principles of applied physics related to equipment responsible for the clinical care of patients. This book is written primarily for anesthetic registrars/residents and their teachers, to assist with preparation for the post graduate, basic science examinations in anesthesia and critical care medicine. Each topic is systematically covered using first principles, contextual examples, and illustrations to explain and demonstrate complex concepts. This comprehensive book is an up-to-date compilation of these scientific principles that can easily be applied to any operating theatre or intensive care unit around the world.
Related guides and exam preparation resources.
*Please Note: The user must create a free local profile to access this feature.
Learn@ANZCA (formerly Networks) is the college's learning management system.
Note: Some resources located in Learn@ANZCA require that you first register before accessing.
These videos explore how vivas are scored to provide a clear understanding of the evaluation criteria. The written commentary highlights examiner techniques and assessment of the candidates’ performance.
Please Note: These are simulated vivas created for demonstration and educational purposes only, and do not represent the professional practice of those involved in the simulations. It is also important to note that viva exams are usually conducted with two examiners, not one as depicted in the videos.
Candidate A: 2-5
Candidate B: 3-5
Candidate C: 5-5
A number of preparatory courses are available via ANZCA, the ASA and other providers.
The following websites are not endorsed by ANZCA, and may contain factual errors. Non-peer-reviewed medical education resources should be used with caution.
Recommended YouTube sites/videos are listed below.
The following podcasts are highly recommended for those studying for the primary exam.
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