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ACP1 · ACEM Primary

ACEM Primary
nailed.

404 sourced study notes and 13,200 spaced-repetition flashcards across the 415-LO ACEM Primary curriculum. Integrated viva simulation and an MCQ library. Built around the four basic sciences: physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, and pathology.

Pass rate
Not published
criterion-referenced; results per sitting
Sittings per year
2
Written · Feb & Aug; Viva · May & Nov
Format
Written + Integrated Viva
360 SCQ, then 4 integrated vivas
Study notes
404
across 415 curriculum LOs
Organising college
ACEM
Not affiliated with PRIMEX
· 2026 dates ·

ACEM Primary Exam Dates 2026

Published dates for the upcoming sittings. Always confirm against the official ACEM exam calendar before scheduling. I refresh this section quarterly as new windows are announced.

  • Primary Written 2026.113 Feb 2026
  • Primary Written 2026.27 Aug 2026
  • Primary Viva 2026.17–8 May 2026
  • Primary Viva 2026.25–6 Nov 2026

Written applications close ~4 weeks prior; viva ~9 weeks prior.

· Exam domains ·

Topics tested in the ACEM Primary exam

~45%
Physiology
Cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, neurological, endocrine, GI and obstetric physiology as applied to emergency medicine. Quantitative values expected throughout.
Cardiac output · O₂-Hb dissociation curve · Acid-base · Cerebral autoregulation · Shock physiology
~30%
Pharmacology
Emergency drug pharmacology: RSI agents, opioids, local anaesthetics, cardiovascular drugs, and antidotes. Mechanisms, kinetics, doses and clinical correlates.
Adrenaline · RSI drugs · Local anaesthetic toxicity · Anticoagulants · Opioid pharmacology
~15%
Anatomy
Regional anatomy directly relevant to emergency procedures: airway, brachial plexus, lower limb, cervical spine, thorax and abdominal structures. Clinical correlates required.
Airway anatomy · Brachial plexus · Femoral triangle · Cervical spine · Thoracic wall
~10%
Pathology
General pathological processes and systems pathology as they present in the ED: inflammation, cell injury, shock, thrombosis, atherosclerosis and haematological disease.
Shock pathophysiology · Inflammation · Coagulation · Thrombosis · Hypersensitivity
· Real imaging ·

Practice on real radiology images

Used with permission from LearningRadiology.com. Every image links to its full teaching case. Tap to open.

Published with permission from LearningRadiology.com Try a free spot diagnosis →
· What's inside ·

How candidates prepare for the ACEM Primary

ACEM Primary MCQ practice: a single-best-answer question with a confidence selector and five options
Primary-style MCQs. Full explanations. Community data.

Single-best-answer MCQs across all four domains, mapped to the ACEM Primary curriculum. Full explanations for every option, including distractors. A community answer distribution shows how other candidates responded after each question.

  • MCQs across physiology, pharmacology, anatomy and pathology
  • Curriculum-mapped to the April 2017 ACEM Primary syllabus
  • Explanation for every option, including the distractors
  • Community answer distribution after each question
  • Timed mock mode replicating written exam conditions
ACEM Primary viva simulator: station setup with selectable examiner conversation styles
An AI Primary examiner. Integrated, probing, realistic.

Runs timed sessions in ACEM Primary integrated viva format: one body-system theme across all four disciplines. Anatomy first, then physiology, then pharmacology, then pathology. Twenty minutes, scored out of 10. Voice mode transcribes spoken answers using medical speech recognition.

  • 4-discipline integrated viva: anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathology
  • One body-system theme per session, just like the real thing
  • Examiner pushes for specific values, mechanisms, and ED application
  • Voice mode: speak your answer, no typing required
  • Debrief per phase: tier and specific learning point for each discipline
ACEM Primary flashcards: a revealed spaced-repetition card with Again, Hard, Good and Easy grading
13,200 cards. Spaced repetition. All four domains.

Curriculum-mapped flashcard decks with spaced repetition across the ACEM Primary curriculum. Cards you get right resurface less often; cards you miss come back sooner. Card types cover mechanisms, drug profiles, pharmacokinetics, anatomical correlates, and pathological processes. MCQ drill mode included.

  • Spaced repetition: review what you're forgetting, not what you know
  • Card types: mechanism, drug profile, anatomy correlate, pathological process
  • MCQ drill mode for rapid-fire practice between sessions
  • One click from card to full study note
  • Image cards: anatomical diagrams, curves, physiological graphs
ACEM Primary study note on the cardiac cycle with an embedded interactive pressure-volume loop diagram
404 study notes. One per LO. Linked from every result.

404 sourced study notes across the ACEM Primary curriculum, one for every covered learning objective. Consistent seven-section format, referenced to the published ACEM Primary curriculum, Australian guidelines, and primary literature. Notes surface automatically alongside viva debriefs and MCQ explanations, so you read straight from the result.

  • 404 sourced study notes across the 415-LO curriculum
  • Consistent 7-section structure: scannable, not a wall of text
  • Aligned to the published ACEM Primary curriculum and Australian guidelines
  • Full-text search across all notes
  • Linked from viva debrief, MCQ explanations, and flashcards
ACEM Primary curriculum tracker: learning objectives grouped by system with coverage counts
Every ACEM Primary learning objective. Tracked. Not missed.

The official ACEM Primary curriculum mapped to every topic, note and flashcard. The Curriculum tab lists every LO under its section header, with checkboxes, a progress bar, and per-LO launchers that drop you straight into a focused note, an MCQ set, or the matching flashcards.

  • Official ACEM Primary curriculum mapped to every topic
  • Curriculum tab with LO checklist and progress bar
  • Each LO row launches notes, MCQs or flashcards in one click
  • Per-LO focused study note for the LOs that need a deeper pass
  • Identify gaps before your exam date
ACEM Primary interactive diagram: an ECG rhythm recognition trainer with Explore, Recall and Exam modes
Physiology you manipulate, not memorise.

Interactive, active-recall trainers built for the basic sciences the Primary tests. Tap and drag the live model (ECG rhythm recognition, ventricular pressure-volume loops, ABG interpretation, flow-volume loops, the oxygen cascade) and watch the traces, values, and interpretation update in real time, then test yourself in Recall and Exam modes.

  • Trainers across cardiovascular, respiratory, acid-base, and pharmacology
  • ECG rhythms, PV loops, flow-volume loops, ABG, and the oxygen cascade
  • Explore freely, then test recall against the model in Recall and Exam modes
  • Embedded directly in the matching study notes
One readiness score. Always know where you stand.

An adaptive study plan that counts down to your ACEM Primary date and tells you what to study next. A single readiness score blends coverage, accuracy, retention, and consistency into one number out of 100, so you can see at a glance whether you're tracking ahead or behind pace.

  • Days-to-exam countdown and pace tracking, ahead or behind
  • Readiness score out of 100, blended from four signals
  • Coverage, accuracy, retention and consistency broken out
  • Streak counter and weekly attempt target
  • Study this next: the topic queued for today, one tap to open
· About this exam ·

ACEM Primary format and structure: MCQ and viva

The ACEM Primary Examination tests the basic science foundations of emergency medicine: physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, and pathology. Passing it is a prerequisite for entering the ACEM Fellowship training pathway. The written is a select-choice question paper of 360 questions over 6 hours; candidates who pass sit four integrated vivas, each covering all four disciplines through a single body-system theme. ACEM publishes no fixed pass-rate percentage: the Primary is criterion-referenced and results are released per sitting. PRIMEX is built by Dr Jay Marshall, an anaesthetics registrar in Taree, NSW.

  • OrganiserAustralasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM)
  • FormatWritten paper (360 select-choice questions over 6 hours), followed by 4 integrated vivas for candidates who pass the written component
  • DomainsPhysiology (~45%), Pharmacology (~30%), Anatomy (~15%), Pathology (~10%)
  • SittingsTwice yearly: written in February and August, integrated viva in May and November
  • Pass rateACEM publishes no fixed pass-rate percentage; the Primary is criterion-referenced and results are released per sitting
· PRIMEX by the numbers ·

ACEM Primary pass rates and exam statistics

Curriculum learning objectives mapped
415
Sourced study notes
404
Spaced-repetition flashcards
13,200
Curriculum sections covered
22
Viva format
Integrated, 4 disciplines, 20 min
Curriculum version
April 2017
Trial
7 days, free

The 415 ACEM Primary learning objectives across 22 syllabus sections (April 2017) are mapped to 404 sourced study notes and 13,200 spaced-repetition flashcards. The Curriculum tab persists checkbox progress across sessions and shows per-section progress bars, so you know exactly how much of the syllabus is covered before each sitting.

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Try the same AI grader our subscribers use.

Five high-yield ACEM Primary topics. One free SAQ and three MCQs per topic, graded against college-standard marking points. No signup.

· Questions ·

Common questions about the ACEM Primary exam

· Pricing ·

Pricing and 7-day free trial

Library, study notes, voice viva, OSCE simulator and image-stem practice, all included on every plan. No locked tiers, no per-feature paywalls.

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  • All 21 exams: SAQ, MCQ, Viva & Voice
  • Flashcards with spaced repetition & MCQ drill
  • Study notes for every curriculum topic
  • SAQ library & sessions
  • Study plan with pace tracking
  • Community feed
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7 days free, then $24.99/mo
  • All 21 exams: SAQ, MCQ, Viva & Voice
  • Flashcards with spaced repetition & MCQ drill
  • Study notes for every curriculum topic
  • SAQ library & sessions
  • Study plan with pace tracking
  • Community feed
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