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FPE · CICM First Part

Built by an anaesthetics registrar in regional Australia.

CICM First Part
mastered.

155 sourced study notes across 252 learning objectives and 8,305 spaced-repetition flashcards across the CICM First Part curriculum. AI SAQ grading on the Fail / Borderline / Pass / Distinction tier, a cross-table viva simulator, and an unlimited MCQ library. Built around the four domains of the First Part.

Pass rate
~45%
2025.2 overall; per-component in CICM reports
Sittings per year
2
Written: February & August (2026: 25 Feb, 5 Aug)
Format
Written + Viva
2 papers (100 MCQ + 20 SAQ) · 8 cross-table vivas
Study notes
155
across 252 LOs · 20 sections
Organising college
CICM
Not affiliated with PRIMEX
· 2026 dates ·

CICM First Part Exam Dates 2026

Published dates for the upcoming sittings. Always confirm against the official CICM First Part Examination page before scheduling, I refresh this section quarterly as new windows are announced.

  • Application Window, Sitting 16–20 Jan 2026 (online)
  • Written Section, Sitting 125 Feb 2026 (various AU/NZ cities)
  • Oral Section, Sitting 129–30 Apr 2026 (Melbourne)
  • Application Window, Sitting 29–23 Jun 2026 (online)
  • Written Section, Sitting 25 Aug 2026 (various AU/NZ cities)
  • Oral Section, Sitting 214–15 Oct 2026 (Melbourne)

Written sections may be sat in various AU and Aotearoa NZ cities; oral sections are generally Melbourne. Updated First Part Syllabus (Fifth Edition) is active from the 2026.2 sitting.

· Exam domains ·

Topics tested in the CICM First Part exam

~55%
Physiology
Organ system physiology applied to critical illness: cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, neurological, GI, endocrine, haematology, and acid-base in the ICU context.
Oxygen delivery · ARDS pathophysiology · Cardiac output · Acid-base disorders · Intracranial pressure
~25%
Pharmacology
ICU drug management including vasopressors, sedation, analgesics, antibiotics, and anticoagulants. Pharmacokinetic changes in critical illness and organ failure.
Vasopressors · Sedation and analgesia · Antibiotic PK · Opioid pharmacology · Drug dosing in organ failure
~10%
Measurement & Equipment
Haemodynamic monitoring, mechanical ventilation, ECMO, point-of-care testing, and ICU equipment principles including waveform interpretation and indirect calorimetry.
PA catheter · Ventilator waveforms · ECMO principles · ICP monitoring · Point-of-care testing
~10%
Microbiology & Research
Common ICU pathogens, antibiotic resistance mechanisms, and infection control. Research methodology, study design, critical appraisal, and biostatistics relevant to the ICU literature.
ICU pathogens · Antibiotic resistance · Study design · Critical appraisal · Sensitivity and specificity
· What's inside ·

How candidates prepare for the CICM First Part

CICM First Part SAQ grader: a topic entry box, a random SAQ set, a 10-minute timer and an answer field
Marking points. Every time. No guessing.

Write a First Part SAQ and get an examiner-style debrief: tier (Fail / Borderline / Pass / Distinction), score estimate out of 20, a marking checklist with every point flagged as hit or missed, an examiner comment, and a full model answer. Written to the standard of CICM exam reports.

  • Fail / Borderline / Pass / Distinction tier with score out of 20
  • Every marking point checked against CICM examiner report themes
  • Model answer with specific values, normal ranges, and ICU application
  • Topic sessions or random sets from the question library
  • AI question generation in First Part SAQ format
CICM First Part viva simulator: station setup with selectable examiner conversation styles
An AI cross-table examiner. Day or night.

Runs sessions in First Part cross-table viva format: 2-minute reading time on a single basic science topic, then 10 minutes of ICU-applied probing with a structured debrief. Voice mode transcribes spoken answers using medical speech recognition.

  • Timed cross-table format: 2 min reading, 10 min viva on one topic
  • ICU-specific follow-ups: sepsis, ARDS, organ failure scenarios
  • Voice mode: speak your answer, no typing needed
  • Debrief with tier, strengths, gaps, and key learning after each session
  • Covers all physiology, pharmacology, and measurement topics
CICM First Part flashcards: a revealed spaced-repetition card with Again, Hard, Good and Easy grading
8,305 cards. Spaced repetition. Four domains.

8,305 curriculum-mapped flashcards across the CICM First Part curriculum, with spaced repetition: cards you get right come up less often, cards you miss come back sooner. Card types include mechanism, drug profile, pharmacokinetics, normal values, and ICU clinical correlates.

  • 8,305 cards across all four First Part domains
  • Card types: mechanism, PK/PD, normal values, drug comparison, equations
  • MCQ drill mode for rapid-fire practice
  • One click from card to full study note
  • Image cards: pressure-volume loops, waveforms, pharmacokinetic curves
CICM First Part study note on the cardiac cycle with an embedded interactive pressure-volume loop diagram
155 study notes across 252 LOs. Referenced.

155 sourced study notes across the CICM First Part curriculum, covering the 252 learning objectives mapped across 20 sections. Written to a consistent seven-section format and aligned to the published CICM First Part curriculum, Australian guidelines and primary literature. They surface automatically alongside SAQ and viva debriefs.

  • 155 study notes covering 252 LOs across 20 sections
  • Consistent 7-section structure: scannable, not a wall of text
  • Aligned to the published CICM First Part curriculum and Australian guidelines
  • Full-text search across all notes
  • Linked from SAQ debrief, viva feedback, and flashcards
CICM First Part curriculum tracker: learning objectives grouped by system with coverage counts
252 learning objectives. Every CICM First Part LO mapped.

The CICM First Part curriculum defines 252 learning objectives across 20 sections. PRIMEX maps every LO to the study notes and flashcards that cover it, with a Curriculum tab showing a checkbox checklist and progress bar so you know exactly how much of the syllabus you've covered.

  • All 252 CICM First Part LOs across 20 sections
  • Checkbox completion persisted across sessions
  • Click any LO to jump directly to the relevant study note
  • Per-section and overall progress bars at a glance
CICM First Part interactive diagram: a flow-volume loop pattern trainer with Explore, Recall and Exam modes
Physiology you manipulate, not memorise.

Interactive, active-recall trainers built for the physics and physiology the First Part leans on. Tap and drag the live model (flow-volume loops, ventricular pressure-volume loops, ABG interpretation, the oxygen cascade, vasopressor and inotrope selection) and watch the traces, values, and interpretation update in real time, then test yourself in Recall and Exam modes.

  • Trainers across respiratory, cardiovascular, acid-base, and pharmacology
  • Flow-volume loops, PV 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 CICM First Part exam 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 are 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 ·

CICM First Part format and structure: MCQ, SAQ and viva

The CICM First Part Examination tests the scientific foundations of intensive care medicine: physiology, pharmacology, and clinical measurement. It is the gateway to the Fellowship examination and to advanced ICU training. The exam sits twice yearly; CICM publishes per-sitting examiner reports with component pass marks rather than a single headline figure (for example, the 2025.2 sitting set the MCQ pass mark at 65% and the SAQ pass mark at 47.81%, with about 45% of candidates successful overall). PRIMEX is built by Dr Jay Marshall, an anaesthetics registrar in Taree, NSW.

  • OrganiserCollege of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand (CICM)
  • FormatWritten section of two 2.5-hour papers, each 50 MCQs + 10 SAQs (100 MCQs + 20 SAQs total); the MCQ section has its own Angoff pass mark and must be passed to progress to the orals, which are 8 cross-table vivas of 10 min each
  • DomainsPhysiology (~55%), Pharmacology (~25%), Measurement & Equipment (~10%), Microbiology & Research (~10%)
  • SittingsTwice yearly, typically March and September
  • Pass rateCICM publishes per-sitting examiner reports with component pass marks (2025.2: MCQ 65%, SAQ 47.81%, oral 59.2%; ~45% of candidates successful overall). There is no single headline figure
Free, no signup

Practice every topic with the same AI grader the in-app uses

Five high-yield learning objectives. One free SAQ + 3 MCQs each, graded against college-standard marking points. No signup needed.

· Questions ·

Common questions about the CICM First Part 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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