To be eligible to present candidates must:
- Be a registered trainee with the College.
-
Have submitted full documentation (e.g. current AVT and Trainee Action Plan if this is not the first
attempt at the exam).
-
Have paid the appropriate College fees (including the annual trainee member fee and any other outstanding
College fees).
These requirements must be satisfied by the advertised closing date of
applications.
The First Part Examination is held twice each year and comprises a
written and oral component. The written section may be taken in cities
of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. The oral section is generally
held in Melbourne however may be in another major city at the discretion
of the Board.
Dates and venues are subject to change.
2026 Examination Dates
| First Sitting |
Date |
Location |
| Application Window |
6-20 January 2026 |
Online |
| Written Section |
25 February 2026 |
Various |
| Oral Section |
29-30 April 2026 |
Melbourne |
| Second Sitting |
Date |
Location |
| Application Window |
9-23 June 2026 |
Online |
| Written Section |
5 August 2026 |
Various |
| Oral Section |
14-15 October 2026 |
Melbourne |
To apply for the First Part Examination, the following is
required:
- Passport quality headshot photo. (jpg file)
- College member ID number.
- Current registration as a trainee with the College.
-
Submission of all training documentation (e.g. current AVT). Anyone reattempting the exam is strongly encouraged to ensure that a current Trainee Action Plan is in place.
-
Payment of the appropriate College fees (including the annual trainee member fee and any other outstanding
College fees including RPL).
If this is not your first attempt at the examination, please ensure your
current TAP has been submitted to the College prior to applying for the
exam.
Please note that late and/or incomplete applications
will not be accepted under any circumstance after the
advertised closing date for applications.
Please note: Should you wish to withdraw from the exam
after the closing date, a 30% cancellation fee applies. This fee may be
waived if an application for Special Consideration has been received and
approved by the Chair of the Exam Committee.
Apply here
Examination reports from 2020 onwards are available on this page.
Earlier reports can be accessed via the Examination Hub on Moodle
(eLearning Platform). For further assistance, please contact the
Exams Department.
View Exam Reports below:
2020 - 2029
2010 - 2019
2000 - 2009
Special Consideration and Reasonable Adjustments
The College of Intensive Care Medicine of Australia and New Zealand
(CICM) is committed to ensuring the integration of principles of equal
access, participation and opportunity for trainees with a disability or
medical condition.
Who can apply for Special Consideration or a Reasonable
Adjustment?
Any Trainee and Specialist International Medical Graduate (SIMGs) of the
College undertaking a College Examination can apply for special
consideration or a reasonable adjustment.
A candidate suffers an unforeseen severe and/or grave illness,
misadventure, or accident or has extenuating circumstances that have
impacted their ability to undertake the examination. In that case, they
can apply for special consideration.
Reasonable adjustments are put in place for an individual with a
disability or medical condition, and these adjustments are designed to
minimise the disadvantage experienced.
How to apply for Special Consideration or a Reasonable
Adjustment
You can apply for Special Consideration or a Reasonable Adjustment by
making an application using the appropriate form. Appropriate
documentation should support the application, which you can refer to in
Section 5 of the policy.
Candidates should notify the College before the examination commences or
as early as possible for their need for special consideration. Special
Consideration requests cannot be logged in retrospect after the exam
result has been received
The College recommends that candidates apply for reasonable adjustment
when entering the training program. At the latest, applications should
be submitted by the advertised closure of the relevant online exam
application.
Submitting an Application for Special Consideration or Reasonable
Adjustment
All applications need to be submitted to the Exams Department via email.
Special instructions are detailed on the appropriate application form
and must be accompanied by supporting documentation.
Queries
If you have any queries regarding the policy or application process,
please do not hesitate to contact the Exams Department.
The Policy and application forms can be found below.
T-19 Reasonable Adjustment Form
Download Form
T-19 Special Consideration Form
Download Form
T-19 Special Circumstances and Reasonable Adjustment Policy for
examinations
View Policy
How many attempts can a candidate have?
A candidate who presents for either the written or oral component has
a maximum of five attempts. If unsuccessful on the fifth attempt the
candidate will not be eligible for further examination candidacy and
will no longer be registered as a trainee.
|
Example:
|
|
Candidate Dr Jane Doe applies to sit the exam and is
successful at the written component. Dr Jane Doe then
presents for the oral component but is unsuccessful. This is
ONE attempt.
|
|
Dr Jane Doe has FOUR exam attempts remaining.
|
|
Dr Jane Doe applies to sit the exam again at the next
sitting and carries her written mark (first carry) from the
previous attempt. Dr Jane Doe presents for the oral
component and is unsuccessful. This is ONE attempt.
|
|
Dr Jane Doe has THREE exam attempts remaining.
|
|
Dr Jane Doe applies to sit the exam again at the following
sitting and carries her written mark (last carry) from her
first exam attempt. Dr Jane Doe presents for the oral
component and is successful. This is ONE attempt.
|
|
Dr Jane Doe passes the exam on her third attempt.
|
This example relates to T-17 Notes to Candidate for First Part Exam
What does the examination fee cover?
- Printing of Short Answer Question booklets
-
Printing, collation and distribution of Short Answer Question
papers
-
Accommodation for examiners who are volunteering their time to
create, workshop and mark SAQ’s, attending the oral section and
provide feedback
- Venue hire for both written and oral sections
- Travel for examiners
- IT support
- Equipment hire
- Catering
How many questions are in the written section?
There are two papers each consisting of 10 short answer questions
(SAQ) and 50 multiple choice questions (MCQ). The time allowed for
each paper is 2.5 hours and this allows approximately ten minutes per
SAQ and approximately 50 minutes for the 50 MCQ.
What can be taken into the written examination?
Basic stationery such as pens (blue and/or black pens only), rulers,
erasers, and non-programmable calculators, and analogue clocks/watches
(must be silent and not internet-capable). Answer booklets are
provided by the College.
NOTE: Programmable calculators, personal computers, mobile phones,
smart/sport watches, digital clocks/timers and other electronic
equipment may not be taken into any section of the examination.
What mark needs to be achieved in the written section in order to get
invited to the oral section?
To progress to the vivas, candidates must:
-
Achieve the Angoff score or greater in the SAQ section AND the
MCQs.
-
Achieve the Borderline Regression score or greater in the oral
section.
What is required to pass the examination overall?
Candidates must:
-
Achieve greater than or equal to 50% in the Oral Component
How long will it take to get the results?
Written results can take up to six weeks to prepare and are sent to
candidates via email. Results will not be given over the phone.
Oral section results can take up to approximately two weeks to be
released.
What is a cross-table viva?
A viva is a 12-minute encounter that tests knowledge of basic
sciences, the ability to apply these basic sciences to a clinical
setting and the ability to understand monitoring equipment.
Two minutes are allocated to read the introductory questions outside
each viva station and 10 minutes are spent discussing the topic with
one or two examiners.
What is the examination reports?
The report provides candidates, tutors and Supervisors of Training
with information about the examination. Answers provided are not model
answers but are guides to what was expected for a particular question.
What feedback is available to unsuccessful candidates?
Feedback includes:
- Overview of the marking process;
- Breakdown of questions that were passed/failed;
Due to the specific nature of the feedback letters, these may take
several weeks to create.