EDAIC Part 1 Study Plan: 3- and 6-Month Schedules

Most candidates do not fail the EDAIC Part 1 because they lack intelligence — they fail because they revise without a structure, run out of road in the final weeks, and never practise enough questions under timed conditions. A good edaic part 1 study plan fixes all three problems at once: it sequences the syllabus sensibly, fixes a realistic number of daily hours, and ties your week-by-week progress to a hard target of practice questions. This article gives you two concrete timetables — one for three months and one for six — that you can start using today.

Both plans assume you are working clinically and can find roughly 1.5–2.5 hours on a normal day, with longer blocks at weekends. If you have more time, the six-month plan simply becomes more comfortable. If you have less, the three-month plan is intense but achievable. Before you read on, it is worth skimming the EDAIC Part 1 overview so the structure below maps cleanly onto what you already know about the exam.

What you are actually planning for

The EDAIC (European Diploma in Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, awarded by ESAIC — the European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care) Part 1 is a written examination in two papers. Paper A is Basic Sciences — anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, physics and clinical measurement, equipment and statistics. Paper B is Clinical Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, covering regional anaesthesia, the sub-specialty/special anaesthesia topics, intensive care, emergency medicine and pain.

Every question is MTF (Multiple True/False): a stem followed by five statements (A–E), each judged independently as true or false. Crucially, there is no negative marking — it was removed in 2014 — so a wrong answer costs you nothing more than a blank one. You should answer every single statement. If you are still hazy on the format, read the Paper A and Paper B format guide and our MTF question strategy before you start, because the way you revise should mirror the way you are tested.

The pass standard is criterion-referenced (an Angoff-style standard of competence), not a fixed quota or a norm-referenced curve. That matters for your plan: you are not competing against other candidates, you are climbing to a defined level of competence. Steady, measurable progress is exactly what gets you there. For the wider strategy that surrounds these timetables, pair this article with our how to pass EDAIC Part 1 strategies guide.

How this EDAIC Part 1 study plan works

Whichever timeline you pick, an effective edaic part 1 study plan rests on the same three habits. Get these right and the week-by-week schedule below almost runs itself.

• Read actively, in syllabus order. Map your reading to the EDAIC Part 1 syllabus breakdown so nothing is missed and nothing is over-revised.
• Test daily. Questions are not the final check — they are the main learning tool. Every plan below sets a weekly question target.
• Review by spaced repetition. Re-meeting a topic at expanding intervals is what moves it into durable memory. Our spaced repetition memory method explains how to schedule this without it eating your evenings.

A simple rule of thumb for any edaic study schedule: spend about 40% of your time reading, 40% doing and reviewing questions, and 20% on focused revision of weak areas. Reading alone feels productive but rarely passes the exam. The targets in both timetables below are built around that balance, so you can lift them straight into your calendar.

3-month EDAIC study plan (12 weeks)

This 3 month edaic study plan is built for the candidate with a solid clinical base who needs a sharp, focused run-up. Expect roughly 2–2.5 hours on weekdays and 4–5 hours per weekend day — about 18–20 hours a week. The structure front-loads Paper A (which carries the most basic-science detail) and interleaves Paper B from the start so clinical reasoning never goes cold.

Weeks 1–4: Basic sciences foundation (Paper A)

Anchor week 1 with our high-yield physiology topics, and give pharmacology extra weight across weeks 2 and 4 using the high-yield pharmacology topics list — it is one of the single largest scoring opportunities in Paper A.

Weeks 5–8: Clinical anaesthesia & intensive care (Paper B)

Intensive care is dense and high-yield; lean on the intensive care Paper B guide during week 7. By the end of week 8 you should have covered every major syllabus heading at least once.

Weeks 9–11: Integration and weak-spot drilling

Stop reading new material as your default. Spend each day doing mixed Paper A and Paper B question sets, then reviewing every wrong and "guessed correct" statement. Keep a running list of weak topics and attack the top three each week. Aim for 350+ questions per week and push your accuracy on review sets above your target standard.

Week 12: Final revision and exam readiness

In the last week, switch to consolidation: high-yield summaries, your error log, and full-length timed papers. Our final month before EDAIC revision plan compresses neatly into this week. Sit at least two timed papers, sleep properly, and read the exam day guide so nothing on the day surprises you.

6-month EDAIC study plan (24 weeks)

The 6 month edaic study plan is the gentler, more durable route — ideal if you are juggling busy rotations, learning in a second language, or simply prefer deep understanding over speed. Target 1.5–2 hours on weekdays and 3–4 hours per weekend day, around 12–14 hours a week. The extra runway lets you do two full passes of the syllabus, which is the real advantage: the second pass is where weak topics finally stick.

Phase 1 — Weeks 1–10: First full pass of Paper A

Work through basic sciences thoroughly, one domain at a time, without rushing.

• Weeks 1–2: Cardiovascular and respiratory physiology — target 120 questions/week.
• Weeks 3–4: Renal, acid–base, neurophysiology and endocrine — 140/week.
• Weeks 5–6: Pharmacology principles and intravenous agents — 160/week.
• Weeks 7–8: Inhalational agents, neuromuscular and cardiovascular drugs — 180/week.
• Weeks 9–10: Physics, clinical measurement, equipment and statistics — 180/week.

Use the physics and clinical measurement high-yield guide in weeks 9–10, and tackle EDAIC statistics made simple early — statistics is small in volume but reliably scores marks for the prepared candidate.

Phase 2 — Weeks 11–18: First full pass of Paper B

• Weeks 11–12: General anaesthesia, airway, monitoring — 180/week.
• Weeks 13–14: Regional anaesthesia and obstetrics — 200/week.
• Weeks 15–16: Intensive care and emergency medicine — 220/week.
• Weeks 17–18: Paediatric, neuro, cardiac, and pain medicine — 220/week.

Phase 3 — Weeks 19–22: Second pass and active recall

Now revisit the whole syllabus at speed, driven by questions rather than text. This is where spaced repetition pays off: topics you met in month one resurface and consolidate. Aim for 300 questions/week, mixing Paper A and Paper B daily, and rebuild summary notes only for topics you keep getting wrong.

Phase 4 — Weeks 23–24: Mock exams and final polish

Sit full-length timed papers, work your error log, and taper intensity in the final days. The structure here mirrors the three-month week 12, just with more time to rehearse. If you would like a ready-made framework to slot these phases into, our effective study plan for the EDAIC walks through the same logic in a different format.

Choosing between the two timetables

If you have recently sat comparable exams — the relationship between the diploma and the UK FRCA is covered in EDAIC vs FRCA, which are separate qualifications with different awarding bodies — the three-month plan will feel natural. If anaesthesia exams are new to you, give yourself six months. Either way, your weekly question target is the metric that tells you whether you are actually on track.

Making the question targets real

Both plans live or die on consistent question practice, and that is exactly why a structured edaic study timetable works: it converts a vague intention ("do more questions") into a number you either hit or miss each week. Build your sessions around a single tool so your error log, statistics and spaced-repetition queue all live in one place. The AnesCORE EDAIC question bank is designed around the MTF format and tracks your weak topics automatically, which removes the admin overhead from the plans above.

To get the most from whatever bank you use, read how to use an EDAIC question bank effectively: do questions to learn, not just to test; review every statement, not only the ones you got wrong; and revisit your misses on a spaced schedule rather than cramming them.

Practical guardrails for both plans

• Protect your weekends. They carry most of your reading; do not let post-call fatigue erode them without a catch-up slot.
• Front-load the hard sciences. Physics, statistics and pharmacology reward early, repeated exposure far more than last-minute cramming.
• Track accuracy, not just volume. A rising correct-percentage on review sets is your real progress signal.
• Plan around the date. The confirmed 2026 Part 1 written exam is on 19 September 2026, and the registration window for that sitting has already closed. For the next cycle's dates and the current registration deadline, always confirm on the official ESAIC/EDAIC (myESAIC) website rather than relying on any blog.

A quick note on expectations: the exam is demanding but very passable with structured work — our honest take on what to expect from the difficulty and the common mistakes that fail candidates will keep your plan grounded.

Frequently asked questions

Is three months enough to pass EDAIC Part 1?

Yes, if you have a reasonable clinical and basic-science base and can commit to around 18–20 focused hours a week. The three-month plan above is intense but complete, with one full syllabus pass plus three weeks of heavy question drilling. If anaesthesia exams are new to you or you are studying in a second language, the six-month plan is the safer choice.

How many practice questions should I do before the exam?

There is no magic number, and the exam itself does not publish a fixed count to aim for. The targets in this plan build to roughly 3,000 questions on the three-month route and 4,000+ on the six-month route — these are your own practice volumes, not the size of the paper. Volume matters less than what you do with each question: review every statement, log your errors, and revisit weak topics on a spaced schedule. Quality review beats raw quantity every time.

Should I study Paper A or Paper B first?

Lead with Paper A. The basic sciences underpin almost everything in clinical anaesthesia, so a solid grasp of physiology, pharmacology and physics makes Paper B faster to revise. That said, both plans interleave Paper B questions from early on so your clinical reasoning never goes stale — you are sequencing the reading, not isolating the papers.

Can I use the OLA to avoid the written exam?

The OLA (On-Line Assessment) is a formative, in-training online assessment built on EDAIC Part 1-style content, and passing it under ESAIC's conditions can exempt you from sitting the Part 1 written exam. Whether you are eligible depends on your training programme and ESAIC's current rules, so check the official guidance and our OLA explainer before assuming it replaces your plan.

How do I adjust the plan if I fall behind?

Do not try to claw back lost reading by skipping questions — that is the most common failure mode. Instead, protect your weekly question target, compress the reading by leaning on high-yield summaries, and drop the lowest-yield sub-topics first. A slightly thinner second pass with strong question practice beats a complete first pass with no testing.

Pick the timetable that matches your life, start with this week's question target, and let the structure carry you. Create a free AnesCORE account to track your progress against these plans, then put the schedule into practice with the EDAIC question bank — the daily habit these timetables are built around.