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

Choose the 3-month EDAIC Part 1 study plan if you have a solid starting base and room for a concentrated workload; use the 6-month schedule for a more gradual syllabus pass with time to revisit older topics. Both examples below show weekly subjects, study hours and question targets for Paper A and Paper B.

These are planning templates, not validated minimum hours or guarantees of a pass. Start with your syllabus gaps and actual weekly capacity, then adjust the workload. If the shorter route does not fit, compressing recovery is not the answer. For the learning method behind either timetable, read how to study for EDAIC Part 1.

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.

Each MTF question has five statements to judge separately. There is no negative marking, so practise completing every statement. Check the official ESAIC examination guidance for current candidate instructions. 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 ESAIC Diploma Guide explains that pass marks can vary between sittings and that both papers must be passed. Do not convert an independent question-bank score into a guaranteed result. 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, keep three types of work in the calendar:

• 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 regularly. Start questions before the first syllabus pass is finished. Include enough time to review the explanations, not just record a score.
• Review by spaced repetition. Return to earlier material after a delay and try to recall it before looking at the notes. Our spaced repetition memory method explains how to schedule this without it eating your evenings.

An initial allocation might be 40% learning, 40% questions and explanation review, and 20% returning to older or weak topics. This is an adjustable example, not an evidence-based optimum. If review takes longer than expected, reduce the question volume. Throughout the schedules, a question means one MTF stem with five statements; count individual statements separately if that is how your tool reports activity. The question targets are optional practice volumes, not ESAIC requirements.

3-month EDAIC study plan (12 weeks)

The 12-week example assumes a solid starting base and substantial study capacity: 2–2.5 hours on each weekday and 4–5 hours on each weekend day, or 18–22.5 hours per week. That is an illustrative workload, not the number of hours needed to pass. Paper A leads the first phase; keep a small Paper B maintenance set each week, then retain Paper A review during the clinical phase.

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. Use your diagnostic gaps to decide which topics need extra time.

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

For the intensive-care block, use the intensive care Paper B guide during week 7. At the end of week 8, audit the official syllabus rather than assuming these broad headings cover every subtopic. Use a flex block for anything your first pass missed.

Weeks 9–11: Integration and weak-spot drilling

Make mixed Paper A and Paper B sets a larger part of the week, then review wrong and guessed-correct statements. Continue targeted reading where it resolves a specific gap. The example target is 350 questions per week, reduced if thorough review will not fit. Introduce timed mock practice during this phase, leaving time to repair what it reveals. Keep fresh-question results separate from repeated-set scores; a commercial practice percentage is not an official pass threshold.

Week 12: Final revision and exam readiness

Use the last week for concise notes, selected errors and short retrieval sessions. Avoid leaving your first full mock until now; the earlier timed blocks should already have shaped your repairs. The final-month revision plan belongs across weeks 9–12, not compressed into the last seven days. Protect recovery and verify candidate instructions using the exam-day guide and official ESAIC communications.

6-month EDAIC study plan (24 weeks)

The 24-week example spreads the work over a longer period: 1.5–2 hours on each weekday and 3–4 hours on each weekend day, or 13.5–18 hours per week. Use this only if it fits your actual capacity. The extra time creates room for a first pass and a planned revisit; it does not guarantee two complete passes or durable recall without testing.

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

Use basic sciences as the primary focus, with a short clinical maintenance set each week. Check anatomy, biochemistry and other syllabus subtopics against the official list rather than treating the headings below as exhaustive.

• 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 — give calculations and interpretation regular practice rather than leaving them until the end.

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

Make clinical topics the primary focus while keeping a short weekly Paper A retrieval block.

• 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

Use the syllabus checklist to revisit older areas, driven by questions and closed-book recall. Plan 300 questions/week only if explanation review fits; reduce the count when a gap needs slower work. Mix the papers across the week and rebuild concise notes for recurring errors. Include timed practice early enough to act on its feedback.

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

Use full-length timed practice and its debrief where useful, work your error log, and taper intensity in the final days. Follow the current instructions for your delivery method when simulating the exam. The weekly study template shows how to allocate learning, testing and review inside any of these phases.

Choosing between the two timetables

A recent comparable examination may affect your starting knowledge, but it does not establish readiness for EDAIC. The qualifications and requirements remain distinct; see EDAIC vs FRCA. Choose a schedule using a baseline assessment and your available time. Track syllabus coverage, delayed recall and fresh-question performance alongside volume.

Making the question targets real

Treat the question targets as a way to reserve time, not as a quota that overrides review. Keep a record of unfamiliar questions, uncertain correct answers and concepts that need a later revisit. You can use the AnesCORE EDAIC question bank for MTF practice and topic feedback while keeping your broader syllabus checklist beside it.

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

• Plan around clinical work. The example weekend hours are available study time, not a reason to study through post-call recovery. Use the on-call study plan if your rota changes week to week.
• Return to difficult domains early. Give physics, statistics and pharmacology repeat contact, while maintaining coverage of the rest of the syllabus.
• Separate learning from measurement. Review sets help repair errors; unfamiliar mixed material is a better check of transfer. Look at coverage and conditions as well as the percentage.
• Plan around the date. ESAIC has confirmed 11 September 2027. As checked on 6 November 2026, the registration period is still to be announced. Use the dated 2027 roadmap and verify registration directly with ESAIC.

For further context, read what makes EDAIC demanding and common preparation mistakes. No timetable can promise the result; its job is to make your gaps and next actions visible.

Frequently asked questions

Is three months enough to pass EDAIC Part 1?

It depends on your baseline and sustainable study capacity. The example above requires 18–22.5 hours per week and assumes substantial prior knowledge. Completing it does not guarantee a pass. Use a diagnostic and syllabus review to judge whether three months leaves enough room for learning, practice and repair; allow longer if it does not.

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?

These examples lead with Paper A while maintaining some Paper B contact. You can change the order when your diagnostic shows a larger clinical gap. Keep both papers visible throughout; sequencing the main reading is different from abandoning the other paper for months.

Can I use the OLA to avoid the written exam?

No. An OLA result does not remove the Part 1 examination requirement. Use the feedback to adapt your study plan, not to cancel examination registration. See our OLA explainer and the ESAIC Diploma Guide for the distinction from qualification-based exemptions.

How do I adjust the plan if I fall behind?

Recheck your available time, preserve a manageable question-and-review cycle, and reduce optional resources before removing syllabus coverage. Lower the question count if you cannot review it properly. Carry forward a small number of important unfinished tasks and revise the overall schedule if the lost capacity is sustained.

Put the first week into your calendar

Pick the timetable that fits your capacity and start with one week, including its review time. 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.

Correction — 7 October 2026: OLA/HOLA assessment does not grant a Part 1 exemption. Checked against the ESAIC Diploma Guide and ESAIC OLA/HOLA guidance.