The objective is to ensure that as a trainee, you have the required level of knowledge and understanding of the four basic sciences - anatomy, pathology, physiology and pharmacology – as they relate to emergency medicine (EM). This is to ensure you have gained the core knowledge considered necessary towards a career as an EM physician. Please see our Curriculum Framework.
 
The examination is criterion-referenced, which means that as a candidate, you must reach a predefined level of performance to pass the examination, rather than a fixed percentage of all candidates being successful.
 
Important to note: the written component of the Primary Examination contains up to 360 questions in total, made up of Select Choice Questions (SCQ), Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ) and Extended Matching Questions (EMQ). It consists of 2 x 3 hour papers of up to 180 questions each, held over the course of one day.

Two sittings of the Primary Examination are held each year, and are comprised of:

• An online written examination held in Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
• An oral examination (Viva) held in Melbourne.

The written and Viva components of the examination are held approximately six weeks apart in 2018, but this will change from 2019 onwards. Please see details below for future dates. The written and the Viva components are completely de-coupled and should be treated as two separate examinations, although can be sat consecutively.

Please note: For each attempt at the Primary Examination, a new application must be made and the relevant examination fee paid.

The examination may be attempted at any stage during Provisional Training, but the written component must be successfully completed before attempting the Viva examination. It is not necessary for Provisional Training time to be completed before the examination is undertaken.

Important to note: From 1 January 2018, all candidates will have a maximum of three attempts at each of the Primary Examinations including both the Written and Viva Exams. Any examination attempts before 1 January 2018 will not be counted. If you are unsuccessful on the third attempt, you may be considered for removal from the FACEM Training Program.

If you fail to present for any part of the examination, or if you withdraw from any part of the exam after the application closing date, you may not be entitled to a refund of your examination fee. For more information, see the Exceptional Circumstances and Special Consideration Policy.

To withdraw from the Primary Examination, please complete the EX184 Examination Withdrawal Form.

ACEM provides an extensive range of online resources featuring past papers, past exam reports, and much more. These are all now located on eLearning under ‘Resources for Trainees’.

Duration: 6 hours (2 x 3-hour exams)
No. of questions: 360 in total
Method: Online integrated exam
Types of questions: Select Choice Questions (SCQ), Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ), Extended Matching Questions (EMQ).
Maximum no. of attempts: 3
Location: Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Fee for 2019: AUD $1896
Terms of Candidature: view now

Next sitting
 
Friday 2 August 2019
Applications open: 3 June 2019
Applications close: 28 June 2019

Future sittings

Friday 7 February 2020
Applications open: 3 December 2019
Applications close: 10 January 2020
 
Friday 7 August 2020
Applications open: 1 June 2020
Applications close: 26 June 2020

Candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria by the application closing date:

•  Be a registered trainee of ACEM.
• Have no financial debts to the College.
• Hold current registration to practice medicine in Australia or New Zealand.

Applications are by electronic submission (online form) only.

Please see ‘Exam Dates’ above for further information on when you can apply.

Duration: 40 minutes (4 x 10minute stations) although approx. 1 hour including examiner marking time.
Method: Verbal stations based on the four basic science subjects.
Maximum no. of attempts: 3
Location: AMC National Test Centre, Melbourne
Fee for 2019: AUD $2106
Terms of Candidature: view now

Next sitting
 
2 – 3 May 2019
Applications open: 11 February 2019
Applications close: 8 March 2019
 
Future sittings
 
31 October – 1 November 2019
Applications open: 12 August 2019
Applications close: 6 September 2019

7 – 8 May 2020
Applications open: 10 February 2020
Applications close: 6 March 2020
 
5 – 6 November 2020
Applications open: 10 August 2020
Applications close: 4 September 2020

Candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria by the application closing date:

• Be a registered trainee of ACEM.
• Have no financial debts to the College.
• Have successfully completed the Primary Written Exam.
• Hold current registration to practice medicine in Australia or New Zealand.

Applications are by electronic submission (online form) only. Applications are now open.
 
Please see ‘Exam Dates’ above for further information on when you can apply.

The two-part Fellowship Exam is a major component of the FACEM Training Program. It tests your knowledge at the level expected of a junior consultant.

The Written and Clinical Fellowship Exams (OSCE) are offered at your 12-month and 36-month points of Advanced training respectively. Therefore the exams are designed as separate stand-alone assessments. However, you must pass the Written to be eligible for the Clinical.

Please note: For each attempt at the Fellowship Examination, a new application must be made and the relevant examination fee paid.

Important to note: From 1 January 2018, all candidates will have a maximum of three attempts at the Fellowship Written Examination and a maximum of four attempts at the Clinical (OSCE) Examination. Any examination attempts before 1 January 2018 will not be counted. If you are unsuccessful on your final attempt, you may be considered for removal from the FACEM Training Program.

If you fail to present for any part of the examination, or if you withdraw from any part of the exam after the application closing date, you may not be entitled to a refund of your examination fee. For more information, see the Exceptional Circumstances and Special Consideration Policy. 

To withdraw from the Fellowship Examination, please complete the EX184 Examination Withdrawal Form.

ACEM provides an extensive range of online resources featuring past papers, past exam reports, and much more. These are all now located on eLearning under ‘Resources for Trainees’.

Duration: 6 hours in total (2 x 180 min exams)
Method: 1 x Short Answer Questions (SAQ) Exam and 1 x Select Choice Question (SCQ) Exam (Multiple Choice Questions & Extended Matching Questions)
Maximum no. of attempts: 3
Location: Auckland, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney
Fee for 2019: AUD $2491
Terms of Candidture: view now

Next sitting
 
Friday 17 May 2019
Applications open: 25 February 2019
Applications close: 22 March 2019
 
Future sittings
 
Friday 15 November 2019
Applications open: 26 August 2019
Applications close: 20 September 2019

Friday 15 May 2020
Applications open: 24 February 2020
Applications close: 20 March 2020
 
Friday 13 November 2020
Applications open: 24 August 2020
Applications close: 18 September 2020

Candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria by the application closing date:

• Be a registered trainee of ACEM.
• Have no financial debts to the College.
• Hold current registration to practice medicine in Australia or New Zealand
• Have progressed to Late Phase Advanced Training in the FACEM Training Program.

Applications are by electronic submission (online form) only. Applications are now open.

Please see ‘Exam Dates’ above for further information on when you can apply.

Conditions of Application

An application will not be accepted in any of the following circumstances:

• It is not submitted by close of business on the specified closing date
• It is incomplete in any way
• At the application closing date, any outstanding College fees have not been paid in full.

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) - the Fellowship Clinical Exam - is a clinical test held over two consecutive days.
 
The examination will consist of a variety of clinical stations based on scenarios that candidates would expect to see as part of their work in the Emergency Department – history taking, physical examinations, communication, procedural skills, simulations, resuscitation, teaching, managing the ED, team work, case synthesis, creating management plans and interpreting investigation results. However, any simulation or resuscitation station will now be tested in a single, rather than a double station as occurred previously.
 
Each of the 12 single OSCE stations are 11 minutes' duration. This will include four minutes of reading time followed by seven minutes of assessment.  Of the 12 stations, there will be a minimum of one of each of the following type of stations:

• History taking
• Physical examination
• A challenging communication situation: patient/relative/staff member
• Team Based Simulation
• Teaching/advice to junior staff
• Standardised Case-Based Discussion

For a more detailed summary of what to expect on the day of your exams please refer to the Educational Resources on eLearning.

Duration: 132 minutes total over two consecutive days
Method: Up to 12 clinical examination stations
Maximum no. of attempts: 4
Location: AMC National Test Centre, Melbourne.
Fee for 2019: AUD $3521
Terms of Candidture: view now

Next sitting

12-15 March and 18-19 March 2019
Applications open: 3 December 2018
Applications close: 18 January 2019
Eligibility deadline date: 4 February 2019*
 
Future sittings
 
10-13 September and 16-17 September 2019
Applications open: 17 June 2019
Applications close: 12 July 2019
Eligibility deadline date: 5 August 2019*

10-13 March and 16-17 March 2020
Applications open: 9 December 2019
Applications close: 17 January 2020
Eligibility deadline date: 3 February 2020*
 
8-11 September and 14-15 September 2020
Applications open: 15 June 2020
Applications close: 10 July 2020
Eligibility deadline date: 3 August 2020*
 
* From 2019, the application closing date for the OSCE examination may differ from the ‘Eligibility deadline’ date when trainees must have met all of the eligibility criteria. This is to allow trainees who are close to completing their 36 months of Advanced Training time to be accredited for the final time check prior to the exam.

Candidates must meet the following eligibility criteria by relevant eligibility deadline:

• Be a registered trainee of ACEM.
• Have no financial debts to the College.
• Hold current registration to practice medicine in Australia or New Zealand.
• Have completed at least 36 months of the 48 months of accredited Advanced Training time before the relevant examination application closing date (not including any required remediation time).
• Have satisfied the trainee research requirement.
• Have successfully completed the Fellowship Written Exam.

Applications are by electronic submission (online form) only.

Please see ‘Exam Dates’ above for further information on when you can apply.