Anaesthetics (Primary FRCA OSCE)
Walk into your Primary FRCA OSCE having already done it — dozens of times
Practise Primary FRCA OSCE stations out loud against a simulated patient who responds realistically, any time of day. Get examiner-style feedback on any station you finish, in seconds.
What is the Primary FRCA OSCE, and how do you practise for it?
The Royal College of Anaesthetists' Primary FRCA OSCE, sat alongside the Primary FRCA SOE by Stage 1 anaesthesia, ACCS and ICM trainees who have passed the Primary MCQ and hold the Initial Assessment of Competence. The real circuit contains up to 16 five-minute stations across nine RCoA syllabus domains. MedMock practises the six domains that work as a spoken or screen-based station: four practised in full (History Taking, Communication, Interpreting Images and Monitoring, and Anaesthetic Hazards and Safety) and two practised partly using on-screen images and diagrams rather than physical specimens or apparatus (Anatomy and Anaesthetic Equipment, where you answer questions about pictures without handling bones or equipment). Resuscitation, Technical Skills and Physical Examination require manikins or hands-on examination and are not simulated. The RCoA plans to replace the Primary OSCE and SOE with the new Primary FRCA CASE examination from July 2027, subject to GMC approval. MedMock lets you practise it out loud against an AI patient, with examiner-style feedback on any station you finish.
Last updated 24 October 2026
Primary FRCA OSCE practice, on demand
MedMock gives you a simulated patient who responds realistically, available 24/7. Pick a station, have a spoken conversation, and ask for examiner-style feedback when you finish, scored against what genuinely matters in the Primary FRCA OSCE.
How it works
Choose a station
Pick from 6 station types drawn from the real Primary FRCA OSCE curriculum, or run a full mock that takes you through them as a circuit.
Have the conversation
Speak naturally, out loud. The AI patient or examiner responds in real time — with follow-up questions, emotions, cues and unexpected turns, just like the real stations.
Get instant feedback
The moment you finish, you get specific, examiner-style feedback and a score — what you did well, what cost you marks, and precisely what to fix before the next attempt.
Practise every station
The Primary FRCA OSCE has up to 16 five-minute stations across nine RCoA domains. MedMock practises the six domains that work as a spoken or screen-based assessment: History Taking, Communication, Interpreting Images and Monitoring, and Anaesthetic Hazards and Safety in full, plus Anatomy and Anaesthetic Equipment partly (answering examiner questions about on-screen diagrams and images without handling physical specimens or apparatus). Resuscitation, Technical Skills and Physical Examination are not simulated.
History Taking
5-minute simulated-patient station: take a focused pre-operative anaesthetic history covering surgical indication, airway and reflux history, cardiorespiratory reserve, comorbidities, medications, allergies, previous anaesthetic problems and fasting status.
Communication
5-minute simulated-patient or relative station: explain anaesthetic options and risks (general vs regional anaesthesia, epidural analgesia, nerve blocks), manage post-dural puncture headache or accidental awareness, or discuss peri-operative risk and consent.
Interpreting Images & Monitoring
5-minute examiner-led data and image station: interpret an on-screen 12-lead ECG, chest or cervical-spine radiograph, CT head, arterial blood gas, capnography trace, spirometry loop or rotational thromboelastometry trace in a peri-operative vignette.
Anaesthetic Hazards & Safety
5-minute examiner-led viva on theatre and anaesthetic hazards: electrical safety, diathermy, surgical fires, laser safety, scavenging, pipeline and cylinder gas supply, wrong-route drug errors, local anaesthetic toxicity, malignant hyperthermia and anaphylaxis.
Anatomy (Image-Based)
5-minute examiner-led station using on-screen anatomical diagrams and cross-sectional images: larynx and airway innervation, brachial, lumbar and sacral plexuses, neuraxial anatomy, antecubital fossa, femoral triangle, thoracic inlet and diaphragm. Questions are asked over images; physical bones and prosections are not handled.
Anaesthetic Equipment (Image-Based)
5-minute examiner-led station using on-screen images and schematics of anaesthetic apparatus: Mapleson breathing systems, circle system and soda lime, vaporisers, supraglottic and tracheal airways, laryngoscopes, filters, gas cylinders and scavenging. Questions are asked over images; physical assembly and machine checking are not simulated.
Sample Primary FRCA OSCE questions
Two questions from the topics that come up most in MedMock's Primary FRCA OSCE bank.
“Take a focused pre-operative anaesthetic history from a 64-year-old woman listed for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy who has rheumatoid arthritis and obstructive sleep apnoea.”
“During laser microlaryngoscopy a flash is seen at the tracheal tube and smoke appears in the airway. Walk the examiner through your immediate management of an airway fire and the preventive precautions for laser airway surgery.”
Example scenarios
A sample of the Primary FRCA OSCE scenarios you can practise, each as a spoken conversation.
“Take a focused pre-operative anaesthetic history from a 64-year-old woman listed for elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy who has rheumatoid arthritis and obstructive sleep apnoea.”
“A 58-year-old man develops sudden hypotension and a fall in end-tidal CO₂ during cemented hemiarthroplasty. Interpret the capnograph, ECG and arterial blood gas shown on screen and outline your immediate management.”
“During laser microlaryngoscopy a flash is seen at the tracheal tube and smoke appears in the airway. Walk the examiner through your immediate management of an airway fire and the preventive precautions for laser airway surgery.”
Primary FRCA OSCE dates 2026–27
The next Primary FRCA OSCE sitting we hold is: Week commencing 16 November 2026. Checked against Royal College of Anaesthetists on 20 October 2026.
Time until Week commencing 16 November 2026
— d — h — m — sThe Primary FRCA OSCE and SOE are sat together in the same week. From July 2027 the Primary FRCA moves to the new Primary FRCA CASE format — check the RCoA’s 2027 launch pages if you will be a first-time candidate after that date.
Exam dates change. MedMock is not affiliated with Royal College of Anaesthetists; confirm every date, application window and venue on the official site before you book. Royal College of Anaesthetists
Primary FRCA OSCE practice — your questions answered
How does the feedback work?
When you finish a station you can have it marked, and the scorecard comes back in seconds — what you did well, what cost you marks, and exactly what to work on next. Scorecards, mark schemes and model answers are included at no extra credit cost.
Can I practise specific Primary FRCA OSCE stations?
Yes. You can pick any of the 6 station types to drill a weak area, or run a full mock circuit to simulate the real exam.
How much does it cost?
You can start with a one-off £5 taster: 30 credits, which is 30 minutes of speaking practice, with no subscription. After that, or at any time, you can choose a monthly plan, which includes a monthly credit allowance. Current prices are on the pricing page.
Formats change from year to year: check the official candidate guidance or applicant handbook from the body that runs your exam or interview (the Royal Colleges, NHS England, the GMC and others) for your sitting.
Ready for your Primary FRCA OSCE?
Rehearse real Primary FRCA OSCE scenarios out loud and get instant, examiner-style feedback.
- Instant, personalised feedback
- Real voice-to-voice conversation
- Repeatable attempts, a different run every time
Be ready for your Primary FRCA OSCE before you walk in
Start with the £5 taster, a one-off payment for 30 credits: practise Primary FRCA OSCE scenarios out loud and get any of them marked when you are ready.
Practise Primary FRCA OSCE stations