MCAI MCQ (Membership Part 1)€700 (2026/27 fee) · 3 (September, January, June)/yr
Online exam of two single best answer papers of 50 questions each (the former MTF paper has been replaced by a second SBA paper). Content split: 31 pharmacology, 31 physiology, 31 physics/clinical measurement/equipment, 4 anatomy, 3 statistics. A trial (technical check) session runs one week before the exam. · 2 x 90 minutes (09:00-10:30 and 11:30-13:00 Dublin time)
Eligibility: registered medical practitioner with a primary medical qualification acceptable to the Irish Medical Council, IMC registration if applying from Ireland, and 6 months' employment as an anaesthesiologist before the exam date; Head of Department declaration required. Not necessary to be in a training post. Maximum 6 attempts. A pass is valid for 3 years, within which the OSCE/SOE must be passed. Sat online (own laptop, proctored). Pass lists by candidate ID are published; pass rates are not.
MCAI OSCE and SOE (Membership Part 2)€800 (2026/27 fee); optional consultant-led preparation course €390 · 2 (April and November)/yr
OSCE of 18 stations (5 minutes each plus 1 minute reading, two pilot stations) over about 2 hours, plus two 30-minute structured oral examinations (physiology and clinical measurement; pharmacology and physics), each of six 5-minute questions with two examiners. Changes to the OSCE approved for the Autumn 2027 iteration. · OSCE about 2 hours; two SOEs of 30 minutes each; exam runs over a 3-day window
Eligibility: 12 months' employment as an anaesthesiologist before the exam date and a pass in the MCAI MCQ within the previous 3 years; Head of Department declaration. Maximum 6 attempts. Held in person at the Grand Hotel, Malahide, Co Dublin. Trainees may not progress to SAT3 without the full MCAI. Primary FRCA holders who are CAI trainees are not exempt.
FCAI Written (Fellowship Part 1)€700 (2026/27 fee) · 2 (October and March)/yr
Online written exam in two parts: SAQ paper of 10 questions each with 3-6 sub-parts (200 minutes, split into two 100-minute blocks) and an SBA paper of 90 questions (180 minutes, split into two 90-minute blocks). Trial session one week before. · SAQ 200 minutes + SBA 180 minutes, across one day (09:00-17:30 Dublin time with breaks)
Eligibility: MCAI passed within the preceding 7 years (or an approved exemption such as Primary/Final FRCA for non-CAI trainees, FANZCA, EDAIC etc.), 36 months in the practice of anaesthesiology (for SAT trainees, 36 months within the training programme), and clinical work within 12 months of the exam. Maximum 6 attempts. A pass is valid for 3 years, within which the clinical SOEs must be passed. Sat online.
FCAI Clinical SOEs (Fellowship Part 2)€700 (2026 fee); optional consultant-led SOE preparation course (4 September 2026, CAI Merrion Square) · 2 (April and November)/yr
Three structured oral examinations, each of six 5-minute clinical cases (30 minutes per SOE, 90 minutes total testing time): SOE 1 perioperative medicine, optimisation and data interpretation; SOE 2 general anaesthesia and pain medicine; SOE 3 intensive care medicine and advanced sciences. Replaced the former long-case format from December 2023. · 3 x 30 minutes over a 2-day exam window
Eligibility: FCAI Written passed within the previous 3 years. Maximum 6 attempts. Held in person at Chartered Accountants Ireland, Dublin 2; business attire required. Trainees may not progress to SAT6 without the full FCAI. Result letters and pass lists by candidate ID are published; pass rates are not.