Physics & Clinical Measurement
Included in your passBasic physics, measurement, apparatus and statistics. One uninterrupted, timed paper.
Start this mock examResume this mock exam120questions
3 hourstimed practice
Anaesthesia · Exam preparation
FCA Part 1.Pass it first time.
Physics, clinical measurement, pharmacology and physiology, mapped to the CMSA syllabus, with the exact textbook chapter for every answer. Your tracker picks what to revise next in 20-minute sessions on your phone.
Your new post starts with this exam. Exam Pass from R399, with your week-by-week study plan and accredited CPD. A CPD course and the CV maker are free. Don’t pass? Choose a refund or more time.
No account or card. Built by a doctor who wrote the primaries · Trusted by 300+ healthcare professionals.
To finish all 600 questions at 30 a day, start by Tue 19 Jan.
FCA Part 1Question & explanation
Boyle's law
At a constant temperature, the volume occupied by a fixed mass of an ideal gas relates to its pressure in which way?
A
Volume is directly proportional to pressure
B
Volume is proportional to the square root of pressure
C
Volume is inversely proportional to pressure · Correct
D
Volume is independent of pressure
Understand why.
Boyle's law states that for a fixed mass of gas held at constant temperature the volume varies inversely with the absolute pressure, so the product of pressure and volume is constant. This underlies the use of pressure changes to predict volume changes in cylinders and breathing systems.
Davis & Kenny · The Gas Laws
Doctor-created & reviewed questions2 UCT-accredited CPD courses with every passFree CV maker
Exam at a glance
What is the FCA Part 1 exam?
The FCA(SA) Part I is the basic-science exam for anaesthesia training, run by the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA). It has four written papers: two single-best-answer (SBA) papers and two short-answer question (SAQ) papers, across three subjects: physics and clinical measurement, pharmacology, and physiology and chemical pathology. The CMSA hasn’t published question counts or paper times. Certiva covers the SBA side, with one timed mock exam per subject.
Last checked 3 October 2026 against the official CMSA page · blueprint (PDF). Certiva is independent of the CMSA, so always confirm details there.
Read the full FCA Part 1 guide: format, blueprint, textbooks and a 12-week plan →
| Official name | FCA(SA) Part I |
|---|---|
| Run by | Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA) |
| Papers | 4 written papers: 2 single-best-answer, 2 short-answer |
| Subjects | Physics and clinical measurement; pharmacology; physiology and chemical pathology |
| Duration | Not published by the CMSA |
| Eligibility | A qualification to practise medicine, registered or registrable with the HPCSA |
| CMSA exam fee | R12,950 (at last check) |
| When it is written | Two written semesters a year: usually February/March and July/August. Next sitting: Mon 15 Feb 2027 (CMSA timetable; always confirm with the CMSA). |
| Past papers | Not published since 2021: questions stay in a secure CMSA bank. |
| Certiva bank | 600 explained, referenced single-best-answer questions and three timed mock exams, one per subject. Not a short-answer course. |
How Certiva handles each step
Every problem on the way, answered.
- Which books? There are no past papers.Every question is mapped to the CMSA syllabus and points to the exact textbook chapter.
- Where do I stand?Take the free starting check: 20 questions, then your weakest topics and the chapters to read.
- Twenty minutes after a call.Short sessions on your phone. Your tracker picks the topic.
- I keep re-reading what I already know.Your weakness tracker shows the topics below 60% and the chapter to read.
- I forget it by exam day.Questions you miss come back after 10 minutes, then after 1, 3 and 7 days.
- I’ve never sat a full paper under time.Three timed mock exams under exam timing.
- Am I ready to sit?Your readiness score climbs as you cover the bank and do the mock exams.
- What if I don’t pass?Finish the bank and every mock exam, then choose your money back or twice your pass length.
- Then I need a post.A free CV and cover-letter maker for your applications.
Your syllabus
coverage.
Get to grips with the science of anaesthesia. Explore the topics covered by this question bank and their source references.
Try 5 questions freeAlready studying with Certiva? Log in to see your latest section results and resume a mock exam.
11 topic sections
Physics · Basic Principles
SI units · Work of ventilation · Boyle's law · Dalton's law · Alveolar partial pressure · Avogadro's hypothesis · and more
Source references: Davis & Kenny · Work, Energy and Power
Practise this topicClinical Measurement
Polarographic oxygen electrode · Fuel cell · Fuel cell limitations · Paramagnetic oxygen analysis · Oxygen electrode interference · pH electrode · and more
Source references: Davis & Kenny · Measurement of oxygen tension
Practise this topicAnaesthetic Apparatus
Pressure regulators · Pressure relief valves · Oxygen failure warning · Gauge and absolute pressure · Flowmeters (rotameter) · Hypoxia prevention · and more
Source references: Davis & Kenny · Pressure-reducing valves
Practise this topicStatistics
Normal distribution · Standard deviation · Confidence limits · Variance · Standard error of the mean · p value · and more
Source references: Davis & Kenny · Normal distribution curve
Practise this topicPharmacology · General Principles
Volume of distribution · Clearance definition · Clearance vs elimination rate · Hepatic extraction ratio · Extraction ratio calculation · First-order kinetics · and more
Source references: Miller · Basic principles of pharmacology
Practise this topicPharmacology · Anaesthetic Agents
MAC definition · Blood:gas partition coefficient · Agent solubility ranking · Second gas effect · Concentration effect · Oil:gas coefficient and potency · and more
Source references: Miller · Inhaled anaesthetic uptake and MAC
Practise this topicPharmacology · Systematic
Opioid receptor pharmacology · Remifentanil metabolism · Morphine active metabolite · Naloxone · Tramadol mechanism · Fentanyl pharmacokinetics · and more
Source references: Miller · Opioids
Practise this topicPhysiology · Basic Principles
Body fluid compartments · Electrolytes · Calcium homeostasis · Membrane transport · Osmosis · Osmolality and osmolarity · and more
Source references: Miller · Perioperative Fluid and Electrolyte Therapy
Practise this topicPhysiology · Neuro, CVS & Respiratory
Resting membrane potential · Action potential · Refractory period · Saltatory conduction · Neuromuscular transmission · Postjunctional receptor · and more
Source references: Miller · Membrane potentials and neuronal excitability
Practise this topicPhysiology · Renal, Acid-Base, GI & Endocrine
Glomerular filtration barrier · Renal blood flow distribution · Tubular reabsorption capacity · Tubuloglomerular feedback · Efferent arteriolar tone and GFR · Countercurrent multiplier · and more
Source references: Miller · Renal anatomy and physiology
Practise this topicPhysiology · Blood, Reproduction & Special
ABO blood group antibodies · Universal donor red cells · Acute haemolytic transfusion reaction · Rh(D) sensitisation · Crossmatch immediate spin phase · Coagulation extrinsic pathway · and more
Source references: Miller · Blood typing and compatibility
Practise this topicNo matching topics. Try a broader subject or clear your search.
Your revision focus.
Topics below 60% with at least three first answers. A revision prompt, not an exam prediction.
Find your pace.
Test your understanding.
Switch from learning by topic to a timed Certiva mock exam. Review your results after the paper and return to the areas that need work.
Pharmacology
Included in your passGeneral principles and systematic pharmacology. One uninterrupted, timed paper.
Start this mock examResume this mock exam120questions
3 hourstimed practice
Physiology & Chemical Pathology
Included in your passBasic principles and every body system. One uninterrupted, timed paper.
Start this mock examResume this mock exam120questions
3 hourstimed practice
One single-best-answer mock exam per subject, so you can see each subject on its own. The real papers are integrated and include short-answer papers, which these mock exams don’t cover. Mock exams require active access. For official exam formats and dates, consult the CMSA.
Your complete Exam Pass.
Full FCA Part 1 access.
One payment through PayFast. No auto-renewal.
Failing costs another R12,950 and six months until the next sitting. An Exam Pass is R399, with a refund or more time if you don’t pass.
3 months
A focused final stretch.
R399once-off
Full access for one selected exam.
Get 3 months6 months
RecommendedBuild a routine around shifts.
R599once-off
R99.83 / month equivalent
Save R199 vs 2 × 3-month passes
Get 6 months12 months
More time, better value.
R899once-off
R74.92 / month equivalent
Save R697 vs 4 × 3-month passes
Get 12 monthsEverything in your Exam Pass.
Every Exam Pass includes the same tools for your selected exam. Choose the time you need, not the features you can afford.
- No past papers? The full bank and timed mock exams, mapped to the CMSA syllabus
- Textbooks too big? The exact chapter for every answer, so you only read what you got wrong
- Don’t know what’s next? A tracker that picks your next topic, made for 20-minute sessions on your phone
- How do you fit it all in? A week-by-week study plan to your sitting, rebuilt from your answers
- Need CPD? Two UCT-accredited courses with every pass, or R199 on their own
- Then the post application? A free CV and cover-letter maker
- What if you don’t pass? A refund or more time
Writing two exams? R199 a month for every bank.
Choose monthlyAll current banks and CPD. Renews monthly until you cancel. Refund or more time not included.
Buying for a study group, or only need CPD?
Group passesCPD bundleGroup passes for 3, 5 or 10 people, one code each. Or both UCT-accredited CPD courses for R199, 12 months.
How refund or more time works. The bank and the mock exams are the plan. Finish them before your sitting, with no minimum score. If you still don’t pass, send your result within 30 days and choose your money back or twice your pass length, free. Read the refund terms.
Good questions.
Clear answers.
Need a hand? Ask Certiva.
What does the FCA Part 1 Exam Pass include?
Your FCA Part 1 Exam Pass includes the full bank of 600 questions and three timed mock exams, mapped to the CMSA syllabus; the exact textbook chapter for every answer; a tracker that picks your next topic, with smart revision and a readiness score; a week-by-week study plan to your sitting; two UCT-accredited ethics CPD courses; and a refund or more time if you don’t pass. The 3-, 6- and 12-month passes have the same features, are paid once and don’t renew. The CV and cover-letter maker and one SAMA-accredited ethics CPD course are free for everyone.
Can I try it before paying?
Yes. Try five questions with explanations and textbook references, with no account or card. Then create a free account for the starting check: 20 questions across the syllabus, then your weakest topics and the chapters to read. Try 5 questions free.
How does the tracker know what I should revise?
After each session, your tracker shows the topics you’re scoring below 60% and the exact chapter to read. Questions you get wrong come back after 10 minutes, then after 1, 3 and 7 days. Your readiness score appears after 50 questions across 3 topics. It is a study guide, not a prediction of your result.
What happens if I do not pass?
The bank and the mock exams are the plan. Finish them before your sitting, with no minimum score. If you still don’t pass, send your result within 30 days and choose your money back or twice your pass length, free. Monthly membership is excluded. Read the full refund terms.
Does it work on my phone between calls?
Yes. Certiva runs in your phone’s browser, so a 20-minute session between calls counts. Your progress is saved to your account, and questions you miss come back for revision after 10 minutes, then after 1, 3 and 7 days.
I’m writing in a few weeks. Is it still worth it?
Yes, if you use it to find and fix your weakest topics. Start with a timed mock exam, then let the tracker pick what to revise. To stay eligible for a refund or more time, finish the full bank and every mock exam before your sitting.
Is Certiva the official CMSA resource?
No. Certiva is independent exam preparation and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the CMSA. This page describes Certiva’s practice material, not official exam regulations. This question bank covers single-best-answer practice, not the full short-answer component. Check the CMSA website for current regulations, eligibility and exam dates.
What is the format of the FCA Part 1 exam?
Since the first semester of 2024, the FCA(SA) Part I has been four papers: two single-best-answer papers and two short-answer papers, each with integrated questions combining physiology, pharmacology and physics and clinical measurement (CMSA FCA(SA) regulations). The CMSA hasn’t published the number of questions or the timing per paper, so check the CMSA FCA page.
Can I get FCA Part 1 past papers?
No. CMSA exams have been written online since 2021, and past papers are no longer published because the questions stay in a secure bank. A question bank mapped to the exam content, with explained answers, is the closest alternative. Try 5 questions free.