Critical
CriticalIntegrated vivas
Practise connected questions across related basic-science topics.
CICM First Part Viva practice
Connect mechanisms and explain them in the First Part Viva.
Practise integrated basic-science vivas with linked syllabus topics, category filters and structured feedback. Use drawings where requested to make your explanation visible.
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Viva 03Candidate instructions
Renal function and acid-base
2 minutes reading · 10 minutes viva
What determines glomerular filtration rate?
E
Examiner
What determines glomerular filtration rate?
You
GFR depends on the filtration coefficient and the net filtration pressure across the glomerular capillary. Hydrostatic pressure favours filtration, while plasma oncotic pressure and pressure in Bowman’s space oppose it.
E
Examiner
What determines the filtration coefficient?
100+published stations per pathway
1,590+stations completed
180+hours practised
Practise aloud, receive structured feedback and return with a clearer next focus.
Syllabus-linked progress
See which syllabus topics each viva covers and track your practice over time.
Graphs and diagrams
Draw directly in supported questions or upload your drawing, then explain what it shows.
Choose your examination
Three critical care colleges.
Six purpose-built pathways.
Practise every oral exam across ACEM, ANZCA and CICM. Each pathway has original stations, realistic timing and interactions, and feedback aligned with that examination's expectations.
01VivaACEM Primary VivaFive-subject vivas, focused sections and syllabus-linked progress.02OSCEACEM Fellowship OSCEFull-length stations, role-players and integrated clinical props.03VivaANZCA Primary VivaFour-topic vivas, focused practice, drawings and syllabus coverage.04VivaANZCA Final Exam VivaAdaptive viva questioning across the Final Examination curriculum.05VivaCICM First Part VivaIntegrated basic-science vivas, drawings and syllabus-linked progress.06VivaCICM Second Part VivaHigh-stakes intensive care judgement and communication under exam conditions.
Inside a CICM First Part Viva
Follow the science through an integrated viva.
Build a connected explanation across related physiology and pharmacology topics. Full-viva practice preserves the relationships between questions while syllabus links show what you have covered.
“What determines the filtration coefficient?”
01Read
Prepare your approach to the opening question during reading time.
02Respond
Explain and apply the underlying science aloud or by text, using drawings when requested.
03Review
Review the whole viva and follow the syllabus links to plan what to practise next.
One connected product
From first visit to focused improvement.
Choose your pathway, perform a realistic station and turn the result into a specific plan for the next attempt.
01Choose a stationDASHBOARD
CICM station libraryChoose what to practise next
- 01Respiratory scienceVentilation and bronchodilation
- 02Cardiovascular scienceCardiac filling and vascular tone
- 03Renal, fluids & acid-baseRenal function and acid-base
- 04NeuroscienceNeural signalling and analgesia
02Give your answerSTATION RUNNER
E
Examiner
What determines glomerular filtration rate?
You
GFR depends on the filtration coefficient and the net filtration pressure across the glomerular capillary. Hydrostatic pressure favours filtration, while plasma oncotic pressure and pressure in Bowman’s space oppose it.
E
Examiner
What determines the filtration coefficient?
Type your response...
03Understand the resultFEEDBACK
Practice ratingAt Standard
You identified the filtration coefficient and opposing pressures. Strengthen the explanation by relating changes in arteriolar resistance to both renal blood flow and filtration pressure.
Next focus: Explain the effect as well as the direction.
Support between stations
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Your AI coach can help you plan your study, choose what to work on next, and use your feedback to address recurring difficulties.
Practise techniques in short spoken exercises, save useful reminders as cards, and get suggestions for relevant stations to try next.
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AI coach
“Your feedback across several stations mentions long answers that lose focus. Do you find it difficult to decide what matters, or do you know what matters but worry about leaving something out?”
You
“I worry that anything I leave out could cost me marks.”
AI coach
“Then working on shorter answers alone won’t address that worry. Let’s look at one of your attempts alongside its marking criteria and separate the detail that supported your answer from the detail that distracted from it.”
Why CriticalExam?
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Rehearse the exam, not an isolated answer.
Work through the full instructions, interaction, pacing and constraints as one timed performance.
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Questions respond to what you have already covered.
The examiner probes what remains untested, using the time left and the depth expected in your examination.
Exam-specific authorship
Written for the examination you are sitting.
Stations are authored around each college's format, curriculum, terminology and marking expectations.
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Feedback reflects the performance as a whole.
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