Egyptian Board anaesthesia exam: format, dates, eligibility and preparation

Key facts

Egyptian Board anaesthesia exam overview

The Egyptian Health Council (EHC) administers the Egyptian Board of Anesthetics, Surgical Intensive Care and Pain Management. The examination takes place in stages during training and at its conclusion, rather than as one final written paper. The EHC general examination framework sets the broad rules; the specialty scientific council defines the detailed curriculum and assessment blueprint.

Egyptian Board anaesthesia exam format

The Board has three parts. The EHC framework sets their general purpose and permitted formats; the specialty council determines the detailed examination description.

The EHC framework gives a general Part III duration of two to four days, depending on the components. It does not specify an anaesthesia-specific question count or paper duration in its general examination description.

Egyptian Board exam dates and application windows

Part I is generally held twice a year, in March and August. The EHC may change a date in exceptional circumstances and says the exam date is announced at least one month in advance.

The general framework lists April and September as the usual Part II months. The EHC's 2026 Part II announcement sets that examination cycle to begin on Saturday, October 31, 2026; the specialty timetable is separate. For that cycle, exam requests were due by October 10, and payment codes could be used through October 12. Both deadlines have passed. The October payment notice gives the eligibility cutoffs and application steps.

Part III is generally held in December or January, with a second sitting possible. The EHC announces specific dates and locations separately.

Who is eligible for the Egyptian Board?

You must first be admitted to an Egyptian Board training program. General entry conditions include a bachelor's degree or equivalent, completion of internship where applicable, a professional licence and any mandatory service required by regulation. Ministry of Health doctors must meet the stated resident-doctor and specialty-experience condition. Applicants also need employer approval; they cannot be enrolled in another postgraduate course or register in more than one Egyptian Board specialty at the same time. Foreign applicants need qualification equivalency and the required approvals for training and residency in Egypt.

For Part I, trainees may sit after three months of Board training, subject to the required exam-fee payment. The framework also requires an accepted TOEFL certificate with a total score of at least 500 and an ICDL Standard Level certificate from an accredited body. Doctors with specified postgraduate qualifications in the same specialty may be eligible for exemption from Part I.

For Part II, candidates must pass Part I or hold an exemption, complete the required training, submit an approved logbook for scientific-council review at least three months before the exam, and meet the course, proficiency-report, interview and fee requirements that apply to them. Part III requires passing Part II and paying the scheduled fee.

Egyptian Board anaesthesia syllabus

Use the specialty's current curriculum and assessment blueprint as your syllabus. The EHC framework says questions should follow a phased, balanced blueprint and assess medical knowledge, practical skills and patient care, communication, professionalism, practice-based learning and system-based practice. The specialty council defines the curriculum and the competencies expected at each stage.

The EHC anaesthesia and pain-management guidance library includes resources on operative caesarean delivery, regional anaesthesia in patients receiving antithrombotic or thrombolytic therapy, neuromuscular blockade, perioperative pain management and sepsis. The 2025 guideline on anaesthesia for operative caesarean delivery is one example of specialty clinical reading. These resources support revision; they are not a substitute for the specialty assessment blueprint.

Egyptian Board pass mark and results

The EHC does not set one fixed percentage for every written sitting. It describes standard-setting methods including Angoff, Modified Angoff and Hofstee, with other reliable methods possible after approval. For clinical, oral and practical exams, the framework specifies borderline regression; when the candidate group has 10 or fewer people, the pass mark is 60%. Results are not approved until the exam's psychometric analysis is complete.

How to prepare for the Egyptian Board

Prepare for the part you are approaching, but keep the full progression in view. Start by turning the specialty blueprint into a checklist. Use it to choose what to revise, not a generic list of topics.

• Weeks 1–2: Take a timed knowledge diagnostic. Sort each error into a knowledge gap, a misread question or weak clinical reasoning, then use that list to set priorities.
• Weeks 3–4: Revisit foundational knowledge and apply it to clinical decisions. For Part I, practise mixed MCQs and explain why an answer fits. For Part II, connect applied basic science to a clinical problem and its management.
• Weeks 5–6: Work through anaesthesia, surgical intensive care and pain-management scenarios. Practise stating the key problem, immediate priorities, management plan and reassessment; use the EHC specialty guidance as focused clinical reading.
• Weeks 7–8: Rehearse the assessment you are preparing for. Complete timed written sets for the written parts. For Part III, practise structured stations and cases: interpret the information, explain your reasoning, communicate a safe plan and respond to new findings.

Keep a short error log and revisit recurring gaps. In the final weeks, practise explaining the decision and the next step, not just recalling a fact.

Frequently asked questions

References

Exam rules, dates and fees change. Always confirm the details with the awarding body before you apply.