ACE IT! A Prep course for the royal college exam

Program is subject to change. More details coming soon.

Registration Pricing
Written Course Details
Oral Course Details
Frequently Asked Questions

We're delighted to bring this premier Royal College exam preparation event back for the second year. Residents and other current or aspiring anesthesia care providers are invited to take part in this immersive preview of what to expect on both the written and oral exams. Both courses will be led by past examiners and recent graduates qualified to offer first-hand insight into optimizing your study habits. Full event details can be found below.

REGISTRATION Pricing

To register for both the Annual Meeting and Ace It!, please select In-Person Attendance and then choose Ace It! as an “add-on.” You can choose between the Written Course Only and the Written and Oral Exam Courses in the next step.

To enroll in Ace It! without attending the Annual Meeting, choose the Ace It! Only registration fee in the first step and proceed to register for the Written Exam Course Only or the Written and Oral Exam Courses. Full pricing details are below:

Annual Meeting and Ace It!	Annual Meeting Fee	Written Exam (Add on)	Oral Exam (Add on)	Total (Written Exam Only)	Total (Written/ Oral)
CAS Member (Resident, Fellow, or Medical Student)	$640	$100	$100	$740	$840
CAS Member (Active or Associate)	$1,220	$200	$150	$1,420	$1,570
Non-CAS Member	$2,070	$500	$200	$2,570	$2,770
Ace It! Only	Annual Meeting Fee	Written Exam	Written and Oral Exams
CAS Member (Resident, Fellow, or Medical Student)	N/A	$700	$800
CAS Member (Active or Associate)	N/A	$800	$1,000
Non-CAS Member	N/A	$1,500	$1,700

WRITTEN EXAM PREP COURSE DETAILS

This course consists of three sections. To maximize your learning experience, we recommend completing them all.

Pre-Test (Friday, April 24 - Sunday May 10) – Start by completing this 100+ multiple-choice-question (MCQ) pre-test offering a glimpse of the real exam. Scores will be aggregated to identify where participants tended to struggle, so that lecturers can focus their presentations on areas that benefit the class the most. Once you've registered for the Written Exam course, you will receive an email notification that the pre-test is open on April 24. You will have two hours to complete it once you start before the May 10 deadline. Your score will also be available to you.

Ace It! Written Exam Course (Friday, June 5) – Rise and shine and be prepared to take plenty of notes! The course starts at 7:00 am with 14 lecturers lined up throughout the day (see the full schedule below). Each presentation will include a 5–15-minute Q&A session.

Post-Test (Monday, June 8 - Sunday, June 21) - Boost your knowledge retention by taking this short, timed MCQ test that recirculates the pre-test questions the class struggled with most. You will receive an email notification with post-test instructions on June 8, and have two weeks to complete it.

TIMELINES

Pre-Test Period: Friday, April 24 - Sunday, May 10, 2026 (deadline)
"Ace It!" Course Date: Friday, June 5, 2026. Time: 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Post-Test Period: Monday, June 8 - Sunday, June 21, 2026 (deadline)
Certificates of Completion for completing the pre-test, Friday workshop, and post-test will be sent the week of July 29.

Location: The Westin Ottawa
11 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 9H4
Room to be announced

Lecturers for each session will be announced in the coming weeks.

SESSIONS

SPEAKER

AFFILIATION

7:00 – 7:30 a.m. – Registration and Light Refreshments

7:30 – 7:45 a.m – Opening Remarks

7:45 – 8:15 a.m. – Monitoring and Equipment

Dr Justine Denomme

McMaster University

8:15 – 8:45 a.m. – Perioperative Medicine and Risk Assessment

Dr Young Lee

University of Toronto

8:45 – 9:15 a.m. – Anesthetic Pharmacology (Inhaled, IV, Local)

Dr Élodie Hamel-Perreault

Université de Sherbrooke

9:15 – 9:45 a.m. – Airway Assessment, Anatomy and Topicalization

Dr Alex Huang

University of Toronto

9:45 – 10:15 a.m. – Patient Safety, Ethics and Statistics

Dr Karim Ladha

University of Toronto

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. – BREAK

10:30 – 11:15 a.m. – Trauma, orthopedics and neurotrauma (includes 15-minute Q&A)

Dr Adele Budiansky

University of Ottawa

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Pediatric Anesthesia (includes 15-minute Q&A)

Dr Evelyn Pankiv

University of Toronto

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. – LUNCH

1:00 – 1:45 p.m. – Respirology and Thoracic Anesthesia (includes 15-minute Q&A)

Dr Simon Gourdeau

Université de Montréal

1:45 – 2:15 p.m. – Critical care and resuscitation

Dr Piotr Wtorek

University of Manitoba

2:15 – 2:30 p.m. – BREAK

2:30 – 3:00 p.m. – Hematology and transfusion medicine

Dr Josh Nicholas

University of Calgary

3:00 – 3:30 p.m. – Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management

Dr Riley Glew

University of Alberta

3:30 – 4:00 p.m. – ‘High-Yield’ Co-Existing Disease

Dr Alex Rotstein

University of Calgary

4:00 – 4:45 p.m. – Obstetric Anesthesia (includes 15-minute Q&A)

Dr Anthony Chau

University of British Columbia

4:45 – 5:15 p.m. – Oral Exam Tips & Tricks

Dr Karen Raymer

McMaster University

5:15 – 5:30 p.m. – Closing Remarks

Oral EXAM PREP COURSE DETAILS

Description: This two-hour problem-based learning discussion (PBLD) offers hands-on practice for your oral exam. You will be assigned to groups of four and guided by a facilitator. Each group member will have 15–20 minutes to respond to a mock question and then receive feedback. Registration for this course closes on May 18—please note that spots are LIMITED and available on a first come, first serve basis.

FACILITATORS	AFFILIATIONS
Helene Pellerin	Université Laval
Élodie Hamel-Perreault	Université de Sherbrooke
Youngseo Lee	University of Toronto
Marelise Kruger	University of Calgary
Zoe Brown	University of British Columbia
Graham Steel	University of Alberta
Eric You-Ten	University of Toronto
Justine Denomme	McMaster University
Josh Nicholas	University of Calgary

The course is available in English and French.

TIMELINES

Registration deadline: Monday, May 18, 2026
Deadline for French PBLD request: Monday, May 18, 2026
"Ace It!" Course Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026. Time: 10:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Location: The Westin Ottawa
11 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 9H4
Room to be announced

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the cost of the courses?

Please refer to the pricing chart above and note that:

Ace It! is significantly more cost-effective when bundled with Annual Meeting registration
Resident members of CAS are eligible for a 48% discount on Annual Meeting registration
You can choose to take the Written Exam course only versus both the Written and Oral Exam courses—an option to take the Oral Exam course only is not available

What makes Ace It! different from other Royal College exam prep courses?

Ace It! condenses the most vital information for both written and oral exam preparation into a unique two-day format. In addition to offering more value-driven pricing options compared to alternative courses, Ace It! is built on first-rate, highly relevant content thanks in large part to our dedicated event subcommittee. These volunteers have first-hand insight into exam content and are truly passionate about supporting the next generation of anesthesiologists.

Past examiners, recently certified graduates, and renowned experts in anesthesia subspecialties also donate their time to leading the courses, so that Ace It! significantly enhances participants’ confidence as they prepare for their certification exams.

Can I register for Ace It! without registering for the Annual Meeting?

Yes—however, we strongly recommend that residents, fellows, and medical students in particular bundle Ace It! with Annual Meeting registration to access a full weekend of high-value programming for roughly the same price. Please see pricing schedule above for full details.

What will I need to bring on the day of?

For the Written Exam course, bring your laptop, or whatever you use to take notes. The course runs from 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., so be sure to pack a water bottle and anything you need with you during the day.

For the Oral Exam course, you may wish to take notes on feedback from your facilitator during the PBLD.

Will there be refreshments and breaks at the Written Exam course?

Light refreshments will be served first thing in the morning. Breaks as well as a lunch period will take place throughout the day—see sessions schedule above for details.

Will I have a chance to speak to the lecturers before or after the Written Exam course?

Each lecture will include a Q&A period limited to 5–15 minutes. Many lecturers will leave after they give their presentation to take part in other conference activities. Remember that the CAS Annual Meeting is about connecting anesthesia care providers. The conference schedule includes social events and breaks throughout the weekend, which you are encouraged to use to network and ask for professional guidance.

Do I need to complete the pre-test to participate in the Written Exam course?

The pre-test is not mandatory, however, we strongly recommend completing it within the allocated time frame (see schedule above) to make course content as relevant as possible to you and your fellow participants.

Will I be able to review my pre- and post-test scores?

Yes—upon completion, the online exam platform will show you your overall score as well as correct or incorrect responses to individual questions.

Will the Oral Exam PBLDs be available in French?

Yes. Please email [email protected] to request to join a French-speaking PBLD—spots are available on a first come, first serve basis.

Can I request to form an Oral Exam PBLD group with my classmates?

For psychological safety reasons, participants will be divided up based on their university and year of study. If you have any accessibility needs or special requests regarding your PBLD group placement, please contact us at [email protected]

Will the presentation slides be available after the Written Exam course?

Lecturers will be asked to submit presentation slides with all sensitive information redacted. Slides will be sent out to participants—along with certificates of course completion—shortly after the Annual Meeting.

How early should I arrive before the course(s) begin?

Please arrive 15 minutes early prior to the start of both the written and oral exam courses.

Do I need to register in-person for the conference before Written Exam course starts?

All conference attendees need to display their ID badge while on the premises. Prior to arriving at the Written Exam course on June 5, please go to the registration desk to sign in and collect your badge. The registration desk and classroom locations will be available in the program in the coming weeks.

Is Ace It! included in the virtual version of the conference?

To ensure a smooth, time-effective experience for all participants, both courses are only available in-person.

If you have questions about the competition contact [email protected]

2026 CAS Annual Meeting

ACE IT! A Prep course for the royal college exam

REGISTRATION Pricing

WRITTEN EXAM PREP COURSE DETAILS

TIMELINES

Oral EXAM PREP COURSE DETAILS

TIMELINES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS