First Aid at Work (FAW & EFAW) Assessment: What to Expect and How to Pass
How the Emergency First Aid at Work and First Aid at Work assessments work, the protocols you must know cold — DRABC, CPR, recovery position — and how to prepare.
EFAW vs FAW — which one do you need?
Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) is a one-day course covering life-threatening emergencies: CPR, choking, severe bleeding and shock. First Aid at Work (FAW) is a three-day course that adds fractures, burns, eye injuries and medical conditions like heart attack, stroke, asthma and diabetes. Your employer's needs assessment decides which is required; both are typically valid for three years.
How you're assessed
Assessment combines continuous practical observation with written or multiple-choice question papers. The practical side (CPR on a manikin, recovery position, bandaging) is drilled in class — the questions are where prepared candidates pull ahead, because they test precise protocol knowledge.
The protocols you must know cold
- DRABC — Danger, Response, Airway, Breathing, Circulation, in that order, every time
- Adult CPR — 30 compressions to 2 rescue breaths, 5–6 cm deep, 100–120 per minute
- Unresponsive but breathing — recovery position, then monitor breathing continuously
- Choking — 5 back blows, then 5 abdominal thrusts, repeat; call 999 if it persists
- Severe bleeding — apply direct pressure and call 999; treat for shock
- Heart attack vs cardiac arrest — a heart attack casualty is usually conscious; cardiac arrest means no normal breathing, start CPR and send for the AED
How to prepare
Practise multiple-choice questions before the course, not just after — walking in already knowing DRABC and the CPR ratios means the practical days consolidate rather than introduce. Focus on the numbers (ratios, depths, timings) because those are the easiest questions to set and the easiest marks to lose.
Practise with real exam-style questions
Reading only gets you so far — the fastest way to pass is answering questions under exam conditions. The Revise Right app has 480 First Aid questions with full teaching explanations, free on iOS and Android.