How this plan is built
CCI publishes the RCIS domain weights: diagnostic procedures 40%, interventional 34%, emergencies 13%, pre-procedural 8%, post-procedural 5%. This plan allocates your eight weeks in the same proportion — three weeks of diagnostic-domain content, two interventional, one for emergencies and the bookends, and two for baseline and full-length timed mocks. Every week names free resources; nothing below is gated.
One rule before you start: do not skip Week 1. Every other week assumes you know your weak domains, and the only way to know them is to measure. The free diagnostic takes about fifteen minutes and scores you by topic.
The plan at a glance
| Week | Focus | Blueprint tie |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baseline diagnostic + foundations | All domains |
| 2 | Hemodynamics I — pressures and waveforms | Diagnostic (40%) |
| 3 | Hemodynamics II — calculations + coronary anatomy | Diagnostic (40%) |
| 4 | Diagnostic domain wrap + first timed block | Diagnostic (40%) |
| 5 | Interventional I — PCI tools and imaging | Interventional (34%) |
| 6 | Interventional II — pharmacology + structural/peripheral | Interventional (34%) |
| 7 | Emergencies + the pre/post bookends | Emergencies (13%) + bookends (13%) |
| 8 | Full-length timed mocks + weak-domain re-drill | All domains |
Weights per CCI’s official RCIS credential page. CCI can revise its blueprint — confirm current weights at cci-online.org before anchoring a plan to them.
Week 1 — Baseline and foundations
Measure first, then build the floor
- Take the free 25-question diagnostic before you open a book. Write down your two weakest domains — they get extra reps in Weeks 4 and 8.
- Foundations: cardiac anatomy and coronary circulation, the cardiac cycle, ECG basics, radiation safety, and contrast fundamentals. The glossary covers the vocabulary this plan assumes.
- Set your cadence. Five 45–60 minute sessions a week beats two marathon Saturdays. Decide now which days are study days.
In the app, the Home screen’s mastery tracking picks up where the diagnostic leaves off — it keeps scoring you by domain as you practice, so “what’s my weakest area?” always has a current answer.
Week 2 — Hemodynamics I: pressures and waveforms
Diagnostic domain — 40% of the exam
- Normal pressures in every chamber and great vessel, cold. Numbers first, then shapes.
- Waveform recognition on sight: RA a, c, and v waves, RV pressure, PA pressure and the dicrotic notch, wedge, and LVEDP at the z-point.
- If you fix only one thing in eight weeks, fix this — it is the highest-density topic in the highest-weighted domain.
The hemodynamics lessons pair each waveform with practice questions that show the tracing, and Cardiac Coach can be asked “why is this a v wave?” from any missed question.
Week 3 — Hemodynamics II: calculations, plus coronary anatomy
Diagnostic domain — 40% of the exam
- Calculations: cardiac output by thermodilution and Fick (including the Stewart-Hamilton equation), valve areas, and shunt runs. Learn what each variable does to the answer, not just the formula.
- Coronary anatomy and projections: which view opens which vessel — LAD, circumflex, RCA, PDA and dominance, and the spider view.
- Which artery feeds what: SA node, AV node, bundle branches.
Week 4 — Diagnostic domain wrap, and your first timed block
Diagnostic domain — 40% of the exam
- Finish the domain: contrast agents and reactions, dose-reduction principles, and valve/structural assessment including the aortic root.
- First timed question block. Do the 25 free RCIS practice questions under time pressure — about 65 seconds each — and review every miss until you can explain why the right answer is right.
- Revisit your Week-1 weak domains with an extra session each.
Week 5 — Interventional I: tools and imaging
Interventional domain — 34% of the exam
- PCI equipment and selection logic: guides, wires, balloons, stents — and why one is chosen over another for a given lesion.
- Lesion modification: atherectomy, cutting and scoring balloons, lithotripsy and laser, and when each applies.
- Adjunctive imaging and physiology: IVUS, OCT (including the MLD MAX workflow), FFR, and iFR.
Week 6 — Interventional II: pharmacology, structural, peripheral
Interventional domain — 34% of the exam
- Pharmacology: anticoagulants and antiplatelets with their reversal agents — protamine, andexanet alfa, vitamin K / 4F-PCC — plus sedation agents and their antagonists.
- Structural and peripheral: carotid stenting, iliac, femoropopliteal, below-the-knee disease, and TEER candidacy.
- Second timed block, interventional-heavy this time.
Week 7 — Emergencies, and the cheapest points on the exam
Emergencies 13% + pre-procedural 8% + post-procedural 5%
- Emergencies have to be learned deliberately — many candidates have never personally managed a tamponade or an Ellis-grade perforation. Cover complication recognition, access-site emergencies, wide-complex tachycardia, IABP timing errors, and STEMI mimics.
- The bookends are almost entirely memorizable: consent and time-out, NPO and premedication on the front end; sheath management, closure devices, and surveillance on the back. Combined they are 13% of the exam — the most reliably winnable points available.
Week 8 — Full-length timed mocks, then re-drill
The readiness test — all domains
- Sit at least one full-length, timed, blueprint-matched mock under test conditions. Not on the sofa, not paused. The RCIS pass standard is a scaled score, so consistent passing performance on full-length mocks is the readiness signal — not your percentage on random question sets.
- Review every miss until you can teach it, then re-drill your two weakest domains in the final days.
- If your mock performance says you are not ready, move the exam if you can — repeating Weeks 5–8 beats paying a second exam fee.
The app carries four full-length blueprint-matched mock exam forms (two RCIS, two RCES), timed and scored the way Week 8 needs.
Start Week 1 right now
The baseline diagnostic is free, takes about fifteen minutes, and scores you by topic — the questions start immediately, no email and no account required.
Start the free diagnostic Or try 25 free practice questions → See plans — $49/mo or $250 one-time →Pricing, plainly: following this plan on Monthly runs about $98 all-in for the eight weeks. Many candidates book their exam date months out, though — and if that's you, or you just want one payment that covers you through test day (reschedules included), the $250 6-Month Pass does exactly that and never auto-renews.
RCIS study plan FAQ
How many weeks do I need to study for the RCIS exam?
Eight structured weeks is realistic for a working clinician, but it depends on your baseline. Take the diagnostic first: a strong baseline can compress this plan, and a weak one should stretch it rather than skip weeks.
Is there a free RCIS study plan?
This page is one, in full. The diagnostic and practice questions it references are also free, with no email required to start.
What should I study first for the RCIS?
Baseline yourself, then foundations, then hemodynamics — the highest-density topic in the 40% diagnostic domain gets two full weeks before anything interventional.
Why is the plan weighted toward diagnostic and interventional content?
Because the exam is: CCI's published weights put those two domains at 74% of the RCIS exam, so this plan spends roughly three quarters of its content weeks there.