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Australia · Licensing exam

AMC MCQ exam: the first AMC assessment for overseas doctors

The Australian Medical Council (AMC) Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) Examination is a 150-question, three-and-a-half-hour computer exam taken at Pearson VUE test centres in Australia and overseas. It tests medical knowledge at the level of a newly qualified Australian graduate about to start internship. The AMC MCQ exam is the first step on the standard pathway for international medical graduates (IMGs): pass it, then pass the AMC clinical exam or a workplace based assessment (WBA), and you get the AMC certificate.

  • 150Multiple-choice questions, one best of five
  • AdaptiveQuestion difficulty follows your answers
  • Three and a half hoursOne sitting at a Pearson VUE centre
Where to studyHow the test works

Updated November 2026 · Written from the AMC Multiple Choice Question Examination Specifications (V8, September 2025)

Key facts

At a glance

Run by
The Australian Medical Council (AMC), with Pearson VUE running the test centres
Standard tested
A final-year Australian medical student about to start intern training
Who takes it
Non-specialist IMGs on the standard pathway to general registration
Where
Pearson VUE test centres in Australia and other countries, in person
Events
Ten listed for 2027, from February to November
What comes after
The AMC clinical exam or a workplace based assessment, then the AMC certificate

How it works

How the AMC MCQ exam works, from authorisation to answer

AMC CAT MCQ score
0 to 249: fail250 to 500: pass
250 is the pass mark on the AMC’s 0 to 500 scale. It isn’t a percentage of right answers; the results page explains how the score works.
  1. You apply for an MCQ authorisation in your Australian Medical Council (AMC) account and pay for it. It lasts 12 months and covers one exam event.
  2. Once Pearson VUE emails you, you book a seat at one of its test centres, in Australia or another country. The exam dates page has the 2027 events and closing dates.
  3. The exam is a computer adaptive test (CAT). The first question is picked at random, and each answer decides whether the following question is harder or easier.
  4. You must answer every question before you see another one, and you can’t go back to change an answer. Wrong answers cost no marks.
  5. Try to finish all 150 questions. If you don’t, the AMC may not have enough information to give you a score, and the result can be recorded as a fail.
  6. At least half the questions come from a pool the AMC has already calibrated. The rest are being tried for the first time and are checked before they count.

Topics

What the AMC MCQ exam covers

These six patient groups are the AMC CAT MCQ blueprint. Every question is also sorted by clinician task: data gathering, data interpretation and synthesis, or management.

01

Adult health: medicine

The biggest share of the blueprint, at 30% of the questions, covering adult health and aged care.

Key points (3)
  • Adult health, medicine is 30% of the AMC CAT MCQ blueprint (MCQ Examination Specifications, section 2.2).
  • The AMC says the majority of questions reflect common clinical conditions in the Australian community (section 1.6).
  • Questions can include X-rays, electrocardiograms (ECGs), scans and clinical photographs (section 1.6).
02

Adult health: surgery

Surgical problems in adults, 20% of the questions, built on the same foundation sciences as medicine.

Key points (3)
  • Adult health, surgery is 20% of the blueprint (section 2.2).
  • Management questions can cover surgical and radiological interventions, drug interactions and complications (Clinician Tasks, section 2.2).
  • Some questions test basic knowledge; others ask you to interpret clinical data and make a management decision (section 1.6).
03

Women’s health: obstetrics and gynaecology

Gynaecology plus pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period, 12.5% of the questions.

Key points (3)
  • Women’s health is 12.5% of the blueprint (section 2.2).
  • Obstetrics adds the basic sciences of reproduction and how disease affects pregnancy, labour, birth and the postnatal period (section 2.2).
  • Each question has one best answer out of five options (section 2.2, A-type questions).
04

Child health

From fetal development and the newborn to the end of adolescence, 12.5% of the questions.

Key points (3)
  • Child health is 12.5% of the blueprint (section 2.2).
  • It covers care in emergency, ambulatory, inpatient and convalescent settings (section 2.2).
  • The sample questions in Appendix B of the specifications include several child health items.
05

Mental health

Psychological, behavioural and mental disorders and addictions across all age groups, 12.5% of the questions.

Key points (3)
  • Mental health is 12.5% of the blueprint (section 2.2).
  • The specifications base it on bio-psychosocial and cognitive principles (section 2.2).
  • Management can include psychological, physical, pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatment (section 2.2).
06

Population health and ethics

Screening, vaccination, epidemiology, ethics and Australian health law, 12.5% of the questions.

Key points (3)
  • Population health and ethics is 12.5% of the blueprint (section 2.2).
  • Ethics covers boundary issues, patient confidentiality, informed consent and impairment of doctors (section 2.2).
  • The AMC points candidates to its Indigenous Health webpage and culturally safe practice (MCQ examination page).

Test day

What to bring to the Pearson VUE test centre

  • A primary ID, such as a passport, that is original, valid and shows your photo and signature
  • A secondary ID with your signature, such as a credit or bank card (a second primary ID also works)
  • IDs in English or with an official certified English translation, with first and last names that match your AMC record exactly
  • Only your two IDs at your desk: bags and phones go in storage, phones switched off, and the centre gives you a whiteboard and pen

Before you go

  1. Check that your medical school, degree title and graduation year are eligible. The portfolio page explains how.
  2. Get your medical degree verified through the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and set up your AMC portfolio before you buy an authorisation.
  3. Use the free MCQ Preparation App that comes with your authorisation, and read the MCQ Examination Specifications.
  4. Arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment. Late arrivals aren’t allowed to start.
  5. Expect a biometrics check at reception: staff check both IDs, capture your signature and take your photo.
AMC: MCQ examination events and schedulingYou buy the authorisation from the AMC, then book your seat with Pearson VUE online or through its contact centres.

Study options

Where to study

The AMC gives every MCQ candidate free access to its MCQ Preparation App, with 210 questions written by AMC contributors. Its exam specifications include sample questions and the blueprint, and Australian Medicine in Context is a free download. Paid courses and question banks are run by other companies, and the AMC doesn’t endorse them.

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official
AMC MCQ Preparation App (with eMedici)Official practice questions (web, iOS and Android)Written by AMC contributors to align with the MCQ exam and refreshed every year. Access lasts 12 months from activation, through a link in your AMC acknowledgement email.
Free with an MCQ authorisationAll 210 questions, with feedback on every answer
AMC: MCQ Preparation App ↗
AMC MCQ Examination SpecificationsOfficial exam guide with sample questions (PDF)Version 8, September 2025. Sets out the blueprint, scoring, exam rules and the graduate outcomes, with sample questions in Appendix B.
No fee listedThe whole document
AMC: MCQ Examination Specifications (PDF) ↗
Australian Medicine in ContextOfficial AMC book (PDF)105 patient presentations and 56 professional practice topics, building on the AMC’s Anthology of Medical Conditions.
Free downloadThe whole book
AMC: Australian Medicine in Context ↗
Good Medical Practice: Professionalism, Ethics and LawOfficial AMC book, fifth editionSold in print and as an eBook through retailers; the AMC notes prices vary. Covers the ethics and law side of practice in Australia.
AUD $109.99 recommended retail priceTable of contents on the AMC site
AMC: Good Medical Practice ↗
AMC Tips from Examiners and clinical specificationsOfficial clinical exam guidance (PDF)Examiners’ observations for each of the four assessment areas (October 2024), and the Clinical Examination Specifications (June 2026).
No fee listedBoth documents
AMC: Tips from Examiners (PDF) ↗AMC: Examination specifications ↗
AMC list of bridging course providersOfficial list of private course providersGiven as an information service. The AMC doesn’t endorse or accredit any bridging program and suggests questions to ask before you pay.
Set by each providerThe list itself
AMC: Bridging course providers ↗
Apps and websites
AMEDEXAMC MCQ question bank (website)Full Package plans of 30, 60, 90, 120 and 180 days and 12 months. Its site shows these as sale prices beside crossed-out prices of 180 to 690 USD. It states a no-refund policy.
$126 for 30 days to $517.50 for 12 monthsA free demo package after sign-up
AMEDEX: AMC MCQ Qbank ↗
In person and online courses
IMG SOSAMC CAT MCQ course (online)A 12-week guided self-study course with weekly quizzes and a question bank, plus tutoring options. It’s on the AMC’s bridging course list, which the AMC says isn’t an endorsement.
Not listed on its pageA study guide after you sign up
IMG SOS: AMC CAT MCQ ↗

Prices and ratings checked November 2026.

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FAQ

Common questions

What is the AMC MCQ exam?

It’s the AMC’s computer-based knowledge exam for doctors whose medical degree isn’t from Australia or New Zealand and who are on the standard pathway. It covers the principles and practice of medicine across adult medicine and surgery, women’s health, child health, mental health, and population health and ethics. It tests reasoning more than rote learning, and the AMC says questions focus on common conditions in the Australian community.

What does AMC stand for in medicine?

In Australian medicine, AMC means the Australian Medical Council. It’s an independent national standards body. It accredits medical schools and specialist training, verifies the medical qualifications of IMGs and runs the exams on the standard pathway. It doesn’t register doctors: the Medical Board of Australia does, with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra).

Is AMC Part 1 the same as the CAT MCQ?

Yes. eMedici, the AMC’s partner for the MCQ Preparation App, calls the app the official AMC MCQ resource for Part 1 candidates. The AMC itself names the exams the Computer Adaptive Test Multiple Choice Question Examination and the clinical examination.

Can you take the AMC MCQ exam online?

No. You sit it in person at a Pearson VUE test centre. Applying, buying the authorisation and getting your results all happen online, in your AMC account. The online option the AMC offers is for its clinical exam, and only for some IMGs working in rural and remote Australia.

What changed in the AMC MCQ from 2026?

On 17 December 2025 the AMC said it would raise the pass standard slightly for exams from 2026, inside the same score scale. Earlier results aren’t reassessed, and the AMC says the content, format and structure didn’t change.

Do you need an English test for the AMC MCQ?

The AMC doesn’t ask for one. English language proficiency is a requirement of the Medical Board of Australia for registration, and only the Board grants exemptions. The AMC advises you to get proof of your English before you apply under any pathway.

Sources: AMC · Pearson VUE · eMedici and 11 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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