AMC Clinical Exam Guide 2026: Stations, Scoring and Fees

The AMC clinical exam is the second assessment on the standard pathway for international medical graduates. It is an objective structured clinical examination that tests whether you can take a history, examine, reason and manage patients safely in an Australian setting. Together with the AMC CAT MCQ it earns you the AMC Certificate.

Who sits the clinical exam

You must have passed the AMC CAT MCQ first. The clinical exam is one of two options after the MCQ on the standard pathway; the other is workplace-based assessment (WBA). The clinical exam can be taken before or after registration is granted, while WBA can only be done after registration. If you pass both the MCQ and the clinical exam you can apply for provisional registration; with the MCQ alone you would apply for limited registration.

New to the pathway? Start with the AMC CAT MCQ guide.

Format

Pilot stations are usually not scored but may be substituted if there is a problem with a non-pilot station. You will not know which stations are pilots, so treat every station as scored.

What is tested

Stations cover presentations from medicine, surgery, women's health, paediatrics and mental health, set in community and hospital contexts. Each station focuses on one of four assessment areas:

• History taking
• Examination
• Diagnostic formulation
• Management, counselling and education

The reading time tells you which task you face. Use the 2 minutes to plan the structure: what you must ask, what you must examine, what safety points you must cover and how you will close.

In person or online

The exam runs in both formats. The online exam has technical requirements: a desktop or laptop (no tablets or phones), Windows 11, a screen of at least 14 inches, a webcam, wired headphones with a microphone (wireless headphones are not allowed), reliable high-speed internet, and you must be alone in the room. Applications have closed for the online exams on 10 and 11 November 2026, and no further online dates are planned for 2026.

Fees (stand October 2026)

How to prepare

1. Learn the station structure cold

For each of the four task types, build a reusable framework:

• History: introduction and consent, open question, focused history, red flags, past history, medications and allergies, social and family history, ideas, concerns and expectations, summary.
• Examination: hand hygiene, consent, positioning, systematic examination, verbalising findings, thanking the patient.
• Diagnostic formulation: most likely diagnosis with reasoning, differentials, investigations justified by the presentation.
• Management and counselling: explain in plain language, check understanding, shared decision, safety-netting, follow-up.

2. Practise against the clock

Eight minutes passes quickly. Practise with a timer and a partner who plays the patient and scores you. Record sessions and review where you lost time.

3. Anchor management in Australian practice

The same Australian references used for the MCQ matter here: Therapeutic Guidelines, the Australian Immunisation Handbook, national screening programs and the Medical Board's Good medical practice code. Our AMC MCQ study plan lists them. In counselling stations, Australian expectations around consent, confidentiality and shared decision-making are often what separates a pass from a fail.

4. Cover the special settings

• Paediatrics: talking to parents and, where appropriate, the child; child protection duties.
• Women's health: sensitive histories, chaperones, consent for intimate examination.
• Mental health: risk assessment, capacity, safety planning.
• Breaking bad news and open disclosure: structure, empathy, next steps.
• Culturally safe care: including care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients and use of interpreters.

5. Simulate the full exam

Run at least one full simulation of 16 stations with rest breaks, so that concentration holds for the whole session.

A sample preparation schedule

There is no prescribed preparation time. A structure many candidates can adapt:

How to use the reading time

The 2 minutes before each station decide how well you use the 8 that follow. A reliable routine:

1. Identify the task type and exactly what is asked.
2. Note the setting (general practice, emergency, ward) and patient details.
3. Jot a three-part plan: open, core tasks, close.
4. List two or three safety points you must not forget.
5. Take a breath and enter calmly.

Working with a study partner

Practice partners are the core of clinical exam preparation. Agree on a marking sheet based on the four assessment areas, rotate roles (candidate, patient, examiner), and give specific feedback: what was missed, what was unclear, where time was lost. Recording sessions, with consent, helps you hear your own explanations as a patient would.

Common mistakes

• Running out of time before management or safety-netting. Watch the clock and prioritise.
• Reciting a checklist without listening. Simulated patients reward responsiveness.
• Ignoring the task line. If the task says "do not take a history", do not.
• Jargon in counselling. Explain in everyday language and check understanding.
• Forgetting safety: red flags, when to return, who to call.
• Unprepared online setup. Test the computer, headphones and connection well before exam day.

After the clinical exam

With the MCQ and clinical exam passed you hold the AMC Certificate and can apply for provisional registration, then complete 12 months of supervised practice (minimum 47 weeks FTE) before general registration. For how this connects to jobs and registration types, see IMG doctor pathways in Australia.

Practise with MediFlow

MediFlow's Australia clinical track includes free sample cases organised by station type, so you can rehearse histories, counselling and management plans with Australian context. Use the app for quick case reviews between practice sessions with a partner.