Why Pakistani doctors are looking at Australia
Doctors who planned the PLAB route are finding UK training posts harder to reach, and many working in the Gulf want a long-term home rather than a renewable contract. Australia’s standard pathway lets you sit the first exam, AMC Part 1, from Pakistan.
Your route from Pakistan
- Make sure your medical college is recognised and your MBBS can be verified with your university (primary source verification through the AMC).
- Book the AMC MCQ with Pearson VUE, which delivers it at test centres in many countries — you choose an available centre when you book.
- Take IELTS Academic or OET at the Medical Board’s scores, or use a recent PLAB pass if you have one.
- After the MCQ: the AMC clinical exam or a workplace-based assessment, then supervised practice in Australia.
Studying alongside a house job
Most candidates prepare during or just after a house job. Short daily sessions work better than weekend marathons: 30–50 questions a day on your phone, between shifts, adds up to thousands of questions before the exam. DuoVa works fully offline, so load-shedding and patchy mobile data do not stop a session.
What catches Pakistani graduates out
- Answering with local practice: the AMC wants Australian first-line drugs, screening ages and referral pathways.
- Population health and ethics: consent, confidentiality and mandatory reporting are examined the Australian way.
- Leaving English to the end: book IELTS or OET early — results stay valid for two years.
Study for AMC Part 1 with DuoVa
An ever-growing AMC Part 1 question bank, explained to current Australian guidelines — eTG and RACGP-based explanations, including why each wrong option is wrong. New questions every day, recall papers, spaced repetition, and it works offline. Paste a question from a group chat and DuoVa turns it into a proper one, answer and reasoning included.
Questions
- Can I give the AMC exam from Pakistan?
- The AMC MCQ is delivered by Pearson VUE at test centres in many countries. Check centre availability for Pakistan when you book with Pearson VUE.
- PLAB or AMC — which is better for a Pakistani doctor?
- It depends on where you want to build your career. If you have not yet worked in the UK, both start with an exam; AMC Part 1 can be sat from abroad and leads straight to Australian registration pathways.
Official sources
- Australian Medical Council — MCQ examination
- Australian Medical Council — Assessment pathways to registration
- Ahpra — Accepted English language tests
Rules change. Always confirm with the Australian Medical Council and the Medical Board of Australia before you book or apply. DuoVa is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with either.
Read next
From PLAB to Australia
Planned the UK and PLAB route but now looking at Australia? When PLAB lets you skip the AMC exam through the Competent Authority pathway, when it does not, and how your PLAB preparation carries over to AMC Part 1.
The AMC exam, explained
Everything about the Australian Medical Council (AMC) Part 1 MCQ exam in 2026: format, 150 questions, 3.5 hours, computer-adaptive scoring, the 250 pass mark, where to sit it and how to prepare.
How to prepare for AMC Part 1
A practical AMC Part 1 preparation plan: what to study, how to use MCQs and explanations, spaced repetition, recalls, timing, and how to fit it around a full-time job.