Start with how the exam thinks
The AMC tests the knowledge of a new Australian graduate. That means Australian management: the Australian guidelines, national screening programs, notifiable diseases, and how things are done in an Australian hospital or general practice. Many strong doctors lose marks by answering the way they practise at home.
The five areas to cover
- Adult health — medicine and surgery, the largest share.
- Women’s health — obstetrics and gynaecology.
- Child health — paediatrics, development, immunisation.
- Mental health — psychiatry, risk assessment, the Mental Health Act in practice.
- Population health and ethics — screening, consent, confidentiality, public health.
A plan for 12 to 16 weeks
- Weeks 1–4: one area at a time. 30–50 questions a day, read every explanation, note every Australian-specific fact.
- Weeks 5–10: mixed questions from all areas. Let spaced repetition bring back your mistakes.
- Weeks 11–14: timed blocks. Work up to a full 150 questions in 3.5 hours.
- Final two weeks: only your weak topics and your flagged questions. No new resources.
Using recalls well
Candidates share remembered questions after each sitting. Treat them as a guide to themes, not as the real exam: a remembered question is often missing details, and its answer is often wrong. Check every one against a guideline before you trust it.
Habits that move the score
- Learn Australian practice, not the practice you trained in. The exam tests what an Australian junior doctor would do — Australian guidelines, screening programs and prescribing.
- Cover all five areas: adult health (medicine and surgery), women’s health, child health, mental health, and population health and ethics.
- Do questions every day and read every explanation, including why each wrong option is wrong. Recognising distractors is half the exam.
- Use spaced repetition so the questions you got wrong come back just before you would forget them.
- Sit timed blocks near the end: 150 questions in 3.5 hours is about 84 seconds each.
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
- How many hours a day should I study for AMC Part 1?
- Consistency beats hours. Two focused hours every day for three to four months is a common, realistic plan for a working doctor.
- Are AMC recalls enough to pass?
- No. Recalls show you which themes come up, but the exam is adaptive and draws on a large bank. You need the underlying knowledge.
Official sources
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
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.
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.
Working as a doctor in Australia
The routes for international medical graduates to work as a doctor in Australia: the standard pathway through the AMC exam, the Competent Authority pathway for UK, Irish, US, Canadian and NZ-assessed doctors, English tests and registration.