Ace the AMC Exam: Learn How Academically Can Help

Every year, thousands of applicants sit for the Australian Medical Council Exam, with an almost 50% passing rate. This exam is designed for international medical graduates (IMGs) to assess their medical skills in equal to the Australian Healthcare System.

What is the Australian Medical Council Exam?

The AMC exam is conducted by the Australian Medical Council Exam, which is an independent entity that maintains the medical standard throughout the country. The AMC exam is one of their pathways to evaluate candidates based on their skills to successfully practice in Australia as a medical doctor.

The exam is done in two phases, AMC Part 1 and AMC Part 2. The first part of the AMC exam is a computer-based Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) exam, and the second part is a clinical-based assessment. You need to clear AMC Part 1 to be eligible for AMC Part 2.

AMC Exam Eligibility:

The eligibility criteria for the AMC exams are:

• Bachelor’s degree in Medicine (MBBS/MD/MS) from a recognized college/University.

Note: The degree should be listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDoMS).

Understanding the AMC Exam Pattern

The AMC exam is a gateway for IMGs’ medical careers to enter as a registered medical professional in Australia. To clear the exam, you must have a proper preparation strategy to clear the exam. To begin the preparation, it’s important to understand the syllabus first.

AMC Exam Pattern:

• Adult Health (Medicine 30% and Surgery 20%) – Understanding the anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathophysiology, and clinical skills like physical examination, communication, patient counseling, and management strategies.

• Women’s health (Surgery 12.5%) – Reproductive health-pregnancy, labor, birth, and post-natal care
• Child Health (12.5%) – Child health from fetal development and transition to extra-uterine life, end of adolescence, growth, physical development, puberty, and intellectual development.
• Population Health 12.5% – Vaccination programs, public education, patient privacy, surveillance, epidemiology and legislation, disease management measures, and other legal issues.
• Mental Health 12.5% – Diagnosis and management of psychological, behavioural and mental disorders, illnesses and addictions.

The AMC clinical exam consists of 16 assessed Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) stations and 4 rest stations, each lasting 10 minutes (2 Minutes Reading + 8 Minutes Assessment). 2 Pilot Stations (not scored). It can be taken online or in person.

How to prepare for the AMC Exam?

Study from the right resources: Read from the recommended study resources, online materials, practice questions, mock tests, and books. Some of the highly recommended books are:

• Nikolic, A. General Surgery SET Interview: The Ultimate Preparation Guide. 2nd edn. 2022
• A Primer of Clinical Psychiatry (2013) Castle D, Bassett D, King J, Gleason A
• Nair, BKR, ed. Clinical Examination: A Problem-Based Approach. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Company, 2011.
• Oats, J, Boyle, J., Llewellyn-Jones, Fundamentals of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 11th edn. London: Elsevier, 2022
• Roberton, DM, South, Practical Paediatrics. 7th edn. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier, 2012.

Create a study plan: As your AMC exam is approaching, create a study plan that encompasses all the subject-related topics. Add revision time, number of mock tests, and a balance between the theoretical and practical knowledge to your study plan. Here’s what an ideal study plan should be:

• Clearing fundamentals
• Mock-tests
• Performance Analysis
• Learning new topics
• Revision
• Feedback

Mock Exam and Analysis: Regular mock tests will help you track your progress, and mock analysis to improve your weaknesses. You can have a mentor or a peer review your mocks and give you constructive feedback based on your performance.

Time Management: Keep a stopwatch while giving mock tests and studying a topic. Time management is a crucial step for exam preparation. Start your preparation by setting limits; it will help you build good performance on the exam day.

Additional Tips to Prepare for the AMC Exam:

• Keep yourself updated with the AMC guidelines (score pattern, eczema center, passing marks, etc.)
• Make notes of the high-scoring subject and revise thoroughly
• Work on your weak-scoring subjects
• Join an online course to boost your preparation and chances of clearing the AMC exam on the first attempt.

Why should you take the AMC Exam course?

The self-study and hard work can take you to the starting line of the exam, but a full-fledged course with qualified experts can help you clear the exam in your first attempt with a strategic preparation plan, focus on the scoring questions, and learn how to approach the questions.

Academically provides mentorship programs that can help with expert guidance, and they have been helping candidates for years. Their study programs are a great way of connecting with peers from every community and forming a support system. Connect with their team of veteran doctors and educators to get the best possible guidance for AMC exam preparation.