AMC Part 1: How to Prepare for the AMC MCQ (CAT) Exam in 2026

There's no shortage of AMC Part 1 material. Question banks, recall files, YouTube playlists, PDFs passed around group chats. What most of us were missing was an order to do it all in, and a clear way to tell when we were ready.

We're IMGs who've sat this exam ourselves, and this is the method we'd follow if we were preparing again in 2026. It runs on two tools. The free monthly recalls here on AMC Recalls show you what candidates are being tested on right now.

The mocks, analysis and question bank on AMC Academic show you whether you can handle that material under exam conditions, and help you fix it when you can't.

The AMC MCQ (CAT) exam at a glance

AMC Part 1 is the Australian Medical Council's Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) Multiple Choice Question examination, usually called the AMC MCQ or the AMC CAT exam. It's the first exam on the Standard Pathway for international medical graduates, and it tests the knowledge expected of a new Australian graduate about to start internship. Pass it, and you move on to the Clinical exam (AMC Part 2) or a workplace-based assessment.

What it covers

The AMC spreads the 150 questions across six areas.

Most questions are built around common conditions in the Australian community, and many ask you to make a decision: what to investigate, what to do next, what's safest. Expect X-rays, ECGs, scans and clinical photos too.

How it's scored

Because every candidate sits a different paper, your score isn't a percentage. The AMC estimates your ability from the difficulty of the questions you answer correctly, then reports it on the 0 to 500 scale. From 2026 it raised the standard behind the 250 pass mark slightly, without changing the exam's format or content.

Answer all 150 questions. If you don't, the AMC may not have enough information to score you, and the result can be recorded as "Fail – insufficient data to obtain result".

Booking it

1. Check your medical school, degree and graduation year with the AMC's eligibility checker.

2. Create your AMC account and establish your portfolio (AUD 642, including one qualification).

3. Have your primary medical qualification verified through ECFMG.

4. Buy your MCQ authorisation (AUD 2,920). It's valid for 12 months.

5. Book one exam event and venue with Pearson VUE.

You can change your date or venue free of charge until that event's closing date. You can only hold one MCQ booking at a time, so a resit can't be booked until your results are out.

On the day

Arrive at least 30 minutes early. Bring two original, valid IDs whose names match your AMC record exactly: a government photo ID with your signature, such as a passport, and a second ID with your name and signature, such as a bank card. Phones, bags and paper go into storage, and you're given a whiteboard and pen for notes.

Sources, checked 6 October 2026: AMC MCQ examination, MCQ Examination Specifications, AMC fees and charges.

What's the best way to prepare for the AMC MCQ (CAT) exam?

Work in monthly cycles, and let your mock scores tell you when you're done. Each cycle pairs one month of recall questions with a timed mock from the same month, then turns your mistakes into a short list of topics to fix that day.

You start with a single baseline mock, then repeat the cycle month after month. You stop when you're scoring 90% or more on the mocks and finishing with time to spare.

The six steps

1. Take a baseline

Before you open a textbook, sit the free high-yield mock exam on AMC Academic. Don't revise for it. You want a true picture of where you're starting, not a flattering one.

When you finish, write down three things: your score, the two or three areas where you lost the most marks, and whether you ran out of time. The real exam gives you 3.5 hours for 150 questions, which is about 84 seconds each, and pacing is a skill of its own.

2. Study one month of recalls, twice

Pick one month on AMC Recalls and work through all 100 questions. The most recent sitting is a good place to start. Take your time on the first pass and read every explanation, including the ones for questions you got right. Getting one right for the wrong reason is still a gap.

Then do the same month again. Leave a day or two in between, so you're recalling the reasoning rather than the option you clicked last time. Anything you get wrong twice goes on a list, and that list is the most useful thing you'll make all month.

3. Sit the month-specific mock

Now take the AMC Academic mock exam for that same month, under timed conditions. Treat it like the real thing: phone in another room, no pausing, and no going back to change answers, because the real exam won't let you.

If you finish early, don't spend the spare minutes second-guessing yourself. Just note the time you finished.

4. Fix the gaps the same day

It's tempting to look at your score and move on. Don't. This step is where your score actually changes.

Open AMC Academic's AI analysis of your mock. It breaks your result down by specialty and topic, so "I'm weak in obstetrics" turns into something you can work on, like antenatal screening or postpartum haemorrhage. Drill those exact topics in its question bank the same day, while you still remember why you got them wrong. If a clinical point still doesn't make sense after a few questions, ask Astra, AMC Academic's AI study assistant. It works from your own results, so its answers are about your gaps rather than medicine in general.

5. Return to the same month

Before moving on, go through that month's recalls one more time. This is your check. If the questions you missed now feel straightforward, the gap is closed. If you're still getting the same ones wrong, it isn't, and those topics go back to step 4.

6. Move on to the next month

Pick the next month on AMC Recalls and start again from step 2. Keep your list of repeat mistakes going across months. Topics that keep landing on it are the ones to take seriously before exam day.

You're ready when your mock scores hold at 90% or higher and you finish comfortably within the time limit. "Hold" is the important word. One good mock can be luck. Two or three in a row is a pattern.

How long does it take?

Plan on about three months. The real answer depends on where your baseline puts you and how many hours a week you can give it, so if you're working full time, expect the cycles to run slower.

That's fine. The thing to avoid is moving to a new month before the current one is properly closed.

Why aim for 90%?

Your AMC result won't be a percentage at all. The exam is adaptive and scored on a scale of 0 to 500, with 250 as the pass mark, so 90% on a mock doesn't convert into anything on that scale. It's a deliberately high bar.

Nerves, fatigue in the third hour and questions you've never seen before will all cost you something on the day. Aiming high in practice gives you enough margin that they don't cost you the pass.

A few things that help

Read the AMC's free MCQ Examination Specifications once, early on. It's short, and it tells you how the exam is built: the blueprint, the rules and some sample questions. When you buy your MCQ authorisation, the AMC also gives you its official preparation app with 210 questions. Save it for the last few weeks as one more check.

Don't try to memorise recall answers. The questions on AMC Recalls are written from the topics candidates report, not copied from the exam, and the AMC can withhold a result if it suspects pre-learned answers. Learn the reasoning, and it won't matter how a topic is worded on the day.

Keep the schedule boring, too. An hour or two most days will get you further than a twelve-hour Sunday, especially if you're working.

Where to start

Sit the free baseline mock on AMC Academic today, then open the latest month on AMC Recalls. That's steps one and two underway by the end of the week.