What Is the AMC Clinical Examination?

The AMC Clinical Examination is the second and final examination in the AMC's Standard Pathway assessment for overseas doctors. It is a prerequisite for receiving the AMC certificate, which is in turn a prerequisite for applying for AHPRA registration. Unlike the AMC MCQ, which can be sat at Pearson VUE centres worldwide, the Clinical Examination is held only in Melbourne, Australia — which means you must physically travel to (or already be residing in) Australia to sit it.

The examination uses the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) format — the gold standard methodology for assessing clinical competence in medical education. In an OSCE, candidates rotate through a series of clinical stations, each presenting a standardised scenario assessed by trained examiners against structured marking criteria. This format ensures fairness and consistency — every candidate is assessed on the same scenarios with the same criteria, regardless of when in the examination day they sit.

The Clinical Examination does not re-test medical knowledge — that was assessed in the MCQ. It tests whether you can translate knowledge into safe, effective, patient-centred clinical practice in an Australian context. The emphasis is on clinical skills, communication, professional behaviour, and sound clinical reasoning. How you interact with the patient, how you structure your assessment, and how you explain your clinical thinking are all under scrutiny throughout the day.

Passing the AMC Clinical Examination, combined with the AMC MCQ pass, results in the issuance of the AMC certificate — the document that unlocks your AHPRA registration application and, ultimately, your right to practise medicine in Australia.

Exam Format — The 16 Stations

The AMC Clinical Examination consists of 16 clinical stations. Each station runs for 8 minutes of active examination time, with an additional 2 minutes of reading and preparation time allocated between stations (during which you stand outside the station room and read the scenario brief on a card). This gives a total of 10 minutes per station cycle.

Key structural features of the examination:

  • Standardised patients — most stations use trained actors (standardised patients) playing the role of the patient. They are not real patients, but they are trained to respond consistently and realistically to candidates' clinical approaches. At some stations, clinical simulations, mannequins, or data interpretation tasks are used instead.
  • Trained examiners — each station has a trained examiner who observes your entire interaction and marks you against a structured, pre-determined marking checklist. Examiners do not prompt or help you — they observe and record.
  • Station types — history taking, physical examination, procedural skills, clinical management, communication (including breaking bad news, consent, and conflict resolution), data interpretation, and ethical or professional conduct scenarios. Multiple station types may appear in a single station.
  • All in English — the examination is conducted entirely in English. The communication quality of your English — clarity, empathy, and use of plain language with patients — is assessed throughout.
  • Pass/fail grading — each station is graded on a scale, and the overall examination outcome is determined by your aggregate performance across all 16 stations. A pass requires demonstrating satisfactory competence across the full breadth of the examination, not just passing most stations. Detailed criteria are published by the AMC.

Clinical Skills Assessed at Each Station

The AMC Clinical Examination assesses a defined set of clinical and professional competencies. Understanding what examiners are looking for at each station type is fundamental to effective preparation:

History Taking

Examiners assess whether you take a systematic, patient-centred history. Key elements marked include: opening the consultation appropriately (introducing yourself, confirming the patient's name and date of birth), exploring the presenting complaint in depth using open and closed questions, identifying red flags, exploring relevant past medical, surgical, family, and social history, asking about medications and allergies, exploring the patient's ideas, concerns, and expectations (ICE), summarising your findings back to the patient, and closing the consultation in a way that leaves the patient informed and at ease. A scattered, doctor-centred, or list-driven approach scores poorly. A structured, empathic, and thorough approach scores well.

Physical Examination

Physical examination stations assess technique, thoroughness, patient comfort, and appropriate exposure and positioning. Examiners expect you to: introduce and explain the examination to the patient before beginning, ensure appropriate draping and privacy, position the patient correctly, perform a systematic examination of the relevant body system, correctly identify clinical findings (on real actors or models), and summarise your findings clearly at the end. Australian clinical examination conventions may differ slightly from your home country — the structured approaches described in Talley and O'Connor's Clinical Examination are the reference standard.

Procedural Skills

Procedural stations typically involve clinical simulations or mannequins rather than real patients. Common procedures assessed include venepuncture, basic life support and advanced resuscitation (BLS/ALS), urinary catheterisation, wound management, nasogastric tube insertion, and others. Key marking criteria include: explaining the procedure to the patient, obtaining consent, preparing equipment correctly, demonstrating safe and competent technique, and post-procedure management. Patient safety behaviours — including hand hygiene, using correct personal protective equipment, and properly disposing of sharps — are assessed throughout.

Clinical Management

Management stations present you with a clinical scenario and ask you to outline or discuss your assessment, differential diagnosis, investigations, and management plan. These stations may involve data interpretation (ECGs, blood results, imaging), discussion with the examiner about your clinical reasoning, or a combination of history taking, examination findings, and management planning within the same station. Examiners assess whether your management plan is safe, appropriate to the Australian clinical context, based on current evidence and guidelines, and structured around patient-centred priorities.

Communication Scenarios

Communication stations are among the most challenging for candidates who have not specifically practised them. Common scenarios include: breaking bad news (for example, informing a patient they have a new cancer diagnosis, or that a family member has died), obtaining informed consent for a procedure or operation, disclosing a medical error to a patient, discussing a change in management plan, motivational interviewing around lifestyle change, discharge planning, and managing a distressed or angry patient or family member. The Calgary-Cambridge Communication Model is the widely-used framework for these encounters and structures the communication in a way that consistently scores well.

Ethics and Professional Conduct

Ethical and professional conduct is assessed across all stations — it is not confined to specific "ethics stations". Examiners are watching for evidence of respect for patient autonomy, maintenance of confidentiality, clarity about professional boundaries, appropriate escalation of concerns, understanding of mandatory reporting obligations (for example, the duty to report suspected child abuse or domestic violence), and honest and transparent communication. Poor scores in professionalism frequently arise from candidates who are dismissive of the patient's concerns, fail to seek consent before procedures, or handle sensitive information carelessly.

Common Clinical Scenarios

While the specific scenarios in each exam session are confidential, the following types of scenarios are commonly encountered in AMC Clinical Examination preparation and are representative of the range of presentations candidates should be able to manage:

  • Chest pain history and management — distinguishing ACS, pulmonary embolism, aortic dissection, musculoskeletal causes; appropriate investigations and initial management in an Australian emergency context
  • Abdominal pain assessment — systematic history and examination, differential diagnosis including surgical emergencies, appropriate investigation plan
  • Breathlessness workup — acute versus chronic, cardiac versus respiratory, history taking covering NYHA class, peak flow, oxygen requirements, social impact
  • Collapse and syncope history — distinguishing vasovagal, cardiac syncope, seizure, and hypoglycaemia; driving restrictions advice (Australian law)
  • Mental health assessment — depression assessment including PHQ-9 principles, suicide risk assessment, management planning including safety planning, medication, referral
  • Child with fever — systematic paediatric assessment, identifying red flags for serious illness, management of febrile child, parental communication
  • Breaking bad news — cancer diagnosis — structured approach using frameworks such as SPIKES, managing emotional distress, providing honest and compassionate information, planning next steps
  • Domestic violence disclosure — responding appropriately to a patient disclosing family violence, mandatory reporting considerations, safety planning, referral pathways
  • Consent for a procedure — informing the patient of the procedure, its indications, risks, benefits, and alternatives; assessing capacity; obtaining valid consent
  • Discharge planning — providing comprehensive discharge instructions, ensuring understanding, medication reconciliation, follow-up arrangements, escalation pathways
  • Drug error scenario — managing disclosure of a medication error to a patient, documentation, incident reporting, restorative communication
  • Alcohol dependency assessment — taking a detailed alcohol history, using CAGE criteria, discussing impact on health, motivational interviewing principles, referral options

How to Prepare — A Structured Approach

The AMC Clinical Examination demands a qualitatively different preparation approach to the MCQ. Reading textbooks is insufficient — you must practise clinical interactions repeatedly, receive feedback, and refine your technique. The following structured approach is recommended:

Dedicated Preparation Period

Allow a minimum of 3 to 6 months of dedicated preparation for the Clinical Examination. Many candidates underestimate this requirement. Even highly experienced doctors often find the OSCE format challenging because it requires performing structured, explicitly verbalised clinical interactions under observation — a skill that is distinct from everyday clinical practice and must be deliberately developed.

AMC Clinical Preparation Courses

Enrolling in an AMC Clinical Examination preparation course is strongly recommended. These courses provide supervised OSCE practice with standardised patients, feedback from experienced tutors, and peer group learning. Several providers run preparation courses in Australian cities (particularly Melbourne and Sydney), and some international providers offer preparation programs in countries with large pools of AMC candidates. The AMC's own website lists approved preparation resources. A course provides the practise-with-feedback loop that is essential for the Clinical Examination and is not achievable through self-study alone.

Systematic OSCE Practice

Practise clinical stations repeatedly with a partner, timing yourself strictly to 8 minutes per station. After each station, provide and receive structured feedback — what was done well, what was missed, what could be said better. Record your practice sessions (with your practice partner's consent) so you can review your own communication style objectively. Common issues candidates identify when reviewing recordings include speaking too fast under pressure, using medical jargon with patients, forgetting to introduce themselves, and failing to explore the patient's concerns before launching into questions.

Australian Clinical Guidelines and Context

The Clinical Examination assesses practice in an Australian context. Ensure you are familiar with: Australian National Heart Foundation guidelines for cardiovascular disease management, Diabetes Australia guidelines for diabetes care, Cancer Australia recommendations for screening and cancer management, the Australian Immunisation Handbook, the RACGP Red Book for preventive care, and NICE-equivalent Australian resources. Understanding the Australian public hospital system, Medicare, and the role of GP as gatekeeper is essential background knowledge.

Communication Frameworks

Learn and practise the Calgary-Cambridge Communication Model, which provides a structured, evidence-based framework for all clinical consultations. The model covers opening the session, gathering information, physical examination, explanation and planning, and closing the session — all in a patient-centred manner. Practise the SPIKES framework for breaking bad news (Setting, Perception, Invitation, Knowledge, Emotions, Strategy and Summary). These frameworks score consistently well because they ensure no step is missed under the pressure of the examination environment.

Recommended Resources

  • Talley and O'Connor: Clinical Examination — the standard Australian reference for systematic physical examination technique
  • AMC Clinical Examination preparation courses — provider-based courses in Australia and select international locations
  • Calgary-Cambridge Communication Model resources — freely available online and in clinical communication textbooks
  • Peer study groups with other AMC Clinical candidates — sustained peer practice is the most cost-effective way to accumulate station practice hours
  • OSCE preparation videos — multiple YouTube channels and subscription platforms provide worked examples of clinical station formats

Practical Logistics — Before and During the Exam

The AMC Clinical Examination is held in Melbourne approximately 3 to 4 times per year. Places at each session are limited and typically fill within days to weeks of opening for registration. You must register for a session and pay the examination fee well in advance.

Before the exam:

  • Register for your preferred exam session as soon as registration opens — do not delay
  • Arrange your Australian visa if you are not already in Australia (a visitor visa is sufficient if you are coming solely to sit the exam)
  • Book accommodation in Melbourne close to the examination venue — read the AMC's exam information pack for the venue address and recommended arrival time
  • Arrange travel and allow adequate buffer time — flight delays, particularly on long-haul international routes, are not accepted as grounds for rescheduling
  • Ensure you are physically rested for the examination day — the OSCE is mentally and emotionally demanding and requires sharp communication and clinical reasoning from the first station to the last

On exam day:

  • Arrive at the venue with ample time for check-in. The examination will not wait for late arrivals
  • Bring your photo identification — your passport is the most reliable document to bring
  • Dress professionally — smart business or business-casual attire is expected. You are playing the role of a doctor in a clinical setting. Avoid clothing that could be distracting or inappropriate in a clinical context
  • Bring your stethoscope if specified in the examination instructions — the AMC advises candidates on which personal clinical equipment to bring
  • Eat a proper meal before the examination and stay hydrated — the OSCE is physically demanding

Results and Next Steps

AMC Clinical Examination results are released approximately 6 to 8 weeks after the examination date, via your online AMC account.

If you passed: you will receive notification and can apply for your AMC certificate through your online account. The AMC certificate confirms that your qualifications and clinical competence have been assessed as meeting Australian standards. You then proceed to compile your AHPRA application documents and lodge your AHPRA registration application. Refer to our AHPRA Registration guide for the full application process.

If you failed: you will receive a detailed feedback letter identifying the stations at which your performance was unsatisfactory and the specific skills or criteria where improvement is needed. Read this feedback carefully and use it to structure your resit preparation. You must wait a minimum of six months before resitting the Clinical Examination. Use this period for targeted practice — particularly in the station types and communication scenarios where you underperformed. A resit preparation course is strongly recommended for candidates who failed any stations related to communication or procedural skills.

Ready for what comes after the Clinical Exam? Read the AHPRA Registration guide to prepare your registration application. For costs, see the Registration Costs page. For a full timeline from start to AHPRA registration, visit the Registration Timeline.