AMC CAT MCQ 2026: test dates, format, how to book and free practice tests
The AMC CAT MCQ examination is the knowledge stage of the Australian Medical Council's standard pathway, for international medical graduates whose primary medical qualification is not recognised by the Medical Board of Australia. It is a computer adaptive test of 150 questions in 3.5 hours, delivered by Pearson VUE in Australia and overseas. What most candidates need to know first: you buy a 12-month authorisation from the AMC and then schedule into one examination event within it. The AMC's event-dates list showed no dates when we read it on 20 October 2026, so this guide explains how booking works and where dates appear, along with the pattern, the scoring and a study plan.
AMC CAT MCQ at a glance
| Conducting body | Australian Medical Council (AMC); delivered by Pearson VUE |
| What it is for | The knowledge stage of the standard pathway toward medical registration in Australia |
| Level tested | A graduating Australian medical student about to start internship |
| Mode | Computer adaptive test at Pearson VUE centres in Australia and overseas |
| Questions | 150 single best answer questions, five options each |
| Time | One 3.5-hour session |
| Marking | No deduction for a wrong answer; result on a 0–500 scale, pass described as 250 |
| Results | 4:00 p.m. on the Friday three weeks after the event, in your AMC account |
| Official website | amc.org.au |
Test dates and booking
As of 20 October 2026, the AMC's MCQ examination events page has a heading for examination dates but lists no dates under it. The next event date is therefore not confirmed here. What the page does say:
- You are given a 12-month authorisation, and you can schedule into only one examination event covered by it.
- Schedule as soon as possible within the authorisation to secure a seat.
- The AMC does not extend MCQ authorisation periods.
- You may withdraw or reschedule your event or venue before the event's closing date, subject to seats. After the closing date, no changes are accepted, and if you have not withdrawn or rescheduled you forfeit the authorisation and the payment.
Check the events page and your Pearson VUE scheduling screen for the events open to you.
How to book the AMC CAT MCQ
- Open an AMC account and complete the steps the AMC requires for the standard pathway.
- Apply for an MCQ authorisation through your AMC account and pay the fee shown there. The authorisation is valid for 12 months.
- Schedule with Pearson VUE: choose one event and a venue in Australia or overseas. Do it early.
- Note the closing date of your event: it is the last day you can withdraw or reschedule.
- Sit the exam with the identification Pearson VUE asks for. Your result appears in your AMC account at 4:00 p.m. on the Friday three weeks after the event; Pearson VUE does not issue it.
Passing the MCQ lets you go on to the AMC clinical examination or an accredited workplace-based assessment. Registration itself is decided by the Medical Board of Australia.
AMC CAT MCQ exam pattern
| Feature | AMC CAT MCQ |
|---|---|
| Questions | 150 A-type questions: one best answer from five options |
| Scored items | The AMC MCQ page says all 150 are scored |
| Time | 3.5 hours, one session, timer shown |
| Adaptivity | A correct answer is followed by a harder item, a wrong one by an easier item |
| Review | None: each question must be answered before the next, and answers cannot be changed |
| Negative marking | None |
| Result | Ability on a 0–500 scale; a pass is represented at 250 |
Because the test adapts, the score is not the number correct: two candidates with the same number right can score differently if one received harder items. From 17 December 2025 the AMC raised the underlying standard slightly and folded it into the same scale, still describing the pass as 250. No raw pass mark out of 150 is published.
The no-review rule matters: you cannot skip a hard question and come back. Decide, answer and move on.
Syllabus: the patient-group blueprint
The September 2025 specifications blueprint the exam by patient group:
| Patient group | Share |
|---|---|
| Adult health — medicine | 30% |
| Adult health — surgery | 20% |
| Women's health (obstetrics and gynaecology) | 12.5% |
| Child health | 12.5% |
| Mental health | 12.5% |
| Population health and ethics | 12.5% |
Questions are also classified by clinician task: data gathering, data interpretation and synthesis, and management. Stems cover pathogenesis, clinical features, investigations, differential diagnosis and management, and some live items use images. See our AMC CAT MCQ syllabus page and the MCQ specifications.
A plan for the weeks before your event
Plan back from the event you scheduled. An eight-week plan:
- Week 1: a full 150-question AMC CAT MCQ mock test in 3.5 hours. Group your misses by patient group.
- Weeks 2–3: adult medicine, half of the blueprint with surgery. Revise common conditions, aged care, and investigations in the Australian setting.
- Week 4: surgery: acute presentations, trauma, perioperative care.
- Week 5: women's health and child health, including developmental milestones and recognising serious acute illness in children.
- Week 6: mental health, then population health and ethics: screening, immunisation, consent and confidentiality.
- Week 7: a second full mock. This time practise the live rule: answer each question in order and never go back. Review with how to analyse a mock test.
- Week 8: mixed timed sets of 50 questions in 70 minutes, which matches the real pace, and rest.
Our practice form is fixed rather than adaptive and reports your number correct out of 150; it cannot be converted to the 0–500 scale.
Useful links
- AMC CAT MCQ examination (amc.org.au)
- MCQ examination events and scheduling (amc.org.au)
- MCQ examination specifications, September 2025 (PDF, amc.org.au)
- Free AMC CAT MCQ mock tests
- AMC CAT MCQ syllabus
- AMC CAT MCQ test dates
- PLAB: test dates, format and how to book
- How to use mock tests
Frequently asked questions
When is the next AMC CAT MCQ exam date?
The AMC lists events on its MCQ examination events page and in Pearson VUE scheduling. On 20 October 2026 that page showed no dates, so check it and your scheduling screen after you get your authorisation.
What is the AMC MCQ pass mark?
The AMC reports results on a 0–500 scale and describes a pass as 250. Since 17 December 2025 a slightly higher standard sits behind that same 250. There is no published number of correct answers that equals a pass.
Is there negative marking in the AMC CAT MCQ?
No. A wrong answer is not penalised. You must answer each question before you see the next, so there is no skipping; keep to about 1 minute 24 seconds a question so you reach the end.
Can I review or change answers in the AMC MCQ?
No. On the live test each question must be answered before the next is given, and an answer cannot be changed.
How long is the AMC MCQ authorisation valid?
Twelve months, and the AMC does not extend it. You can schedule into only one event within it.