AMC MCQ Exam Fees, Booking Steps and Exam Dates Explained

AMC MCQ exam fees are the first hard number most international medical graduates plan around, and at the time of writing (October 2026) the CAT MCQ authorisation costs A$2,920. But that is only one line of the bill. Before you can book, you also pay to set up an AMC portfolio and to verify your medical degree, and after you book you are held to strict rules on dates, changes, refunds and identification.

This guide puts every cost in one place, walks you through AMC MCQ booking with Pearson VUE step by step, and explains where AMC exam dates are published and how to choose one. Fees and dates change, so treat every number here as correct at the time of writing and confirm it on amc.org.au before you pay.

AMC MCQ exam fees at a glance (October 2026)

The AMC lists all charges in Australian dollars, free of GST. These are the fees an MCQ candidate is most likely to meet, plus the next-stage fees to budget for now.

Since 9.00am AEST on 1 October 2026 the AMC no longer adds a card payment surcharge to any card payment. The fees themselves did not change, so if you priced your budget before October, take the surcharge line out.

Total AMC MCQ exam fees and hidden costs

The AMC MCQ exam fee is the largest single payment, but you pay three parties before you sit: the AMC, ECFMG (for verification), and whoever supplies your travel, documents and study resources.

Fees you pay the AMC

For a typical candidate with one primary medical qualification and a first-time pass, the AMC side of the bill is the portfolio plus one authorisation:

• Portfolio: A$642
• CAT MCQ authorisation: A$2,920
• Total paid to the AMC to sit once: A$3,562

Add A$107 for each additional qualification you need assessed. Most MCQ candidates need only their primary medical degree, but if your registration pathway or a later application needs more, budget for it.

Fees you pay ECFMG for verification

The AMC does not verify your degree itself. ECFMG, a member of Intealth, performs primary source verification for the AMC through its MyIntealth platform and EPIC. ECFMG’s published EPIC fee page lists, at the time of writing:

• US$110 to establish a MyIntealth account and confirm your identity (this includes notarisation of the Intealth Identification Form)
• US$35 to establish an EPIC Portfolio
• US$110 per credential verified
• Optional courier delivery: US$15 for institutions in the US, US$30 for institutions elsewhere

For one credential (your final medical diploma) that is about US$255 before extras. Some universities also charge their own verification fees. ECFMG, not the AMC, sets these amounts, so check its fee page when you apply.

Costs nobody invoices you for

These vary too much for a single figure, but leaving them out is how budgets fail:

• Documents. Both exam-day IDs must be in English or carry a certified English translation, and your names must match your AMC record exactly. Fixing a mismatch or translating a document costs money and time.
• Travel and accommodation. Pearson VUE runs AMC venues in Australia and other countries, but not in every city. If your nearest venue is in another city, budget for flights, a night’s stay and buffer time. The AMC’s own advice is to allow extra time for delayed flights and to check time-zone differences.
• Preparation. Question banks and books range from free to several hundred dollars. Our guide to AMC MCQ preparation resources compares free and paid options and suggests a stack for each budget.
• A second attempt. There is no free resit. Each attempt needs a new A$2,920 authorisation, so passing first time is the single biggest saving available to you.

Worked budget examples

The table adds up AMC fees only (ECFMG fees, travel and preparation are on top) for four common scenarios.

Look hardest at the second row: a failed attempt costs almost as much again as your first. Structured preparation is usually cheaper than a second authorisation.

What your A$2,920 AMC MCQ fee actually buys

• A 12-month authorisation. From the date it is issued you can choose any one AMC CAT MCQ event that falls inside that window. The AMC does not extend authorisation periods for any reason.
• One sitting. You can schedule only one of the events covered by your authorisation. If you sit and fail, the authorisation is used up.
• The AMC MCQ Preparation App. Buying an authorisation triggers an email with a unique link to the free app the AMC produced with eMedici: 210 questions written by AMC contributors, available for 12 months from when you activate it, on desktop, iOS and Android.
• A results transcript. Your result comes with feedback, issued by the AMC through your account.
• A placement letter. Once you schedule, the AMC emails an official placement letter, which may help with a travel visa (it does not guarantee one, so apply early and leave room before the closing date).

It does not buy a guaranteed seat at a particular venue, a date change after the closing date, a refund if you do not attend, or a second attempt.

Before AMC MCQ booking: eligibility and primary source verification

You cannot apply for an MCQ authorisation until your AMC portfolio exists and your primary medical qualification has been verified. This stage has no exam date attached, so it is the one candidates leave too late. ECFMG says verification time varies and depends heavily on how quickly your medical school responds, so start as soon as you decide to sit.

Step 1: Check your medical school, degree and graduation year

The AMC uses the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDoMS) as its primary source and aligns eligibility with the ECFMG sponsor notes listed there. You need to confirm three things:

1. Your school is listed for your country. If it is not, the school must request an ECFMG sponsor note.
2. Your exact degree title and graduation year appear in the program details and sponsor note tabs. If they do not, the school must request an update.
3. Your school, graduation year and degree title appear in the ECFMG reference guide and you meet ECFMG’s medical education credential requirements.

Do this before you pay anything. If you establish a portfolio and it is later found not to be required, the portfolio refund drops from full to 50% once it has been assessed, and to nothing once ECFMG verification has been processed.

Step 2: Set up MyIntealth and an EPIC Portfolio

1. Create a MyIntealth applicant account and confirm your identity. The account is fully established once a valid Intealth Identification Form is on file and you have a MyIntealth ID.
2. In MyIntealth, go to Services, then EPIC, then Credential Verification, choose “Establish EPIC Portfolio” and select the Australian Medical Council.
3. Upload your final medical diploma and nominate the AMC to receive an EPIC Report for each credential at upload. If you skip this, you must request the report later.
4. Note your MyIntealth ID and EPIC ID from the Identity Information tab.

The AMC accepts three credential types for the medical degree: final medical diploma, final medical transcript, or alternate graduation document. If you verify a transcript or alternate document instead of the diploma, the Medical Board of Australia may still ask for the diploma at registration, which means more verification fees later. Verifying the diploma first is usually the cheaper path.

Step 3: Establish your AMC portfolio

Create your AMC account, establish the initial portfolio (A$642) and confirm the EPIC Report has been sent. After ECFMG sends a report, allow three to five business days for the AMC to update its portal. If your degree was verified through ECFMG before, ECFMG typically reviews the existing record within 10 business days.

AMC MCQ booking with Pearson VUE, step by step

Once verification shows in your AMC account, booking moves quickly. Pearson VUE provides venues and scheduling; the AMC controls the authorisation, rules and results.

1. Apply for an MCQ authorisation in your AMC account and pay A$2,920. The 12-month clock starts here.
2. Wait for the Pearson VUE email confirming your authorisation. You cannot schedule before it arrives.
3. Schedule immediately through the Pearson VUE online candidate scheduling system or a Pearson VUE contact centre. The AMC’s specifications say it is “vital” to schedule straight after you are notified because some venues have very limited seats, allocated first come, first served.
4. Choose one event and one venue from those covered by your authorisation. The AMC venue list is on Pearson VUE’s AMC page, linked from the AMC MCQ page.
5. Download your placement letter from your AMC account. Read it for the exact time and address, and keep it for any visa application.
6. Diary the event’s closing date. It is your last chance to change anything without losing your fee.

Choosing a venue

The AMC runs MCQ events throughout the year at centres in Australia and overseas. A nearby centre with a later date often beats a distant one with an earlier date once you add flights and accommodation, and it removes the risk of a delayed flight making you late, which means exclusion.

Sanctions and residency restrictions

Because of US sanctions rules, Pearson VUE may decline to schedule candidates whose primary residency is in a sanctioned country. The AMC also states that, from 8 September 2026, candidates resident in Iran can be scheduled only if they can prove primary residency outside Iran, and otherwise may request a full refund. If this could apply to you, contact the AMC before you pay.

AMC exam dates: where they are published and how to choose one

The AMC does not print a public calendar on its main pages. MCQ dates and times are shown when you log in to the AMC candidate portal, and booking confirmations come from Pearson VUE. Events, closing dates and seats change, so third-party lists of AMC exam dates may be out of date. Always book from the portal.

Choose your date by working backwards from the level of preparation you need, not forwards from when you can afford the fee. A practical sequence:

1. Estimate your preparation time from your current knowledge and working hours. Our AMC MCQ study plan gives 6-month, 3-month and 6-week versions with weekly hours for working doctors.
2. Start verification early in that window. It has no fixed turnaround and you cannot buy an authorisation without it.
3. Buy the authorisation when you are close enough to commit, because the 12 months cannot be extended. The free AMC app’s 12 months run from activation, so activate it when you begin structured revision.
4. Pick an event that leaves a buffer before its closing date, so that illness or a roster change in the final weeks still lets you reschedule without penalty.
5. Allow for results and a possible resit. Results take three weeks, and you cannot apply for another exam until you receive the result of the one you are scheduled for.

Changing your date, withdrawing and getting a refund

The rules are simple but unforgiving; most money lost on the AMC MCQ is lost here.

Before the closing date

You can change your event or venue, or withdraw, without penalty before the closing date of the event you booked, provided a seat is available at the venue you want. Reschedule through Pearson VUE within your existing authorisation period; the new event must still fall inside the 12 months.

After the closing date

No changes are accepted after the closing date. If you have not rescheduled or withdrawn by then and you do not sit, your authorisation and payment are forfeited. Non-attendance and breaches of the authorisation rules or exam conditions mean the authorisation is consumed and no refund is given.

Cancelling for exceptional reasons

The AMC allows cancellation of an MCQ authorisation only in exceptional circumstances, with evidence: for example, a medical certificate for illness or injury, or a statutory declaration or affidavit for domestic circumstances. You request the cancellation form through the AMC contact form, and you must apply before your authorisation expires.

The table rewards deciding early: if your exam becomes unlikely, act within the first month or reschedule before the closing date.

Exam-day rules you must not get wrong

Test centre staff apply the AMC’s rules strictly. Read your placement letter and the Pearson VUE professional examination rules linked from the AMC MCQ page beforehand.

Identification

• Bring two original, valid IDs. Photocopies are refused.
• Primary ID: government-issued, with your name, photo and signature, such as a passport.
• Secondary ID: with your name and signature, such as a bank card.
• Both must be in English or have a certified English translation.
• The first and last names must match your AMC record exactly.
• Expired ID is not accepted unless it comes with valid renewal papers.
• Staff will check both IDs, capture your signature and take your photo before you enter, and you keep both IDs at your desk during the exam.

Arrival and conduct

• Arrive at least 30 minutes early. Candidates arriving late are excluded from starting.
• No books or examination material may be used. Phones, bags, paper, food and drink stay outside the room; you are given a whiteboard and pen.
• Family and friends cannot enter the venue.
• No prayer rooms are provided and the timetable cannot be delayed for religious observance, so plan your own arrangements around the 3.5-hour session.
• Follow every supervisor instruction. Giving, receiving or recording exam information ends your exam and can lead to exclusion from future AMC exams and referral to the Medical Board of Australia or Ahpra.

Inside the exam

• 150 single-best-answer questions, five options each, in one 3.5-hour session: about 84 seconds per question.
• You must answer each question before the next appears. You cannot skip, flag or go back.
• Wrong answers are not penalised, so never leave an item unanswered. You must complete all 150, or your result may be “Fail – insufficient data to obtain result”.
• If something goes wrong with the computer or the room, raise your hand immediately. Responses are saved every three seconds, and the AMC can review a disrupted sitting or order a new exam at no extra exam fee (though it will not cover travel costs).

Our guide to how to pass the AMC MCQ on your first attempt covers pacing, guessing and the exam-day routine in detail.

After the exam: results and the cost of a resit

Results are released in your AMC account at 4.00pm on the Friday three weeks after your exam event. Go to AMC assessments, then MCQ Results, and select the exam under Details. Results are never given over the phone and come from the AMC, not Pearson VUE.

Scores are reported on a 0–500 scale with a pass mark of 250. That is not the same as 50% correct, because the exam is adaptive and scaled; our explainer on the AMC MCQ pass mark and scoring shows how to read your transcript. The AMC has advised candidates of an update to the pass standard for 2026 sittings; the reported pass mark is still 250, so check the current specifications.

The AMC no longer offers verification of MCQ results. If you need a document reissued, the reissue fee is A$107.

If you do not pass, there is no stated maximum number of attempts, but each needs a new authorisation at the full fee, and you can only apply once your previous result is out. Keep doing timed questions while you wait so you are not starting from cold.

What comes next, and what it costs

Passing the MCQ is the first assessment on the Standard Pathway. You then complete either the AMC Clinical Examination or an accredited workplace-based assessment program before you can be awarded the AMC Certificate.

• Clinical examination: A$3,000 in person, or A$3,400 online (including a A$400 levy). Withdrawing a clinical placement within one month of payment returns 50%; after that, nothing.
• Clinical exam appeals: A$910 including one station, then A$235 for each additional station.
• Workplace-based assessment: A$1,070, refundable 50% after you accept a place and pay, and not at all once the program has started.

Registration with the Medical Board of Australia, English language requirements and supervised practice are separate steps with their own rules. Our overview of the AMC Standard Pathway after the MCQ sets out the sequence, and the complete AMC MCQ exam guide covers format, blueprint and preparation in one place.

Six ways to keep your AMC exam costs down

1. Confirm eligibility before paying. A WDoMS check is free; a portfolio refund after verification is processed is zero.
2. Verify your final medical diploma. It avoids a second round of AMC and ECFMG costs at registration.
3. Buy the authorisation only when ready. It cannot be extended, so do not use it as a deadline device.
4. Schedule the day the Pearson VUE email arrives and make any change before the closing date.
5. Use the free official material fully: 22 sample questions in the specifications and 210 in the AMC app.
6. Prepare to pass once. Timed, blueprint-weighted practice costs far less than a second A$2,920 authorisation.

If you are pricing preparation, our one-time question packs start at A$50 for 500 questions, with no subscription; compare them on the pricing page.