AMC Clinical Exam Resources For IMGs

Getting ready for the AMC Clinical exam can feel overwhelming, especially if you are an IMG juggling work, family and paperwork for AHPRA or PESCI. With the right resources for amc clinical preparation and a clear plan, you can turn that stress into steady progress.

This guide walks you through practical IMG resources – from the AMC handbook and recalls to AMC Clinical Books, AMC Clinical Websites and AMC Clinical Courses. The approach is based on what has worked for many International Medical Graduates, including those preparing for the AMC Clinical, PESCI (RACGP or IME) interviews and general practice roles in Australia.

Think of this guide as a structured checklist: what to read, what to practise and how to connect everything back to the way you will be assessed in the exam.

AMC Handbook And Official AMC Guidance

First on your list should be a careful read of the AMC Clinical Handbook and related official documents on the AMC website. These are core resources for amc clinical preparation because they tell you exactly what the exam tests.

Do the following with the handbook and official guidance:

• Understand The Exam Format
  Note the number and types of stations (history, examination, counselling, mixed), timing, breaks and marking system. This helps you plan your role-plays and mock circuits properly and reduces surprises on exam day.

• Study The Assessment Domains
  The exam does not only test diagnosis. You are assessed across domains such as:

  • History taking

  • Physical examination

  • Investigations and diagnosis

  • Management and follow-up

  • Counselling and patient education

  • Professionalism and cultural safety

  Keep these assessment domains in mind every time you practise a case. When you finish a station, ask yourself, “How would I score in each domain?”

• Read “Tips From Examiners” And Candidate Information
  The AMC shares common mistakes and expectations directly from examiners. Pay close attention to comments about:

  • Structure (introductions, summaries, safety-netting)

  • Use of Australian guidelines

  • Communication style and patient-centred care

Plan to read the handbook more than once. On the first pass, get a general overview. On later passes, make short checklists you can use in role-plays (for example, “New patient with chest pain – intro, danger signs, red flags, risk factors, examination, investigations, management, safety-netting”).

“Exams do not reward perfect answers; they reward clear, safe performance under time pressure.” — Common advice from experienced AMC examiners

Livesey File

Next, become familiar with the Livesey file, a popular recall collection for AMC Clinical candidates. This file is one of the most commonly used IMG resources, and when used wisely it can be very effective.

To get the most out of it:

• Study the recalls as patterns, not scripts. Focus on:

  • The common presentations (e.g. chest pain, abdominal pain, antenatal care, child with fever)

  • The structure of good answers

  • The way Australian guidelines are applied

  Ask yourself what the case is really testing and which safety steps the candidate covered.

• Use the patient handouts and explanations to improve your counselling and patient education. Practise explaining the same issues in your own words as if speaking to a real patient.

• Take your own notes. Rewrite recalls in your own words, linked to the assessment domains and relevant guidelines. This helps you move from memorising to real understanding and keeps your notes aligned with current practice.

The **Livesey file** should support your study of **AMC Clinical Books** and guidelines, not replace them.

Recalls

Recalls are still one of the highest-yield **resources for amc clinical** preparation, but they need to be used carefully and ethically. A sensible way to use **recalls**:

• Focus On The Last 6–12 Months Of Recalls
  This helps you see current trends, common themes and new station styles. If you are short on time, the last 6 months are usually enough for pattern recognition.

• Group Similar Cases Together
  For example:

  • Chest pain and shortness of breath

  • Paediatric fever and rashes

  • Antenatal and postnatal care

  • Mental health and risk assessment

  For each group, write a standard approach you can adapt in the exam.

• Practise In Discussion Groups
  Work through recalls with study partners:

  • One person as the candidate

  • One as the examiner

  • One as the patient or observer

  Rotate roles and give structured feedback based on the AMC domains.

• Stay Within Ethical Boundaries
  Do not share or request recall content in ways that breach AMC rules. Treat recalls as learning prompts, not a way to copy the exam.

“Past questions are a guide to patterns, not a promise of what will appear.” — A reminder many AMC tutors repeat

If you prefer guided teaching around recalls, you can join my LearnMedicine AMC Clinical course (https://learnmedicine.com.au), which includes an updated list of recalls from recent exams and structured practice around them.

Core AMC Clinical Books And Reading Plan

You do not need to read every textbook from cover to cover, but a small set of AMC Clinical Books will keep your knowledge safe and aligned with Australian practice.

Consider building your foundation from:

• Clinical Examination And General Medicine

  • Talley & O’Connor – Clinical Examination (examination technique and clinical reasoning)

  • Davidson’s Principles and Practice of Medicine or similar, for overviews of common conditions

• General Practice

  • Murtagh’s General Practice

  • Murtagh’s Practice Tips for quick procedural advice and common GP problems

• Paediatrics

  • Royal Children’s Hospital Paediatric Handbook or Practical Paediatrics

• Women’s Health

  • Llewellyn-Jones Fundamentals of Obstetrics and Gynaecology or Beischer & Mackay’s Obstetrics, Gynaecology and the Newborn

• Psychiatry

  • An Australian text with case vignettes and management plans for common conditions (e.g. depression, anxiety, psychosis, risk assessment)

A simple way to think about your core reading:

Area	Key Resource (Example)	Main Use In AMC Clinical Prep
Examination	Talley & O’Connor – Clinical Examination	Structure of exams, clinical signs, reasoning
General/GP	Murtagh’s General Practice	Common primary care problems and management
Paediatrics	RCH Paediatric Handbook	Safe paediatric assessment, dosing, red flags
Women’s Health	Llewellyn-Jones or Beischer & Mackay	Antenatal care, labour, postnatal and gynae problems
Psychiatry	Australian psychiatry text	Assessment, risk, initial management and follow-up plans

How to fit these AMC Clinical Books into a busy schedule:

• Use them as reference when working through recalls.

• For each common station type, read one short chapter or section and make a one-page summary.

• Focus on red flags, first-line investigations, first-line management and follow-up.

• When you see the same topic in a recall, guideline and textbook, pause and connect them in your notes.

These books support not only the AMC Clinical exam but also PESCI interviews and early general practice work in Australia.

High-Yield AMC Clinical Websites And Online Platforms

A lot of your day-to-day study can come from well-chosen AMC Clinical Websites and online platforms. These give you quick, targeted learning that matches exam scenarios.

Some of the most useful types of websites include:

• Clinical Skills And OSCE Stations

  • Websites with videos and checklists for history taking, examination and procedures

  • Large databases of OSCE-style stations you can practise with friends

• Australian Guidelines And Prescribing

  • Therapeutic Guidelines (eTG) and Australian Medicines Handbook (AMH) for safe prescribing

  • Royal Children’s Hospital (Melbourne) Clinical Practice Guidelines for paediatrics

  • RACGP guideline and “Red Book” style resources for preventive care

• Emergency And Acute Care Resources

  • Sites with ECG libraries, X-ray examples and acute care pathways are especially helpful for emergency and general medicine stations.

Use these AMC Clinical Websites actively:

• Watch a video, then immediately role-play the same skill with a partner.

• For each guideline you read, write a short summary of “When to suspect”, “First tests” and “First-line treatment”.

• Bookmark a small set of trusted sites instead of jumping between many different sources.

Combined with your textbooks and recalls, these sites become some of the most efficient resources for amc clinical preparation.

Role Plays And Mock Tests

Role-plays and mock tests are where theory becomes exam-level performance. They also mirror the station-based format used in many AMC Clinical Courses.

Build role-plays into your weekly routine:

• Structured Practice

  • Set up 6–8 stations in a row with 2-minute reading time and 8-minute performance.

  • Use a timer and rotate roles between candidate, patient and examiner.

• Use Checklists

  • For each station, mark yourself (or each other) against the AMC domains: history, examination, diagnosis, management, communication and professionalism.

  • Note specific phrases for safety-netting, consent and shared decision-making.

• Record Yourself

  • Video or audio recordings help you hear speech habits, filler words and body language issues you might not notice in the moment.

  • After watching, write down one or two changes you will try in the next session.

Regular mock tests build exam stamina, sharpen time management and highlight gaps you can fix before the real exam.

“Practice does not make perfect; practice makes permanent. Make sure what you repeat is what examiners want.” — Common OSCE teaching principle

Communication, Cultural Safety And The Australian Context

Strong communication and cultural safety are just as important as clinical knowledge. Many borderline performances are decided by how well you listen, explain and show respect.

When planning your resources for amc clinical prep, include:

• General Communication Skills

  • Practise plain-language explanations, chunking and checking understanding.

  • Role-play delivering results, breaking bad news and negotiating management plans when a patient disagrees.

• Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Health

  • Read short primers on the health gap, cultural safety and the importance of community-controlled services.

  • Practise introductions that acknowledge country and explore community context where appropriate.

• LGBTQI+ And Other Priority Groups

  • Review respectful language, appropriate history questions and confidentiality issues.

  • Practise asking about gender identity, sexual orientation and relationships without assumptions.

• Professionalism And The Australian Health System

  • Read the Good medical practice: A code of conduct for doctors in Australia.

  • Gain a basic understanding of Medicare, referrals, shared care with allied health and when to involve emergency services.

These themes appear across stations and are a major reason why good clinical answers sometimes still fail. Treat them as core IMG resources, not extras.

Making The Most Of AMC Clinical Courses

Many candidates choose paid AMC Clinical Courses to structure their preparation. These can be very helpful if you pick carefully and stay actively engaged.

When comparing AMC Clinical Courses, look for:

• A clear curriculum based on AMC domains and common station types

• Regular small-group role-plays with feedback

• Full-length mock exams under timed conditions

• Strong focus on Australian guidelines and communication skills

How to get real value from a course:

• Stay ahead of the timetable by reading the relevant recalls, AMC Clinical Books chapters and guidelines before each class.

• Use course WhatsApp or Telegram groups to organise extra practice, not just to collect notes.

• After each mock exam, write down 3–5 specific behaviours you will change in the next practice session.

If you would like a structured program that covers recalls, exam technique and Australian guidelines, you can consider joining my LearnMedicine course (https://learnmedicine.com.au) as part of your resources for amc clinical toolkit.

Final Revision

Set aside at least two focused weeks before your exam for final revision. This period is about consolidation, not learning everything from scratch.

A simple final revision plan:

• Week 1

  • Revise summaries from your AMC Clinical Books and guidelines for the most common presentations.

  • Go through high-yield recalls again, aiming for fluency rather than perfection.

  • Do at least one full mock circuit every 2–3 days.

• Week 2

  • Short daily role-plays (4–6 stations) with strict timing.

  • Quick reviews of notes on red flags, emergency management and prescribing.

  • Light review of communication, cultural safety and professionalism scenarios.

You can also do a brief “exam rehearsal”: practise your wake-up time, travel to the venue (if possible), meals and breaks so that logistics feel familiar.

In the final days, focus on sleep, nutrition and calm, short practice sessions. Avoid cramming entire new topics from AMC Clinical Websites or books at the last minute; instead, protect the confidence you have built.

“On exam day, you do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your practice.” — Adapted from a common study principle

Everyone’s study style is different, but combining official AMC guidance, targeted IMG resources, key AMC Clinical Books, reliable AMC Clinical Websites, smart use of recalls and well-chosen AMC Clinical Courses gives you a strong, balanced preparation plan.

If you have questions about how to structure your own study or adapt this plan to your situation, feel free to reach out.