The short version. Australia registers health professionals nationally through Ahpra and its National Boards, but each profession uses a different body to assess overseas applicants. Doctors sit the AMC MCQ Examination (150 scored items, computer adaptive, 3.5 hours, Pearson VUE) and then the AMC Clinical Examination. Overseas nurses may sit the NCLEX-RN and an OSCE. Midwives sit a bespoke NMBA midwifery MCQ and an OSCE. Pharmacists sit OPRA or CAOP. Dentists sit the ADC written and practical exams. Physiotherapists complete the APEP. All exams are in English.
Medical and health education in Australia
Australian medicine is taught either as a five- to six-year undergraduate MBBS or as a four-year graduate-entry MD after a bachelor’s degree. Around 20 universities offer accredited programmes, and the Australian Medical Council (AMC) accredits them on behalf of the Medical Board of Australia. Teaching is in English.
Graduates apply to the Medical Board of Australia through Ahpra for provisional registration and complete a supervised intern year in an accredited hospital before general registration. The AMC accreditation is also why Australian graduates are exempt from the AMC MCQ and clinical exams that internationally qualified doctors must sit.
Nursing is a three-year bachelor’s degree accredited by the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC). Pharmacy is a four-year bachelor’s or a longer integrated or master’s route, followed by supervised intern training before registration. Dentistry is a five-year degree accredited by the Australian Dental Council. In every case, registration is national rather than state-based.
| Programme | Typical length | Step before full registration |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine (MBBS/MD) | 5 to 6 years (MBBS) or 4 years (graduate MD) | 1 intern year, then general registration |
| Nursing | 3 years (bachelor’s) | Ahpra registration on completion |
| Pharmacy | 4 years or longer integrated routes | Supervised intern training |
| Dentistry | 5 years | Registration with the Dental Board |
One register, six assessment gates
Since 2010 Australia has run a single national registration scheme. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) supports National Boards, one for each profession, and a registration granted by a Board is valid in every state and territory. For graduates of Australian programs the pathway is short: the degree is accredited, so the graduate registers without a licensing exam.
The complexity sits with overseas applicants. A National Board does not run the exams itself. It relies on an assessing authority: the Australian Medical Council, the Australian Pharmacy Council, the Australian Dental Council, the Australian Physiotherapy Council, and, for nurses and midwives, the Nursing and Midwifery Board's own outcome-based assessment. Each has its own application, fees, deadlines and sequence. The practical effect is that a candidate must identify the correct assessing authority before doing anything else.
The second feature is that Australian exams are both a destination and a stepping stone. The AMC MCQ is an accepted prerequisite for the New Zealand NZREX, and the NMBA nurse assessment uses a US exam. The AMC MCQ is also computer adaptive, which is unusual among the exams on this site.
Who needs a licensing exam in Australia
| Profession | Australian graduates | Overseas applicants |
|---|---|---|
| Doctors | Register after an accredited medical degree and internship; no national licensing exam | Standard Pathway: AMC MCQ, then AMC Clinical Examination (or a workplace-based assessment alternative) |
| Nurses | Register by accredited degree | Outcome-based assessment (NCLEX-RN plus OSCE) for those whose qualification is not substantially equivalent |
| Midwives | Register by ANMAC-accredited program | Outcome-based assessment: midwifery MCQ plus OSCE |
| Pharmacists | Intern year, Intern Written Exam and a Board oral exam | OPRA or CAOP, then supervised internship, the Intern Written Exam and the oral exam |
| Dentists | Register by accredited degree | ADC Written Examination, then ADC Practical Examination |
| Physiotherapists | Register by accredited degree | APEP: written assessment, capability assessment, clinical workshop, unless a fast-track applies |
Doctors: the AMC Standard Pathway
The Standard Pathway is the main route for international medical graduates who are not specialists. It has two exams, in order.
AMC MCQ Examination. The test has 150 scored items, each with one best answer from five options, and is computer adaptive. That means the difficulty adjusts to your answers, and you do not get to see how a fixed paper is built. The session lasts 3.5 hours and is delivered by Pearson VUE, so candidates can sit it in many countries rather than only in Australia. The AMC publishes examination specifications, and also offers a free MCQ preparation app built with eMedici. Use both, because the specifications show the domains and the app shows the style.
AMC Clinical Examination. This is a multi-station OSCE. Candidates who have passed the MCQ may sit it, as may those on the workplace-based assessment alternative.
There is no national entry exam for specialist training in Australia. Selection into college training programs is run by each college.
- Create your AMC portfolio and have primary source verification completed for your degree.
- Pass the AMC MCQ. The result also counts toward NZREX eligibility if New Zealand is a second option.
- Pass the AMC Clinical Examination or complete the workplace-based route.
- Apply to the Medical Board of Australia through Ahpra, with English language evidence.
Try AMC MCQ practice questions free
Free account, no card needed. Answer sample questions with full explanations before you pay anything.
Nurses and midwives: outcome-based assessment
Overseas nurses whose qualification the NMBA does not consider substantially equivalent complete an outcome-based assessment. It is a two-stage test. Stage one is the NCLEX-RN, the computer-adaptive exam also used in the United States and Canada. Stage two is an OSCE held at an assessment centre in Adelaide. The NMBA site lists the current requirements, and nurses from some countries, including the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada and New Zealand, may have streamlined routes. Check eligibility before booking the NCLEX.
Midwives follow a parallel assessment, but the written part is not the NCLEX. It is a bespoke NMBA midwifery MCQ followed by an OSCE. Because it is a bespoke exam, the NMBA's own published content documents are the place to start.
Pharmacists: OPRA, CAOP and the Intern Written Exam
The Australian Pharmacy Council (APC) assesses overseas-qualified pharmacists in two streams. The Overseas Pharmacist Readiness Assessment (OPRA), which replaced the KAPS stream, is a computer-based multiple-choice assessment of pharmaceutical sciences. The Competency Assessment of Overseas Pharmacists (CAOP) tests competence to practise in Australia, also by computer-based questions. Which one you sit depends on whether you are in the knowledge stream or the competency stream.
Passing is the beginning of a longer sequence. Overseas pharmacists then complete supervised practice, sit the APC Intern Written Exam, a computer-based multiple-choice exam, and pass the Pharmacy Board's oral exam before general registration. Australian graduates join the sequence at the intern year.
The APC schedules these as fixed sittings. In 2026, OPRA was scheduled for 13-15 July, CAOP for 17-18 August and the Intern Written Exam for 20-21 October. Dates for 2027 should be taken from the APC site, not from this page. The APC also runs the OPRA used by the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand, so the same assessment can serve both countries.
Dentists: ADC written and practical exams
Overseas-qualified dentists first have their qualification assessed by the Australian Dental Council (ADC). Those who proceed sit the ADC Written Examination, a computer-delivered multiple-choice exam over two consecutive days. Success leads to the ADC Practical Examination at the ADC Examination Centre in Melbourne. The ADC examination handbook states the precise format and should be read in full.
Dentists should note that Australian and Canadian pathways are separate. The Canadian equivalency process is a different exam series, so preparation for one does not transfer neatly to the other.
Physiotherapists: the APEP
The Australian Physiotherapy Council runs the Australian Physiotherapy Entry Pathway (APEP). For applicants without fast-track eligibility it has three parts: a computer-based written assessment, a capability assessment that is a 1.5-hour online oral exam, and a clinical workshop. The written assessment fee is AUD 2,017.
There are two quicker routes. The FLYR pathway covers the Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden and the US, and requires an eligibility check and the written assessment. Express FLYR covers Canada, the UK, Ireland, Hong Kong and South Africa, and requires eligibility only. If you are registered in one of those countries, confirm which route applies before paying for the full pathway.
Join the AMC MCQ waitlist
We open a question bank only when it meets our question-writing standard. Leave your email and we will write once, when it opens.
Exams compared
| Exam | Body | Format | Who sits it |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMC MCQ | AMC | 150 scored items, adaptive, 3.5 h | IMGs on the Standard Pathway |
| AMC Clinical Examination | AMC | OSCE | IMGs who passed the MCQ |
| NMBA outcome-based assessment | NMBA | NCLEX-RN, then OSCE in Adelaide | Overseas nurses |
| Midwifery assessment | NMBA | Midwifery MCQ, then OSCE | Overseas midwives |
| OPRA and CAOP | APC | Computer-based multiple choice | Overseas pharmacists |
| Intern Written Exam | APC | Computer-based multiple choice | Interns and overseas pharmacists in supervised practice |
| ADC Written Examination | ADC | Computer MCQ over 2 days | Overseas dentists |
| APEP written assessment | Australian Physiotherapy Council | Computer-based, plus oral and workshop | Overseas physiotherapists |
Planning the order of steps
The assessing bodies publish fixed calendars for some exams and rolling bookings for others, so the order of your steps decides how long the process takes. Three habits help.
- Start document verification first. Credential checks with the assessing body take longer than exam preparation for most candidates, and exam eligibility depends on them.
- Match the exam to the sitting. Pharmacy exams run on fixed dates, so a missed registration window can cost half a year. Dentistry and physiotherapy have their own booking rules.
- Keep a second country in view. The AMC MCQ, the NCLEX-RN and the OPRA all count or transfer elsewhere in the region, so a single investment can serve two applications.
Fees differ widely between professions and change each year. Take figures from the assessing body on the day you apply.
Language requirements and recognition
All Australian assessments are delivered in English. Ahpra requires evidence of English language skills for registration, set by each National Board, so a passed exam does not replace the language test. Because the standards change, read the registration standard on the National Board page, not a third-party summary.
Recognition operates in several ways. Nurses from some countries get streamlined assessment. Physiotherapists from five countries get Express FLYR. Doctors have other pathways beyond the Standard Pathway, including routes for specialists, and those are outside the scope of this page; the AMC pathways page explains them.
The practical advice is to confirm your route first. Many candidates book an exam that their pathway does not require.
MedPass Exams is independent of the AMC, NMBA, APC, ADC and Ahpra. We write original questions to the published specifications.
Frequently asked questions
What is the format of the AMC MCQ Examination?
It has 150 scored items, each with five options and one best answer, delivered computer adaptive over 3.5 hours at Pearson VUE centres. The AMC publishes examination specifications.
Can I take the AMC MCQ outside Australia?
Yes. It is delivered by Pearson VUE and is taken worldwide. The AMC Clinical Examination is a separate OSCE for those who have passed the MCQ or follow the workplace-based route.
Do overseas nurses sit the NCLEX-RN for Australia?
Nurses who need an outcome-based assessment sit the NCLEX-RN and then an OSCE in Adelaide. Nurses from some countries have streamlined routes, so check the NMBA first.
Is the midwifery assessment the same as the nursing one?
No. Overseas midwives sit a bespoke NMBA midwifery MCQ followed by an OSCE, not the NCLEX-RN.
What is the difference between OPRA and CAOP?
Both are computer-based multiple-choice assessments run by the Australian Pharmacy Council. OPRA assesses pharmaceutical sciences, and CAOP assesses competence to practise in Australia. Your stream decides which you sit.
Do Australian graduates need to pass a licensing exam?
Doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists and physiotherapists register by accredited degree. Pharmacy graduates sit the Intern Written Exam and a Board oral exam during the intern year.
Which physiotherapists get the fast-track route?
Express FLYR covers physiotherapists registered in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Hong Kong and South Africa. The FLYR pathway covers the Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden and the US. Confirm eligibility with the Australian Physiotherapy Council.
Last reviewed October 2026
