TL;DR: Use both. The AMC MCQ Preparation App is the AMC's own practice resource:
210 questions written by AMC contributors, free with your AMC MCQ authorisation. AMC Academic gives you the volume, explanations and full-length mocks to act on what the
app shows you.
Sit the app twice: an early timed block to benchmark yourself, and the rest in your final weeks to measure progress.
Note the patient group of every question you miss in the app.
Fix those gaps straight away in AMC Academic's high-yield bank of 2,800+ questions, with Astra explaining each miss.
Rehearse the real AMC CAT MCQ format, 150 questions in 3.5 hours, with AMC Academic's timed mocks.
What the AMC MCQ Preparation App is
The app is a free resource from the Australian Medical Council to help international medical graduates prepare for the AMC MCQ. Its 210 multiple-choice questions are written by AMC contributors to align with the exam, and the AMC refreshes them every year. They aren't past exam questions, but they show you the types of questions and topics the AMC MCQ uses, straight from the examining body.
Access is included free with your AMC MCQ authorisation, the AUD 2,920 you pay to sit the exam (how to register for the AMC exam). The activation link arrives in the AMC's acknowledgement email, access lasts 12 months from activation, and the app works on desktop and on iOS and Android.
The app and AMC Academic at a glance
AMC MCQ Preparation App | AMC Academic | |
|---|---|---|
Source | The AMC, with questions written by AMC contributors | AMC Academic |
Questions | 210, refreshed every year | 2,800+, scoped to the AMC Part 1 blueprint |
Feedback | Immediate feedback on all answers | Every option explained against current Australian guidelines, results by specialty, and Astra |
Mocks | Can be sat as a benchmark; not a full 150-question adaptive mock | 3 high-yield and 7 month-specific mocks: 150 questions, timed and forward-only |
Cost | Free with your AMC MCQ authorisation | From US$19 a month; 20 questions and 50 worked cases free, no account |
Best for | Learning the AMC's question style and measuring yourself | Daily practice, fixing weak areas and full exam rehearsals |
How to use the app with AMC Academic
Activate the app when your authorisation comes through. Use the link in the AMC's acknowledgement email.
Benchmark yourself early. Answer a first block of the app's questions and time yourself at about 84 seconds a question, the pace of the real AMC CAT MCQ. Save the rest for your final weeks.
Log every miss by patient group. The app gives immediate feedback on every answer. Note the topic and patient group of each question you get wrong: adult medicine, adult surgery, women's health, child health, mental health, or population health and ethics.
Fix those gaps straight away in AMC Academic. Practise the same topics in the high-yield question bank, where every option is explained and practice leans towards the topics you keep getting wrong. When an answer doesn't make sense, ask Astra, which reads your record and explains what didn't land (how Astra works).
Rehearse the full exam with AMC Academic's mocks. They follow the real format: 150 questions in 3.5 hours, forward-only and scored by patient group, including month-specific mocks built around recent sittings.
Finish with the app as your official benchmark. In your final weeks, sit the questions you saved as one timed block, like a short mock, and compare your accuracy by patient group with your first attempt.
Our guide to using AMC mock exams explains how to read mock scores and when to sit each one.
Why the app works best alongside a question bank
The app is the AMC's own practice material, so it's the most direct way to calibrate yourself against the exam's style. At 210 questions, though, it can't give you the volume, explanations and full-length rehearsals that a 150-question, 3.5-hour AMC exam calls for. AMC Academic fills that gap with 2,800+ questions scoped to the blueprint, every option explained, timed mocks and Astra.
Try 20 AMC Academic questions free. No account, no card.
Common questions
Is the AMC MCQ Preparation App free?
Yes. Access is included free with your AMC MCQ authorisation and lasts 12 months from activation.
How many questions are in the AMC MCQ Preparation App?
210, written by AMC contributors to align with the AMC MCQ, and refreshed every year.
Are the app's questions from the real AMC exam?
No. They're practice questions written by AMC contributors in the exam's style, not past exam questions.
Can I use the AMC app as a mock exam?
Yes, as a benchmark. Sit a block of its questions, time yourself at about 84 seconds each, and track your accuracy by patient group. It isn't a full 150-question adaptive mock, so pair it with AMC Academic's timed mocks.
Is the AMC MCQ app enough to pass the AMC exam?
Not on its own. At 210 questions it's a calibration tool, so pair it with a full question bank such as AMC Academic, with 2,800+ questions, and two or three full mocks.
How do I fix the weak areas the app shows?
Practise those topics in AMC Academic's high-yield question bank, where practice leans towards the topics you get wrong, and ask Astra to explain each miss.