RACGP KFP + AKE: The Study Plan for Australian GP Fellowship: medical study guide (2026)

Key points

The AKE tests applied clinical knowledge across the GP curriculum. The KFP tests clinical reasoning and decision-making.
KFP is the exam most candidates find harder — it requires you to generate answers, not select from options.
Study system: AKE Q-bank blocks + KFP written practice cases + Australian guideline integration.

The RACGP Fellowship exams are the final hurdle for general practice certification in Australia. The AKE (Applied Knowledge Exam) is a multiple-choice exam testing clinical knowledge applied to general practice. The KFP (Key Feature Problem) presents clinical scenarios and asks you to provide short written answers identifying the 'key features' of correct management — the critical decisions that differentiate safe from unsafe practice.

Step 1 — Understand what 'Key Feature' means

A 'key feature' is the critical decision point in a clinical case — the one action that, if missed, leads to a significantly worse outcome. KFP questions test whether you can identify and act on these moments: the right investigation, the right diagnosis, the right management decision, the right referral trigger. Know the key features for common presentations and you pass. Miss them and you fail, regardless of other knowledge.

Step 2 — Map your study to the RACGP curriculum

The RACGP publishes curriculum areas and contextual units. Use these as your coverage checklist. High-yield areas: chronic disease management, preventive care (Australian immunisation schedule, screening), mental health, musculoskeletal, dermatology, women's health, paediatrics, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.

Step 3 — AKE preparation (10–14 weeks)

The AKE is a recognition exam — MCQ format. Use a RACGP-aligned Q-bank and run daily timed blocks. Apply the standard study system: timed blocks → error log → weak-area targeting → mocks. Australian guidelines (eTG, RACGP guidelines, Kidney Health Australia, Diabetes Australia) should be your clinical reference, not international sources.

Step 4 — KFP preparation (start at least 8 weeks before)

KFP requires written answers. Practise by working through KFP-style cases: read the stem, write your answer, then compare to the model answer. Focus on conciseness — KFP answers should be brief and specific. 'Investigate for X with Y test' is better than 'Consider doing some tests'. Practise until your written answers match the key feature format.

Step 5 — Build a 'Key Features' reference deck

For the 50 most common GP presentations, write the key features: the investigation that confirms, the diagnosis that must not be missed, the management step that changes outcomes, the referral trigger. Review this deck weekly. These are the marks that determine pass/fail.

Step 6 — Mock exams under exam conditions

Do at least 1 full AKE mock and 2 KFP mocks under timed conditions. For KFP mocks: compare your written answers to model answers and score yourself honestly. If you are consistently missing key features, your clinical reasoning for that topic needs targeted work — not just more practice cases.

KFP is not 'just writing better answers'

Most KFP failures are clinical reasoning failures, not writing failures. If you consistently miss key features, the problem is your clinical framework for that presentation — not your exam technique. Go back to the clinical content, rebuild the decision framework, then return to KFP practice.

SourceRACGP — Fellowship assessment (AKE + KFP)

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SourceRACGP — Key Feature Problem guide (PDF)

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Your learning path

Save your place and choose what comes next

Work through this guide (6 steps)

Use the actions from this article to track what you have worked through.

Step 1 — Understand what 'Key Feature' means
A 'key feature' is the critical decision point in a clinical case — the one action that, if missed, leads to a significantly worse outcome. KFP questions test whether you can identify and act on these moments: the right investigation, the right diagnosis, the right management decision, the right referral trigger. Know the key features for common presentations and you pass. Miss them and you fail, regardless of other knowledge.
Return to this section
Step 2 — Map your study to the RACGP curriculum
The RACGP publishes curriculum areas and contextual units. Use these as your coverage checklist. High-yield areas: chronic disease management, preventive care (Australian immunisation schedule, screening), mental health, musculoskeletal, dermatology, women's health, paediatrics, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
Return to this section
Step 3 — AKE preparation (10–14 weeks)
The AKE is a recognition exam — MCQ format. Use a RACGP-aligned Q-bank and run daily timed blocks. Apply the standard study system: timed blocks → error log → weak-area targeting → mocks. Australian guidelines (eTG, RACGP guidelines, Kidney Health Australia, Diabetes Australia) should be your clinical reference, not international sources.
Return to this section
Step 4 — KFP preparation (start at least 8 weeks before)
KFP requires written answers. Practise by working through KFP-style cases: read the stem, write your answer, then compare to the model answer. Focus on conciseness — KFP answers should be brief and specific. 'Investigate for X with Y test' is better than 'Consider doing some tests'. Practise until your written answers match the key feature format.
Return to this section
Step 5 — Build a 'Key Features' reference deck
For the 50 most common GP presentations, write the key features: the investigation that confirms, the diagnosis that must not be missed, the management step that changes outcomes, the referral trigger. Review this deck weekly. These are the marks that determine pass/fail.
Return to this section
Step 6 — Mock exams under exam conditions
Do at least 1 full AKE mock and 2 KFP mocks under timed conditions. For KFP mocks: compare your written answers to model answers and score yourself honestly. If you are consistently missing key features, your clinical reasoning for that topic needs targeted work — not just more practice cases.
Return to this section

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