The AMC pathway to practising in Australia is one of the more expensive routes for international medical graduates — the MCQ CAT authorisation fee alone is around AUD $2,920, and the full pathway can reach AUD $10,000 to $13,000. So keeping your preparation costs down matters. The AMC's own app is free, and iatroX is a low-cost paid option: one subscription, around $99 a year, covering its AMC CAT bank along with the RACGP AKT, RACP and ACEM, with an adaptive engine and a Socratic tutor. This guide explains the AMC fees, compares the main preparation resources on price, and is honest about what is worth paying for. Prices are in Australian dollars unless stated and as of mid-2026 — confirm on the AMC and each provider's site.
The fees you cannot avoid
The AMC MCQ CAT authorisation fee is around AUD $2,920, covering a 12-month authorisation, one attempt and the free AMC preparation app of around 210 questions. The AMC Clinical examination that follows is around AUD $3,000 in person or $3,400 online, with an AMC portfolio fee of around $642 and AHPRA registration of around $1,058 a year. These are fixed costs; where you can save is on revision resources, and the spread there runs from genuinely free to premium.
What the main AMC CAT resources cost
The AMC's own preparation app is free, with around 210 practice questions. The AMC Handbook of MCQs and similar apps are low-cost, around AUD $20 for roughly 600 questions. iatroX is a low-cost subscription, around $99 a year, covering its AMC CAT bank plus the RACGP AKT, RACP and ACEM, and is also billed monthly at around $29 — confirm the current local price on iatroX. CanadaQBank offers an AMC CAT question bank by subscription. Various IMG-focused course providers price their offerings as courses, typically the most expensive option.
Price comparison
| Resource | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AMC prep app | Free | ~210 questions |
| Handbook / app MCQs | ~AUD $20 | ~600 questions |
| iatroX | ~$99/year (covers several AU exams) | Adaptive, Socratic tutor |
| CanadaQBank | Paid subscription | AMC CAT bank |
| Course providers | Course pricing | Taught, premium |
(Prices as of mid-2026 — confirm current pricing on each provider's site.)
What you actually need to spend
The exam fees are unavoidable, so the sensible aim is to spend as little as possible on revision while still preparing thoroughly. The free AMC app and the low-cost handbook questions cost little or nothing, and iatroX's subscription adds an adaptive bank spanning several Australian exams for around $99 a year. Paid courses can help if you need structure or are targeting the Clinical exam, but they are the priciest option; add them deliberately, not by default. Because the fixed fees are so high, every dollar saved on revision is a dollar kept against an already large bill, and Australian junior-doctor salaries mean the upfront investment is usually recovered quickly once you are working — so the goal is to spend heavily only where you must, on the exams themselves, and modestly on practice.
Where iatroX fits
iatroX is a low-cost adaptive option: an engine that targets your weak areas, a Socratic tutor that works back through the reasoning behind a wrong answer, questions mapped to the AMC blueprint, spaced repetition and native apps, with clinical AI and calculators alongside. Because the AMC CAT is itself a computer-adaptive test, practising with an adaptive bank is good preparation for the format. That format point is easy to underrate. Because the CAT adjusts difficulty as you go and does not show a raw score, getting comfortable with adaptive testing — where early questions still matter and you cannot count on an easy run — is part of the preparation, not just the content. An adaptive bank rehearses that experience in a way a fixed set of questions cannot, which is one of the few places where how you practise, rather than simply how much, makes a measurable difference on the day itself, not just in the weeks of study beforehand. Its value is price and breadth rather than being free — one subscription covers the AMC CAT plus the RACGP AKT, RACP and ACEM — which is useful for anyone whose Australian path continues into general-practice or specialist exams after registration.
How to prepare cost-effectively
Start with the free AMC app and the low-cost handbook questions for core practice. Add iatroX's low-cost subscription for adaptive drilling and weak-area targeting, especially if you will sit Australian exams beyond the CAT. Consider a paid course only if you need taught structure or Clinical-exam preparation, given how much the pathway already costs. Put simply, the AMC pathway is a case where the fixed costs dwarf the discretionary ones, so optimising your revision spend is less about hunting for the single cheapest bank and more about not paying for things you do not need. Between the free AMC app, an inexpensive handbook and one low-cost adaptive subscription, most candidates can cover the MCQ thoroughly for very little, leaving paid courses as a considered choice for those who specifically want teaching or structured Clinical-exam support rather than a default line in the budget.
A few common questions
Is there a free AMC CAT question bank? The AMC's own app is free, with around 210 questions; iatroX is a low-cost paid bank, around $99 a year, covering the AMC CAT and Australian specialist exams.
How much is the AMC MCQ CAT? Around AUD $2,920 for the authorisation fee, as of mid-2026.
What is the cheapest extra practice? The free AMC app and low-cost handbook apps at around AUD $20, with iatroX adding an adaptive bank for around $99 a year.
Does iatroX cover Australian specialist exams? Yes — the RACGP AKT, RACP and ACEM, under the same subscription.
Explore iatroX for the AMC CAT →
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