One of the biggest mistakes Indian doctors make while preparing for the AMC exam is assuming it has a traditional subject-wise syllabus, similar to Indian entrance exams. The Australian Medical Council (AMC) makes it very clear that the exam is competency-based, not textbook-based.
This blog explains in detail about the AMC exam 2026 syllabus forIndian doctors so that they can prepare accurately, efficiently, and safely, without wasting time on low-yield topics.
Official Structure of the AMC MCQ Examination
- The exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions
- Total duration: 3.5 hours
- Conducted as a Computer Adaptive Test (CAT)
If you are preparing for the AMC Exam 2026, then you should enrol in Academically’s AMC Preparation course. You will get live and recorded lectures, study materials, AI-based mock tests, personalised guidance and so much more.
AMC Exam 2026 Syllabus
| Patient Group | Approximate Weight |
| Adult Health – Medicine | 30% |
| Adult Health – Surgery | 20% |
| Women’s Health (Obs & Gyn) | 12.50% |
| Child Health | 12.50% |
| Mental Health | 12.50% |
| Population Health & Ethics | 12.50% |
| Total | 150 Questions |
Adult Health – Medicine (30%): Highest Priority
What Indian Doctors MUST Study
This is the largest and most important section of the exam.
Focus on:
- Common medical conditions
- Clinical assessment and diagnosis
- Investigations and management
Safe prescribing and monitoring
High-yield areas include:
- Cardiology (ACS, heart failure, arrhythmias)
- Respiratory medicine (asthma, COPD, pneumonia)
- Endocrinology (diabetes, thyroid disorders)
- Infectious diseases and sepsis
- Geriatric and aged care medicine
The AMC explicitly expects:
- Sound knowledge of basic medical sciences
- Understanding of pathophysiology
- Ability to apply this knowledge clinically
What to Skip or De-Prioritize
- Rare metabolic disorders
- Detailed biochemical cycles
- Conditions unlikely to be encountered in routine practice
Adult Health – Surgery (20%)
What to Study
AMC surgery questions focus on:
- Pre-operative assessment
- Post-operative complications
- Acute surgical presentations
- Trauma and emergency care
- Basic procedural principles
What to Skip
- Detailed surgical techniques
- Super-specialized procedures
- Rare surgical syndromes
Women’s Health (12.5%) – Obstetrics & Gynaecology
High-Yield Topics
- Antenatal and postnatal care
- Normal and abnormal labour
- Common gynaecological conditions
- Reproductive physiology and pathology
- Contraception and screening
Low-Yield Topics
- Rare obstetric complications
- Obscure reproductive syndromes
- Excessive memorization of staging systems
Child Health (12.5%)
What AMC Expects
Child health covers:
- Fetal development and neonatal transition
- Growth, puberty, and development
- Common paediatric medical and surgical conditions
- Developmental disability recognition
- Emergency and ambulatory paediatric care
What to Skip
- Extremely rare genetic syndromes
- Complex paediatric subspecialty disorders
Mental Health (12.5%)
Under this the questions will assess your:
- Assessment and diagnosis
- Bio-psychosocial understanding
- Common psychiatric disorders
- Substance use and addictions
- Risks and benefits of treatments
High-Yield Areas
- Depression and anxiety
- Suicide risk assessment
- Psychosis basics
- Medication safety in psychiatry
Low-Yield Areas
- Rare psychiatric classifications
- Lengthy diagnostic criteria memorization
Population Health & Ethics (12.5%) – Commonly Underestimated
What to Study
- Screening programs
- Vaccination principles
- Epidemiology basics
- Health promotion and disease prevention
- Australian legal and ethical principles
- Informed consent, confidentiality, professional boundaries
What to Skip
- Indian medico-legal laws
- Memorizing legislation numbers
- Overly theoretical public health statistics
Clinician Tasks: How AMC Frames Every Question
Every AMC MCQ is also classified under Clinician Tasks:
1. Data Gathering
- History taking
- Physical examination
- Investigations and imaging
- Clinical reasoning during assessment
2. Data Interpretation & Synthesis
- Differential diagnosis
- Risk stratification
- Prioritization of problems
3. Management
- Education and counselling
- Drug and non-drug therapy
- Surgical and non-surgical interventions
- Rehabilitation and palliative care
Official AMC-Recommended Preparation Resources
The AMC itself recommends:
- Online 50-question MCQ trial exam
- Annotated Multiple Choice Questions
- Anthology of Medical Conditions (130+ clinical presentations)
- Legal, Ethical, and Organisational (LEO) principles
Indian doctors should treat these as primary references, not optional extras.
What Indian Doctors Can Safely Skip Overall
- Rote memorization
- Outdated treatment protocols
- Rare, low-frequency diseases
- Non–evidence-based practices
The Smart AMC 2026 Strategy for Indian Doctors
The AMC Exam 2026 syllabus becomes clear once you follow the official AMC blueprint. The exam does not test brilliance; it tests safety, judgment, and competence. By focusing on high-weight patient groups, mastering clinician tasks, studying common conditions, and aligning your approach with Australian practice standards, you are preparing exactly the way the AMC intends.
For any more information or guidance, you can always reach out to the AMC experts at Academically.
