The Australian Medical Council (AMC) exam represents both a formidable challenge and a life-changing opportunity for thousands of Indian and international medical graduates. It is the gateway to practising medicine in Australia, a country that offers unparalleled quality of life, professional development, and career fulfilment for overseas doctors.
Yet, many candidates defer the attempt for years, caught in a spiral of procrastination and over-preparation.
Dr. Sujatha Dasari did the opposite. She cleared the AMC CAT MCQ exam (Part I) on her very first attempt, in just five months of structured preparation and she did it without spreading herself thin across multiple resources.
Her journey is a masterclass in disciplined, focused preparation, and in this exclusive interview with Dr. Snegdha Sharma, Academic Head of Medical Studies at Academically, she shares every detail. Let's get inspired.
What's the Feeling After Receiving the AMC Exam Results May 2026?
When the AMC Exam April-May session's results were released, Dr. Sujatha's first instinct was not to call family or friends. Just imagine!
As soon as I got the result, I called Academically's programme manager. They were the ones who supported me with guidance throughout. I didn't know anything about the exam when I started. - Dr. Sujatha Dasari, AMC Qualified (April-May 2026 Session)
How profound! That reaction says something profound about the role structured mentorship plays in high-stakes exam success. Academically wasn't just a question bank for Dr. Sujatha, it was her complete preparation ecosystem, from orientation to exam day.
5
Months of Preparation
12-14
Hours/Day in Final Stretch
1st
Attempt
AMC Exam Monthly Study Plan for Full Time Doctors
When Dr. Ssnegdha asked about her daily schedule, Dr. Sujatha was remarkably precise. She did not start with the intention of finishing in five months. She had originally purchased the one-year access plan. But something happened during the orientation class that shifted her mindset entirely.
A faculty member advised candidates not to delay, explaining that consistent momentum builds confidence. The logic was simple. If you cover the material steadily without lagging, the knowledge compounds. But if you slow down and procrastinate, you forget earlier content and lose the thread. Dr. Sujatha took that advice to heart and built her entire schedule around it.
Months 1-3: Building the Foundation
8 focused hours per day, every single day, with no wasted days. Deep conceptual study of each topic alongside practice questions.
Final 2 Months: Intensification
12 to 14 hours per day. Question volume scaled to approximately 100 MCQs per day, with continued focus on conceptual mastery rather than blind drilling.
Exam day: April Attempt and also the first attempt.
Result: PASS
AMC Exam Question Practice Pattern: Learn from the Qualifier Herself
One of the most counter-intuitive pieces of advice Dr. Sujatha shares is about question volume. She had initially aimed for 100 questions per day from the start. A target she didn't always meet. But rather than seeing this as a failure, she recognised it as a sign of proper engagement.
"I ended up doing 50 to 60 questions per day," she explained, "because I was studying the material properly. For every question, I wasn't just ticking an answer. I was reading the surrounding topic in depth. That meant 50 questions took the whole day, and that was fine."
The insight here is one that experienced AMC coaches consistently echo: the AMC is not a question volume game. It rewards candidates who understand clinical reasoning at the GP level. Rushing through 200 questions a day without absorbing the underlying concepts is far less effective than deeply understanding 50.
Steal Dr. Sujatha's AMC Preparation Discipline to Ace the Exam
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Dr. Sujatha's preparation is the singular focus. When asked whether she used other question banks or external resources alongside Academically, her answer was a simple NO.
"I just did Academically questions only," she told Dr. Ssnegdha. "The questions cover the topic and everything surrounding it. So even if an unfamiliar variation of a question came up in the exam, I was prepared."
This is a testimony to the depth of Academically's question architecture. Each question is not built in isolation, the surrounding context, differentials, and related concepts are covered within the same module. This mirrors how the AMC actually tests knowledge. Not by asking for textbook facts, but by probing clinical understanding from multiple angles.
The AcadPrep Mock Series plays a critical role here. Its adaptive AI-driven engine identifies knowledge gaps across subjects and adjusts difficulty accordingly. So instead of passively reading static question banks, candidates get a dynamic, personalised preparation experience.
By the time Dr. Sujatha appeared for the exam, she had experienced far more question variety and conceptual depth than any standard practice book could offer.
Why Choose Academically for AMC Exam Preparation?
Join hundreds of international medical graduates who have cleared the AMC using Academically's structured, expert-led preparation system.
- 100+ hours of live & recorded AMC video tutorials
- Adaptive AI-driven Mock Series
- One-on-one feedback sessions with AMC trainers
- Extended course access for over a year
- Live classes + full recording library
- USMLE, PLAB and AMC-qualified faculty with 12+ years of clinical experience
- Webinars for approaching AMC MCQs as an overseas doctor
- Discord Community of mentors, alumni, and registered practitioners
Is AMC Exam Difficult?
Many overseas doctors overestimate the AMC Part I exam's preparation and underestimate their own preparation level. Dr. Sujatha is direct about this misconception. The AMC Part 1 tests knowledge at the General Practitioner level. It doesn't go to the depth of postgraduate specialty exams like NEET-PG or USMLE Step 1.
"It's not like NEET-PG," she explained. "They don't go deeply into the matter. They ask what is needed for a General Practitioner, which MBBS-level knowledge only. Not deeply like NEET-PG. So better we just study whatever the material is there in six months and just give it."
This is genuinely liberating advice. Indian MBBS graduates already have the foundational clinical knowledge that the AMC tests. The gap is familiarity with Australian clinical contexts and the MCQ exam format.
Academically's course is designed precisely to bridge that gap, with faculty who have themselves gone through the AMC pathway and understand the exact mental adjustments international graduates need to make.
Do You Need Coaching to Pass AMC Exam or Self Study is Just Fine?
What consistently separates candidates who clear the AMC quickly from those who take multiple attempts is not raw intelligence. It is the quality of guidance they receive. Self-studying in isolation leaves too many gaps. Gaps in understanding the exam structure, gaps in knowing which topics carry more weight, and gaps in the psychological resilience are needed to stay consistent for months.
Academically's programme managers play a role that goes beyond administrative support. Dr. Sujatha's immediate instinct to call her programme manager upon receiving results speaks to the relationship that develops throughout the preparation journey. The one-on-one Q&A sessions with AMC trainers provide the kind of personalised feedback that no video lecture can replicate. A trainer reviewing exactly where your clinical reasoning breaks down and correcting it before exam day.
Are You Still on the Fence?
Dr. Sujatha's message to doctors who are delaying their attempt is both compassionate and firm. She was once in that position herself, the candidate who thought one year was the safer timeline. What changed her was not willpower alone, but a structured environment that gave her the confidence to move forward.
"Six months is enough for this exam. Study whatever material is there, give it, and just go for it. Don't lag, you'll only keep forgetting things."
The AMC is not an exam you need to fear. With the right preparation system, the right community, and the right mentorship, it is entirely within reach and clearing it on the first attempt, as Dr. Sujatha proved, is a very realistic goal.
If you are an overseas medical graduate exploring the path to practising in Australia, the story you just read is not an outlier. It is what structured, mentored preparation looks like when it works.