AMC vs PLAB · Updated May 2026

AMC vs PLAB in 2026: Which Exam Should an IMG Take First (Australia or UK)?

By Chetan Kamboj, founder · medically reviewed by Dr Amandeep Kamboj (AMC pass-graduate IMG)

AMC gets you registered in Australia, PLAB gets you registered in the UK — there is no automatic recognition between them. AMC is the more expensive single exam (around A$2,790 for Part 1 vs £268 for PLAB 1) but Australian RMO salaries close the gap inside a year. The honest answer to “which first” is not difficulty — it's which country you actually want to build a life in.

If you are a working IMG asking “should I do AMC or PLAB first”, the worst mistake is to pick the cheaper exam and figure out the country later. Both pathways lead to safe, structured medical careers — but they diverge on cost, salary, family migration, and time to permanent residency. This piece compares them honestly, with citations from AMC, GMC, AHPRA, and the Australian Department of Health.

I write as the founder of Mostly Medicine and the husband of an AMC-pass IMG. My wife, Dr Amandeep Kamboj, looked seriously at PLAB and chose AMC directly. She finished Part 1, Part 2 and is now completing recency-of-practice in Gurugram before returning to Sydney. Her reasoning is below.

Quick facts at a glance

AMC Part 1 (MCQ) costs around A$2,790 per attempt; PLAB 1 costs £268 (AMC and GMC published 2025–2026 fee schedules).
AMC has 2 exams (Part 1 MCQ + Part 2 Clinical); PLAB has 2 exams (PLAB 1 SBA + PLAB 2 OSCE).
The AMC does not publish country-of-training pass rates; the GMC does, by primary medical qualification.
Australia's RMO base salary in 2026 sits around A$80,000–A$110,000 (PGY1–PGY3) before overtime; UK FY2 base sits around £37,000 before banding (NHS pay scales 2025/26).
A doctor with PLAB and full GMC registration cannot practise in Australia without sitting AMC — there is no automatic recognition.
The UK is on the AMC's Competent Authority pathway, but only doctors with substantive UK GMC registration plus prescribed UK-based experience qualify — passing PLAB alone does not.

What is AMC and what is PLAB?

The AMC (Australian Medical Council) assesses overseas-trained doctors for Australian registration. The standard pathway is two exams — Part 1 (MCQ) and Part 2 (Clinical) — followed by AHPRA registration. Without an AMC certificate (or a Competent Authority exemption), an IMG cannot get general registration in Australia.

PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board) is the GMC's two-part assessment for UK registration: PLAB 1 (180 SBAs) and PLAB 2 (16-station OSCE). Pass both and you are eligible for full GMC registration with a licence to practise; first UK job is typically as an FY2 clinician.

Eligibility: who can sit AMC vs PLAB

AMC requires a primary medical qualification recognised in the World Directory of Medical Schools, an approved English test (IELTS/OET/PTE/TOEFL meeting the AHPRA standard), and primary-source verification through ECFMG/EPIC. Without an AMC ID you cannot book Part 1.

PLAB requires a GMC-recognised primary medical qualification, an approved English test (IELTS Academic 7.5 overall, no band below 7.0; or OET grade B), and a GMC online account application. The GMC also requires a completed internship before taking up full registration.

Book your English test first — it is the single most common rate-limiter for IMGs on either pathway. See IELTS vs OET for AHPRA.

Cost comparison 2026 (the full picture, not just the exam fee)

Most “AMC vs PLAB cost” comparisons quote only the exam fee. That's misleading — the dominant cost is travel, English testing, and registration.

Cost line	AMC pathway (2026)	PLAB pathway (2026)
Part 1 / PLAB 1 fee	~A$2,790 per attempt	£268 per attempt
Part 2 / PLAB 2 fee	~A$3,800–A$4,000	£934 per attempt
Test centres	Part 1 globally via Pearson VUE; Part 2 in Australia + select overseas	PLAB 1 globally; PLAB 2 only in Manchester, UK
English test (typical)	OET A$587 or IELTS Academic A$420	Same — both accept IELTS / OET
Primary-source verification	ECFMG/EPIC	GMC online verification
Registration on pass	AHPRA application + fee	GMC registration with licence to practise + fee
Mandatory international travel	Optional (Part 2 has overseas centres)	Mandatory Manchester trip for PLAB 2

Sources: amc.org.au/assessment/fees, gmc-uk.org, ahpra.gov.au, ecfmg.org/epic.

AMC has the higher single-exam fee, but PLAB requires a Manchester trip for PLAB 2 — which closes the gap meaningfully for IMGs in South Asia, the Middle East or Africa. Use our AMC fee calculator to model the full A$ stack.

Difficulty: which is harder, AMC or PLAB?

No honest answer in the abstract. Both test broadly the same medical knowledge against country-specific clinical norms. More useful is what each tests differently.

MCQ paper. AMC Part 1 is 150 MCQs over 3.5 hours with ~120 scored items. PLAB 1 is 180 SBAs over 3 hours — faster-paced. AMC weights Australian-specific therapeutics heavily (PBS first lines, Therapeutic Guidelines, eTG). The trap on AMC isn't knowledge — it's the Australian-context distractor.

Clinical OSCE. Both are 16 stations × 8 minutes. AMC Part 2 has 14 examined cases plus 2 rest stations; you must pass 9 of 14 (revised from 10 in the 2026 cycle). PLAB 2 uses a domain-based standard set per cycle. AMC clinical scenarios lean primary-care and Australian-context (“PBS-listed antihypertensive”, “refer back to GP”); PLAB 2 leans acute and NICE-aligned. IMGs trained in hospitalist-heavy systems sometimes find PLAB 2 closer to daily reasoning; IMGs with strong outpatient exposure often find AMC closer.

Pass rates compared

Critical caveat: AMC and GMC publish pass-rate data at very different levels of granularity. The GMC publishes PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 pass rates by primary medical qualification — you can look up rates by country group. The AMC publishes only aggregate per-cycle rates, with no country-of-training breakdown.

What the public data shows:

AMC Part 1 (MCQ) first-attempt has historically clustered in the 60–70% band across recent cycles (AMC annual reports, amc.org.au/about/statistics). Verified range, not a single year-specific figure.
AMC Part 2 (Clinical) first-attempt sits lower, historically 50–65% depending on cycle.
PLAB 1 first-attempt published by the GMC has generally sat in the 65–75% global average range, with material country-by-country variation in the published tables.
PLAB 2 first-attempt varies substantially by primary medical qualification — see the GMC PLAB statistics page for the current breakdown.

For deeper AMC pass-rate methodology, see AMC pass rates by country.

Career outcomes: registration → first job → PR

Australia (AMC → AHPRA → RMO → PR). After AMC Part 1 + Part 2, apply for AHPRA. Most IMGs start on provisional registration as PGY-1 equivalent, move to general registration after a supervised year, and work as an RMO. Visa stack: 482 (Skills in Demand) → 186 (Employer-Sponsored PR), with DAMA agreements offering faster regional routes. ANZSCO 253111 Medical Practitioner is on Australia's Core Skills Occupation List. Realistic time to PR: 4–5 years post general registration via 482 → 186.

UK (PLAB → GMC → FY2 → ILR). After PLAB, register with the GMC with a licence to practise, enter at FY2-equivalent (often Trust-grade or LAS first), then apply into formal training. Visa stack: Skilled Worker (Health and Care) → ILR after 5 years qualifying residence. Realistic time to PR/ILR: 5 years continuous qualifying employment.

Salary, lifestyle, family

A 2026 Australian RMO base sits roughly A$80,000–A$110,000 (PGY1–PGY3, before overtime and rural loadings) per state award rates and ASMOF schedules. A 2026 UK FY2 base sits around £37,000 before banding supplements (NHS England pay scales 2025/26). After currency conversion, total RMO package routinely lands 1.6–2× UK FY2 equivalent. The UK has lower out-of-pocket healthcare costs and a more linear specialty training structure; Australia compensates with sunshine and clearer regional-to-PR pathways. Family migration: both countries allow spouse and children inclusion at the time of primary application; Australia's 482 → 186 keeps family on one visa stream throughout.

Founder note: why my wife chose AMC, not PLAB

Amandeep is Punjab MBBS-trained and looked at both pathways. Three things tipped her towards AMC. First, family geography — we were partly anchored to Sydney, so AMC fit the life we were already building rather than a hypothetical UK detour. PLAB has the lower headline exam fee, but uprooting twice (Manchester for PLAB 2, then potentially the UK-to-Australia move later) is the real cost. Second, salary differential — modelled on RMO and FY2 base rates, the Australian numbers won inside year one; the “cheaper exam” argument vanishes the moment you compare lifetime salary, not test fees. Third, specialty fit — Australia's primary-care orientation, RACGP and rural generalist routes match what she actually wants to practise.

She finished Part 1, then Part 2, and is now completing recency in Gurugram (3 months apart from Sydney as I write this). No regrets on skipping PLAB. Make your decision on country and life — not on whichever test fee is lower.

Time to PR: AU vs UK side-by-side

Milestone	Australia (AMC pathway)	UK (PLAB pathway)
Pass exams	AMC Part 1 + Part 2 (typical 12–18 months prep)	PLAB 1 + PLAB 2 (typical 9–18 months prep)
Register	AHPRA (4–6 months realistic processing)	GMC (typically faster, ~weeks once docs in)
First job	RMO (PGY1/2 hospital)	FY2 / Trust-grade / LAS
Working visa	482 (4 years), DAMA possible	Skilled Worker (5 years to ILR)
Permanent residency	Typically 4–5 years post general registration via 482 → 186	Typically 5 years via ILR
Specialty training entry	Concurrent with RMO years; college-specific	After FY2; via ST1 application

For a deeper unpack of the visa side, see IMG Australia pathway.

Can you do both? PLAB-to-AMC is the more common direction

Yes — and a meaningful number of IMGs do. The most common direction is PLAB-to-AMC: pass PLAB, work in the NHS for 1–2 years, then decide Australia is the better long-term fit. Crucially, passing PLAB does not exempt you from AMC. PLAB-only doctors must sit standard AMC.

The exception is the AMC Competent Authority pathway, which exempts certain doctors (including some UK-registered doctors meeting specific criteria around substantive GMC registration and supervised UK practice duration) from AMC Part 1 and Part 2. It is not a PLAB-pass shortcut — it requires GMC full registration plus prescribed post-registration UK experience. Check the current criteria on amc.org.au directly. Going AMC-to-PLAB is rarer but possible — your AMC certificate does not exempt you from PLAB.

Decision framework: which exam first?

Five questions, in order. Answer the first cleanly and the rest usually fall into place.

Where do you want to live for the next 10 years? If Australia, do AMC. If UK, do PLAB. Don't optimise for the cheaper exam.
Where is your family? Australia's 482 → 186 is family-inclusive throughout; UK Skilled Worker is too. Geography of visiting India/Pakistan/Egypt differs meaningfully between the two.
What specialty do you want? GP and rural generalist tracks are typically faster in Australia (RACGP, Rural Generalist Pathway). UK CCT routes are well-defined but generally longer for IMGs.
What's your English test profile? Both accept IELTS and OET. Working clinicians usually find OET maps better to daily English. See IELTS vs OET.
What's your honest budget for prep + exam + travel + first 6 months of relocation? Model this in numbers — the AMC fee calculator and AMC timeline planner help.

If your answers point to Australia, next read AMC CAT 1 for the MCQ plan and AMC CAT 2 for clinical.

Where Mostly Medicine fits

If your decision points to Australia, the next concrete step is structured AMC prep. Mostly Medicine gives IMGs a 4,400+ MCQ bank tagged by Australian context (PBS, eTG, immunisation handbook), AMC Handbook RolePlay and Clinical RolePlay built on the Anthropic Claude API for Part 2 simulation, and Peer RolePlay for live practice with another IMG. Mostly Medicine is in free beta — all features unlocked. Start at mostlymedicine.com. For a three-way comparison see AMC vs USMLE vs PLAB.

FAQ

Is PLAB cheaper than AMC?

On exam fees alone, yes — PLAB 1 £268 vs AMC Part 1 ~A$2,790; PLAB 2 £934 vs AMC Part 2 ~A$3,800–A$4,000. Add the mandatory Manchester trip for PLAB 2, English testing, registration fees and relocation, and the gap narrows. Australian RMO salaries close the remainder inside year one of work.

Can I take both AMC and PLAB?

Yes — there is no rule against it. Most doctors who do both pass PLAB first (often because they trained or worked in the UK), then sit AMC later when relocating to Australia. Passing one does not exempt you from the other under the standard pathway.

Does Australia accept PLAB?

Not as a substitute for AMC. A doctor with PLAB pass and full GMC registration cannot practise in Australia on PLAB alone — they must sit the AMC, or qualify for the Competent Authority pathway based on GMC registration plus prescribed UK-based supervised experience.

Can a UK GMC-registered doctor practise in Australia without sitting AMC?

Sometimes — via the AMC's Competent Authority pathway. Eligibility requires substantive GMC full registration plus a defined period of post-registration supervised UK practice, not just a PLAB pass. Check the current criteria on amc.org.au before assuming you qualify.

Which leads to PR faster — Australia or UK?

Roughly comparable. Australia's typical 482 → 186 path lands around 4–5 years post general registration. UK ILR is 5 years of continuous qualifying employment. Australia's regional/DAMA pathways can shorten this; the UK's Skilled Worker → ILR is more linear.

What's the AMC's Competent Authority pathway and does the UK qualify?

The Competent Authority pathway exempts certain doctors from standard AMC Part 1 and Part 2. The UK is one of the recognised authorities, but eligibility is not automatic for any UK-registered doctor — it requires GMC full registration plus prescribed UK-based supervised experience. The current criteria are listed on amc.org.au and should be checked directly before relying on them.

Is PLAB easier than AMC?

Different, not easier. PLAB weights NICE-aligned, often acute scenarios; AMC weights primary-care, PBS-listed therapeutics and patient-centred Australian consultation norms. Aggregate first-attempt pass rates are broadly comparable. The 'easier' question usually reduces to which clinical context matches your training, not which exam is intrinsically softer.

Should an Indian MBBS graduate do AMC or PLAB first?

Decide on country first. If you want Australia, do AMC — PLAB does not get you Australian registration. If you want to start in the UK and possibly move later, PLAB is fine, but you'll re-sit AMC if Australia becomes the long-term plan.

Last reviewed: 2 May 2026

Next review: 2 November 2026

Author: Chetan Kamboj, Founder, Mostly Medicine

Medical reviewer: Dr Amandeep Kamboj (AMC-pass IMG, MBBS)

Sources