AMC Handbook of Multiple Choice Questions: What's Inside and How to Use It
If you are an international medical graduate preparing for Australia, the AMC Handbook of Multiple Choice Questions is one of the first books you will be told to buy. It is written by the Australian Medical Council, the same body that sets the exam. This guide explains what is inside, who it suits and how to study from it.
What is the AMC Handbook of Multiple Choice Questions?
It is the AMC's own MCQ practice book, published by the Australian Medical Council under Editor-in-Chief Vernon Marshall. The book has 805 pages and contains almost 600 questions selected from the AMC examination bank for international medical graduates. Every question comes with an annotated commentary written by an expert editorial committee, so you learn why an answer is right and why the others are wrong.
What does it cover?
- Medicine
- Surgery
- Paediatrics
- Obstetrics and Gynaecology
- Psychiatry
- Population health and Epidemiology
- Community and General practice
- Ethics and the Law
It also includes a complete multidisciplinary paper of 150 questions, which you can sit as a mock exam.
The AMC MCQ exam at a glance
As of 2026, the AMC MCQ exam is a computer adaptive test of 150 multiple choice questions in 3.5 hours. Each question has five options and one correct answer, there is no negative marking, and you cannot go back to an earlier question. Results are reported on a scale of 0 to 500, with 250 as the pass mark. Always confirm the current format on the AMC website before you book.
How to study from the handbook
- Start with one discipline at a time. Do 20 to 30 questions, then read every commentary, including the ones you got right.
- Keep an error notebook. Write the concept you missed, not the question. Patterns show up within a week.
- Sit the 150-question paper under exam conditions. Give yourself 3.5 hours, no breaks and no going back, to match the real test.
- Check management against current guidelines. The handbook was first published in 2009. The clinical reasoning still holds, but some drug choices and screening advice have changed, so confirm these in an up-to-date source.
Books to pair it with
Most candidates use the handbook alongside a few other titles from our AMC collection:
- Murtagh General Practice, 9th Edition for general practice, the largest part of the exam.
- RACGP Red Book, 10th Edition for current Australian preventive care and screening guidelines.
- Annotated Multiple Choice Questions, the earlier AMC question book that this handbook continues.
- AMC Handbook of Clinical Assessment for the clinical exam that follows the MCQ.
Who should buy it?
The handbook suits international medical graduates sitting the AMC MCQ exam. It is also useful for final year medical students and postgraduate trainees who want well-explained clinical MCQs across all major specialties.
Where to buy the AMC Handbook in Pakistan
You can order the AMC Handbook of Multiple Choice Questions from Javed Books as a premium multicolour matt reprint. We deliver across Pakistan in 1 to 3 days, with free shipping on orders over Rs. 9,995. You can also visit our shop opposite Gangaram Hospital Outdoor Gate 5, Lahore.
