AMC Clinical Exam: Part 3

Welcome back!

Let us recap

You’ve passed AMC MCQ exam.

Prepared well for the Clinical exam. (see previous post)

Now you think you are ready to sit for the exam. Good on you!

Like the MCQ exams, you book your Clinical Exams (CE) on AMC portfolio.

A few years ago, you would be able to sit for the CE in different areas on Australia.

As of now, the only place to sit for it will be in Melbourne.

This makes it tough because there will be limited slots available.

I will give you some tips to make sure your exam booking goes smoothly

1. Do not book your leave and plane tickets before you get your exam date. Otherwise it will give you more headaches
2. AMC will release the dates of the available slots monthly. They will post the date and the time when you can book your exam.
3. On the day the dates are to be revealed, take leave or call in late to work – this is very important.
   1. The dates will be snapped up within minutes and you will have to wait for the next month before you can try again.
      1. (personal experience – I planned to sit for it in March but was late because I had ward work, so I missed the boat and had to sit for it in April – I passed in the end though J )
   1. You will need to be super focused without distractions on the day – get your credit card ready. Make sure you have enough credit to pay for the exam
   1. You only have 15 minutes to confirm the payment, otherwise you cannot book the exam

An important note – you can choose your preferences on which exam date you want, but it does not mean you will get that date. They will give you any slot which is available in that month. So this is the reason why you should not book your tickets and leave before confirming this. Susah, I know.

Travelling

As mentioned earlier. They only centre available is in Melbourne.

Australian Medical Council’s Vernon C Marshall National Test Centre (NTC) in Melbourne

Flights:

I strongly advise you to book your flight 2-3 days before your exam.

What is that? Expensive you say?

This is why:

1. If you’ve never been to Melbourne before, it’s a good idea to go early to familiarise yourself with the city. (personally I like Melbourne)
2. You’re not there for holiday; you are there for an exam. 7 hour flights the night before the exam will not bode well for you. You need to be well rested before the exam.

If you think you can sit for an exam the next day after travelling for more than half a day be my guest and go for it. Please let me know the outcome.

There are flights from Malaysia to Melbourne depending on where you fly from

I flew from Kuching. I compared the flight costs and chose the cheapest ones.

At that time, the cheapest was a lay-over in Singapore International Airport before a 7 plus hour flight to Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne

Regardless of the flight you choose, it will be a 7 hour flight and you need to be able to function the moment you reach Melbourne.

Ok you’ve landed now what?

SIM Card

Buy a SIM card. Aussie has Optus, Telstra, Dodo dan sebagainya

They sell it in vending machines at the airport. Roaming very mahal if you use postpaid. In urban areas the reception for any services is good but read up more if you want to maximise.

Apps

Make sure you have these apps on your phone

1. Uber – Aussie no Grab, ok
2. UberEats – very helpful if you malas go out
3. AirBnB – cheaper than hotel and can some apartments you can cook. More choices if you want to stay close to the NTC

Choose an accommodation near the NTC.

Food

After you book into your accommodation, don’t just go revise. Your mind needs time to declutter. Go out for a walk and enjoy the Melbourne weather.

You can buy snacks and food almost anywhere. Got a lot of Asian food around so don’t worry if steak and potatoes aren’t your thing.

Australia’s main supermarkets would be Coles, Woolsworth

Just buy a few things to eat while you study. Or if you really wanna save, can bring from home – janji it doesn’t get confiscated in customs.

Day of the exam

Same strategy applies with the MCQ exams

Eat a good meal 2 hours before

Bring some snacks to the waiting room

Don’t take too much coffee before the exam

Stay well hydrated but don’t drink too much

Reach the test centre early

• You’d wait at the main lobby of the centre – you will see a bunch of nervous looking people with their heads buried in books – those would be the other candidates
• An usher would take your attendance – bring your passport and other important documents with you
• You can do some revision at this point but why should you? You’re ready. Take this time to declutter your mind
• The usher will bring you up to the floor where the exam will be held.
• Another official will confirm your identity and put you in a waiting room with a locker
• Follow their instructions and keep your stuff in the locker
• If you need to pee, pee now

Exam itself

Before the exam they will show you an instructional video about how the exam is conducted. I have covered it in the Part 1 and 2 so look it up there. The buzzer very calming one, like lullaby.

You’d be brought to your stations. If rest station – rest la

Now if you start off with a task station here are some tips

1. Close your eyes breathe in and out deeply 3-5 times – calms you down – not some new age shit – this actually works
2. The question will come up in a screen. You have 2 minutes. Take your time to read it and digest it. Find out what the task wants and FOCUS on it
3. Plan what you want to do. If its history – SOCRATES, PE – picture in your mind the steps, management – think of the words you want to use when talking to the patient, dan sebagainya
4. The examiner will not talk or prompt you. When you enter the room just greet with a friendly hello, show the examiner your badge, smile and be polite. That is all. No need to kiss ass. The patient should be your main concern
5. Always smile and show a friendly demeanour to the patient – Malaysians tend to not smile that often
6. Speak clearly – enunciate your words, hold off on the accent, don’t say lah
7. Wash your hands before and after every consultation
8. When you hear the 1 minute left buzzer – quickly finish whatever test you need to do
9. Once you finish your task thank the examiner and patient – then walk out
10. Most important step – forget about the station –

Don’t worry if you’ve done well or bad, you don’t have time for this and you cannot change your performance for the last station anyway. Your attention must be on the next task and smashing it.

Finish Exam

You’re done!

Congratulations on finishing!

Good or bad it does not matter at this moment

You’ve done more than most people have at this point

It depends on what you want to do now

For me, after the exam I chose to spend a couple of days in Melbourne with my wife. We made it like a delayed honeymoon for both of us.

If you want to terus fly back – go ahead it’s up to you

The results will come out in a couple of weeks so all the best when it does!

After this I will write about how to get a job!

Till next time

Bye!