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PESCI in Australia: What It Is, Who Needs One, and What It Costs

If you're an international medical graduate heading for general practice in Australia, the PESCI — the Pre-Employment Structured Clinical Interview — is usually the last gate before you can start work on limited or provisional registration. This guide explains what it is, who has to sit it, who runs it, what it costs in 2026, and where it fits in the Medical Board's registration process.

PESCI at a glance

IMG general practice · fees verified July 2026

A PESCI is a structured interview using clinical scenarios that assesses whether you're suitable for a specific job. It is not a general exam of your overall performance.
It's mandatory for IMGs seeking limited or provisional registration to work in general practice — on the standard pathway or the competent authority pathway. The Medical Board decides whether it's required for other positions, based on risk.
Three AMC-accredited providers run it: the RACGP, ACRRM, and the Institute of Medical Education (IME).
The interview fee is around $2,450–$2,497 (as at July 2026), plus provider admin/withdrawal fees on top. Fees are provider-set and change — verify before booking.
An outcome is position-specific and valid for 12 months. It's not automatically transferable to a different job.

What a PESCI actually is

The AMC defines a PESCI as an objective assessment of the clinical experience, knowledge, skills and attributes of an international medical graduate, used to determine whether they are suitable to practise in a specific position. It takes the form of a structured interview built around clinical scenarios. Crucially, it is an evaluation of suitability for a particular position — not an examination, and not an assessment of your overall performance as a doctor.

That framing matters. Unlike the AMC exams, a PESCI isn't a knowledge test you pass once and carry with you — it's tied to the job you applied for, and it asks a narrower question: can this doctor practise safely in this role?

The standard you're held to is one of safe practice, not perfection, and the outcome is simply suitable or unsuitable for the position.

Who needs a PESCI

The Medical Board of Australia has decided a PESCI is mandatory for IMGs seeking limited or provisional registration to practise in general practice — and that includes IMGs on the standard pathway and those on the competent authority pathway. If your job offer is a GP role and you'll be registered on one of those limited/provisional bases, expect to sit a PESCI.

What a PESCI is not is a universal requirement for every IMG:

Required — general-practice roles on limited or provisional registration (standard or competent authority pathway).
Generally not required — hospital and specialist-pathway roles that a specialist college assesses directly.
Everything else — the Board decides on a per-position basis, weighing the level of risk of the role.

One more feature to plan around: a PESCI is position-specific and not transferable from one position to another. Passing it for one job does not automatically clear you for a different one.

Who runs it

PESCIs are conducted by providers accredited by the Australian Medical Council (AMC), through its Prevocational Standards Accreditation Committee. As at July 2026 there are three AMC-accredited providers:

RACGP — the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Runs all PESCIs online via Zoom.
ACRRM — the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine. Also online via Zoom; positions itself for rural and broad-scope roles.
IME — the Institute of Medical Education. Offers a face-to-face option at its Gold Coast headquarters as well as virtual delivery.

All three are accredited to the same AMC standard, and the outcome report goes to the Medical Board regardless of which provider you use. The practical differences are delivery mode, scheduling, scenario mix and fees — not the standard you're measured against.

What a PESCI costs in 2026

The interview fee depends on the provider you choose. As at July 2026:

Provider	Interview fee	Notable add-on fee
RACGP	AU$2,450	Admin/withdrawal fee applies (see RACGP)
ACRRM	$2,495 (inc GST)	$150 if the applicant is not scheduled
IME	$2,497 AUD	Withdrawal/reschedule fee applies (see IME)

Fees are set by each provider and change — the figures above are verified on each provider's own page as at 3 July 2026, but re-check the provider's page before you pay. The add-on administration, rescheduling and withdrawal fees sit on top of the interview fee, so the headline number isn't the whole cost.

These fees cover the PESCI only. The AMC exam fees — the AMC CAT MCQ and, where relevant, the AMC Clinical Examination — are separate, and we keep those figures on a dedicated page so they're maintained in one place. See IMG doctor registration costs for the AMC exam and Ahpra registration fees.

What you need before you can sit one

To be eligible for a PESCI on the standard pathway, you must have passed the AMC CAT MCQ examination — the written, computer-adaptive multiple-choice exam — or have qualified for the competent authority pathway. Passing the AMC Clinical Examination is not a prerequisite for a PESCI. Some applicants will have sat it, but it isn't required to book a PESCI.

Providers layer their own conditions on top. The RACGP, for example, also requires a primary medical qualification listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools and a valid job offer in Australian general practice before it will schedule you.

The process, and what happens in the interview

A PESCI is assessed by a panel of medical practitioners and community members against your specific job's position description. The AMC requires a minimum of four standardised clinical scenarios; in practice the RACGP uses five. For each RACGP scenario you get three minutes' reading time and ten minutes to answer, alongside general questions about your experience and your expectations of practising in Australia.

The RACGP panel has three members, at least two of whom are experienced GPs and Fellows of the RACGP, and the panel members may not work in the same state as the practice you applied to. Delivery is by videoconference where the provider deems it appropriate (the AMC notes face-to-face is preferable); RACGP and ACRRM run all interviews online via Zoom, while IME offers Gold Coast face-to-face as well.

On timing, plan for weeks, not days:

Roughly one to three months — how long after you submit your application the RACGP holds a confirmed interview.
14–21 days — about how long ACRRM takes to return results after the interview.

How it fits Ahpra limited and provisional registration

A PESCI doesn't grant registration on its own. It's one input the Medical Board weighs when deciding whether to grant you limited or provisional registration for a specific position. The outcome report goes to the Board, which then makes the registration decision.

An outcome is valid for 12 months — the RACGP states 12 calendar months from the date of the report with no extension; ACRRM states one year. Because it's position-specific, a change of job can trigger a fresh PESCI.

If your circumstances change after a successful result, you can apply to the Board for approval to use an existing PESCI for a new position, but the Board may still require a new one if the new role carries a different level of risk.

Area-of-Need GP roles: get the sequencing right

For limited registration for area of need in general practice, the Board requires a minimum of three years full-time-equivalent experience in general practice or primary care. It recommends you apply for registration before arranging (and paying for) a PESCI, so it can first confirm you meet that experience bar — you don't want to spend ~$2,500 on a PESCI only to find you don't qualify. For most other cases the Board suggests arranging the PESCI before applying, to streamline registration. State depends on the pathway, so check which case applies to you.

A note on the 2025–26 pathway reforms

There has been a lot of noise about IMG reform — the Expedited Specialist Pathway and new RACGP fellowship options for experienced overseas GPs among them. These are real, but they do not remove the standard/competent-authority-pathway PESCI requirement for general practice.

As at July 2026, if you're taking a GP role on limited or provisional registration via those pathways, the PESCI rule still applies. Treat recruiter blogs that imply the PESCI has been abolished with caution, and confirm anything you read against the primary sources below.

FAQ

What is a PESCI and who needs to do one?

A PESCI (Pre-Employment Structured Clinical Interview) is an objective, position-specific assessment of an IMG's clinical knowledge, skills, experience and attributes, delivered as a structured interview using clinical scenarios. It is a test of suitability for a particular job, not a general exam. The Medical Board of Australia has decided a PESCI is MANDATORY for IMGs seeking limited or provisional registration to work in general practice — whether on the standard pathway or the competent authority pathway. (Source: AMC PESCI Guidelines, March 2024.)

How much does a PESCI cost in 2026?

The fee depends on the AMC-accredited provider you choose. RACGP charges AU$2,450; ACRRM charges $2,495 (inclusive of GST); and the Institute of Medical Education (IME) charges $2,497. Providers also levy administration, rescheduling and withdrawal fees on top — for example, ACRRM charges $150 if you are not scheduled, and RACGP and IME set their own administration and withdrawal fees. Fees are provider-set and change — verify on the provider's own page before booking. (Sources: RACGP PESCI Handbook; ACRRM PESCI page; IME PESCI page — all accessed 3 July 2026.)

Who runs the PESCI, and does it matter which provider I pick?

There are three AMC-accredited PESCI providers: the RACGP, ACRRM, and the Institute of Medical Education (IME). All are accredited to the same AMC standard, and the outcome report goes to the Medical Board of Australia regardless of provider. Practical differences: RACGP and ACRRM run all PESCIs online via Zoom; IME offers a Gold Coast face-to-face option as well as virtual. ACRRM positions itself for rural/broad-scope roles. The PESCI is tied to a specific position, so any provider's assessment is job-specific. (Sources: RACGP, ACRRM, IME provider pages.)

What actually happens in the interview?

A panel (medical practitioners plus community members) assesses you against your specific job's position description. The AMC requires a minimum of four standardised clinical scenarios; RACGP uses five, with three minutes' reading time and ten minutes to answer each, plus general questions about your experience and expectations of practising in Australia. The RACGP panel has three members (at least two experienced RACGP-Fellow GPs, from a different state to your practice). The standard you're held to is one of SAFE practice, not perfection. The two outcomes are 'suitable' or 'unsuitable' for the position. (Sources: AMC Guidelines; RACGP Handbook.)

Do I need to pass the AMC clinical exam before a PESCI?

No. To be eligible for a PESCI on the standard pathway you must have PASSED the AMC CAT MCQ (the written computer-adaptive exam) — OR have qualified for the Competent Authority pathway. The AMC Clinical Examination is NOT a prerequisite for a PESCI. RACGP additionally requires a primary qualification listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools and a valid job offer in Australian general practice. (Sources: AMC PESCI Guidelines; RACGP PESCI Handbook.)

How long is a PESCI result valid, and can I reuse it for another job?

A PESCI outcome is valid for 12 months (RACGP: 12 calendar months from the report date, no extensions; ACRRM: one year). A PESCI is position-specific and is NOT automatically transferable to a different job. If your circumstances change after a successful result, you can APPLY to the Medical Board for approval to use an existing PESCI for a new position — but the Board may still require a fresh PESCI if the new role carries a different level of risk. (Sources: AMC Guidelines; RACGP Handbook; ACRRM page.)

I'm applying for an Area of Need GP role — should I book the PESCI first?

Not necessarily. For limited registration for area of need in general practice, the Board requires a minimum of three years full-time-equivalent experience in general practice or primary care, and RECOMMENDS you apply for registration BEFORE arranging (and paying for) a PESCI, so it can first confirm you meet that experience bar and you don't waste the ~$2,500 fee. For most other cases the Board suggests arranging the PESCI before applying, to streamline registration. (Source: AMC PESCI Guidelines, March 2024, section A.4.)

Sources & methodology

Every figure on this page is drawn from primary regulator, AMC and provider sources, listed below. The definition, mandatory-for-GP rule, scenario minimum, eligibility prerequisite and area-of-need sequencing come from the AMC PESCI Guidelines (March 2024) and the Medical Board of Australia. The fees, panel composition, five-scenario format and 12-month validity come from each provider's own PESCI page or handbook, verified as at 3 July 2026.

Fees are provider-set and change, so treat them as a snapshot and confirm on the provider's page before booking. AMC exam fees are kept on our IMG doctor registration costs page rather than restated here. Nothing on this page is personal or legal advice.