Apply

Eligibility

To be eligible to sit the assessment, you must:

• apply by the due date
• have at least 2 full years of postgraduate supervised training in general medical and surgical areas
• be in an accredited training position or on an approved training interruption
• have current medical registration
• be in your first or second year of Advanced Training
• comply with requirements in Progression Through Training Policy 

If you have outstanding training fees, you're ineligible to sit the exam. See College Fees Terms and Conditions.

Exam attempt limit

You cannot continue Advanced Training if you exceed the examination attempt limit, which is based on when you commenced training.

See Progression Through Training Policy for more information about examination attempts.

If you have outstanding training fees, you’re ineligible to sit the exam. See College Fees Terms and Conditions.

Overseas Trained Physicians | Check your eligibility requirements with your overseas trained physicians case officer before applying.

Application process

Submit your application

Applications have now closed.

Application confirmation

After applying, you get an email confirmation. If you don't receive this, check your junk/spam folders and contact us if it’s not there.

Payment

Once applications have closed, we email you a link to pay the exam fee and any other outstanding fees.

Final confirmation

You receive a candidate allocation letter via email when your eligibility has been finalised. This confirms your exam registration and venue.

Withdrawal

Withdrawals are not counted as exam attempts. Contact us to withdraw up until the start of the exam. Refund rules apply. See College Fees Terms and Conditions for more information.

To request a refund for withdrawal on medical or compassionate grounds, submit an application form under the Special Consideration for Assessment Policy.

If you withdraw, you can re-apply to sit the exam the following year if you meet the eligibility criteria. Application fees will not be rolled over from one year to another.

Special consideration

Applications for special consideration must be submitted using the Special Consideration for Assessment application form and guide.

We’ll consider these circumstances before the exam:

• permanent and longstanding impairment
• temporary impairment with medical grounds
• non-medical compassionate grounds or serious disruption
• essential commitments (religious, cultural, societal or legal obligations)

Once you’ve started the exam, only technical or procedural problems will be considered.

For more information on application requirements and the possible outcomes, see the Special Consideration for Assessment Policy.

Prepare

Exam format

7 clinical stations | 4 min reading time | 10 min station time | About 2.5 hours

The exam uses the objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) format. The content is carefully selected to test your clinical skills as per the General Rehabilitation Medicine Advanced Training Curriculum (PDF), and is standardised to ensure your performance is referenced to predetermined objective criteria.

You progress through a series of stations each presenting a different clinical scenario. 

Clinical tasks could include:

• history-taking
• physical examination
• use and interpretation of diagnostic tests
• diagnostic decision-making
• use of pharmacological and physical therapies
• clinical reasoning and problem-solving
• communication and counselling procedural skills
• multi-disciplinary management preventative strategies
• patient education and counselling

Live stations

In live stations, you interact with examiners, patients and/or role players. Role players could act as a clinical peer, patient or patient advocate.

You must demonstrate your knowledge of the topic and your capacity to interact with the role player or patient at the right level of engagement, using an appropriate level of language.

Two examiners are involved in each evaluation. They may ask questions as part of a scenario or simply observe your clinical performance and interactions with patients or role players.

Static stations

In static stations, you review an investigation, report or recording. You provide short, written answers in language you would use in a patient’s file. The answer sheet prompts you to give a specific number of responses. If you provide extra responses, only the first answers up to the required number are marked (unless clearly crossed out).

An examiner is in the room to provide instructions, but they won’t directly observe your performance.

Rest stations

Rest stations are included in the exam schedule.

Preparation tips

Regular clinical activities in your training setting are the best preparation.

You should be able to perform a physical examination, and interpret general medical problems, surgical problems and other data required for patient management.

Academic integrity

Some actions are seen as attempting to gain an unfair advantage. For example, attempts to:

• find out who examiners are
• contact potential examiners and seek guidance on improving performance
• contact examiners on exam day

These actions are a breach of the Academic Integrity in Training Policy, could lead to your disqualification and affect your progress through training.

Contact us with questions before or after the exam.

Exam day

Timetable

The exam is held in 2 sessions, morning and afternoon.

You attend either the morning or afternoon session. Exact times are confirmed in your candidate allocation letter.

Note: no changes can be made to exam session allocations after allocation letters have been distributed.

Bring

• your candidate allocation letter confirming your name, candidate number, session time and venue
• current photo ID with your full name and signature, for example a passport or driver licence
• blue or black ballpoint pens (no pencils, gel or felt-tip pens)
• 1 x stethoscope
• 1 x basic analogue watch
• water in a clear plastic bottle (optional)

Tip: Dress appropriately. Consider the weather conditions, the venue and your comfort while examining patients. You don’t need to wear a suit, but you should look professional.

On sign-in, you receive an ID badge and candidate ID stickers.

Not permitted

• written material
• calculators
• electronic devices (including smart watches and communication devices)
• food or beverages
• all other belongings (for example, bags)

Clinical assessment equipment is provided at each station. You cannot bring your own equipment or aids into the assessment area unless you were granted special consideration before the exam.

During the exam, all electronic devices such as mobile phones and smart watches must be switched off and placed in your bag. Your bag is securely stored on-site. If you’re found with one of these devices on you during the exam, an incident report will be completed, you’ll be automatically disqualified and immediately escorted out of the venue.

Completing the exam

You rotate through the 7 clinical stations in order. Your timetable and the exam invigilators guide you from station to station.

Five minutes before the exam starts, you are seated outside your first station.

The clinical scenario is printed on a laminated sheet, attached by a lanyard under your seat. After the announcement "You may now begin reading", you have 4 minutes to read it and familiarise yourself with the scenario. You cannot make notes during this time. The same information is available inside the station.

When the bell rings, enter the station. You have 10 minutes to complete it.

The bell rings again to mark the end of the station. Leave all papers and materials in the room except those you’re allowed to carry. Leave the room, move to the seat in front of the next station and begin reading immediately.

There are no further announcements, and all subsequent times are indicated by the bells.

Time prompts

Examiners may provide time prompts for physical examinations, and towards the end of the station, only if you have not reached the expected point in the station according to their instructions. You will not be prompted if you are on track to complete the station as expected.

In static stations, examiners provide a time prompt when there are 2 minutes remaining. These prompts are designed to give you the best opportunity to complete all elements of the station.

Completing a station early

If you complete a station in under 10 minutes, an examiner will ask if you have anything to add. If not, you can leave and sit outside the same station until the bell rings for you to move on.

You can’t re-enter a station once you’ve left. 

General exam protocol

• When introducing yourself to the examiners and role players, you can use your own name or another of your choosing. Your name choice doesn’t affect your marks.


• The clinical scenario provides the setting for the station. Role players are matched as closely as possible to the description in the clinical scenario. However, occasionally they may be a different age or look different to the description. Focus on the information in the scenario and assume the role player is as described.


• Unless specified, you can ask for any questions or information to be repeated. It's repeated verbatim and not rephrased or otherwise modified.


• If you complete a station in under 10 minutes, the examiner asks if you have anything else to add. If not, leave and sit outside the same station until the bell rings for you to move on. You cannot re-enter a station after leaving.


• Take your stickers with you when leaving the station.

Rest stations

There are at least 2 rest stations for you to regroup and use the toilet (escorted by an invigilator). Otherwise you must remain in the station for the full duration.

Mindfulness activities are available in the rest station to engage in if desired.

Starting or finishing the exam at a rest station is avoided where possible.

Hand hygiene

To maintain health and safety standards, you must wash or sanitise your hands before and after each station.

Alcohol-based hand sanitiser gel is provided inside each station.

Inappropriate examinations

If you perform an inappropriate physical examination and the role player is at risk of being hurt, the examiners will warn you to modify your technique. If you continue to conduct an inappropriate exam, they will stop you and move on to the next question.

The examiners can give the physical examination component of the station a zero score. All other questions are marked on their own merit.

Examiner and Observer Roles

Leaving the exam

After the exam’s finished and before you depart, the Chief Examiner provides a debrief and notes technical or procedural issues.

Personal belongings are returned and you’re allowed to leave.

Note: to protect exam confidentiality, morning candidates will be held on-site until afternoon candidates arrive; this may be up to 30 minutes. You are not permitted to access your mobile phones or any communication device during this time. The Chief Examiner will advise when you can leave.

Issues on exam day

If you experience issues leading up to the exam or on exam day that prevent you from attending, contact us. This may include illness, natural disasters or personal/family issues.

If you arrive up to 30 minutes late, you can attempt the exam but you won’t get additional time.

If you arrive more than 30 minutes late, you won’t be permitted to enter the exam.

Variation in the exam day procedure is advised in the Chief Examiner’s pre-exam brief. If circumstances require a procedure change during the exam, we give clear instructions.

Conduct

Exam materials and content are confidential. You must sign a confidentiality agreement before the exam.

The following is considered academic misconduct:

• removing exam materials from the venue
• wilfully damaging or interfering with a station or equipment
• reproducing or distributing the contents of exam material
• discussing your performance or details of the exam with the role players, observers, examiners or exam organising members during or after the exam

For more information see the Academic Integrity in Training Policy.

Results

Marking

For each station, a score and a global assessment rating is awarded by consensus of 2 examiners. Scores use a pre-determined marking guide.

For clinical stations, professional qualities scores are determined using a pre-set rating scale for:

• communication/rapport
• quality of physical examination
• knowledge and use of evidence
• clarity of clinical reasoning

Not all 4 categories are relevant to every station.

Example professional qualities scores (PDF)

Clinical station pass marks are determined using the Borderline Regression method. Static station pass marks are determined using the Modified Angoff approach. The overall pass mark is the sum of the station pass marks.

You pass the exam if your aggregate score is greater than, or equal to, the overall pass mark and you pass 5+ stations.

See previous exam pass rates.

Results email

You receive an email with your exam result from 3pm AEST, Thursday, 19 September 2024.

All candidates receive a copy of the general feedback which provides an overview of key strengths and weaknesses of responses to each question across the entire cohort. 

For previous years feedback reports, see:

Feedback Report for 2023 (PDF)
Feedback Report for 2022 (PDF)

In addition to this feedback, we are now providing more individual feedback to indicate the performance band you achieved for each question.

For each question, there are six performance band ranges:

• Excellent performance
• Better than expected standard
• Meets expected standard
• Below expected performance
• Poor performance
• Very poor performance

We understand that you may be interested in further individualised feedback, however we are unable to provide this. We encourage you to speak with your Advanced Training (AT) Supervisor or a mentor about your results to identify your strengths and those areas where you can improve.

To ensure equitable access and fairness to all candidates, the AFRM Annual Trainees Meeting (ATM) provides sessions on examinations, including exam preparation and other aspects of the exam, with opportunity for questions.

Ensure we have your current email address and contact number. Contact us if you don’t receive the email.

Resources

Rehabilitation Medicine Curriculum Renewal
PREP General Rehabilitation Medicine Advanced Training Curriculum (PDF)
Professional Qualities Curriculum (PDF)
Education policies
AFRM resources page