Apply

Eligibility

To be eligible to sit the exam, you must:

• be registered with the College (for training or interruption)
• have 24 months FTE certified Basic Training (PREP Basic Training program) or completed the Consolidation phase of training (new Basic Training Program) before:
• the beginning of the clinical year for the February exam
• 31 August for the October exam
• have completed all necessary training requirements as specified in the handbook
• have not exceeded the exam attempt limits and comply with all other requirements in the Progression Through Training Policy
• comply with the relevant Divisional Written Examination application closing date
• pay any outstanding College fees 

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

Application process

Refer to the key dates for more information.

Submit your application

Log in to MyRACP and click the 'Apply Now' button on the DWE exam tile. You must pay the exam fee when you apply.

Application confirmation

After applying, you receive an email confirmation. If you don't receive this, check your junk/spam folders, and contact our member support centre if it's not there.

Your exam venue

Approximately 4 weeks before exam day, we email you a final confirmation letter with your allocated venue details. You must bring this allocation letter with you on exam day.

Attempts

Transitional arrangements

Transitional arrangements provide additional time to complete exam attempts and don't extend the time limit to complete other Basic Training requirements as set out in the Progression Through Training Policy (see Item 4). These are in place to ensure that current Basic Trainees aren't disadvantaged.  

According to the Progression Through Training Policy all training programs must be completed within the time limit for the length of the program. In March 2020, the College Education Committee approved a 12-month extension to the time limit to complete training for all trainees who started training in 2020 or earlier, in recognition of the exceptional circumstances due to COVID-19. This extension applies to the training program(s) that the trainee was registered in for the 2020 training year.

Note: training program requirements include, but aren't limited to, satisfactory completion of clinical experience requirements, examinations, work-based assessments, projects and modules.

Withdrawal 

Withdrawals aren't counted as an exam attempt.

If you withdraw, you may be eligible for a refund. Refund amounts depend on when you withdraw.  See College Fees Terms and Conditions.

To request a refund on medical and non-medical compassionate grounds, submit an application form (PDF) under the Special Consideration for Assessment Policy (PDF).

If you withdraw, you can re-apply to sit the exam in October 2025 if you meet the eligibility criteria. Application fees aren't rolled over from one year to another.

You must email examinations@racp.edu.au if you wish to withdraw from the February 2025 DWE exam.

Special consideration

We consider your individual circumstances before the exam, including:

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

Once the exam has started, only technical or other unforeseen issues that occur during the exam will be considered.

Impaired preparation isn't considered grounds for a post-exam special consideration request. Candidates who believe their preparation has been impaired for any reason are advised to withdraw from the examination. Special consideration requests can't be accepted once results have been released.

Your mark or result will not be adjusted due to any special circumstances. For more information on application requirements and the possible outcomes, see the Special Consideration for Assessment Policy (PDF).

Submit your special consideration request by the closing date using the Special Consideration for Assessment application form and guide (PDF).

Prepare

The purpose of the exam is to:

• assess the depth and breadth of your understanding of basic science and clinical knowledge
• allow you to demonstrate the standard of clinical knowledge required to progress to the Divisional Clinical Examination and complete your Basic Training

The exam covers a broad sample of medical specialties following the Knowledge Guides in your curriculum, outlined in the relevant examination blueprint.

Current issues required for physician practice will be assessed, including your understanding of:

• impacts of patients’ comorbidities on their overall health
• specifics of disease and treatment interactions

This examination process will determine if you’re eligible to complete Basic Training and progress to the Divisional Clinical Examination.

Exam format

The exam will be paper-based. 

The exam for both Adult Medicine and Paediatrics & Child Health is made up of 2 sections:

• Clinical Applications examines your understanding of the practice of medicine and therapeutics.
• Medical Sciences examines your understanding of the principles of medicine and the basic sciences applicable to clinical medicine.

Each section consists of a combination of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and extended matching questions (EMQs):

Quality assurance (QA)

All our exams are written and developed by senior Fellows and educational experts in line with the curriculum. Robust quality assurance processes are in place to ensure the exam and results processes are in line with international best practice.

All results undergo detailed analysis to ensure they accurately reflect your performance and that trainees have been given the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and ability in the examination process.

Visual material

Some questions require you to interpret visual material, such as:

Other visual materials may be included in the exam sections, but you won’t be required to interpret them to answer the question. Generally, they’ll be accompanied by the type of report you would see from the laboratory, such as:

Multiple-choice questions

Multiple choice questions (MCQs) cover a range of sub-specialties. Each question has 4 options. You must choose only 1 option as your response.

Extended matching questions

The exam paper includes a small number of extended matching questions (EMQs). They have a similar reliability and validity to single-best-answer MCQs but are more effective at assessing problem solving and clinical reasoning.

Resources 

The Knowledge Guides detail the topics and concepts you're required to understand to pass your assessments and progress your training.

Readings

You’re expected to be familiar with:

• current textbooks
• relevant aspects of basic science in your division (Adult Medicine or Paediatrics & Child Health)
• topics covered during in-service training programs
• general coverage of review articles, annotations and editorial comment in medical journals
• diseases relevant to medical practice in our region (South West Pacific region)
• advances in physiology and biochemistry applicable to adult medicine/paediatrics & child health
• general coverage of review articles, annotations and editorial comment in medical journals
• diseases relevant to medical practice in our region (South West Pacific region)
• advances in physiology and biochemistry applicable to Adult Medicine/Paediatrics & Child Health

Texts on the major subspecialties may be useful but aren't essential.

In line with changes made to the names of medicine ingredients by the Therapeutic Drugs Administration (TGA) from 2016, drug names on the Exam reflect the new name followed by the old name enclosed in parentheses, such as:

Exam day

Effective 1 January 2025, staggered start times will be implemented across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Check the timetable for your area for more details.

Timetable

Items on the day

Personal items

• printed or digital copy of your allocation letter confirming your name, number and venue
• current photo ID with your full name and signature, for example your passport or driver licence — digital IDs are not accepted
• blue or black ballpoint pens (no pencils, gel or felt-tipped pens)
• 1 x ruler (optional)
• 1 x highlighter (optional)
• face masks (optional)
• basic analogue watch (optional)
• still water in water bottles (optional)

Pens, highlighter, ruler and masks should be carried into the examination in a small, clear, resealable plastic bag.

Tip: wear additional clothing layers to adjust to the room temperature.

Not permitted

• electronic devices, including tablets, scanners, dictionaries, smart pens or watches (which function in a way which is similar to a tablet)
• pagers
• laptop computers
• personal communication aids
• calculators
• ear plugs (unless special permission has been granted by RACP)
• headphones
• food and beverages (other than still water) unless special permission has been granted by RACP
• dictionaries
• pencils
• frixtion (erasable) pens, gel pens or felt tip pens

Tip: recording devices on your person, including mobile phones, lead to automatic disqualification. Unauthorised materials may also lead to disqualification.

All mobile phones, digital watches, sport watches, smart watches (including but not limited to Apple watch, Garmin, Fitbit, Samsung), pagers and electronic communication devices must be switched off, placed on the floor under your desk and visible to the invigilators.

Devices that sound during the exam will be subject to an incident report.

Your answer sheet will be scanned to create a digital copy of your responses. Black or blue ballpoint pens give the clearest scan. Pencil marks, especially if erased, can leave shadows and don’t scan well.

Seating arrangements

Seating lists showing your allocated seat number will be displayed near the venue entrance.

If you have any seating questions, speak to the Chief Invigilator as early as possible on exam day.

Starting the exam

You'll have 10 minutes of reading time at the beginning of each paper. During this time, you must not write on or mark the paper in any way.

When the exam begins, ensure you complete your details on the cover of the exam booklet and the answer sheet.

Leaving the exam room

Don’t leave the exam room without an invigilator’s approval. If you need to go to the toilet, the invigilator will escort you.

If you want to leave before the end of the exam, stay seated and raise your hand. An invigilator will check your materials and release you.

When you finish the exam, any paper you have used during the exam will be collected. You can leave after the first 30 minutes of the exam, but not in the last 10 minutes.

Issues on exam day

If you experience any issues leading up to the exam or on exam day that prevent you from attending, email examinations@racp.edu.au as soon as possible. This may include illness, natural disasters or personal/family issues.

Results

To be successful in this examination, you must demonstrate the standard expected of a doctor who has completed all generalist physician training.

Marking

The exam consists of 170 questions. Correct answers are worth one mark. Marks aren't deducted for incorrect answers.

Your examination score is the sum of the scores for each paper. You don't need to pass each paper separately. 

The multiple-choice answer sheets are scanned twice by 2 independent scanning companies to ensure accuracy. Papers are reviewed by a human marker if ambiguities in electronic marking are found.

The exam consists of a combination of new and previously used questions. Previously used questions are included for examination difficulty equating purposes. These questions will count towards your total score for the exam.

Receiving results

You’ll receive your results by email from 3pm AEDT/3pm NZDT Thursday, 13 March 2025. Results will also be available on the Basic Training Portal.

Directors of Physician/Paediatric Education (DPE) at each hospital setting will receive emails on the same day with their candidates’ names and results. 

Within 4 weeks of receiving your results, you'll receive an email with detailed feedback including:

• the pass mark for the exam
• your overall mark
• your mark for each paper

When detailed feedback is provided, DPEs will receive a report showing aggregated performance of their hospital against national averages. No report is supplied where there are insufficient candidate numbers at the hospital to provide de-identified scores.

The Reconsideration Review and Appeals By-Law doesn't apply to examination results.

Divisional Clinical Examination

Once you satisfy the requirements of the Divisional Written Examination, you can apply for the Divisional Clinical Examination.