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Dr Shaun Tan, FRACGP, MD, BMSC
Medical Examiner | Associate Lecturer
Scored 90% on the AKT & Top 15th percentile in the KFP
Choosing a GP exam academy for IMGs might feel overwhelming right now. Maybe you have been worrying that your previous medical training will not match Australian standards or wondering if your current preparation is adequate for the rigorous RACGP exams. It is a feeling that can consume your confidence and motivation, especially when so much of your future depends on passing these exams.
You are not alone in this uncertainty. As an international medical graduate, you have already invested significant effort, emotion, and sacrifice to reach this stage of your medical career in Australia. The anxiety of wondering whether you are studying the right material or investing in the right resources can sometimes feel heavier than the content itself.
This guide provides clarity by showing you precisely what to look for before choosing a GP exam academy for IMGs. You will learn the key factors that genuinely impact your exam success:
Australian guideline alignment, efficient revision tools, authentic exam style practice, and methods proven to enhance retention, such as flashcards and active recall techniques.
Is the content Australian guideline based?
Content must align clearly and explicitly with Australian GP guidelines to help you pass the RACGP exams. The exams specifically assess your ability to provide competent, safe, and effective care according to Australian standards and systems.
Many IMGs struggle because their previous medical education was based on international guidelines, which differ from Australian standards. RACGP public exam reporting and guidance emphasise that KFP answers must be framed in the Australian general practice context, using Australian guidelines and systems [1].
You must ensure the resources you choose specifically cover and clearly reference:
RACGP Red Book, preventive health guidelines [5]
Therapeutic Guidelines, eTG, Australian general practice topics [3]
Medicare billing and documentation requirements
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme prescribing criteria [7]
Australian Immunisation Handbook recommendations [6]
Indigenous and rural healthcare considerations relevant to Australian general practice [4]
A GP exam academy that meets these criteria usually employs Australian trained GPs or RACGP examiners in content development. This local perspective ensures the scenarios, guidelines, and clinical reasoning reflect exactly what RACGP examiners expect.
For more strategies on aligning your study approach with the RACGP exams, see our internal resource on AKT timing and preparation.
Can you revise topics without rewatching 3 hours?
Effective revision is concise and efficient. You should not need to rewatch long lectures repeatedly just to grasp key concepts. This inefficient approach can quickly exhaust your motivation, limit productive study hours, and harm exam outcomes.
The demands placed on IMGs working in busy clinical practices make extended study sessions difficult. Your GP exam academy for IMGs must respect these demands by offering short, targeted, and repeatable revision methods that fit around clinical and family responsibilities.
Common real life constraints for IMGs:
Long working days in general practice with limited dedicated study time
On call rosters that disrupt planned revision sessions
Family responsibilities that compete with revision blocks
Cognitive fatigue after high volume clinics or complex consultations
A well designed revision resource should let you review rapidly, even during brief intervals, using:
Concise clinical summaries or single page revision notes
Flashcards that cover high yield topics for quick review
Quick reference diagnostic and management algorithms
Short targeted audio or video refreshers, 10 to 20 minutes
Practical checklists for core clinical topics and examination skills
These methods turn short breaks during clinic into effective revision. For more practical strategies, explore our internal RACGP flashcard library.
Does it include an active recall layer, flashcards or notes?
Active recall is a proven way to strengthen long term memory. Rather than passively reviewing, you retrieve knowledge repeatedly until it is reliable under time pressure. This approach supports faster recognition of patterns and safer clinical decision making.
Educational guidance from RACGP emphasises structured preparation. Integrating spaced practice and repeat testing is consistent with evidence informed exam readiness strategies in Australian medical assessment contexts [10, 11].
Your chosen GP exam academy for IMGs should include:
Topic specific flashcards for AKT, KFP, and common GP presentations
Spaced repetition scheduling so difficult items resurface automatically
Short self assessment quizzes that reinforce recall
Progress dashboards that show mastery by topic
High yield summary sheets that pair with flashcards for rapid refresh
Used consistently, these tools improve confidence and performance. For more evidence based techniques, review our internal active recall study resources.
FAQ: Your most common questions answered
1. What is the best way for an IMG to prepare for RACGP exams
Combine active recall, authentic KFP and AKT practice, and resources aligned to Australian guidelines. This structured method improves knowledge retention and confidence for exam day [3,4,5,7,8].
2. Why is Australian guideline based content crucial for IMGs
RACGP assessments judge your readiness for unsupervised practice in Australia, so answers must reflect Australian systems, standards, and guidelines. RACGP reporting and guidance make clear that KFP responses must be framed in Australian general practice context [1,8].
3. How can I quickly identify efficient revision resources
Look for concise summaries, high yield flashcards, single page clinical checklists, and short, targeted refreshers that fit into 10 to 20 minute intervals. These formats enable productive study around clinical and family commitments.
4. Why are real exam style KFP questions important
Authentic practice builds familiarity with structure and pace, reducing anxiety and improving decision making. The 2025.2 KFP recorded 79.57 percent pass rate with a mean 70.98 percent among 1160 candidates, while the 2024.2 KFP recorded 67.83 percent overall, showing consistent challenge across cycles [8, 9].
5. How do flashcards and active recall tools benefit exam preparation
Flashcards and spaced repetition strengthen recall, especially under time pressure. Consistent retrieval practice supports safer reasoning and better performance in high stakes exams [10,11].
Where Fellow Academy fits
Fellow Academy brings these elements together for IMGs preparing for RACGP exams. It aligns content to Australian guidelines, provides efficient revision supports, and mirrors exam expectations so your practice feels familiar by the time you sit.
Here is how Fellow Academy aligns to your needs:
Australian guideline alignment: Content maps to RACGP curriculum units, Therapeutic Guidelines, PBS prescribing, Medicare processes, and prevention frameworks like the Red Book [3,4,5,7]
Concise revision tools: Structured summaries, flashcards, and quick reference notes reduce rewatching and allow targeted refreshers
Real exam style KFP practice: Question sets are developed to match RACGP complexity and structure, with emphasis on Australian context and typical general practice presentations [8]
Active recall integration: High yield flashcards, spaced review schedules, and progress checks enhance retention and readiness
IMG focused context: Guidance addresses Medicare billing nuances, consultation style expectations in Australian practice, cultural safety, and rural or Indigenous contexts
For a clear pathway that links these supports into a stepwise plan, see our internal exam preparation pathways.
Are the KFP questions real exam style?
Practising with authentic KFP questions is essential if you want to succeed. The KFP exam assesses clinical reasoning, prioritisation, and safe, context specific management in Australian general practice.
Recent RACGP public reporting confirms that in the 2025.2 KFP exam cycle, the pass rate was 79.57 percent, with a mean score of 70.98 percent among 1160 candidates [8]. Earlier cycle data also shows variability across semesters, for example the 2024.2 KFP recorded an overall 67.83 percent pass rate from 945 candidates [9]. These figures illustrate both the challenge and the importance of realistic practice.
To prepare effectively, your GP exam academy for IMGs should provide KFP questions that:
Replicate RACGP marking logic and selection formats, aligned to current guidance and reporting [8]
Present undifferentiated presentations with multi system comorbidities
Reflect Australian constraints such as PBS prescribing, ethical issues, rural and Indigenous health contexts
Use timed simulations to build pacing and resilience under exam stress
Reference the current RACGP curriculum and syllabus so your study maps to blueprint expectations [4]
Regular practice with authentic scenarios builds reasoning skills and reduces anxiety. For more detail on exam components, see our internal RACGP exam structure guide.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by RACGP exam preparation, Fellow Academy offers high quality AKT and KFP questions, concise exam notes, and high yield flashcards designed to help IMGs study efficiently and perform with confidence. You will also find free KFP case packs, webinars, and practical study resources to support you each step of the way.
Disclaimer: This content is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, RACGP. The strategies and approaches shared are based on personal experience and the experiences of other GP candidates who successfully passed their exams. They are intended as general study guidance only and should not be taken as official RACGP advice.
Disclaimer: This content is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, RACGP. The strategies and approaches shared are based on personal experience and the experiences of other GP candidates who successfully passed their exams. They are intended as general study guidance only and should not be taken as official RACGP advice.
References
[1] Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. 2025. Exam report 2025.2 KFP, public exam report. East Melbourne, VIC, RACGP. Available at: https://www.racgp.org.au/getmedia/11d7eccd-21b3-45d4-b295-773a664cca1a/KFP-2025-2-Public-Exam-Report.pdf.aspx
[2] Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. 2024. Fellowship Exam Attempts, FAQs. Page last updated 19 July 2024. Available at: https://www.racgp.org.au/education/gp-training/gp-training/education-policy-and-supporting-documents/program-handbooks-and-guidance-documents/guidance-documents/fellowship-exam-attempts-faqs
[3] Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. 2024. Therapeutic Guidelines, Complete. Melbourne, TGL. Available at: https://www.tg.org.au/
[4] Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. 2022. RACGP Curriculum and Syllabus for Australian General Practice. East Melbourne, VIC, RACGP. Available at: https://www.racgp.org.au/education/education-providers/curriculum/curriculum-and-syllabus/home
[5] Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. 2025. Guidelines for preventive activities in general practice, Red Book, 10th edition. East Melbourne, VIC, RACGP. Available at: https://www.racgp.org.au/getattachment/3eddf0a7-7cec-4064-a44b-5bde6c2515a5/Guidelines-for-preventive-activities-in-general-practice.aspx
[6] Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. 2024. Australian Immunisation Handbook. Canberra, Commonwealth of Australia. Available at: https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/
[7] Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. 2024. PBS Schedule and resources. Canberra, Commonwealth of Australia. Available at: https://www.pbs.gov.au/pbs/home
[8] Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, newsGP. 2025. RACGP releases 2025.2 exam cycle results. Published 22 August 2025. Available at: https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/racgp/racgp-releases-2025-2-exam-cycle-results
[9] Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, newsGP. 2024. Latest FRACGP exam report released. Published 17 September 2024. Available at: https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/racgp/latest-fracgp-exam-report-released
[10] Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. 2025. Exam results and public reports, archive and guidance. East Melbourne, VIC, RACGP. Available at: https://www.racgp.org.au/education/fracgp-exams/racgp-exams/exam-results
[11] Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. 2025. Exam Support Program resources. East Melbourne, VIC, RACGP. Available at: https://www.racgp.org.au/education/fracgp-exams/racgp-exams/exam-support-program-resources
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Dr Shaun Tan, FRACGP, MD, BMSC
Medical Examiner | Associate Lecturer
Scored 90% on the AKT & Top 15th percentile in the KFP
Summary
Choosing a GP exam academy for IMGs might feel overwhelming right now. Maybe you have been worrying that your previous medical training will not match Australian standards or wondering if your current preparation is adequate for the rigorous RACGP exams. It is a feeling that can consume your confidence and motivation, especially when so much of your future depends on passing these exams.
You are not alone in this uncertainty. As an international medical graduate, you have already invested significant effort, emotion, and sacrifice to reach this stage of your medical career in Australia. The anxiety of wondering whether you are studying the right material or investing in the right resources can sometimes feel heavier than the content itself.
This guide provides clarity by showing you precisely what to look for before choosing a GP exam academy for IMGs. You will learn the key factors that genuinely impact your exam success:
Australian guideline alignment, efficient revision tools, authentic exam style practice, and methods proven to enhance retention, such as flashcards and active recall techniques.
Is the content Australian guideline based?
Content must align clearly and explicitly with Australian GP guidelines to help you pass the RACGP exams. The exams specifically assess your ability to provide competent, safe, and effective care according to Australian standards and systems.
Many IMGs struggle because their previous medical education was based on international guidelines, which differ from Australian standards. RACGP public exam reporting and guidance emphasise that KFP answers must be framed in the Australian general practice context, using Australian guidelines and systems [1].
You must ensure the resources you choose specifically cover and clearly reference:
RACGP Red Book, preventive health guidelines [5]
Therapeutic Guidelines, eTG, Australian general practice topics [3]
Medicare billing and documentation requirements
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme prescribing criteria [7]
Australian Immunisation Handbook recommendations [6]
Indigenous and rural healthcare considerations relevant to Australian general practice [4]
A GP exam academy that meets these criteria usually employs Australian trained GPs or RACGP examiners in content development. This local perspective ensures the scenarios, guidelines, and clinical reasoning reflect exactly what RACGP examiners expect.
For more strategies on aligning your study approach with the RACGP exams, see our internal resource on AKT timing and preparation.
Can you revise topics without rewatching 3 hours?
Effective revision is concise and efficient. You should not need to rewatch long lectures repeatedly just to grasp key concepts. This inefficient approach can quickly exhaust your motivation, limit productive study hours, and harm exam outcomes.
The demands placed on IMGs working in busy clinical practices make extended study sessions difficult. Your GP exam academy for IMGs must respect these demands by offering short, targeted, and repeatable revision methods that fit around clinical and family responsibilities.
Common real life constraints for IMGs:
Long working days in general practice with limited dedicated study time
On call rosters that disrupt planned revision sessions
Family responsibilities that compete with revision blocks
Cognitive fatigue after high volume clinics or complex consultations
A well designed revision resource should let you review rapidly, even during brief intervals, using:
Concise clinical summaries or single page revision notes
Flashcards that cover high yield topics for quick review
Quick reference diagnostic and management algorithms
Short targeted audio or video refreshers, 10 to 20 minutes
Practical checklists for core clinical topics and examination skills
These methods turn short breaks during clinic into effective revision. For more practical strategies, explore our internal RACGP flashcard library.
Does it include an active recall layer, flashcards or notes?
Active recall is a proven way to strengthen long term memory. Rather than passively reviewing, you retrieve knowledge repeatedly until it is reliable under time pressure. This approach supports faster recognition of patterns and safer clinical decision making.
Educational guidance from RACGP emphasises structured preparation. Integrating spaced practice and repeat testing is consistent with evidence informed exam readiness strategies in Australian medical assessment contexts [10, 11].
Your chosen GP exam academy for IMGs should include:
Topic specific flashcards for AKT, KFP, and common GP presentations
Spaced repetition scheduling so difficult items resurface automatically
Short self assessment quizzes that reinforce recall
Progress dashboards that show mastery by topic
High yield summary sheets that pair with flashcards for rapid refresh
Used consistently, these tools improve confidence and performance. For more evidence based techniques, review our internal active recall study resources.
Tools That Make Active Recall Easy
Digital tools simplify the process of integrating active recall and spaced repetition into your RACGP exam preparation.
-
Brainscape: Uses adaptive algorithms to determine when you should review each flashcard based on your confidence level.
-
Anki: Allows custom deck creation for topics like PBS rules or emergency management.
-
Quizlet: Offers collaborative decks for study groups.
Using these tools allows you to:
-
Review flashcards during commutes or between patients.
-
Automatically revisit topics you’re struggling with.
-
Track progress and identify weak areas.
These platforms bring structure to your study plan, ensuring regular reinforcement and better recall.
(For time management strategies, see our AKT Study Planner.)
How to Combine These Methods for Peak Performance
When you combine active recall with spaced repetition, the results are exponential. This combination, known as “spaced retrieval practice”, creates a continuous cycle of learning, forgetting, and relearning that strengthens memory.
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Start early (at least 6–12 months before your exam).
-
Create flashcards for each guideline or high-yield topic.
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Use Brainscape or Anki daily to review material in spaced cycles.
-
Schedule mock exams every 3–4 weeks to test your applied knowledge.
Research indicates spaced repetition can significantly increase long-term retention, with spaced learners achieving approximately 58% accuracy compared to 43% among traditional learners (p<0.001) [4].
By six months into this method, most candidates report not only improved recall but also better confidence under pressure. You’re no longer scrambling to remember—you’re retrieving information automatically.
FAQ: Your most common questions answered
1. What is the best way for an IMG to prepare for RACGP exams
Combine active recall, authentic KFP and AKT practice, and resources aligned to Australian guidelines. This structured method improves knowledge retention and confidence for exam day [3,4,5,7,8].
2. Why is Australian guideline based content crucial for IMGs
RACGP assessments judge your readiness for unsupervised practice in Australia, so answers must reflect Australian systems, standards, and guidelines. RACGP reporting and guidance make clear that KFP responses must be framed in Australian general practice context [1,8].
3. How can I quickly identify efficient revision resources
Look for concise summaries, high yield flashcards, single page clinical checklists, and short, targeted refreshers that fit into 10 to 20 minute intervals. These formats enable productive study around clinical and family commitments.
4. Why are real exam style KFP questions important
Authentic practice builds familiarity with structure and pace, reducing anxiety and improving decision making. The 2025.2 KFP recorded 79.57 percent pass rate with a mean 70.98 percent among 1160 candidates, while the 2024.2 KFP recorded 67.83 percent overall, showing consistent challenge across cycles [8, 9].
5. How do flashcards and active recall tools benefit exam preparation
Flashcards and spaced repetition strengthen recall, especially under time pressure. Consistent retrieval practice supports safer reasoning and better performance in high stakes exams [10,11].
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by RACGP exam preparation, Fellow Academy offers high quality AKT and KFP questions, exam notes in concise and comprehensive format, and high yield, evidence based flashcards designed to help you study smarter and perform with confidence. You’ll also find free KFP case packs, webinars, and practical study resources to guide you every step of the way.
Disclaimer: This content is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). The strategies and approaches shared are based on personal experience and the experiences of other GP candidates who successfully passed their exams. They are intended as general study guidance only and should not be taken as official RACGP advice.
References
-
GP Supervisors Australia. (2025). Study Skills Guide for GP Registrars: Studying Smarter, Not Harder. GPSA.
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Carpenter, S. K., Pan, S. C., & Butler, A. C. (2022). The science of effective learning with spacing and retrieval practice. Nature Reviews Psychology, 1(10), 496–511.
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Durrani, S. F., Yousuf, N., Ali, R., et al. (2024). Effectiveness of spaced repetition for clinical problem solving amongst undergraduate medical students studying paediatrics in Pakistan. BMC Medical Education, 24(1), 676.
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Price, D. W., Wang, T., O’Neill, T. R., et al. (2025). The effect of spaced repetition on learning and knowledge transfer in a large cohort of practising physicians. Academic Medicine, 100(1), 94–102.
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