The RACP DWE

Over 800 candidates sit the RACP DWE (adult medicine) each year, across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. It is requirement for entry onto advanced physician training, but a significant proportion of all candidates fail. The most recent pass rate was 73.9% - but has ranged between 46 and 90%. Our goal at Ace The Exam is to ensure that you pass.

This exam is not the be-all and end-all of prowess and success in a medical specialty. Passing exams requires technique, which can be learned, and practiced. It is neither effective, nor sufficient, to just rote learn the material from the reference texts.

The DWE has two papers. Clinical applications and Medical Sciences.

Clinical applications has 100 questions - 92 multiple choice questions (MCQs) and 8 extended matched questions (EMQs). It lasts 3 hours and 10 minutes.

Medical sciences has 70 questions - 66 MCQs and 4 EMQs. It lasts 2 hours and 10 minutes.

The full gamut of medical subspecialties are tested in the exam. Curricula for the different subspecialties are available with the RACP.

Multiple choice questions (MCQs) consist of a stem and then four potential answers. You just need to select the correct one - a "best of four" question

Extended matched questions consist of eight potential options, followed by several stems. For each stem, select the most appropriate option. They are essentially the same as MCQs, but allow for multiple stems to use the same eight options.

Ace The Exam has over 3900 practice questions for the DWE. There is no substitute for practice and repetition when it comes to multiple-choice exams. It has been well-demonstrated that repetition and practice of key points, in bite-size or question-and-explanation form, shows much better retention than massed study or rote learning.

Full guidance can be found on the RACP website. In short, you need to be registered with the RACP and have completed 2 years of Basic Physician training (BPT).

Fees for the October 2025 DWE are:

• Australia - AU$2239.00
• Aotearoa New Zealand - NZD$2574.85

Firstly, you are not alone! Join the RACP trainees' Facebook group or AusJDocs on Reddit to find other people preparing for the exam. If things are getting difficult, you can also reach out to the RACP support program.

Make sure to check out the following, available from the RACP:

• Knowledge Guides
• Divisional Exam Readiness course
• Learning Series (available to RACP members).
• Curricula for the Basic Physician Training program too.

Some Curated Collections by fellows of RACP are available on various topics that may feature in the exam. Be aware though, some of these have not been updated for several years, so make sure you check that guidelines and recommendations are up to date.

Finally, do as many practice questions as you can! We have nearly 4000 questions for the RACP on Ace The Exam. Give yourself the best possible chance of passing with our comprehensive question bank.

There are numerous options for textbooks for the RACP exam. Harrison's, Davidson's, or Kumar and Clark's are all perfectly reasonable choices - you likely already have a preference.

The following are useful Australasian online resources that are worth reviewing:

• Therapeutic Guidelines
• Australian Prescriber
• Australian Medicines Handbook (subscription required)
• Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ) Guidelines
• Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) Guidelines
• Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA) Guidelines
• Caring for Australian and New Zealanders with Kidney Impairment (CARI) Guidelines
• Australian Rheumatology Association Guidelines
• Australia and New Zealand Association of Neurologists (ANZAN) Guidelines
• DermNet
• Australian Society for Infectious Diseases (ASID)

We hope that this has provided you some useful information on the RACP DWE structure and some tips on where to focus your study. Have any tips for us, or think we've missed something? Let us know! Best of luck in your exam!