Applying for the AMC CAT MCQ: Authorisation, Scheduling, and a Real Access Restriction
AMC documents a real two-step process to actually sit the AMC CAT MCQ, plus a genuinely current access restriction most generic prep guides won't mention. Here's exactly what AMC's own MCQ examination page (https://www.amc.org.au/pathways/standard-pathway/amc-assessments/mcq-examination/) says.
You must apply via your AMC account for an authorisation to sit the exam — that authorisation is valid for 12 months to schedule an AMC CAT MCQ examination event. Authorisation alone doesn't book a seat: you then have to separately schedule a specific venue directly with Pearson VUE, the exam's real delivery vendor, to actually sit it.
A genuinely distinct, real fact most candidates won't know from generic prep guides: because the AMC CAT MCQ is delivered by Pearson VUE, a United States company, Pearson must comply with U.S. sanctions law. AMC's own page states candidates may not be able to sit the exam if they have primary residency in a country sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
AMC names a specific, real, current example: Pearson has been unable to schedule or deliver exams for residents of Iran since September 8, 2026, following the suspension of General License G by OFAC, and until further notice. Residents of Iran can still sit the exam if they can provide documented proof of residency outside of Iran, at the venue on exam day — AMC's page lists the acceptable documents: passport, national or European identification card, permanent resident card or visa, certificate of naturalization or citizenship, U.S. green card, driver's license, student visa, work visa, or employment authorization papers.
Study takeaway: the 12-month authorisation window and the separate Pearson VUE scheduling step are both real, easy-to-miss administrative steps — confirm your authorisation is still valid and your venue is actually booked well before you start counting down study time, and if OFAC/residency restrictions could plausibly apply to you, check AMC's own page directly rather than assuming.