Australian IMG (AHPRA pathway) interview: 2026 dates, format and scoring

When to apply

• RMO, senior RMO, CMO and unaccredited registrar posts are advertised through the year, with the main state campaigns opening in May and June for positions starting the following February.
• NSW, Queensland and the other states run annual JMO recruitment with set windows; hospitals also recruit ad hoc to fill gaps.

When interviews run

• Campaign interviews run in July and August, with offers in September and October.
• Ad hoc posts are interviewed within two to four weeks of closing.

The format

• A panel interview of about twenty minutes, four to six questions answered briefly, with at least one clinical scenario in two parts.
• Some hospitals run virtual rooms with one question and a time limit in each.

Who is on the panel

• Three or four people: a director of training or workforce lead, a consultant, and often a nurse manager.

How it is scored

• Each question scored against a rubric under merit selection rules; the same questions to every candidate.
• Early escalation and safe practice in the clinical scenario are scored explicitly.

What to prepare

• A two minute summary of your experience aimed at the role.
• The post operative chest pain scenario with its second part and an ISBAR handover.
• STAR examples for conflict, leadership, teamwork and communication.
• An error you made and what changed.
• AHPRA, the Medical Board, the National Standards and the hospital's values, in plain words.

Practise the australian img (ahpra pathway) interview