Overview
General practice is the platform specialty: undifferentiated diagnosis across every age, chronic disease over decades, mental health (now the biggest single chunk of GP work), preventive care, and procedural scope limited mainly by your interest, skin cancer surgery, obstetrics, anaesthetics in rural settings. It is also the shortest path to fellowship and the most flexible career in medicine.
After a decade of workforce neglect, the policy tide has turned hard: fully funded training with leave entitlements, $30,000 commencement incentives from 2026, single-employer models preserving hospital conditions across five states, and 500 extra funded places per year coming by 2028. Applications hit records in 2025–26; the market has noticed.
The pathway
- PGY1; applyAGPT applications open early in internship (2026 intake closed 8 April 2025, applications run ~15 months ahead; verified). Choose RACGP or ACRRM stream and preference regions.
- SelectionRACGP-led selection: application + Candidate Assessment (CAAKT-style aptitude/situational testing) + region preferencing. Rural intent materially improves odds and unlocks incentives.
- Hospital year (PGY2 / GPT-prep)Complete required hospital terms (medicine, surgery, ED, paeds/O&G etc. per handbook) if not already done.
- GP terms (GPT1–3)18+ months in accredited practices under supervision + 6 months extended skills (ED, paeds, palliative, skin, academic…); exams along the way.
- FRACGP → independent practiceFellowship = vocational registration = Medicare access anywhere. Add FARGP/RG for rural generalist scope, or diplomas (child health, skin, sports…) as you build your niche.
Formal requirements
- General registration + PGY1 completion before GP terms; Australian/NZ citizenship or PR for AGPT (verified requirement).
- AGPT application with region preferences; placement obligations follow your category (rural pathways carry service requirements).
- Mandatory hospital rotations per RACGP curriculum before/early in training.
- Alternative routes exist: ACRRM (see Rural Generalist page), the RACGP Fellowship Support Program (self-funded, mainly IMGs), and PEP for experienced doctors.
Selection and points
How selection works
| Component | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Online application + eligibility screen | Preferences for training regions; rural intent declared here. |
| Candidate assessment (CAAKT-type) | Computer-based clinical-aptitude and situational-judgement testing used to rank applicants (format evolves; check RACGP's current selection guide). |
| Region allocation | Ranked candidates matched to preferenced regions; oversubscribed metro regions cut deepest. |
Points & scoring
- No CV points arms race: selection is deliberately aptitude-based rather than publication-based.
- Rural background and rural intent function as the de-facto 'points': they open priority places, DPA locations and incentive money.
The unofficial view
- Metro Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane regions now genuinely fill, and the era of GP as a guaranteed fallback is ending. If GP is your plan, apply properly.
- The single-employer model (5 state trials, verified) lets you keep hospital employment conditions (leave accrual, parental leave) through GP terms; ask your region about it before signing anything.
- Registrar income anxieties are increasingly dated: percentage-of-billings arrangements in busy practices commonly out-earn hospital RMO pay by GPT2, before the new $30k incentives.
- Choose your training practice like a specialty: supervision quality, billing model and patient mix vary enormously and shape your whole career.
Competition & demographics
Competitiveness
- Record application volumes in 2025–26 against 1,500 funded places (verified expansion to 2,000+/yr by 2028), indicative national ratio ~1.3–1.8:1, concentrated in metro regions.
- Priority rural regions still effectively welcome all credible applicants.
Who's in the program
- ≈ 65% women; the highest part-time training and practice rates in medicine.
- Large IMG cohort via all pathways; GP remains the backbone of rural medicine.
Exams
| Exam | When | Format | Cost | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AKT (Applied Knowledge Test) | From GPT2 | MCQ, applied clinical knowledge | ≈ $2,500–2,900 | ≈ 70–85% first attempt (indicative) |
| KFP (Key Feature Problems) The KFP fails more prepared candidates than any GP exam; do a dedicated course and practise its answer style. | From GPT2 | Written case-based decision-making, the notorious one | ≈ $2,500–2,900 | ≈ 55–75% first attempt historically (indicative) |
| CCE (Clinical Competency Exam) | Final training | Case-based clinical/viva assessment | ≈ $4,300–4,900 | ≈ 80%+ (indicative) |
Fees and pass rates are indicative; check the college's current fee schedule and exam reports.
What training costs
- AGPT training itself is government-funded (no college training fee on AGPT), the cheapest pathway in medicine; exam fees as above.
- From 2026: $30,000 commencement incentives, paid study leave, and 20 weeks paid parental leave for AGPT registrars (verified).
How to improve your chances at each stage
StageMedical student
- Do a rural GP placement (John Flynn-style); it's the highest-fidelity preview of the job and strengthens rural-pathway claims later.
- Note the timeline quirk: you apply for AGPT at the *start* of internship; diarise it now.
StageIntern (PGY1)
- Apply in PGY1 (applications ~Feb–Apr for the following year); prepare properly for the CAAKT-style assessment; practice materials exist.
- Stack useful terms: ED, paeds, O&G, psychiatry all map directly to GP work and curriculum requirements.
StageResident (PGY2–3)
- If you missed the PGY1 window, apply PGY2, but use the extra year for GP-relevant terms and a skin-cancer or women's-health skills course.
- Talk to registrars in your target region about which practices teach vs which exploit; the grapevine is accurate.
StageRegistrar years & applications
- Sit AKT/KFP at first eligibility with a study group and a KFP-specific course; failing delays fellowship and income.
- Build your niche deliberately from GPT2 (skin, mental health, women's health, sports…): special interests drive both satisfaction and billings.
StageIf you don't get on (or change your mind)
- GP *is* the backup for half of medicine, but if GP itself disappoints, FRACGP + diplomas pivot cleanly into ED (rural), palliative care, addiction medicine, medical education, aesthetic medicine or salaried policy/insurer roles.
See also the general strategy guide: universal CV, referee and interview advice that applies across specialties.
Job market & workforce outlook
Outlook: Structural shortage for a decade+, especially outer-metro/rural. The one specialty where demand for you is guaranteed everywhere
- Demand everywhere, strongest outer-metro/regional/rural; DPA and MMM settings offer immediate work with incentives.
- Practice ownership remains the underrated wealth lever, owner-GPs typically out-earn assistants substantially.
- Telehealth, urgent-care clinics and single-employer salaried models are diversifying the employment landscape fast.
Income
- Registrars: NTCER base + % of billings (commonly $95,000–150,000+ by GPT2–3), plus the new $30k incentive (verified).
- Fellows: mixed-billing FTE commonly $250,000–450,000; efficient bulk-billing high-volume, procedural/rural, and owner models range higher ($350,000–600,000+, indicative).
- The per-hour and per-flexibility economics of GP are far better than headline comparisons with procedural specialties suggest.
Pre-tax, indicative, and highly variable with hours, setting and billing model. ATO figures are averages of taxable income by reported occupation.
Subspecialties & special interests
| Area | Notes |
|---|---|
| Skin cancer medicine/surgery | Courses + diplomas; big regional demand |
| Women's health / shared obstetric care | DRANZCOG options |
| Child health | Diploma routes |
| Mental health / FPS | Focused psychological strategies accreditation |
| Aged care / palliative | RACF and community roles |
| Sports, aviation, occupational… | Portfolio niches |
International medical graduates
- GP is on the expedited specialist pathway (UK, Ireland, NZ qualifications, verified): fast-track specialist registration via the Medical Board.
- Other IMGs: RACGP/ACRRM SIMG assessment or the PEP/FSP routes; 19AB Medicare moratorium geography rules apply; get advice before signing contracts.
Official links
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