CCE vs StAMPS: What’s the Difference Between the RACGP and ACRRM Clinical Exams?
Jul 31, 2025
If you’re a GP registrar or International Medical Graduate (IMG) in Australia, one of the biggest decisions you’ll face is which college pathway to follow: RACGP or ACRRM.
While the curriculum and scope of general practice are similar, the clinical exams - the CCE (RACGP) and StAMPS (ACRRM) - are fundamentally different.
In this guide, written with insight from A/Prof George Eskander, Chief Examiner at PassGP, we’ll break down everything you need to know about the format, structure, difficulty, and best preparation strategies for each exam.
🏛 What Are the CCE and StAMPS?
Both exams are the final assessments for GP Fellowship:
|
Exam |
College |
Full Name |
Purpose |
|
CCE |
RACGP |
Clinical Competency Exam |
Simulates GP consultations |
|
StAMPS |
ACRRM |
Structured Assessment using Multiple Patient Scenarios |
Tests clinical decision-making under time pressure |
📋 Exam Format: Head-to-Head
|
Feature |
CCE (RACGP) |
StAMPS (ACRRM) |
|
Format |
9 x 15-min clinical stations over 2 sittings |
8 x 17-min timed scenarios |
|
Mode |
Video-based or face-to-face role-plays |
Live video interview with an examiner |
|
Content |
Consultations, counselling, communication |
Scenario-based: acute, remote, inpatient, procedural |
|
Focus |
GP-style communication & safe management |
Rural-specific decision-making & autonomy |
|
Interaction |
Actor plays patient; you consult them |
Examiner plays patient/colleague & scores you live |
What Skills Do They Test?
CCE (RACGP):
- Communication and rapport
- History-taking and focused examination reasoning
- Patient education and shared decision-making
- Management of undifferentiated illness
- Safety-netting and referrals
- RACGP consultation style
A/Prof Eskander explains:
“The CCE is about whether you can practise safely as an unsupervised GP. It's a simulation of real consults, not a viva.”
StAMPS (ACRRM):
- Clinical reasoning under pressure
- Rural medicine autonomy
- Emergency triage and management
- Ethics, systems thinking, and cultural safety
- Procedural decision-making (e.g., retrieval, anaesthetics, remote triage)
Expect questions like:
“You’re the only doctor in a remote town. A 12-year-old presents with fever and a stiff neck. What do you do?”
You’re tested not just on what you do - but why, how, and whether it works in your isolated setting.
🧪 Which Exam Is Harder?
That depends on your background and training style.
|
Candidate Type |
May Find This Easier |
|
AGPT registrar in metro |
CCE (more standardised, common scenarios) |
|
IMG used to role-plays |
CCE (patient-style stations) |
|
Rural hospital doctor |
StAMPS (greater autonomy expected) |
|
Candidates strong in clinical logic but less expressive |
StAMPS (less emphasis on empathy tone) |
Both exams are fair - but require different mindsets and practice styles.
How to Prepare Effectively
🗂 For CCE:
- Practise 15-minute consults under time pressure
- Use role-play with actors or tutors
- Focus on rapport, explanation, safety-netting
- Use real RACGP cases and language
PassGP offers:
- 14 full-length mock stations
- Model answers and examiner mark schemes
- 1:1 coaching from past examiners
For StAMPS:
- Train with structured frameworks (ABCDE, ISBAR, RISK)
- Rehearse thinking aloud under pressure
- Practise responding to remote medicine scenarios
- Learn how to justify decisions without support
PassGP offers:
- Live coaching with rural doctors
- Timed scenario scripts
- Custom feedback on StAMPS-style reasoning
🧭 Which Pathway Is Right for You?
|
Question |
Choose… |
|
Do you want to work in urban/suburban areas? |
RACGP (CCE) |
|
Do you love emergency, procedural, rural or remote work? |
ACRRM (StAMPS) |
|
Do you prefer simulation-style consults with actors? |
CCE |
|
Do you prefer logical, rapid case analysis with less role-play? |
StAMPS |
|
Do you need visa support for rural positions? |
ACRRM often more flexible |
Final Thoughts
Both the CCE and StAMPS are gateways to Fellowship - and to a career as an independent, confident GP in Australia.
At PassGP, we support both exams. Whether you’re training with RACGP or ACRRM, our goal is the same:
Teach clinical reasoning
Train exam technique
Help you pass, the first time
With hundreds of scenario-based MSQs, full-length mock exams, and personalised coaching by real examiners like A/Prof George Eskander, PassGP is your smartest path to Fellowship.
Start your free trial today at PassGP
Reference: IGPTN
