AMC MCQ · Respiratory Medicine
AMC Respiratory Medicine MCQ Practice — 300+ Questions for IMGs
Asthma, COPD, pneumonia, PE and interstitial lung disease — the AMC MCQ respiratory questions every IMG must master.
324 questions in the full bank · 5 free samples below · Spaced repetition + AI explanations on the free tier.
Why Respiratory Medicine matters in AMC MCQ
Respiratory medicine sits beside cardiology as one of the heaviest content domains on AMC MCQ, with 12–18 questions per paper drawn from acute asthma, COPD exacerbations, community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), pulmonary embolism, lung cancer, and interstitial lung disease. Every Australian intern is expected to recognise life-threatening asthma, calculate a CURB-65, escalate to non-invasive ventilation in COPD, and triage suspected PE — so AMC examiners test these skills relentlessly.
The Mostly Medicine respiratory bank is mapped to the Australian Asthma Handbook, the COPD-X Plan from Lung Foundation Australia, and the Therapeutic Guidelines: Respiratory volume. You’ll practise items on stepwise asthma escalation, the role of magnesium sulphate in life-threatening asthma, optimal NIV settings for hypercapnic respiratory failure, indications for long-term oxygen therapy, the Wells score for PE, and CT-PA versus V/Q scanning. Smoking cessation pharmacotherapy (varenicline, nicotine replacement) and pneumococcal vaccination scheduling come up almost every paper.
AMC vignettes in respiratory are renowned for blending bedside signs (silent chest, paradoxical breathing, accessory muscle use) with arterial blood gas results and chest X-ray findings, then asking for the single best next step. The fastest way to internalise the patterns is to practise 250+ respiratory MCQs in random order, with worked explanations after every attempt. Sign up free to unlock the full bank and start tracking your weak subtopics.
5 free Respiratory sample MCQs
Below are five sample questions taken straight from the Mostly Medicine respiratory bank. The correct answer is highlighted, with the worked explanation tucked inside a collapsed panel so you can self-test first.
A 22-year-old woman with known asthma presents with wheeze and SOB. Her PEFR is 40% of predicted. She has not improved after 3 doses of salbutamol. What is the MOST appropriate next step?
- A.Discharge with oral prednisolone
- B.IV magnesium sulphate
- C.Add ipratropium bromide nebuliserCorrect
- D.Intubate and ventilate
- E.Repeat salbutamol every 20 minutes
Show explanation
PEFR 33-50% = moderate-severe attack. After 3 rounds of salbutamol without improvement, add ipratropium bromide (anticholinergic). Magnesium is for life-threatening asthma (PEFR <33%). Intubation is last resort.
A 65-year-old male smoker (40 pack-years) with COPD has FEV1/FVC of 0.62 and FEV1 55% predicted. He has 2 exacerbations per year requiring oral steroids. Which inhaler regimen is most appropriate?
- A.SABA alone
- B.LABA alone
- C.LAMA alone
- D.LABA + ICS
- E.LAMA + LABA + ICS (triple therapy)Correct
Show explanation
GOLD Group E (high exacerbation risk, ≥2 moderate or ≥1 hospitalisation). Triple therapy (LAMA+LABA+ICS) reduces exacerbations compared to dual therapy in this group. ICS indicated when eosinophils >300 or frequent exacerbations.
A 45-year-old previously well man presents with 3 days of fever, productive cough, and pleuritic chest pain. CXR shows right lower lobe consolidation. His CURB-65 score is 1. What is the most appropriate management?
- A.Admit for IV piperacillin-tazobactam
- B.Admit for IV ceftriaxone + azithromycin
- C.Oral amoxicillin and discharge homeCorrect
- D.Oral doxycycline and discharge home
- E.CT chest before treatment
Show explanation
CURB-65 score 0-1 = low severity CAP, treat as outpatient. Amoxicillin is first-line for typical CAP in Australia (Therapeutic Guidelines). Doxycycline is used if atypical organism suspected or penicillin allergy.
A 28-year-old woman with known asthma uses a reliever inhaler more than 3 times per week. She has night-time symptoms twice per week. Her peak flow variability is 25%. According to GINA guidelines, how should her asthma be classified?
- A.Mild intermittent
- B.Mild persistent
- C.Moderate persistentCorrect
- D.Severe persistent
- E.Well-controlled asthma
Show explanation
Moderate persistent asthma: daily symptoms, night symptoms >1/week, reliever use daily, peak flow variability >30%. This patient has >3 reliever uses/week and nocturnal symptoms twice weekly. Step up to Step 3: low-dose ICS + LABA or medium-dose ICS.
A 16-year-old boy on budesonide/formoterol MART therapy has well-controlled asthma. His parents ask about exercise-induced bronchoconstriction during sport. What is the most appropriate advice?
- A.Stop all exercise
- B.Use SABA 15 minutes before exercise as prophylaxisCorrect
- C.Use an extra MART inhaler dose before exercise
- D.Double ICS dose permanently
- E.Add montelukast to the regimen
Show explanation
Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction: pre-exercise SABA (salbutamol) 2 puffs 10–15 minutes before activity is the standard prophylaxis. MART therapy uses the same ICS/LABA inhaler as both maintenance and reliever, but pre-exercise SABA prophylaxis is well-established. Montelukast is an alternative preventive option.
Want the other 319+ respiratory MCQs?
The full respiratory bank, AI-generated follow-up questions, weak-area analytics and spaced repetition are free to access — no credit card required.
Respiratory Medicine FAQ
How are asthma severity grades tested in AMC MCQ?
Expect vignettes asking you to classify asthma severity (mild, moderate, severe, life-threatening) using PEF percentage predicted, ability to speak, oxygen saturation and accessory muscle use — then choose the appropriate escalation step from the Australian Asthma Handbook.
Which COPD framework do AMC questions follow?
AMC follows the COPD-X Plan published by Lung Foundation Australia, not the GOLD criteria. Memorise the C–O–P–D–X mnemonic and the indications for triple inhaler therapy plus long-term oxygen.
Is pulmonary embolism heavily tested?
Yes. Expect at least one vignette using the Wells score, plus one on either DOAC versus LMWH choice for acute PE or massive PE thrombolysis criteria. Pregnancy-related VTE has appeared on recent papers.
Do I need to interpret chest X-rays?
AMC MCQ includes radiology stems described in text rather than image-based questions for most items, but you should be able to recognise pneumothorax, lobar consolidation, pleural effusion and Kerley B lines from a written description.
How many respiratory MCQs come with the free tier?
Five sample respiratory MCQs with full explanations are visible on this page. Signing up unlocks the full 250+ respiratory bank with spaced repetition.