What IELTS score do doctors need for AHPRA registration?

Tests taken on or before 22 April 2026 are judged against the earlier table on the same Ahpra page. IELTS Academic was already 7 overall with 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing, so the IELTS target did not change. The others did: OET was grade B in listening, reading and speaking and C+ in writing; PTE Academic was 66 overall with 66 in listening, reading and speaking and 56 in writing; TOEFL iBT was 94 total (24 listening, 24 reading, 24 writing, 23 speaking). Ahpra says the scores you need depend on when you took the test, and points to the National Boards' transition arrangements policy.

Ahpra explains the update followed the Department of Home Affairs' August 2025 changes to approved migration tests and new score concordance research, and says the level of English required for registration has not changed.

Results are accepted from one sitting, or from a maximum of two sittings in a 12-month period if you sat all four components each time and meet the floors in the table (Ahpra). Results from different test providers cannot be combined. The IELTS One Skill Retake is accepted and is not counted as an extra sitting, but if you rely on two sittings plus a One Skill Retake, all three must fall within 12 months. At-home, indicative or remotely proctored versions of any test are not approved, except that the OET computer-based test is accepted at a test centre.

For IELTS that means 7 overall in each sitting, 7 in listening, reading and speaking and 6.5 in writing across the two, and no skill below 6.5 in either sitting.

Ahpra says English test results are generally valid for two years before the date you lodge your registration application, with certain exceptions set out on the same page. The Medical Board of Australia also accepts successful completion of NZREX or the PLAB test for registration as a medical practitioner.

Registration and visas are separate processes. For the visa side of IELTS in Australia see IELTS for Australia.