Know About the PLAB Exam: Eligibility, Fees, & More

The PLAB exam full form is the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board exam, where you will be evaluated based on your knowledge of providing care to a patient and not just your ability to recall and recite information. Additionally, in this test, most of the questions are around current best practices followed in the UK. So, make sure to answer questions based on published work.

PLAB Exam Structure

Since PLAB is a medical exam, it is designed to test your medical knowledge in real-life situations and, more importantly, to check if you are as qualified as a UK doctor. Below, you can find a quick look at the two main parts of the PLAB exam and their exam structure:

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PLAB 1

Part 1 of the PLAB is a written multiple-choice exam in which you must answer 180 questions based on what you think is the “single best answer.” The PLAB exam duration is three hours. You will be given a scenario and a question with five different answers, and you will then have to choose one answer that you think is the best.

PLAB 2

The part 2 of the PLAB exam is an OSCE, aka practical objective structure clinical exam. Here, you will be given 16 scenarios that will last eight minutes each. These scenarios will mock real-life settings and can include an acute ward (one of the real-life scenarios) or a mock consultation.

Also Read: Best Medical Colleges In World

PLAB Exam Syllabus

To make things much easier for you, GMC (general Medical Council) provides an MLA (Medical Licensing Assessment) content map. This map can help you understand the knowledge, behaviours, and skills you will need to ace this exam. There, you will also find a domain section which will link to the GMCs guidelines on good medical practice, and a knowledge section which will help you understand what you will be tested on.

Like we mentioned above, PLAB is divided into two part PLAB 1 and PLAB 2. While PLAB 1 is a multiple choice exam, PLAB 2 is OSCE test (objective structured clinical examination). To understand things better, you can check out the PLAB exam syllabus below:

PLAB 1 exam

PLAB 2

As we mentioned above, PLAB 2 is objective structured clinical examination, so there is no topics that you need to study as such. However, you will have to answer 18 scenario based questions based on your abilities to investigate, diagnose, treat, and manage a situation.

PLAB Exam Eligibility

To be able to take this exam, you will need to have a primary medical qualification in allopathic medicine, which should meet the basic requirements. Below are the other PLAB exam eligibility requirements that you need to have:

• You need to have a medical degree from a recognized institution.
• Your degree should have at least 5,500 hours of study that span a minimum of three years.
• If you are an international student, then you need to check the basic medical training requirements that meets the GMC standards.
• While these are the basic requirements, do keep in mind that these requirements keep on changing and you will have to follow the other rules in place during your registration process.
• A candidate must achieve a minimum band score of 7.5 or above on an English proficiency test like IELTS.

PLAB Exam Fees & Registration

So now that you know about the eligibility and syllabus of the PLAB exam, you must be wondering how much it will cost you. The PLAB exam fees are different for both PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 and change from time to time. Below, we have mentioned the latest fees and registration details, but make sure that you check on the official GMC website once as well:

PLAB Exam Fees 2025

There are two main things you should know about the exam fees in 2025:

• The PLAB exam feesfor PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 are different.
• You will have to pay additional charges for rescheduling or cancelling the exam:

PLAB Exam Registration

If you are looking forward to Study in UK and starting your medical career, then below is how you can book for the PLAB 1 exam:

• Check Your Eligibility: First things first, before you book for the exam, check if you are eligible for it or not.
• Create a GMC Online Account: Second, go to the official GMC online portal and register, providing your details, including your school name and graduation date.
• Submit Proof of English Language Skills: Lastly, submit proof of your English language skills. You can submit either IELTS or OET, with a minimum of 7.0 in IELTS and Grade B in OET.

PLAB Exam Dates

Once you have chosen the college you wish to study in (If you have not, you can use our College Finder), you can choose to take your PLAB 1 exam either in February, May, August, or November. Below, we have listed the anticipated PLAB exam dates for the year 2025:

Is PLAB Being Replaced by the UK MLA?

No, The UK MLA is not replacing the PLAB exam directly. Instead, PLAB is becoming compliant with the requirements of the UK MLA. This is a new assessment designed by the GMC to make sure that all the doctors practising in the UK meet the common safe medical practice standard. Below is some additional information that you should know:

• All UK medical students need to pass the MLA from 2024-2025 as part of their degree so that they can register as doctors.
• If you are an International Medical Graduate taking the PLAB, you don’t have to take MLA separately.
• The PLAB will eventually align with the MLA standards, which will mean that both UK and international doctors will be tested on the same topics.
• The MLA content map will outline the essential knowledge, skills, and behaviours needed to practice medicine in the UK.

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Conclusion

In this blog, we discussed everything you might need to know while applying for the PLAB exam, including eligibility, syllabus and more. The PLAB is an important step for international medical graduates who want to practice medicine in the UK.

To make things much easier for you, you can take help from Gradding.com. With our expert Study Abroad Consultants, you will get personalized support that can help you navigate the PLAB exam process. Be it eligibility checks or exam preparation tips. So get in touch today!

Once you clear both PLAB 1 and PLAB 2, you can go for specialty training in your chosen field. If you don’t know which field to train in, then you can use our Course Finder tool and find a course and field based on various parameters.

FAQs:

Ques.1 How Many Times Can I Attempt the PLAB Exam?

You can attempt PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 up to four times.

Ques.2 How Long is the PLAB Exam Valid?

Once you pass the PLAB 1, your pass for PLAB 2 will be valid for a total of two years.

Ques.3 Can I Apply for UK Visa After Passing PLAB 1?

No, you can not apply for the UK visa after you pass the PLAB 1. However, you can apply for a visitor visa in order to take PLAB 2 in the UK.

Ques.4 What Are the English Language Requirements for PLAB?

For PLAB, you need to prove your English proficiency through IELTS, with a minimum of 7.0, or OET with a minimum of Grade B in all sections.

Ques.5 Is Work Experience Mandatory for a PLAB Entrance Exams?

No, work experience is not mandatory and you can take PLAB right after completing your primary medical qualification.