PLAB (Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board)

The PLAB test is how the General Medical Council (GMC) checks that doctors who qualified abroad have the right knowledge and skills to practise medicine in the UK. The GMC says it checks that you know and can do the same as a doctor starting the second year of their Foundation Programme training.

There are two parts. PLAB 1 is a written exam of 180 multiple choice questions answered within three hours, each a short scenario with five possible answers. You can sit it in the UK and in a number of other countries. PLAB 2 is an OSCE of 16 scenarios, each lasting eight minutes, set in settings such as a mock consultation or an acute ward. The whole exam takes around three hours and is held only at the GMC's clinical assessment centre sites in Manchester.

Both parts are now compliant with the requirements of the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA), the assessment UK medical students take. The GMC says the PLAB name will stay for now, with plans to modernise it later.

If you graduated from a medical school outside the UK, the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, the GMC says you will probably need to take PLAB. Doctors with a relevant European qualification do not, under current legislation.

PLAB is not the only route for doctors. The GMC lists other routes, including an acceptable postgraduate qualification, sponsorship by an approved body, and specialist or GP registration. If you are aiming for Ireland instead, the equivalent exam is PRES, which accepts a PLAB 1 pass in place of PRES Level 2.

1. Set up a GMC Online account.
2. Show the GMC that your primary medical qualification and your knowledge of English are acceptable, usually with IELTS Academic or OET Medicine. The GMC verifies this before you can book.
3. Book and pass PLAB 1.
4. Once your PLAB 1 result is issued, book PLAB 2 through GMC Online. Demand is high and you may wait for a date.
5. Pass PLAB 2, then apply for registration with a licence to practise, including EPIC verification of your degree.

From 1 April 2026 the GMC charges £283 for PLAB 1 and £1,036 for PLAB 2. A cancellation fee applies if you cancel a booking, depending on how close to the test date you cancel.

• You must pass PLAB 2 within two years of passing PLAB 1. The temporary three-year COVID-19 extension ended on 31 March 2025.
• Your registration application should be approved within two years of passing PLAB 2. After that, the GMC asks for additional evidence of your knowledge and skills.
• Your pass date is the date you took the test, not the date the result was issued.

• Attempts run out. You can attempt each part until you have failed it four times. After four fails you can apply for one final attempt, with evidence of additional learning over a 12-month period.
• English expires while you wait for PLAB 2. The GMC currently accepts a PLAB 2 pass less than three months old as evidence of maintained English, if your IELTS or OET scores are less than three years old.
• No results check. The GMC no longer offers manual result checks, but you can still appeal.

For the full route, read our PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 guide.