UKMLA Coaching
PLAB : PROFESSIONAL AND LINGUISTIC ASSESSMENTS BOARD
The Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board test, or the PLAB test, helps The General Medical Council of UK to make sure doctors who qualified abroad have the right knowledge and skills to practise medicine in the UK.
The General medical council has approved a plan to develop a unified assessment for every doctor who plans to practise in the UK.
This will be implemented from the academic year of 2023-2024.
The new title of the exam will be the UNITED KINGDOM MEDICAL LICENSING ASSESSMENT(UKMLA)
There are two parts to the PLAB test.
Who needs to take the PLAB test?
A student graduated from a medical school outside of the United Kingdom and doesn’t hold a relevant European qualification, will probably need to take the PLAB test. The PLAB test will check that the student knows and can do the same as a doctor starting the second year of their Foundation Programme training in the UK.
What does the PLAB test involve?
There are two parts to the PLAB test. Part 1 of PLAB test is a written multiple-choice exam, with 180 single best answer questions. Part 2 is a practical objective structured clinical exam, known as an OSCE. The student needs to pass both parts before he/she can apply for registration with a licence to practise medicine in the United Kingdom.
What do you need before you can take PLAB?
Before the student can take the PLAB test, they need to set up a GMC Online account and show GMC UK that their medical qualification and knowledge of English are acceptable. Once that’s done, can they book a place on part 1 of the PLAB test?
PLAB part 1?
PLAB 1 is a written exam made up of 180 multiple choice questions which students must answer within three hours. Each starts with a short scenario followed by a question. He/she needs to choose the right answer out of the five possible answers given. The students can sit part 1 in a number of countries, as well as in the UK.
The exam tests your ability to apply your knowledge for the care of patients. It doesn’t test how well you can remember and recite facts. Questions relate to current best practice in the UK, and equipment routinely available in UK hospitals. You’ll need to answer the questions in relation to published evidence and not according to your local arrangements.
What does the exam cover?
The exam covers the common, important or acute conditions (those common in emergency departments) seen by trainees entering the second year of the Foundation Programme (F2), and the management of long-term conditions seen in primary care. It excludes the advanced duties of a general practitioner (GP).
PLAB part 2?
PLAB 2 is an objective structured clinical exam. It’s made up of 18 scenarios, each lasting eight minutes and aims to reflect real life settings including a mock consultation or an acute ward. Part 2 tests run throughout the year at Clinical centres in Manchester, UK.
PLAB 2 is an objective structured clinical exam (OSCE). It’s made up of 16 scenarios, each lasting eight minutes and aims to reflect real life settings including a mock consultation or an acute ward.
What does the exam cover?
The exam covers everything a UK trained doctor might expect to see on the first day of Foundation Year Two (F2).
It tests your ability to apply knowledge to the care of patients, not how well you can remember and recite facts.
All the questions relate to current best practice. You should answer them in relation to published evidence and not according to your local arrangements.
Names of drugs referred to in the exam are those contained in the most recent edition of the British National Formulary (BNF).
The PLAB blueprint sets out the scope and content of the test. It includes the topics, skills and procedures that a doctor who passes the test would need to know and be able to do. It also provides details of the professional qualities expected of a doctor working in the UK.
How do you answer the questions?
The whole exam will take around three hours. You’ll have one and a half minutes between scenarios to read the instructions and patient information. There will be at least two rest stations, allowing you to take breaks.
What happens after you’ve passed PLAB 1 and PLAB 2?
Once you’ve passed both parts, you can apply for registration with a licence to practise. Please note that the application must be approved within two years of passing part 2 of the test. Once The General Medical Council of UK approves your application and you gain registration you can work as a doctor in the UK.
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