Overview
The PLAB 2 exam is the final step in the PLAB assessment series conducted by the General Medical Council (GMC) in the UK. It's designed as an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and serves as a practical test of your clinical abilities.
- Exam Format:
PLAB 2 consists of 16 different scenarios, each lasting eight minutes. These scenarios are designed to simulate real-life medical situations, including mock consultations and acute ward settings. This format aims to provide a realistic and comprehensive assessment of your clinical skills. - Scope of the Exam:
The content of the PLAB 2 exam encompasses what a UK-trained doctor is expected to encounter on the first day of their Foundation Year Two (F2). It focuses on testing your ability to apply medical knowledge in patient care situations, rather than just your capacity to memorize and recite information. - Best Practice and Evidence-Based Answers:
In PLAB 2, all questions are based on current best practices in the UK. When responding to these scenarios, you are expected to base your answers on published evidence and standard practices, rather than on local or personal medical practices.
Plab 2 Domains
Data gathering, technical and assessment skills
Clinical Management Skills
Interpersonal skills
Why Us?
PRACTICAL
BASED LEARNING
We'll give you lots of materials to use before you come to our training sessions, both online and in person. This includes videos, slideshows, and forms to help you practice. You'll also get to try some mock exams to get a feel for what it's really like, and you'll get feedback from our teachers to help you improve. Plus, we'll give you a study guide to help you learn on your own.
ONLINE
LEARNING PLATFORM
Even after our training sessions are over, you'll still have access to all our resources and guidelines through our online learning platform. This way, you can keep learning and practicing until you take your exam.
PRE-OSCE
EXAM SUPPORT
We don't just stop once the training is over. We'll give you support before your exam with a mentor, our online learning platform, and a study guide with a suggested timeline. We'll also have competence tests and resit preparation to make sure you're ready to do your best on exam day.
FAQ
There are two parts to the PLAB test: PLAB 1 and PLAB 2.
As of April 2022, the fee for PLAB 2 is £906. For a detailed breakdown of PLAB fees, visit this link.
PLAB 2 is a practical Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) consisting of 16 scenarios, each 8 minutes long. These scenarios aim to mimic real-life medical settings, such as consultations or acute wards. The total duration of the exam isn't specified by the GMC.
PLAB 2 test dates are available throughout the year. You can view and book dates under the 'My Tests' section of GMC Online, only after receiving your PLAB 1 results. The link is here.
Note that there can be a wait for a test date due to high demand.
If you have a UK job offer in the NHS that requires GMC registration or hold UK refugee status, please contact GMC at plab@gmc-uk.org and GMC will try and offer you a test place as soon as they can.
PLAB 2 is conducted at two GMC Clinical Assessment Centres in Manchester, UK.
GMC Clinical Assessment Centre
3 Hardman Square
Manchester
M3 3EB
Find our Hardman Square address on Google Maps
GMC Clinical Assessment Centre
3 Hardman Street
Manchester
M3 3AW
Find our Hardman Street address on Google Maps
Over the past five years, the average PLAB 2 pass rate has been approximately 66.76%. For more information, visit the GMC's PLAB 2 pass rate page.
Results are published within a month of your exam date. GMC will notify you via email, and you can access your results in the 'My Tests' section of GMC Online. Results are not given by phone, fax, or in person. For more details, visit GMC Online.
Each station in PLAB 2 is assessed based on performance in three domains: data gathering, clinical management, and interpersonal skills.
Yes, you will receive both quantitative and qualitative feedback on your performance.
No, each station has a variable pass mark determined by the borderline regression scoring method, which adjusts according to the difficulty of each station and each exam.
After passing, you can apply for registration with a licence to practise within two years of passing the exam. The pass date is considered the date you took the test, not when you received the results.
If you fail, you can reattempt the exam up to a maximum of four times, provided you meet all the requirements. After four failures, you may apply for one final attempt after demonstrating additional learning over 12 months. For more information, visit GMC's additional attempt guide.
No, GMC no longer offers a service to manually check exam results.
Yes, you can appeal your result. For the appeal process, visit GMC's appeal guide.
Contact GMC at gmc@gmc-uk.org within ten working days of your results publication, providing a full explanation (e.g. what happened, how this adversely affected your performance, how this meets our grounds for appealing your result), and evidence related to the appeal. If late, explain why and GMC will decide if they can still consider it.
If the GMC finds sufficient grounds for your appeal, your case will be reviewed by a decision maker, who will decide on an appropriate resolution and inform you in writing.
If your appeal is upheld, potential resolutions may include annulling your result, allowing a free or additional attempt, or a combination of these. Other options may be considered at the decision maker's discretion. If your appeal is unsubstantiated or outside permitted grounds, the GMC will notify you.
* Reference: https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/join-the-register/plab/plab-2-guide