The Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test provides the main route for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) to demonstrate that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to practise medicine in the United Kingdom (UK). PLAB is a two part assessment that overseas doctors (or international medical graduates), from outside the European Economic Area and Switzerland, usually need to pass before they can legally practise medicine in the UK. It is conducted by the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom. The test is designed to assess the depth of knowledge and level of medical and communication skills possessed by the international medical graduates. The PLAB blueprint sets out what candidates are expected to demonstrate in the test and beyond.
The PLAB test has 2 parts:
Part 1: Consists of a multiple choice format examination paper with 180 SBA's (One Hundred Eighty Single Best Answer questions) lasting 3 hours, This part is conducted in a number of countries including Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka.
Part 2: Consists of an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). This part is only available in Manchester. It consists of 16 clinical stations. All the stations are eight minutes long, plus two minutes reading time. The standard of both parts of the PLAB exam is set at the level of competence of a doctor at the start of Foundation Year 2 (F2) in the Foundation Programme.
PLAB Exam Requirements
Given below is the eligibility criteria for the medical graduates appearing for the test:
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The candidates’ primary qualification must be accepted for limited registration by an institution listed in the World Health Organisation Directory of Medical Schools.
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The candidates should have appeared for IELTS and secured a minimum score of 7 overall and a minimum of 7.0 for all of the four language modules.
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Additionally, the candidates should complete a minimum of 12 months of postgraduate clinical experience at a teaching hospital.
Important Dates and Deadlines
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Exam date (Plab 1)2026
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Results Date
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February 12, May 21
| 26 March 2026, 2 July 2026. |
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August and November
| Mid-August, Mid-November |
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PLAB Exam Centres
The 1st Part of PLAB is conducted across various states in India namely:
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Bangalore
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Chennai
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Hyderabad
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Kolkata
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Mumbai
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New Delhi
Countries
Part 1 of the PLAB test can be conducted in:
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India
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Egypt
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Bulgaria
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Dubai
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Nigeria
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Pakistan
Exam pattern
The PLAB test consists of 2 parts :
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PLAB 1 – This exam is conducted in MCQ format consisting of 180 questions that have to be solved in 3 hours.
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PLAB 2 – this part comprises an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) which consists of 18 clinical stations. Each station is 18 minutes long with 2 minutes of reading time. The exam is set at the level of competence of a doctor at the start of Foundation Year 2 (F2) in the Foundation Programme.
PLAB Exam Syllabus
The syllabus for PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 is usually based on the standard medical textbooks used in UK medical schools. Students can also refer to the GMC booklets ‘Advice to Candidates’. There are separate booklets for Part 1 and Part 2.
