PLAB 1 — Information & Free Practice
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Exam Review
About PLAB 1
PLAB 1 · GB
Key exam facts
- Provider
- The General Medical Council (GMC) runs PLAB 1. VICTVS delivers and invigilates UK and EU sittings on behalf of the GMC; the British Council supplies venue information for other international sittings.
- Format
- Written applied knowledge examination: clinical scenarios with one correct answer selected from five options; answers recorded on an answer sheet.
- Exam questions
- Total questions: 180.
- Time limit
- Three hours of answering time for the standard examination.
- Passing score
- The pass mark is set separately for each test using the Angoff method and includes one standard error of measurement. Each correct answer earns one mark; the total correct is the score. No fixed percentage pass mark is specified.
- Exam fee
- GBP £283 for PLAB Part 1, effective 1 April 2026. Refugee doctors living in the UK receive their first two PLAB 1 attempts free of charge.
Topics covered
Acute and emergency
Cancer
Cardiovascular
Child health
Clinical haematology
Clinical imaging
Dermatology
Ear, nose and throat
Endocrine, diabetes and metabolic
Gastrointestinal (GI)
General practice and primary healthcare
Infection
Medicine of the older adult
Mental health
Musculoskeletal
Neurosciences
Obstetrics and gynaecology
Ophthalmology
Palliative and end of life care
Perioperative medicine and anaesthesia
Renal and urology
Respiratory
Sexual health
Surgery
How to prepare
Work through the topics, read the explanation after each answer, and revisit the areas where you miss questions. Use the official outline and reference materials below to guide your study.
These independent practice questions are not actual exam items and do not guarantee a passing result.
Frequently asked questions
What is the exam format?
Written applied knowledge examination: clinical scenarios with one correct answer selected from five options; answers recorded on an answer sheet.
How many questions are on the exam?
Total questions: 180.
How long is the exam?
Three hours of answering time for the standard examination.
What is the passing score?
The pass mark is set separately for each test using the Angoff method and includes one standard error of measurement. Each correct answer earns one mark; the total correct is the score. No fixed percentage pass mark is specified.
How much does the exam cost?
GBP £283 for PLAB Part 1, effective 1 April 2026. Refugee doctors living in the UK receive their first two PLAB 1 attempts free of charge.
Official sources and references
- GMC: PLAB 1 preparation resources
The Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) content map
- GMC: MLA content map
PDF page 2
- GMC current MLA map applicability
MLA content map
- GMC PLAB and MLA
PLAB 1 and the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) requirements
- GMC external examiner report 2024
Sampling
- GMC MLA content map
printed page 21 (PDF page 22)
- GMC Practical skills and procedures
page 3: Generic requirements
- GMC: What is the PLAB 1 exam?
How do you answer the questions?
- GMC PLAB 1 results
How do we set the pass mark?
- GMC PLAB 1 results
How do we work out your score?
- GMC fees for doctors
PLAB fees: 2025 and 2026 columns
- GMC booking a PLAB 1 place
Are there any concessions for refugees?
- GMC when and where PLAB 1
When can you take the exam?
- GMC PLAB 1 delivery
Where can you take the exam?
- GMC international PLAB 1 delivery
Where can you take the exam? — British Council paragraph
- GMC PLAB 1 answer format
How do you answer the questions? — five-option answer sentence
Confirm current exam arrangements with the exam provider.