How to prepare for the PLAB 2

PLAB 2 is the GMC's 16-station OSCE, pitched at what a doctor starting the second year of the UK Foundation Programme sees at work. Revise from the MLA content map and Good medical practice, rehearse whole eight-minute consultations, examinations and procedures out loud against the clock, and avoid the errors the GMC's own examiners list, such as stock phrases and describing an examination instead of doing it.

Step by step

1. 1

   Check your deadline and attempts first

   To book you need a valid PLAB 1 pass, and you must pass PLAB 2 within two years of the day you sat PLAB 1. You have four attempts; a fifth and final one needs an application after at least 12 months of further clinical practice or a relevant postgraduate qualification. Book only through GMC Online, and allow for visa and travel times.

2. 2

   Use the MLA content map as your syllabus

   The GMC says every topic and skill needed to pass is in the MLA content map, pitched at doctors starting F2 in the UK; the current version applies from September 2026. Answer as UK best practice and published evidence dictate, not your local arrangements, and learn drug names as they appear in the current BNF.

3. 3

   Learn Good medical practice, not just medicine

   You are expected to show the values and behaviours in Good medical practice, and interpersonal skills are one of the three domains marked in every station. Work through the GMC's Professional standards in action case studies on capacity, confidentiality, safeguarding and raising concerns until you can explain the UK position in plain words.

4. 4

   Practise every station type the GMC describes

   Stations include face-to-face and telephone consultations, examinations of actors, manikins or a high-fidelity simulator, practical procedures and prescribing. The GMC expects you to perform basic examinations such as abdomen, chest, heart and joints, and procedures such as venepuncture, cannulation and suturing, so practise doing them, not describing them. Print the GMC's sample drug and fluid charts and practise completing them.

5. 5

   Rehearse complete stations out loud, against the clock

   Work with a colleague playing the patient and a third person timing eight minutes and marking the three domains. Practise using the 90-second reading time to name the task and plan, and start every station by confirming your name and GMC number, as the GMC asks, until it is automatic.

6. 6

   Keep histories and examinations focused and natural

   A GMC examiner writing on the GMC's blog warns that a 'head to toe' approach suggests you are unsure and trying to cover all bases. It helps to have an NHS doctor watch you and flag questions that earned nothing and phrases that sound rehearsed.

7. 7

   Prepare for the day in Manchester

   The GMC runs two centres in Manchester with similar addresses, so check yours; if you arrive late you cannot sit the exam. Bring an accepted identity document, dress as you would for a UK ward, and expect all equipment to be provided. Watch the GMC's PLAB 2 overview video beforehand.

Official resources

• MLA content map

  The GMC's list of the core knowledge, skills and behaviours that PLAB 2 stations are based on; use it as a checklist for your revision.

• What resources should you use to prepare for PLAB 2?

  The GMC's preparation page, linking the content map, Foundation Programme curriculum, Good medical practice and examiner tips.

• Examiner top tips on how to avoid common errors in the Part 2 exam

  GMC examiners' list of mistakes they see often; read it before and after every practice circuit.

• A sample OSCE station

  A GMC telephone station showing what the examiner looks for, plus sample drug, fluid, blood and NEWS charts to practise prescribing on.

• Good medical practice

  The GMC's core standards for doctors; the professional behaviour marked in every station comes from here.

• PLAB 2 guide: What can you expect on the day?

  Arrival, identity documents, dress code and the GMC's PLAB 2 overview video.

Common mistakes examiners report

• Using stock phrases learnt on courses. GMC examiners say they recognise set phrases, which can sound insincere, and you can lose marks for interaction if you use them instead of responding to the patient in front of you. source
• Misreading the task. Examiners have noted candidates who had not fully grasped what the station was about, and the GMC uses several variations on each topic, so do not assume you know the station. source
• Telling the examiner how you would examine instead of examining. If the station asks for a physical examination, describing it gains no marks. source
• Telling the simulated patient everything you know about a symptom or illness. It gains no marks: your knowledge was tested in PLAB 1, and the GMC wants to see how you interact. source
• Reciting every possible cause in a learnt order when asked for a differential diagnosis. You lose marks even if the correct second diagnosis is somewhere in the list. source

Questions candidates ask

Sources

• GMC PLAB 2 guide: Information on booking a PLAB 2 place
• GMC PLAB 2 guide: Are you eligible for an additional PLAB 2 attempt?
• GMC PLAB 2 guide: What resources should you use to prepare for PLAB 2?
• GMC: MLA content map
• GMC PLAB 2 guide: What is the PLAB 2 exam?
• GMC PLAB 2 guide: How will you be tested?
• GMC: Professional standards in action
• GMC PLAB 2 guide: A sample OSCE station
• GMC PLAB 2 guide: What can you expect on the day?
• GMC: Examiner top tips on how to avoid common errors in the Part 2 exam
• GMC blog: Passing PLAB: 9 top tips from an examiner (2 August 2022)
• GMC PLAB 2 guide: Understanding your results
• GMC: Good medical practice

Checked on 27 September 2026.