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Before you apply

Contents

  1. Job prospects
  2. PLAB doctors’ work survey
  3. Finding work – useful links
  4. Life in the UK
  5. The role of the GMC and other organisations
  6. Basic requirements for practising medicine in the UK
  7. Entry requirements for the PLAB test
  8. Summary of the PLAB test

1. Job prospects

We strongly recommend that before you apply for the PLAB test you find out whether you have a realistic chance of obtaining the kind of job you want. The job market in the UK is very competitive and you should think very carefully about whether you are willing to take the risks involved in competing for posts.The test is set at the level expected at the end of Foundation Year 1. This means you will be expected to have completed a Foundation Year 1 training post/internship. You can find information about the Foundation Programme on the NHS Modernising Medical Careers website.

There are different kinds of jobs in the UK. Some of them involve training schemes and in others the training element is less developed. There is strong competition for many jobs, particularly those involving training schemes. It is therefore important that you realise that you will not be guaranteed the offer of a job by passing the PLAB test.Competition in some specialties and locations is stronger than in others. Securing employment can be a lengthy process: statistics show it could take six months to a year (or even longer) to find a first post once you have passed the PLAB test. A significant number of doctors are still unemployed a year after passing the PLAB test. You can see the results of our ongoing PLAB survey (1.98mb, pdf) and advice to international medical graduates (56kb, pdf) on our website.

Information about the number of applicants for posts categorised by specialty and location can be found at the British Medical Journal Careers website.

You should also bear in mind that taking the PLAB test can be costly. You should consider not only the fees but also the cost of living in London while you take Part 2 of the PLAB test and, in the UK, before you find a job. Living in the UK, particularly in London and the South-east of England, is very expensive.

You may find it useful to do a clinical attachment. This involves shadowing a doctor to gain familiarity with the NHS and is unpaid. You do not need GMC registration. You can find further information about clinical attachments on the BMA website. You can find contact details for hospitals on the NHS website.

2. PLAB doctors’ work survey

In early 2004 the GMC initiated a regular survey of doctors who had passed the PLAB test, to collect information about their experience of gaining employment in the UK. From January 2003 all doctors are surveyed one year later.

Each month we conduct and publish the results of the survey, in which we ask such questions as how long doctors had to wait after passing the test before they secured a job; whether the job was in the specialty and geographical area of their choice; how long they had waited between completing a clinical attachment and securing their first employment in the UK; whether they had experienced a gap in employment between their first and second post, and if so how long this gap had been.

You can see the results of the PLAB survey (308kb, pdf).

3. Finding work – useful links

The GMC does not hold information about job vacancies, but there are a number of other routes you can try, such as

These sites will also give you an idea of the types of jobs available. Remember there is strong competition for jobs.

Another source of useful information is Medical Training in the UK: A Guide for International Graduates, published by the UK government departments with responsibility for health.

Details can be found at the Department of Health website.

4. Life in the UK

You should be aware that the UK, especially London and the South-east of England, is a very expensive place to live. There is strong competition for many jobs in these areas, not just in the medical profession.

You should try to find out if the lifestyle in the UK will suit you. Your local British Consulate or British Council office (British Council website) may be able to offer you advice.

5. The role of the GMC and other organisations

The framework for the practice of medicine in the UK is complicated. No one organisation has overall responsibility for the regulation, employment and care of doctors. A brief summary of the roles of the various organisations involved follows.

The GMC is a regulatory body whose responsibility is to set the standards for medical practice in the UK. Passing the PLAB test demonstrates that you have reached the minimum standard required to practise safely in the UK. It means that you are eligible to register and gives you the opportunity to compete for jobs but does not mean that you will be successful in obtaining a post.

The job market in the UK is very competitive and you should think very carefully about whether you are willing to take the risks involved in competing for posts before you apply for the test (see the section on Job prospects ).

We do not ration test places. It is not our role to deny individual doctors the chance to demonstrate that they have the necessary competencies to work in the UK and to compete in the job market. The number of places available in the test is not, therefore, linked to the number of posts available.

The Department of Health (DH) (website) is responsible for manpower planning and the NHS is the employer. Useful information about how the NHS works can be found on the NHS website.

The British Medical Association (BMA) is the leading trade union and professional association for doctors in the UK and provides a comprehensive guide for doctors who are new to the UK, including the structure of the NHS and career structure and training.

Other organisations which may be able to help you include

Association of Pakistani Physicians and Surgeons of the United Kingdom (APPS UK)

APPS Head Office
First Floor
Paragon House
48 Seymour Grove
Old Trafford
Manchester
M16 0LN
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)161 888 3336
Email: admin@appsuk.org
http://www.appsuk.org

British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO)

BAPIO Head Office
43 Hookhams Lane
Renhold
Bedford
MK41 0JU
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1234 772355
Email: info@bapio.co.uk
http://www.bapio.co.uk

British International Doctors' Association (BIDA)

ODA House
316A Buxton Road
Great Moor
Stockport
SK2 7DD
United Kingdom
Tel: + 44 (0)161 456 7828

6. Basic requirements for practising medicine in the UK

Before you can practise medicine in the UK you must be registered with the General Medical Council. International medical graduates (IMGs) can apply for provisional or full registration. We have recently launched a new registration framework under which IMGs can apply. For more information please see our guidance on the new registration framework.

Before you can be granted registration you must provide the GMC with:

  • evidence of your medical knowledge and skills (passes at Part 1 and 2 of the PLAB test)
  • evidence of your English language skills (satisfactory IELTS scores or alternative evidence)
  • evidence of good standing.

Information on all the above can be found in our Registration applications section.

7. Entry requirements for the PLAB test

Before you apply to take the PLAB test you must have

  • An acceptable primary medical qualification.

All international medical graduates must possess an acceptable primary medical qualification in order to apply for registration. The GMC defines an acceptable primary medical qualification as one which meets the following five criteria. The primary medical qualification must have:

  • Been awarded by an institution listed on the WHO Directory or otherwise accepted by the GMC and be currently acceptable to the GMC. (Please note: the GMC does not accept all primary medical qualifications that are listed on the WHO Directory. Please check our acceptable primary medical qualification webpage for further information).
  • For those on the WHO Directory, been awarded by an institution that has a physical address included in the WHO Directory.
  • Been awarded after a course of study comprising at least 5,500 hours (or four years full time equivalent study).
  • Not involved a course of study undertaken wholly or substantially outside the country that awarded the primary medical qualification.
  • Have not involved a course of study undertaken wholly or substantially by correspondence.

The GMC currently regards most, but not all, of the primary medical qualifications listed in the World Health Organisation (WHO) directory of medical schoolsas acceptable for the purposes of registration with the GMC. Please check our acceptable primary medical qualification webpage for the WHO Directory primary medical qualificationsthat are not accepted by the GMC. The GMC may exclude the primary medical qualifications from any school listed in the WHO directory at any time. Applicants must ensure that their primary medical qualification is acceptable before applying to sit PLAB. Should it later be confirmed that an applicant's primary medical qualification does not allow them to be registered, the GMC will not accept any responsibility for any costs incurred or losses that result from the candidate's decision to sit PLAB.

  • If you are from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), you need satisfactory scores in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test. These are the minimum scores you must achieve: Overall 7, Speaking 7, Listening 6, Academic reading 6, Academic writing 6. The general modules are not acceptable. The certificate is valid for two years. The British Council runs the IELTS test in over 100 countries. You can get more information about IELTS from the British Council (website) or from the IELTS website.

In certain circumstances you may be exempt from the IELTS test.

You should also have 12 months' postgraduate clinical experience (Foundation Year 1 training post/internship post) from a teaching or other hospital approved by the medical registration authorities in the appropriate country. You can take the PLAB test without this experience but you should bear in mind that it is set at a level that assumes that you have it. If you do pass the test without this experience, you will have to seek employment in a Foundation Year 1 training post (the grade occupied by new medical graduates). Vacancies at this grade are very scarce.

8. Summary of the PLAB test

The test is in two parts:

Part 1 is a written paper consisting of extended matching questions (EMQs) and single best answer (SBA) questions. The paper contains 200 questions and may contain photographic material. It lasts three hours. The proportion of SBA questions may vary from examination to examination but no more than 30% of the paper is composed of SBA questions. You can have an unlimited number of attempts but you must pass Part 1 within two years of the date of your IELTS certificate.

Part 2 is an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). It takes the form of 14 clinical scenarios or ‘stations', a rest station and one or more pilot stations. Each station lasts five minutes. You must pass Part 2 within three years of passing Part 1. You can have four attempts at Part 2. If you fail at the fourth attempt you will have to retake IELTS (unless you are exempt) and both parts of the PLAB test.

You must be granted registration within three years of passing Part 2 of the test.