Last Updated on August 5, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar
This article will be of use to Indian Doctors as well as Medical students who want to start practice in the UK. Most countries have a medical licensing examination to gauge the skills and test the qualification of medical professionals coming from foreign nations. The UK is no different and they have the PLAB test to assess the qualification of overseas doctors! PLAB stands for Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board test. You will be reading more details about PLAB test in this article.
PLAB test: Basic details
It is a medical licensing examination. The test is conducted by the GMC (General Medical Council) of the United Kingdom. The test is held to gauge the proficiency of doctors hailing from overseas (outside European Union). Indian doctors who want to start practice in the UK must go through this test and clear it.
PLAB test is a 2 staged test. Let us check out the two parts one by one.
Part 1
Part 1 is a computer marked written examination. It consists of 200 SBA (Single Best Answers) questions. Duration of part 1 test is 3 hours.
This part tests the ability of the candidate to use and apply knowledge to take care of the patient. The questions asked will be multiple choice ones. In case of some questions, more than one option could be right. In such cases, candidate must select the ‘best option/answer’ available. Marking more than one answer is not allowed. No marks will be given, if a candidate has marked more than one option.
Before appearing for this part, candidates must make sure that they have the GMC’s booking confirmation. Candidates must also bring along proof of identity with them.
Part 2
Part 2 consists of Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). OSCE consists of 14 clinical stations and a rest station. Each station lasts for a duration of 5 minutes. Three sets of candidates take this test in a day. Qualities assessed in this test are clinical examination, practical skills, communication skills and history taking.
Also read:
Medical licensing examination in the USA
Postgraduate scholarships for Indians in the UK
Types of scholarships to study abroad
Before appearing for this part, candidates must make sure that they have the GMC’s booking confirmation. Candidates must also bring along proof of identity with them.
I am Vishnu Nambiar a career and educational blogger from India. I am also a full time educational consultant having more than 12 years of experience in the educational sector.
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