PLAB 2 exam: format, marking and how it works (2026)
PLAB 2 is the GMC's clinical and professional skills assessment for international medical graduates: 16 scenarios, each lasting eight minutes, with at least two rest stations, taking around three hours in total at the GMC's Clinical Assessment Centre in Manchester. Each scenario is marked in three domains (data gathering, technical and assessment skills; clinical management skills; interpersonal skills), and you pass by meeting the overall pass mark and passing a minimum number of stations. You must pass PLAB 2 within two years of passing PLAB 1.
Last checked Nov 1, 2026 against the GMC PLAB pages listed under Sources.
The short version
- What it is: an objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) the GMC calls a "clinical and professional skills assessment (CPSA)" [1]. PLAB 2 meets the requirements of the MLA's CPSA, and its stations are based on the MLA content map [6].
- Format: 16 scenarios of eight minutes, at least two rest stations, about three hours [1].
- Level: "anything a doctor appointed to a Foundation Programme Year 2 (F2) role might expect to see at work" [1].
- Marking: three domains in every scenario, plus an examiner judgment used to set each station's pass score [2][3].
- Passing: you need both the overall pass mark and a minimum number of passed stations [3].
- Results: published within a month, in "My Tests" on GMC Online [4].
- Limits: pass within two years of PLAB 1; four attempts, with a possible fifth and final attempt on application [5].
PLAB 2 at a glance (official facts)
| Question | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | The General Medical Council (GMC) | [1] |
| Number of scenarios | 16, "each lasting eight minutes" | [1] |
| Rest stations | "at least two" | [1] |
| Total time | "around three hours" | [1] |
| Before each scenario | You read the instructions and patient information outside the room, then enter | [1] |
| Reading time length | Not stated on the GMC pages we read | — |
| Settings | Scenarios "aim to reflect real life settings including a mock consultation or an acute ward" | [1] |
| Level | Foundation Programme Year 2 (F2) | [1] |
| Where | GMC Clinical Assessment Centre, two sites in Manchester: 3 Hardman Square, M3 3EB and 3 Hardman Street, M3 3AW | [7] |
| Marking domains | Data gathering, technical and assessment skills · Clinical management skills · Interpersonal skills | [2] |
| Pass rule | Meet or exceed the overall pass mark AND pass a minimum number of stations | [3] |
| Results | Within a month of your exam date, in GMC Online "My Tests", with quantitative and qualitative feedback | [4] |
| Time limit | "You must pass PLAB 2 within two years of passing PLAB 1" | [5] |
| Attempts | "limited to four attempts"; you can apply for a "fifth and final attempt" | [5] |
| Booking | Through your GMC Online account, "My Tests" | [5] |
| Fee | On the GMC's fees page (we could not read it directly, so we don't quote a figure) | [8] |
| Refugee doctors | 50% fee reduction for the first two attempts | [5] |
| Content map | Stations are "based on the MLA content map" | [6] |
What the three domains mean
The GMC marks every scenario in the same three domains [2]:
- Data gathering, technical and assessment skills: "History taking, physical examination, practical procedures, investigations leading to a diagnosis".
- Clinical management skills: "Formulating a diagnosis, explaining something to the patient, formulating a management plan".
- Interpersonal skills: building rapport, questioning, and "involving the patient and demonstrating your professionalism and understanding of ethical principles".
Because every station is marked in all three, a "history station" is never only about questions, and a "breaking bad news" station is never only about empathy. The full breakdown, with a sample marking example, is in How PLAB 2 is marked.
How the pass mark works
The GMC uses a method called borderline regression [3]:
- In each station, examiners mark the domains and also make a judgment of your overall performance: Unsatisfactory, Borderline, Satisfactory or Good.
- Those judgments, across all candidates in the exam, set the pass score ("cut score") for that station.
- The overall pass mark is the sum of the 16 station cut scores plus one standard error of measurement.
- You must also pass a minimum number of stations. The GMC says "You won't be told exactly how many stations were required" [3].
In practice this means you can't bank on a few excellent stations to carry many weak ones. Consistency across station types matters.
What kinds of stations come up
The GMC pages describe settings (consultations, an acute ward) and the F2 level rather than a fixed list of station types [1]. Candidates and teachers usually group stations into types such as history taking, explaining a diagnosis, breaking bad news, consent, angry or upset patients, telephone consultations, ethics, counseling, handover and examination. Our PLAB 2 stations guide explains each type and what scores in it. For the official content basis, read the MLA content map the GMC links to [6].
Worked example: how 8 minutes can be spent
This is our suggested timing for a typical consultation station, written by Confetto for practice. It is not a GMC rule; the task wording always comes first.
| Time | What you do | Domain it feeds most |
|---|---|---|
| Outside the room | Read the task twice. Note who you are (FY2 in A&E, GP surgery…), who they are, and exactly what you're asked to do | All |
| 0:00–0:30 | Introduce yourself, check name and date of birth, ask what they'd like to call themselves, open question | Interpersonal |
| 0:30–4:00 | Let them talk, then focus: the problem, red flags, background, medicines, allergies, social | Data gathering |
| By 4:00 | Ask about ideas, concerns and expectations if you haven't heard them yet | Interpersonal |
| 4:00–4:30 | Short summary: "Can I check I've got this right…" | Data gathering, Interpersonal |
| 4:30–7:00 | Explain what you think is going on in plain words, agree a plan, check understanding (chunk and check) | Clinical management |
| 7:00–8:00 | Safety-net (what to watch for, what to do, when), ask for questions, close | Clinical management |
If the task asks only for a history, spend the extra time on a fuller history and a summary, and still offer a brief next step. If the task is to explain or counsel, the history part shrinks to a quick check of what they know.
Checklist: are you ready to book?
- You've passed PLAB 1 and know the date two years from that pass [5].
- You've read the GMC's PLAB 2 guide, its sample OSCE station and watched its overview video [9].
- You can run a full 8-minute station in each common type without running out of time.
- You ask about ideas, concerns and expectations without it sounding like a script.
- You safety-net in every station where the patient leaves with a plan.
- You can explain common conditions without medical jargon.
- You've practiced the stations you find hardest (often breaking bad news, angry patients, ethics) more than the ones you like.
- You've practiced a full 16-station circuit at least once, to feel the fatigue of three hours.
Practice PLAB 2 stations
Confetto isn't affiliated with the GMC.
All PLAB 2 guides
The exam
- PLAB 2 stationsPLAB 2 has 16 eight-minute scenarios at F2 level. The common station types, what each one tests in the GMC's three domains, and a one-line plan for each.
- PLAB 2 marking schemeHow PLAB 2 is marked: three GMC domains in every station, examiner judgments, borderline regression and the two-part pass rule, with a sample station breakdown.
- PLAB 2 pass rateIn 2025, 59.8% of PLAB 2 candidates passed (8,787 of 14,689), the GMC reports. Every year since 2021, what the figures include, and what they don't tell you.
- PLAB 2 resultsPLAB 2 results come within a month of your exam in GMC Online's My Tests, with domain feedback. How the pass is decided, how to read it, and what to do after a fail.
- PLAB 2 preparationHow to prepare for PLAB 2: what the GMC tests, an 8-week practice plan, how to run mock stations, ways to practice compared, and a final-week checklist.
Station types
- History takingHow to take a history in an 8-minute PLAB 2 station: a minute-by-minute structure, a worked example, what earns credit in each GMC domain, and a checklist.
- Breaking bad newsHow to break bad news in a PLAB 2 station: the six SPIKES steps fitted to 8 minutes, a worked example, a phrase bank for each step, and common mistakes.
- Angry patient stationsHow to handle an angry patient or relative in PLAB 2: six de-escalation steps for 8 minutes, a worked example, phrases to use, and a common mistakes table.
- Telephone consultationHow to run a PLAB 2 telephone consultation: identity checks, GMC remote principles, safety-netting by phone, a worked example and a checklist for 8 minutes.
- Ethics stationsPLAB 2 ethics stations explained: the Mental Capacity Act test, confidentiality and the DVLA, a colleague's error and the duty of candour, with a worked example.
- Consent stationHow to take consent in a PLAB 2 station: the GMC's Decision making and consent principles, a capacity check, a worked transfusion example and a checklist.
- Counselling stationsHow to handle PLAB 2 counselling stations on smoking, contraception and starting a medicine: chunk and check, teach-back, a worked example and phrases.
- SBAR handoverSBAR means Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. How to use it per the NHS England guide, with a worked handover to a registrar and a template.
- Examination stationsWhat the GMC says (and doesn't) about PLAB 2 examination stations, and how to consent, examine with dignity, talk it through and explain findings.
- Explaining a diagnosisHow to explain a diagnosis in plain words: chunk and check, teach-back (NICE NG197), a worked PLAB 2 example and a jargon-to-plain-English table.
Consultation skills for PLAB 2 and the SCA
- Safety-nettingSafety-netting tells patients which symptoms to watch for, when to seek help and where. A template, worked examples, and how PLAB 2 and the SCA mark it.
- SPIKES protocolSPIKES is a six-step protocol for breaking bad news (Baile, 2000). Each step in plain words, a worked dialogue, and how PLAB 2 and the SCA reward it.
- Calgary-Cambridge modelThe Calgary-Cambridge model has five stages and two threads. What each means, how it maps to PLAB 2 and SCA domains, and 8- and 12-minute timing maps.
- Gillick competence and Fraser guidelinesGillick competence: when under-16s can consent to treatment. Fraser guidelines: the GMC's 5 conditions for contraception advice. With a worked example.
Training as a GP? SCA exam guide
Frequently asked questions
How many stations are in PLAB 2?
16 scenarios, each lasting eight minutes, plus at least two rest stations. The whole exam takes around three hours [1].
Where is PLAB 2 held?
At the GMC's Clinical Assessment Centre in Manchester, which has two sites: 3 Hardman Square (M3 3EB) and 3 Hardman Street (M3 3AW) [7].
How long is the reading time before each PLAB 2 station?
The GMC says you read the instructions and patient information outside each room before entering, but the GMC pages we read don't state how long that reading time is [1]. Check your booking information.
How many stations do I need to pass PLAB 2?
The GMC doesn't publish a fixed number. You must meet the overall pass mark and pass a minimum number of stations, and the GMC says you won't be told exactly how many were required [3].
How long after PLAB 1 can I take PLAB 2?
You must pass PLAB 2 within two years of passing PLAB 1 [5].
How many attempts do I get at PLAB 2?
Four. You can apply for a fifth and final attempt [5].
Is PLAB 2 the same as the UKMLA?
PLAB keeps its own name, but the GMC says PLAB 2 meets the requirements for the MLA Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment, and PLAB stations are based on the MLA content map [6].
When do PLAB 2 results come out?
Within a month of your exam date, in the "My Tests" section of GMC Online [4]. See PLAB 2 results.
Sources
Read on November 1, 2026.
- GMC, "What is the PLAB 2 exam and how does it work?"
- GMC, "How will you be tested in your PLAB 2 test?"
- GMC, "How to understand your PLAB 2 exam results"
- GMC, "How do you get your PLAB 2 results?"
- GMC, "Information on booking a PLAB 2 place"
- GMC, "How the PLAB test relates to the MLA exam"
- GMC, "When and where can you take PLAB 2?"
- GMC, "Fees for doctors"
- GMC, "PLAB 2 guide"