How long should I prepare for PLAB 2?

The GMC doesn't recommend a length. It depends on your UK experience and how many hours a week you have; our plan above assumes eight weeks. The hard limit is that you must pass within two years of passing PLAB 1.

What is the best resource for PLAB 2?

Start with the GMC's PLAB 2 guide, its sample OSCE station and its overview video, and the MLA content map the GMC links to. Then practice stations out loud under time.

Can I prepare for PLAB 2 without an academy?

Yes. Nothing in the GMC's rules requires a course. You need structure, realistic role-play, timed practice and honest feedback, which you can get in several ways (see the table above).

How many mock stations should I do?

There is no official number. Aim to cover every station type several times and to do at least one full 16-station circuit.

How do I practice examination stations?

Hands-on technique needs a real person or manikin. See PLAB 2 examination stations.

You can rebook through "My Tests" within your attempt limit and the two-year window. See PLAB 2 results.

PLAB 2 Preparation: An 8-Week Plan, Mocks and Practice

Name: Confetto
Brand: Confetto
Price: 149 USD
Availability: InStock

The short version

Know the format: 16 scenarios × 8 minutes, at least two rest stations, about three hours, F2 level [1].
Know the marking: three domains in every station; pass mark plus a minimum number of passed stations [2][3].
Use the GMC's own material first: the PLAB 2 guide, sample OSCE station and overview video [4].
Practice out loud, timed, with someone (or something) playing the patient. Reading about stations isn't practice.
Cover every station type, and spend most time on the ones you avoid.
Do at least one full 16-station circuit before the exam.
Remember the limits: pass within two years of PLAB 1; four attempts (a fifth on application) [5].

What the GMC says to use

The GMC's PLAB 2 guide has a section on what resources to use, a sample OSCE station and an overview video that "shows what you can expect when you take PLAB 2" [4][6]. The GMC also says PLAB stations are based on the MLA content map [7], so the content map is the closest thing to an official syllabus. Clinical knowledge should match UK practice: NICE and NICE CKS for management, the BNF for medicines, and GMC guidance (Good medical practice, Decision making and consent, Confidentiality) for ethics.

The 8-week plan

Our suggested plan, written by Confetto. Adjust it to your date and hours. It assumes about 10–12 hours a week.

Week	Focus	Stations a day	Also do
1	Format and baseline. Read the GMC guide, watch the video, do the sample station	2 (one history, one explaining)	Write your own 8-minute opening and closing lines
2	History taking by system; ICE in every station	3	Red-flag lists for chest pain, headache, abdominal pain, breathlessness
3	Explaining and counseling; chunk and check; safety-netting	3	A plain-English list for 30 common conditions
4	Emotional stations: bad news, angry patient, upset relative	3	First full 16-station circuit at the end of the week
5	Ethics and law: capacity, confidentiality, DVLA, consent, candour, Gillick	3	Read the GMC guidance summaries for each
6	Telephone, handover (SBAR), acute stations, examination talk-through	3	Second circuit; list your three weakest station types
7	Weak types only, plus mixed stations for range	4	Third circuit, in exam-day conditions
8	Light practice, sleep, logistics	1–2	Re-read the GMC guide; plan travel to Manchester

How to run a mock station well

Read like the exam. Read the task outside the "room" in a fixed short time. The GMC pages we read don't state the reading-time length, so practice reading quickly and noting the exact task.
Time it. 8 minutes, with a warning near the end. Stop at 8:00 even mid-sentence.
Role-player rules. The patient answers only what is asked, volunteers little, and has a hidden worry that comes out only if you ask well. Partners who tell you everything make practice too easy.
Mark in three domains. For each, write one thing you did and one thing you missed, using your actual words.
Redo it. Do the same station again the next day. Improvement on the same station is the fastest feedback.

Ways to practice, compared

Method	Strengths	Limits
Study partner (in person or video call)	Real human reactions; free; practice the examiner role too	Scheduling; partners vary in how realistic and strict they are
Group sessions	Many stations, peer feedback, see others' approaches	Less speaking time each; feedback is often vague
Course or academy	Structured teaching, examiner-style feedback, mock circuits	Cost and travel; limited days, so practice between sessions still matters
Recording yourself	Hear your own jargon, pace and filler words	No one reacting to you
AI simulated patient	Practice any time, any station type, as often as you like, with domain feedback	Voice only: no hands-on examination; not a human role-player

Most candidates combine methods: structured teaching to learn the approach, then a lot of timed repetition.

Final-week checklist

Exam date, time and center confirmed in GMC Online; route to Manchester planned [5][8].
Identity documents and anything the GMC asks you to bring, checked against your booking information.
One last full circuit no later than three days before.
Your opening, ICE and safety-net lines feel natural, not recited.
Sleep and food plan for a three-hour exam.
You know how results come: within a month in "My Tests" [9].