Understand how PLAB 2 works and how you can get ready with Dr Aman Arora from Arora Medical Education.

A doctor needs to pass both PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 to gain GMC registration in order to work in the NHS. With the PLAB 2 being the second and final part of the PLAB assessment. PLAB 2 is an OSCE based exam consisting of 16 stations with each lasting 8 minutes. PLAB 2 can only be taken in the UK at the GMC assessment centres in Manchester and dates are available throughout the year.

The exam is designed to assess your application of knowledge in different patient facing scenarios, to ensure you have the same competencies as a SHO working in the NHS.

How long do I need to prepare for PLAB 2?

This is a common question asked by many candidates sitting PLAB 2, but the answer is dependent on your own personal circumstances. This exam is a practical exam and tests your ability to work within the NHS. It is therefore important that you familiarise yourself with:

• practical and examination skills mentioned in the PLAB GMC blueprint
• the NHS and how it operates
• dealing with acutely unwell patients
• communication skills and how it is implemented in the NHS
• GMC Good Medical Practice

With the right plan, most doctors take 4-6 months to prepare in order to be confident in all of these areas.

How is PLAB 2 marked?

For each station you are marked on the following 3 domains:

• Data gathering, technical and assessment skills
• Clinical management skills
• Interpersonal skills.

Some stations may have a stronger focus on one domain .eg. interpersonal skills in a breaking bad news scenario - so it is important that you’re able to adapt your approach to each station to ensure you maximise your chances of success. Often candidates restrict themselves to set time periods for each domain e.g 4 minutes for data gathering, 2 minutes for clinical management etc. which leads to losing out marks as they have not adapted their approach.

For each station a pass mark is calculated, and these are added up for all scenarios. This total, coupled with one standard error of measurement, forms the pass mark for the day. Due to this the pass mark for PLAB 2 varies each day and from one assessment centre to the other

To pass PLAB 2 you must achieve the pass mark for that particular day, as well as pass at least 10 stations.

How should I prepare for PLAB 2?

Form a study group

The best way to prepare for PLAB 2 is practice. This is a practical exam and so the more you practise cases within the 8-minute time constraints, the better you will be able to perform in the exam. To help maximise your practice sessions ensure that you and your colleagues give honest feedback.

Develop your own consultation technique

Eight minutes is a short period of time to demonstrate your skills as a doctor and so having a structured consultation approach enables you to adapt to various situations as well as help you score in each domain. At Arora Medical Education we teach you about the 3-bubble technique and how to discuss clinical management in a short period of time. If you don’t have a structured approach to a station it can lead to confusion for you, the patient and the examiner - often resulting in poor marks for that station.

Augment your learning with videos and reading

On YouTube there are many videos on how to perform various examinations as well as how to improve your communication skills. Links to all of our PLAB 2 videos can be found here. At some point try to read about the structure of the NHS so that you can mention things such as a referral process or what services might be available as part of your management. These methods will not only enhance your application but also improve your understanding of the NHS.

Book a course or mocks

As mentioned above, practice is the key to passing this exam. Sometimes learning and practising with your peers may lead to you not receiving constructive feedback or building on poor techniques as you are all learning amongst yourselves. Attending a course may help you learn from different colleagues and enable you to pick up on different approaches as well as learn different techniques from the course lead. Live PLAB 2 Mocks will help you ‘recreate’ the exam pressure of doing a series of intense role play practise in front of a complete stranger and help you receive more constructive feedback personalised to you. This can be helpful before your actual exam.

Final thoughts about PLAB 2 preparation

With the right preparation and practice PLAB 2 is a very passable exam. You have already passed medical school finals, as well as PLAB 1 - and in most cases already worked as a doctor.

If you take time to understand the NHS, work on your communication skills and practise principles to approach stations you should be fine. Trying to memorise scripts and failing to adapt when necessary are where many candidates fail.

Being a previous PLAB 2 examiner and having taught thousands of doctors to pass this exam, I’ve seen that often having confidence in your ability, understanding core consultation principles, as well as having guidance to the right directions are more than enough to pass this exam. I wish you all the best for PLAB 2.

Videos that may help

Focus on 3 things to pass PLAB 2

3 Trends that I see in those who don’t pass PLAB 2 - and how to beat them

If you recently failed PLAB 2, this may help