PLAB
Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) is a licensing exam and the main route of entry for the international medical graduates (IMGs) to practice medicine in the UK. IMGs passing PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 become eligible to apply for registration and licensure at the General Medical Council, U.K. Once their registration is accepted at GMC, they’re officially entitled to work in the UK as a senior/junior house officer (status depends on if they have completed their internship/house job back home or not).
The IMGs can apply for two types of registration at GMC after PLAB:
Provisional Registration with a license to practice: Granted to those who have not completed an acceptable internship/house job. They will be entered in Foundation Year One (F1).
Full Registration with a license to practice: Only those with an accepted internship (completed either overseas or in the UK) can apply for this type of registration and licensure. They will enter F2 as SHO in the UK. However, it is very hard for an IMG to enter F2 directly because of the limited amount of posts. But you can apply for a non-training (PAID) job, work for three months, get your competencies signed and then apply for core training.
Due to the scarcity of F1 posts for IMGs, it is strongly advised to complete your 12 months internship/house job (at a recognized teaching hospital) before appearing in PLAB 2.
Maximum, four number of attempts are allowed in written and practical part of the exam. BUT PLEASE KEEP IN MIND that if an applicant presents with multiple failures in his record to GMC, this will be taken into consideration prior to registration and could lead to refusal!
Eligibility Criteria for PLAB Part 1 Exam
You have to be a medical graduate with possession of a recognized medical qualification i.e MBBS or equivalent.
Passed IELTS Test: A 7.0 in each testing area (reading, writing, speaking and listening) and an overall 7.5 (out of 9.0) is a compulsory prerequisite for taking PLAB Part 1.
Eligibility Criteria for PLAB Part 2 Exam
PLAB Part 1 Passed, is the ONLY requirement for taking PLAB Part 2 exam. But keep in mind, that after passing PLAB 1, PLAB 2 exam should be taken within two years. Otherwise, your “pass” status in PLAB 1 will be rendered expired and you will have to take PLAB 1 again!
PLAB Fees:
PLAB Part 1: £230
PLAB Part 2: £840
PLAB Test Centers
PLAB 1 can be taken outside the UK in the following countries Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Srilanka, and Egypt. While PLAB 2 can only be taken in the UK.
MRCP
Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians (MRCP) is a postgraduate membership examination in the medicine specialty of the UK. It consists of three parts, namely:
MRCP Part 1
MRCP Part 2
PACES
The part 1 & 2 are written exams while PACES is an OSCE (clinical) exam. One has to pass all three steps of MRCP for being eligible for GMC registration and licensure to work as a doctor in the UK.
Eligibility Criteria for MRCP Part 1 Exam
MRCP Part 1 exam can be taken one year after the date of graduation.
NO prior hospital job experience is required.
Eligibility Criteria for MRCP Part 2 Exam
Physicians in training who have passed the MRCP Part 1 exam.
Eligibility Criteria for PACES Exam
Candidate must have cleared MRCP Part 2 (pass rates increase significantly with a gap of 12-24 months, GMC’s research suggests.)
MRCP Fees:
Below are the fees for international candidates:
MRCP Part 1: £594
MRCP Part 2: £594
PACES: £1202
Entry into UK Medicine After Passing MRCP
Once you have passed all three steps of MRCP, you can directly apply for GMC registration and licensure after giving IELTS test (7.5 overall and 7.0 in each section). A complete MRCP is equivalent of those who have completed their Core Training and will enter ST.
But it is not possible to start Specialty Training right away. First, you will be required to take a non-training job for a certain period of time. One of our alumnus was asked to work 18 months in a non-training position before getting into Specialty Training of his choice, which was gastroenterology.