When doctors practice PLAB 2 cases together, the environment is often too comfortable.
Actors are friendly. Information is given too easily. Feedback focuses almost entirely on medicine.
– “Should you have prescribed this?”
– “Was that referral correct?”
Those questions matter, but two big gaps often appear.
First, the emotional and communication challenges are missing. In the real PLAB 2 exam, patients may be anxious, frustrated, embarrassed, defensive or angry. If you only practise calm, cooperative patients, the exam can feel like a shock.
Second, the discussion after the case is often too narrow. Many groups talk about diagnoses and guidelines but ignore equally important areas such as:
– whether the patient’s ideas, concerns and expectations were explore
– how well uncertainty was handled
– whether practical issues like work, family or safety were addressed
– how patient involvement and shared decision-making were demonstrated
PLAB 2 does not assess medicine in isolation. It assesses how you manage a situation as a whole. When you practice with friends or colleagues, do two things deliberately.
First, challenge each other beyond the medicine. Add emotion, hesitation, resistance or confusion to the role-play. Make the patient human, not convenient.
Second, broaden the feedback after the case. Discuss communication, structure, patient involvement and practical management, not just clinical accuracy.
If your practice feels harder than the exam, you are doing it right.
