Pass Your PLAB 1 With Arora

When preparing for PLAB 1,  there are two main chosen approaches – question-bank based and ‘formal revision’ based. 

Relying on one alone leave can leave you a little short. No question bank can cover every aspect of the PLAB 1, whilst purely reading books and guidelines means you won’t gain any experience of dealing with questions you may face in the exam.

If planned well, both should be used hand-in-hand as both have advantages in terms of improving retention and performance.

A few key references to familiarise with and keep referring to throughout preparation: PLAB GMC Blueprint (all of our teaching is based on this), NICE guidelines, BNF and BNF for children, Oxford Handbook of clinical medicine, GMC Good Medical Practice booklet.

The GMC PLAB Blueprint should be used as a guide to your preparation. This outlines which areas will be tested in the PLAB 1 – not going through this will lead to surprises on the day. It covers quite a lot but if you plan things well it will ensure you cover everything.

Make a timeline. Planning is vital given the huge amount of material to cover for PLAB 1. Work out how long you have between now and your exam, and break down your revision accordingly. Which topics to have covered by when, how many questions to complete per week? etc. Lack of this may lead to haphazard preparation and an overwhelmed feeling. Our PLAB 1 revision planners are designed to help you plan out your revision and can be found here: https://aroramedicaleducation.co.uk/free-downloads/

The most comprehensive package for PLAB 1 is our PLAB 1 Gold Pass Package. This is a package which focuses on the two core components needed for PLAB 1 success – knowledge and technique. The package has 12 months access to all material and contains an online course, audiobook course, multiple mock exams, clinical flashcards and pharmacology flashcards. To find out more about the package and for doctor reviews click here.

You can book PLAB 1 exams through the GMC site. To do this, you must create an account. Once this has been verified through your email, you must fill out your details. This includes putting in your IELTS/OET (English language test) results and/or your nationality status, to ensure your English level meets the minimum requirement to sit the exam. 

You can then choose a date slot and make a payment through the GMC portal. You will be sent a confirmation email once this has been processed, which will allow you entrance into your examination. 

You will receive your results through the portal once you have sat your exam and it’s been marked.

Generally, PLAB 1 exam results are available four weeks after you have taken the test.

The PLAB 1 pass mark varies every year. It is determined using the Anghoff Method, with one standard error of measurement. This ensures that the pass mark stays consistent and it is a fair exam. To pass PLAB 1 exams, candidates must sit within or above the average rate and, though this varies slightly every year, this is generally between 60 and 60% – which equates to 120 to 126 marks. 

The PLAB 1 pass rate for the past five years shows an average of 70% of candidates passing the first time round, based on the data from the GMC website.

Passing PLAB 1 requires you to retain a large amount of information on several clinical areas. You must be able to correctly answer 180 multiple choice questions. 

To pass PLAB 1, candidates should focus on gaining an in-depth understanding of all the areas outlined in the GMC’s PLAB 1 blueprint. These are Medicine (which is the subject for the majority of the 180 questions), Surgery, Paediatrics, Ophthalmology, OBGYN (obstetrics and gynaecology), ENT (ears, nose and throat), Psychiatry and Ethics.  

To pass your PLAB 1 test, you need to cover each of these areas in detail in your revision to ensure you can easily answer questions about any of the subjects. The exam consists of 180 questions, and these change every time. While it is beneficial to complete mock papers and use PLAB 1 questions banks to aid your revision, you cannot rely on memorising answers alone to pass the exam. You need to ensure you have real knowledge which can be applied to different scenarios. 

To make sure you pass PLAB 1, use a variety of revision methods to help cement the information you need to know for the exam. Flashcards, audiobooks and mock papers are all popular ways of studying PLAB 1.  It is also important to give yourself enough time to revise each of the areas. In the lead up to your exam date, make a revision plan that helps you separate your time into each of the subject areas, so you can spend enough time covering each. 

The most comprehensive package for PLAB 1 is our PLAB 1 Gold Pass Package. This is a package which focuses on the two core components needed for PLAB 1 success – knowledge and technique. The package has 12 months access to all material and contains an online course, audiobook course, multiple mock exams, clinical flashcards and pharmacology flashcards. To find out more about the package and for doctor reviews click here.

From April 2022 PLAB 1 now costs £247. More details about cancelling or booking PLAB 1 can be found on the GMC website.

The next PLAB 1 dates on the GMC website are :

• – 11th August 2022
• – 3rd November 2022
• – 16th February 2023
• – 25th May 2023
• – 10th August 2023
• – 2nd November 2023 

The PLAB 1 exam lasts for 180 minutes. It consists of 180 questions, which means it works out as 1 minute per question if divided equally.

Our most comprehensive package for PLAB 1 is the PLAB 1 Gold Pass Package. This is a package which focuses on the two core components needed for PLAB 1 success – knowledge and technique. The package has 12 months access to all material and contains an online course, audiobook course, multiple mock exams, clinical flashcards and pharmacology flashcards. To find out more about the package and for doctor reviews click here.

Our PLAB 1 revision planners are designed to help you plan out your revision and can be found here: https://aroramedicaleducation.co.uk/free-downloads/

Our various Social Media streams. Whether you learn by video (YouTube), image (Instagram), or a combination of both (Dr Aman’s PLAB Support Facebook Group) we have something for you.