PLAB 1 Exam at a Glance

What changed for PLAB 1 in 2026

• Oct 29, 2026: Validity changed to 2 years to pass PLAB 2 (previously Must pass PLAB 2 within 2 years of passing PLAB 1).^[4]
• Oct 29, 2026: Registration deadline changed to 2 to 6 weeks before the test date (previously Booking may close 2–6 weeks before the test date).^[6]
• Oct 29, 2026: Score release changed to 6 weeks after the exam (previously 6 weeks after the exam (5 Nov 2026 sitting → 17 Dec 2026 by 4pm)).^[3]
• Oct 29, 2026: Delivery changed to In-person test centres in the UK, EU, and overseas (previously In-person test centres: Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Dublin, Madrid + overseas British Council sites).^[5]
• Oct 29, 2026: Eligibility changed to Acceptable overseas primary medical qualification and English proficiency (previously Graduates of medical schools outside the UK/EEA/Switzerland; acceptable qualification and English evidence).^[6]
• Oct 29, 2026: Next exam date changed to 5 November 2026 (previously 5 November 2026 (next: 11 February 2027)).^[3]
• Oct 29, 2026: Testing window changed to 4 sittings per year (February, May, August, November) (previously 4 sittings a year: February, May, August, November).^[5]
• Oct 29, 2026: Exam fee changed to £283 per attempt (previously £283 per attempt (from 1 April 2026)).^[2]
• Oct 29, 2026: Number of questions changed to 180 single-best-answer MCQs (previously 180 single-best-answer MCQs, 5 options each).^[1]
• Oct 29, 2026: Passing score changed to Set using Angoff method plus 1 SEM (previously Set for each test (Angoff method + 1 SEM)).^[3]

PLAB 1 Study Tips

• Create a structured study schedule at least 4-6 weeks before your PLAB 1 exam date.
• Focus on understanding core concepts rather than memorising answers for the PLAB Part 1 Written Examination.
• Use our free practice tests to identify weak areas and track your progress over time.
• Review the official PLAB 1 exam syllabus to ensure complete topic coverage.
• Take timed practice sessions to build your exam pace and reduce test-day anxiety.

Free PLAB 1 Study Tools

Interactive PLAB 1 resources on PracticeTestGeeks, free to start:

• PLAB 1 flashcards — review key terms and concepts card by card
• PLAB 1 study guide — topic-by-topic overview of what the exam covers
• PLAB 1 cheat sheet — one-page printable summary for last-minute review

According to General Medical Council, “PLAB 1 is a written exam made up of 180 multiple choice questions which you must answer within three hours. Each starts with a short scenario followed by a question. You need to choose the right answer out of the five possible answers given.”^[1]

Worked examples: how to reason through PLAB 1 questions

These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.

Example 1

Question: What does 'best interests' decision-making require under the MCA 2005 when a patient lacks capacity?

1. Following the patient's family's wishes
2. Considering all relevant factors including the patient's past wishes, values, and beliefs; consulting those close to them; and choosing the least restrictive option that meets their needs
3. Making the medically optimal decision regardless of personal values
4. Applying for a court order before any decision

Answer: B. Considering all relevant factors including the patient's past wishes, values, and beliefs; consulting those close to them; and choosing the least restrictive option that meets their needs

Explanation:

Option B is right because best interests under the MCA 2005 is a structured, patient-centred process. You weigh every relevant factor, including the patient's past and present wishes, values and beliefs, you consult family, carers or an advocate, and you choose the least restrictive option that still meets their needs.

Option A is wrong because relatives are consulted but do not decide. Option C is wrong because a medically optimal answer that ignores the person's values is not a best interests decision; the concept is broader than clinical benefit. Option D is wrong because a court order is not needed before every decision, only in particular difficult cases.

Rule to remember: capacity is decision-specific, and when it is lacking you decide with the person's own perspective at the centre, not with your own preference or the family's.

Example 2

Question: A patient on simvastatin 40 mg reports new-onset muscle pain and weakness. Blood tests show a creatine kinase (CK) level 10 times the upper limit of normal. What is the most appropriate action?

1. Continue simvastatin and reassure the patient
2. Stop simvastatin immediately — the elevated CK indicates rhabdomyolysis/myopathy, a serious adverse effect of statins
3. Increase the dose of simvastatin
4. Add a fibrate to the simvastatin

Answer: B. Stop simvastatin immediately — the elevated CK indicates rhabdomyolysis/myopathy, a serious adverse effect of statins

Explanation:

Option B is right. New muscle pain and weakness with a creatine kinase level 10 times the upper limit of normal on simvastatin 40 mg suggests statin myopathy, which can progress to rhabdomyolysis and acute kidney injury. The statin should be stopped straight away.

Option A is wrong because reassurance and continuing the drug risks serious muscle and kidney damage. Option C is wrong because a higher dose would worsen the toxicity. Option D is wrong because adding a fibrate to a statin increases the risk of myopathy further.

Rule to remember: symptoms plus a markedly raised CK on a statin mean stop the drug. Once CK has normalised, a different statin at a low dose, or another lipid-lowering agent, can be considered cautiously.

Example 3

Question: A patient is prescribed amoxicillin for a chest infection. They mention they are also taking the combined oral contraceptive pill. According to current BNF guidance, does amoxicillin interact with the combined oral contraceptive?

1. Yes — all antibiotics reduce the efficacy of the pill and additional contraception is always needed
2. No — non-enzyme-inducing antibiotics like amoxicillin do not reduce the efficacy of the combined oral contraceptive according to current evidence and BNF guidance
3. Yes — amoxicillin specifically destroys oestrogen in the gut
4. Antibiotics only interact with the progesterone-only pill

Answer: B. No — non-enzyme-inducing antibiotics like amoxicillin do not reduce the efficacy of the combined oral contraceptive according to current evidence and BNF guidance

Explanation:

Option B is right. Current BNF and FSRH guidance says that non-enzyme-inducing antibiotics such as amoxicillin do not reduce the efficacy of the combined oral contraceptive. Extra precautions are needed with enzyme-inducing drugs such as rifampicin, carbamazepine and phenytoin.

Option A is wrong because it treats all antibiotics as the same, which is an outdated belief. Option C is wrong because amoxicillin does not destroy oestrogen in the gut. Option D is wrong because the question is not limited to the progesterone-only pill, and the key distinction is whether a drug induces liver enzymes.

Rule to remember: ask whether the drug induces enzymes, not whether it is an antibiotic. Severe vomiting or diarrhoea is a separate issue that can affect absorption.

How to use these practice tests

Start with the GMC's own pages on the PLAB 1 format and results so you know what the exam asks of you. Then take the free PLAB 1 practice test as a baseline, without notes and under timed conditions, and note which topics cost you the most marks.

Next, work through the topic sets, spending most time on your weakest areas. Useful starting points are clinical medicine, pharmacology and therapeutics, medical ethics and consent and UK clinical guidelines and prescribing safety. Add NHS protocols if UK practice is new to you.

After each set, read every explanation, including those for questions you got right, and write down the rule behind each mistake. Check anything you are unsure of against current UK guidance such as the BNF, not against memory.

Close to test day, do full-length timed runs of 180 questions in 3 hours so that pacing feels familiar. Our questions are written by us and are not real exam questions, so use them to build reasoning, not to predict the paper.

Ready to Pass the PLAB 1?

Join thousands of candidates who have used our free practice tests to prepare for the PLAB Part 1 Written Examination. Start practising today and build the confidence you need to succeed. Practice with the free PLAB 1 practice test on PracticeTestGeeks (7 questions with answer explanations).

Related Medical Practice Tests

If you are preparing for a career in medical, you may also find these related practice tests helpful:

Prepare for the USMLE - United States Medical Licensing Examination — the United States Medical Licensing Examination for medical school graduates seeking to practice medicine in the US.

Prepare for the MCAT - Medical College Admission Test — the Medical College Admission Test required for admission to medical schools in the US and Canada.

Prepare for the PLAB 2 - Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board Part 2 — the PLAB Part 2 clinical assessment for international doctors applying for UK medical registration.

Prepare for the PANCE Test — the Physician Assistant National Certifying Exam for PA program graduates entering clinical practice.

Prepare for the MRCP Part 1 - Membership of the Royal College of Physicians — the MRCP Part 1 exam for postgraduate medical trainees pursuing membership of the Royal College of Physicians.

Sample PLAB 1 Practice Questions

Try these questions from our free PLAB 1 practice tests. The correct answer and an explanation follow each question.

1. A 25-year-old woman has TFTs showing: TSH <0.01 mIU/L, free T4 35 pmol/L, free T3 12 pmol/L. What do these results indicate?

   • A. Primary hypothyroidism
   • B. Hyperthyroidism (primary)
   • C. Secondary hypothyroidism
   • D. Sick euthyroid syndrome

   Answer: B. Hyperthyroidism (primary)

   A suppressed TSH (<0.1) with elevated free T4 and T3 indicates primary hyperthyroidism. The high thyroid hormones are suppressing TSH via negative feedback on the pituitary. In secondary hypothyroidism (pituitary failure), TSH is low but T4 is also low.

2. According to the GMC's Good Medical Practice, what are the four domains of Good Medical Practice?

   • A. Clinical competence, communication, ethics, and research
   • B. Knowledge, skills, and performance; safety and quality; communication, partnership, and teamwork; maintaining trust
   • C. Clinical expertise, professionalism, leadership, and education
   • D. Patient care, self-care, team care, and organisational care

   Answer: B. Knowledge, skills, and performance; safety and quality; communication, partnership, and teamwork; maintaining trust

   GMC Good Medical Practice is organised around four domains: (1) Knowledge, skills, and performance; (2) Safety and quality; (3) Communication, partnership, and teamwork; (4) Maintaining trust. All registered doctors must meet the standards in all four domains.

3. What is 'specificity' of a diagnostic test?

   • A. The proportion of diseased patients who test positive
   • B. The proportion of disease-free individuals who test negative (true negative rate) — a specific test rarely gives false positives
   • C. The accuracy of the test across all populations
   • D. The proportion of all negative tests that are true negatives

   Answer: B. The proportion of disease-free individuals who test negative (true negative rate) — a specific test rarely gives false positives

   Specificity = True Negatives / (True Negatives + False Positives). A highly specific test rarely gives a positive result in people without disease. Mnemonic: SpPin — a Specific test, when Positive, rules IN disease. Useful for confirmatory tests.

4. What is 'sensitivity' of a diagnostic test?

   • A. The proportion of people without disease who test negative (true negative rate)
   • B. The proportion of people with the disease who test positive (true positive rate) — a sensitive test rarely misses disease
   • C. The probability that a positive test correctly identifies disease
   • D. The proportion of all positive tests that are true positives

   Answer: B. The proportion of people with the disease who test positive (true positive rate) — a sensitive test rarely misses disease

   Sensitivity = True Positives / (True Positives + False Negatives). A highly sensitive test has a low false-negative rate — it rarely misses cases of the disease. Mnemonic: SnNout — a Sensitive test, when Negative, rules OUT disease. Useful for screening tests.

Take the full PLAB 1 practice test

Sources & last verified

1. General Medical Council — number of questions, time limit (official source). “PLAB 1 is a written exam made up of 180 multiple choice questions which you must answer within three hours. Each starts with a short…” Verified Oct 29, 2026.
2. General Medical Council — exam fee (official source). “| Part 1 of the PLAB test | £273 | £283 |” Verified Oct 29, 2026.
3. General Medical Council — passing score, score release, next exam date (official source). “We set the pass mark for each test using the internationally recognised Angoff method and include one standard error of measurement.” Verified Oct 29, 2026.
4. General Medical Council — validity (official source). “You must pass PLAB 2 within two years of passing PLAB 1.” Verified Oct 29, 2026.
5. General Medical Council — delivery, testing window (official source). “We hold the test in the UK and in a number of overseas locations.” Verified Oct 29, 2026.
6. General Medical Council — eligibility, registration deadline (official source). “You’ll need an [acceptable overseas primary medical qualification](https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/join-our-registers/before-you-apply-guide-for-doctors/acceptable-overseas-qualifications-for-doctors).” Verified Oct 29, 2026.

How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.