Before You Can Book PLAB 1: GMC Verification Explained

What this guide does and does not state

Most mistakes in the registration process come from advice that was true for someone else, in another year. Forums and agency websites repeat English test scores, document lists and verification steps that may have changed. For this guide we checked the GMC's PLAB pages on 21 October 2026. We state what those pages say. Where they are silent, or where we could not read a page, we say so and send you to the GMC.

The sequence, in order

The GMC overview describes PLAB as a two-part assessment that helps it check that doctors who qualified abroad have the knowledge and skills to practise medicine in the UK. It tells you to read the PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 guides, check that you meet the requirements and then book through GMC Online. From the pages we read, the order looks like this.

1. Read the GMC PLAB overview and the PLAB 1 guide. They cover dates, locations, booking, preparation, exam-day procedures and results.
2. Create your GMC Online account. You need it to book PLAB 1.
3. Have your primary medical qualification and English evidence verified. Booking opens only after the English evidence is verified.
4. Book PLAB 1. Use My Tests in GMC Online. The fee is £283 from 1 April 2026.
5. Sit PLAB 1, receive results and pass PLAB 2 within two years of your PLAB 1 sitting date. The fee for PLAB 2 is £1,036 from 1 April 2026.
6. Apply for registration. The GMC sets out the application, documents and fee on its registration pages.

English language evidence

The GMC requires evidence of English language knowledge before you can book. The pages we read for this guide do not list the tests, minimum scores, number of sittings or validity periods that count. We will not repeat figures that circulate online, because a wrong score costs a test fee and weeks of delay.

When you check the GMC's English language requirements, write down these points with the date you read them.

• Which tests or qualifications are accepted, and whether any exemption applies to you.
• The minimum scores or grades, and whether they apply per sitting or across sittings.
• How long the evidence stays valid, and whether validity affects your PLAB 1 date.
• How to send the evidence to the GMC, and how long verification takes.

Verifying your primary medical qualification

The GMC says you need an acceptable overseas primary medical qualification. The pages we read do not describe the verification method, and they do not mention EPIC. You will see EPIC mentioned on candidate forums and agency pages. We have not confirmed on a GMC page in this session whether, when or for whom EPIC applies, so we do not describe it or tell you to start it. The safest step is to read the GMC's page on verifying your qualification, or to ask the GMC through your GMC Online account, before you pay anyone.

Collect these items while you wait, because most verification systems need them: your degree certificate, your transcripts, your full legal name as it appears on your passport, and contact details for your medical school. If any name differs between documents, ask the GMC how to handle it before you submit.

A document tracker you can copy

Planning the timeline around verification

Verification is the step you control least, so start it first. The PLAB 2 clock starts on the day you sit PLAB 1, but verification delays push back when you can sit PLAB 1. If you have an NHS job offer with a start date, work backwards: registration needs PLAB 2, PLAB 2 needs PLAB 1, PLAB 1 needs a booking, and the booking needs verified English evidence. A delay at the start moves everything. The GMC does not guarantee verification times on the pages we read, so build in a margin and recheck your GMC Online account regularly.

PLAB 1 runs four times a year, in February, May, August and November, and registration may close two to six weeks before a test date. If your verification finishes the week after booking closes, you wait for the next sitting, which is roughly three months away. That alone is a reason to start early.

Questions to put to the GMC

Use your GMC Online account, or the contact route the GMC publishes, to ask these questions in writing. Keep the replies with your records.

1. Is my primary medical qualification acceptable, and how do I prove it? Ask what documents and what verification method apply to your medical school and graduation year.
2. Which English language evidence will you accept for me? Ask for the list of tests or other evidence, the minimum levels and the validity period.
3. Do I need any third-party credential verification, such as EPIC? Ask whether it applies to you, what it costs and how long it takes. Do not start it on a forum's advice alone.
4. How long does verification take at present? Ask whether processing times are published, and what to do if the booking window for a sitting is about to close.
5. What happens after PLAB 2? Ask for the registration application steps, the documents and the fee.

Three common situations

You have an NHS job offer. The GMC says to email plab@gmc-uk.org for priority. Include your job offer details and your GMC reference number. Plan the PLAB route backwards from your start date, and be realistic: you need PLAB 1, PLAB 2 and registration, each with its own waiting time.

You qualified recently. You still need verified English evidence before you can book. Ask the GMC whether a recent graduate has any additional steps.

You have worked abroad for years. Your degree may be old, your name may have changed, and your documents may be held at several institutions. Start collecting them now and ask the GMC what it needs to see.

Priority for NHS job offers and refugee doctors

The GMC says that candidates with an NHS job offer that needs GMC registration, or with UK refugee status, can email plab@gmc-uk.org for priority. Refugee doctors living in the UK pay nothing for the first two PLAB 1 attempts. If either applies to you, send the email early and keep the reply.

Protecting yourself from bad advice

• Use official GMC channels for fees and requirements. Fees change each April. A third-party page showing £273 for PLAB 1 is out of date.
• Be careful with anyone who promises exam content. The GMC warns against courses claiming to supply live exam content, because use of it risks misconduct.
• Keep your own records. Save emails, receipts, booking confirmations and GMC reference numbers. You need the confirmation and the reference number on exam day.
• Do not pay for verification services you do not need. Confirm the requirement with the GMC first.

After the exams

When you have passed PLAB 1 and PLAB 2, registration with a licence to practise is the next step. The GMC sets the application process, documents and fees on its registration pages. We do not summarise them here, because we have not verified them on pages read for this guide. Read the PLAB 2 guide for the exam stage, and the booking and fees guide for the cost of PLAB 1 and PLAB 2.

Remember that TriagePass is independent of the GMC, and nothing here is advice from the regulator. The GMC pages linked in the sources are the authority.