What Score Passes PLAB 1? How the GMC Sets the Standard

What the GMC says about the standard

Search for the PLAB 1 pass mark and you will meet claims of a fixed score. The GMC does not support them. On its results page the GMC explains that the pass mark is set using the Angoff method plus one standard error of measurement, that the standard reflects the level expected of a doctor starting the second year of the UK Foundation Programme (F2), and that there is no expected pass rate or average. Experts review the questions after each test.

Those statements have practical consequences. The standard is a level of competence, not a quota. A sitting where candidates are stronger does not push the pass mark up to keep the pass rate constant, and a sitting where they are weaker does not lower it. The exam must also be fair across sittings with different questions, which is why the underlying score needed can move between sittings even though the standard of performance stays the same.

How Angoff plus one SEM works

In the Angoff method, a panel of experts reads each question and estimates the probability that a minimally competent candidate would answer it correctly. Add those probabilities across the paper and you get the score a borderline candidate would be expected to reach. That total is the standard before any adjustment.

No test measures ability perfectly. The standard error of measurement (SEM) expresses how far a candidate's observed score might vary from their true level because of chance factors such as which questions appeared. The GMC adds one SEM to the Angoff standard. The effect is that the bar sits slightly above the raw borderline estimate. For you, this means being "borderline" is not enough on the day. Aim to be comfortably above it.

Five years of pass rates

The GMC publishes the number of candidates who sat PLAB 1 and the number who passed. We calculated each rate from those figures.

Three points stand out. First, the rate held at about 71% to 74% for four years and then dropped to 62.2%, a fall of about eight percentage points. Second, the number of candidates who sat fell by about 35% between 2024 and 2025, from 21,058 to 13,691, while the number who did not pass was similar in absolute terms (6,209 and 5,178). Third, these rates count every sitter, so repeat candidates who may be less likely to pass are included.

The GMC does not explain the 2025 change in these figures. Candidates, tutors and commercial sites offer explanations, such as a change in who sits or a harder paper. None is established by the data. The only safe conclusion is the one the GMC itself states: the standard is fixed to a level of competence, and roughly four in ten candidates did not reach it in 2025. Plan accordingly.

What your practice scores can and cannot tell you

Because the real pass mark is not published, no question bank can convert your percentage into a pass probability. A bank score depends on its own difficulty, its own mix of topics and its own explanation quality. Use practice scores in three ways instead.

1. Look at the trend. Three full or half-length timed blocks that rise or stabilise tell you more than one good day.
2. Look at the spread across domains. A strong overall score can hide one domain, such as professional practice or prescribing, where you are repeatedly wrong. Fix the lowest domain first.
3. Look at timing. If you finish 180 questions comfortably within three hours at your usual accuracy, you are in a better position than someone with the same accuracy who runs out of time.

Treat a score as a signal about where to work, not as permission to book or to hold back. Candidates who book only after their scores stop improving usually sit later than they need to. Candidates who book early and plan to cram usually repeat the exam.

Timeline for results

The GMC publishes PLAB 1 results about six weeks after the exam in GMC Online (My Tests), by 4pm on the published date. The results dates listed on the GMC page when we checked were 17 September 2026, 17 December 2026 and 25 March 2027. The GMC no longer offers result checks. Appeals are possible, and the GMC describes the process on its results pages. Read that page before you decide to appeal.

A PLAB 1 pass does not last indefinitely. You must pass PLAB 2 within two years of passing PLAB 1, and the two years run from the date you sat the test, not the date results appeared. If you sat in February and learned your result in late March, your two years started in February. See the PLAB 2 guide for what to do with that window.

Attempts and what to do after a fail

You can sit PLAB 1 up to four times. A fifth and final attempt needs an application after at least 12 months of additional learning, which the GMC defines as 12 months of clinical practice with structured reports or a relevant postgraduate qualification. Observerships do not count. After five failed attempts, there are no more.

If you do not pass, follow a fixed sequence rather than rebooking on impulse.

1. Read your result in GMC Online. Note what the GMC shows and what it does not.
2. Rebuild your error log from memory of the paper. Do not write down or share recalled questions, because the GMC treats that as misconduct. Record topics and reasons, not wording.
3. Decide the cause. Knowledge gaps need a longer plan. UK practice gaps need guidance-based study. Time gaps need more timed blocks. Professional-values gaps need Good medical practice and the 0-18 guidance.
4. Pick a sitting that gives you at least eight weeks. Four sittings a year means the next one may be only three months away. Rebook only when your timed practice supports it.

Our study plan guide gives 8, 12 and 16-week schedules you can use for a resit. The booking and fees guide covers the cost of another attempt.

Common myths about scoring

• "You need 70% to pass." No GMC page says this. The pass mark is set per sitting by Angoff plus one SEM.
• "The pass rate is fixed, so someone must fail." The GMC states there is no expected pass rate.
• "Easy sittings exist." The standard stays the same, so a paper that feels easier is not a reason to expect a lower bar.
• "Guessing is penalised." The GMC pages we read do not state any penalty. Leave no blanks.
• "A pass lasts for ever." You have two years from the sitting date to pass PLAB 2.

What "F2 level" means for revision

The standard is anchored to a doctor starting the second year of the Foundation Programme. That doctor has completed one year of supervised practice. They can assess a patient, start safe first-line treatment, order sensible tests and know when to call for help. They are not expected to manage a complex case alone. When you review an answer, ask whether the best option is what a safe, supervised first-year-completed doctor would do, not what a consultant would eventually decide. This framing explains many answers that look "too simple" to an experienced specialist. It also explains why escalation, safety-netting and communication feature so heavily.

Using the GMC sample questions

The GMC publishes 85 sample questions with an answer sheet, valid at December 2024 and based on the MLA content map. They will not appear in live exams. They are the only official guide to question style. Work through them once untimed to see the style of stem and option, and once under time pressure to see how long you take. Do not infer the pass mark from your score on them, because the GMC does not say how a sample score maps to the real standard. Check the GMC page for the current set, since the valid-at date may change.

A decision rule for booking

Because no score converts to a pass probability, use a behavioural rule instead. Book when all four conditions hold: you have completed every domain at least once; your last three timed blocks are stable; you can finish 180 questions inside three hours with time to review flagged items; and your error log shows no domain where you repeatedly miss the same rule. If one condition fails, choose the next sitting. A wait of three months is cheaper than a failed attempt.