UKMLA or PLAB? Two Routes to the Same Content Map

What the MLA is

The GMC describes the Medical Licensing Assessment as a test of the core knowledge, skills and behaviours of doctors who want to practise in the UK. Its stated aim is to give patients and employers more confidence in doctors starting work in the UK, wherever they were educated or trained. The GMC names two parts for UK medical schools: an applied knowledge test (AKT) and a clinical and professional skills assessment (CPSA).

Two groups of doctors meet the MLA in different ways. Medical students graduating from UK universities must pass the MLA as part of their degree before they can join the medical register. International doctors who want to join the register continue to take PLAB. The GMC says both groups take assessments based on the same topics, set out in the MLA content map, and that both meet the same delivery requirements.

The side-by-side view

The table gives no AKT question count, timing or question type, because the GMC pages we read do not state them. If you see numbers for the AKT online, check them against the GMC before you rely on them.

What PLAB's compliance means in practice

The GMC states that PLAB "is now compliant with the MLA requirements, though it will still be called PLAB for a while longer", and that the questions and stations used in PLAB are based on the MLA content map. It adds that the changes affect how the test is quality-assured and constructed, so they mainly matter to exam administrators, and that candidates who sat PLAB before the change would notice little difference if they retook it.

For you, three things follow. The content map is the master document for what can be examined. The PLAB 1 format is still 180 questions in three hours, as the GMC describes it. And the name could change over time, so check the GMC site for the latest wording before you book.

The content map you actually study from

The MLA content map has six domains: areas of clinical practice, areas of professional knowledge, clinical and professional capabilities, practical skills and procedures, patient presentations A to Z, and conditions A to Z. The GMC says it is built on three themes: readiness for safe practice, managing uncertainty, and delivering person-centred care. The areas of clinical practice include acute and emergency, cancer, cardiovascular, child health, mental health, obstetrics and gynaecology, and surgery, among others, 24 in all. The 13 areas of professional knowledge include clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, human factors and quality improvement, medical ethics and law, and social and population health.

Our syllabus guide maps these onto the twelve revision domains we use. If a topic is on the content map, it can appear in PLAB 1. If it is not on the map, think twice before spending time on it.

Can UKMLA AKT resources help with PLAB 1?

They can, with three checks. The reasoning is simple: both exams are based on the same content map, so a question bank that is mapped to it will cover the same topics. But mapping to a content map does not make a question bank right for PLAB 1.

1. Check the format. PLAB 1 is 180 questions in three hours, with a short scenario and five possible answers, one correct. Practise at that pace. A bank with a different question length or option count trains different habits.
2. Check the guidance. PLAB 1 answers must follow current UK best practice. Material written for UK medical students is generally UK-based, but look for NICE, BNF and GMC references and for a clear date.
3. Check the level. PLAB 1 is set at the standard of a doctor starting F2. The GMC does not state the standard of the UKMLA AKT in the pages we read, so do not assume the difficulty is the same. Use your own timed results, not another exam's reputation.

The main benefit is breadth: UKMLA-oriented material often arranges content by the same areas, presentations and conditions, which helps you spot gaps. The main risk is false reassurance. A good score on questions written for a different exam does not tell you how you will do on PLAB 1.

What to watch for in future

The GMC says PLAB will still be called PLAB for a while longer. That wording suggests the route may change over time, but we do not know whether, when or how. Do not delay your plans in anticipation. The booking rules, fees and format on the GMC PLAB pages apply to the sittings you can book now. If the GMC announces a change, its PLAB and MLA pages will be the first place to say so, and we will update this guide.

Myths to drop

• "PLAB has been abolished." The GMC says international doctors continue to take PLAB.
• "PLAB is the UKMLA." PLAB is compliant with MLA requirements and based on the content map. It is a separate assessment for a different group.
• "PLAB 1 is just the AKT." They share a content basis, but the GMC does not describe the two as the same exam.
• "The pass mark is the same." The GMC pages we read do not compare standards. PLAB 1 uses the Angoff method plus one standard error of measurement, set at the level of a doctor starting F2.
• "UK graduates have an easier route." The GMC says both groups meet assessments based on the same topics and delivery requirements. We do not rank difficulty.

A note on the shared standard

A candidate in either group meets assessments based on the same topics. That does not make the exams interchangeable. A UK medical student sits the AKT and CPSA inside a degree programme, with teaching, placements and school-level support. An international doctor sits PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 as separate assessments booked through GMC Online, usually while working elsewhere. Their preparation conditions differ even when the content basis is the same. That is why this site builds its practice around the PLAB 1 format and the GMC's F2 level, and uses the content map as a coverage check.

Questions to ask before you buy any resource

• Is it mapped to the current MLA content map, and which version?
• Does it use the PLAB 1 format: a short scenario, five options, one best answer?
• Do explanations cite UK guidance, such as NICE, the BNF or the GMC, with a date?
• Is it original, or does it claim to hold recalled live-exam questions? The GMC warns against courses that claim to supply live exam content.
• Can you practise 180 questions in three hours without a calculator?

If you are moving from a UK degree to PLAB

Some candidates have studied in the UK but graduated elsewhere, or trained overseas after a UK elective. They may have used UKMLA-style resources already. If that is you, keep using them for breadth, but add PLAB 1-format timed blocks and a review of the GMC sample questions. Your UK exposure is an advantage on guideline-based items, while the exam-style pacing needs deliberate practice. The GMC does not describe any shortcut between the two routes, so follow the PLAB booking process in full.

How to use this in your plan

Treat the content map as your syllabus, PLAB 1 as your format and UK guidance as your source of truth. In the first week of your plan, download the content map from the GMC and tick off areas of clinical practice you have not met in recent work. In the middle weeks, add mixed timed blocks that follow the 180-in-three-hours pace. If you use a UKMLA-style bank, tag its questions by domain and compare your results with your PLAB 1-format blocks. If the two differ, trust the PLAB-format blocks, since they reflect what you will face. Our study plan shows where those blocks sit.

For the full PLAB 1 picture, read the PLAB 1 hub. For the next exam, read PLAB 2: what comes next.