How to use this list, and what "verified" means
The official PLAB 2 pages are the GMC's PLAB 2 guide (a set of chapters on gmc-uk.org), the GMC pass-rates page and the GMC pages on the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA). The official MRCP(UK) PACES pages sit on thefederation.uk, the Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK; the old mrcpuk.org PACES address now redirects there. This page lists every one we used across the PLAB 2 and PACES hub, with one line on what each is for. Verified means we read the page on 21 October 2026. For gmc-uk.org that meant a browser, because the site returns 403 Forbidden to every automated fetcher we tried; for thefederation.uk it meant a direct fetch. Not read means we link the page but did not read it this week, so we quote nothing from it. The list is re-checked weekly.
- GMC Understanding your results: how PLAB 2 is really passed, and the ten feedback statements.
- GMC A sample OSCE station: the only official PLAB 2 station.
- Federation PACES format: the station table and the seven skills A to G.
- Federation PACES exam dates and fees: the UK window for diet 2027/01 opens 10 November 2026 at 08:00 GMT and closes 17 November 2026 at 08:00 GMT.
GMC: the PLAB 2 guide, chapter by chapter
The GMC splits its PLAB 2 guide into chapters. All of them sit under the same address; the table names each chapter as the GMC titles it, says what to use it for and gives the status on 21 October 2026.
| GMC chapter | Use it for | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | The contents page; booking is through GMC Online under My Tests | Verified |
| What is the PLAB 2 exam? | "PLAB 2 is a clinical and professional skills assessment (CPSA)"; 16 scenarios of eight minutes; F2 level; around three hours | Verified |
| How will you be tested? | The three marking domains, station types, the practical skills list and the interpersonal skills list | Verified |
| Information on booking a PLAB 2 place | Eligibility, the two-year rule, four attempts, booking only via GMC Online, refugee concession | Verified |
| When and where can you take PLAB 2? | The two Manchester centre addresses; dates run throughout the year; waits when demand is high | Verified |
| Cancelling or amending your booking | Cancellation fee, swapping dates, refunds in exceptional circumstances, eligibility extensions | Verified |
| What resources should you use to prepare? | The MLA content map, Foundation Programme curriculum, Good medical practice, the warning about courses | Verified |
| A sample OSCE station | The official sample station and sample prescribing charts | Verified |
| Health needs and adjustments | Reasonable adjustments, the evidence needed, and why to ask before booking | Verified |
| What can you expect on the day? | The GMC overview video, arrival, ID, dress code, 1 minute 30 seconds between stations | Verified |
| How do you get your PLAB 2 results? | Results within a month, in My Tests in GMC Online | Verified |
| Understanding your results | Borderline regression, the two pass conditions, quantitative feedback, the ten feedback statements | Verified |
| What do you do after you get your results | Registration within two years of the pass, English evidence, what to do after a fail | Verified |
| Are you eligible for an additional PLAB 2 attempt? | The fifth and final attempt: 12 months of learning, the evidence the GMC accepts | Verified |
| How do you appeal your PLAB 2 result? | The two grounds for appeal and the ten-working-day deadline | Verified |
| PLAB 2 and the MLA requirements | Stations based on the MLA content map; the name PLAB stays for now | Verified |
| Misconduct procedure; Case study of candidate misconduct; Anti-bribery policy | The rules on conduct, listed in the guide's contents | Not read this week |
Our PLAB 2 format, fee, dates and results page turns these chapters into one page, with every rule tied to its chapter.
GMC: sample station, examiner tips, pass rates, fees
- The sample OSCE station (verified). A telephone consultation: you are an F2 doctor in general practice, James Horton, aged 45, has called about pain in his head, and you must assess and manage him in eight minutes. The GMC lists what you must show, including a focused history, identifying his concerns, listening and showing empathy, a diagnosis of possible migraine, appropriate management, and conducting the consultation "fluently and professionally". The chapter links sample drug, fluid, blood and syringe-driver charts and a NEWS chart for prescribing stations.
- Examiner top tips on avoiding common errors (PDF, not read). The GMC resources chapter links a factsheet of examiners' tips on common errors in the part 2 exam. We have not read it this week, so we quote nothing from it.
- "Passing PLAB: 9 top tips from an examiner" (GMC blog, 2 August 2022, verified). Written by a PLAB 2 examiner and consultant psychiatrist, linked from the GMC resources chapter. The tips, in short: do not miss the task; stay focused and relevant; do not be too rehearsed; communicate effectively and efficiently; be realistic and do not over-promise; show confidence in your decisions; beware of assumptions; manage your time; and let the real doctor in you show. Read it at gmcuk.wordpress.com.
- Recent pass rates for PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 (verified). Five years of figures; the GMC pass-rates page showed a 59.8 per cent PLAB 2 pass rate for 2025 on 21 October 2026.
- PLAB reports (not read). The GMC's published reports about the PLAB test.
- Fees (figure not verified). The GMC fees page leads to "Fees for doctors", which covers PLAB test candidates. Until we verify the PLAB 2 figure on a GMC page, no TalkDrill page prints one.
GMC: the MLA pages
All read in a browser on 21 October 2026. The MLA overview page returns 403 to automated fetchers, like the rest of gmc-uk.org.
| Page | Use it for |
|---|---|
| Medical Licensing Assessment (overview) | Who takes what: UK students pass the MLA in their degree; international doctors "will continue to take PLAB"; the three themes of the content map |
| PLAB and the MLA | PLAB 1 meets the AKT requirements, PLAB 2 the CPSA requirements; eligibility unchanged; other registration routes |
| MLA content map | The document PLAB stations are based on; the version for assessments from September 2026, published October 2025 |
| CPSA (UK medical schools' guide) | What a CPSA is and how the GMC quality assures it |
| AKT (UK medical schools' guide) | What the AKT is and how the medical school AKT is built |
Our UKMLA, CPSA and PLAB 2 page explains what these mean for an international graduate.
The Federation: the PACES pages
All fetched directly on 21 October 2026.
| Page | Use it for |
|---|---|
| PACES overview | PACES is the MRCP(UK) Part 2 Clinical Examination, for trainees who hope to enter higher specialist training (ST3). "You must have passed the Part 1 written exam before taking PACES." |
| Format | 5 stations, 8 encounters, 125 minutes including 5-minute intervals; communication encounters of 10 minutes at stations 1 and 4 marked on skills C, E, F and G; 20-minute consultations at stations 2 and 5 marked on all seven skills; two examiners at each station grading 2, 1 or 0 |
| Exam dates and fees | Diet 2027/01: UK applications 10 November 2026, 08:00 GMT, to 17 November 2026, 08:00 GMT, fee GBP 742, assessments late January to mid April 2027. The international window for the same diet ran 6 to 13 October 2026; Hong Kong has its own window, 29 December 2026 to 11 January 2027. International centres GBP 1,358 for diets 2026/03 and 2027/01 (GBP 1,311 for 2026/02); Singapore GBP 1,485; Hong Kong HKD 16,300 |
| How to apply | Apply in My MRCP(UK); the window is open for one week with no first-come-first-served rule; "a maximum of six attempts at any part of the MRCP(UK) examination"; provisional applications in some centres |
| Centre locations | UK centres vary from diet to diet, and UK trainees are prioritised when applications exceed places; international centres include nine Indian cities, Pakistan, Egypt (Cairo and Alexandria), Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Sudan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE |
| Results | Results in My MRCP(UK) three weeks after the last exam for UK centres, four to six weeks for international centres |
| My MRCP(UK) | The candidate portal: applications, status, results, previous attempts |
The 2027/01 UK window is time-bound: it opens on 10 November 2026 and closes a week later, and the Federation says all applications must be received by 08:00 on the advertised closing date. Our PACES dates, fees and centres page has the full diet table.
PACES sample material: PDFs, videos and marksheets
The Federation's sample scenarios page listed the following on 21 October 2026:
- Documents: Communication examples; Consultation example 1, 2 and 3.
- Written materials: for the communication, consultation and consultation-with-surrogate videos.
- Videos: an introduction to PACES23 and an introduction to stations 2 and 5; a communication skills series numbered 01 to 06 (number 02 in two parts), covering examiner calibration, communications and ethics, a candidate consultation, the examiner discussion and mark sheet, and the candidate before entering stations 1 and 4; a consultation series numbered 01 to 07; and a consultation-with-surrogate series numbered 01 to 07.
The Station 4 Scenario Pack is a PDF of communication skills and ethics scenarios. It answered our fetcher on 21 October 2026, but its text could not be extracted, so we do not summarise it. The marksheets page carries the eight PACES23 marksheets, one per encounter, and says each candidate receives 16 marksheets at the centre: one sheet to each examiner at stations 2 and 5, and two sheets to each examiner at stations 1, 3 and 4.
Why the marksheets matter for communication
Watch the communication skills video on the examiner discussion and mark sheet before you practise. It shows you what the two examiners in the room are writing down. Then read our PACES communication and consultation guide for skills C, E, F and G in plain English.
What we could not verify, and why
| Page | Why it is not verified | What we do instead |
|---|---|---|
| PLAB 2 fee figure (GMC fees pages) | Not verified this week | Print no PLAB 2 fee; link the page |
| GMC examiner top-tips PDF | Not opened this week | Quote the GMC examiner blog instead |
| GMC PLAB reports and the three conduct chapters | Not read this week | Name them; quote nothing |
| Station 4 Scenario Pack text | The PDF answered, but its text could not be extracted | Link it; describe it only by its title |
| Federation preparation, FAQ and UK waiting-list pages | Linked from the PACES overview; not read this week | Use the format, dates, apply and results pages |
Anything a TalkDrill page says about these pages will wait until we have read them. If a link here stops working, the official site has moved it; tell us and we will fix it in the weekly check.
How to turn the official material into practice
The official material tells you what is tested. It does not give you a patient to talk to. This is how we use it:
- Read the GMC sample station, then say it. Run it as an eight-minute telephone consultation, out loud, with someone playing James Horton, or with AI role-play practice. Score yourself on the GMC list: concerns found, empathy shown, fluent and professional.
- Turn PACES examples into timed role plays. Take one Communication example, set a 10-minute timer, and practise the conversation. Our practice bank has TalkDrill-written scenarios in the same shape, with a self-mark grid for skills C, E, F and G.
- Learn the station shapes from worked scripts. The PLAB 2 station scripts show bad news, the angry patient, consent and counselling, all written by TalkDrill and labelled so.
- Plan the weeks. The 8-week roadmap fits either exam.
TalkDrill is an English communication practice tool, not a medical school. Our scenarios are for how you speak; check every clinical detail against current UK guidance.