About the exam
PLAB 1 Exam structure
An independent study guide aligned to the current GMC PLAB 1 guide, the applicable MLA content map and UK Foundation Programme Year 2 entry standard.
Issuer and path
PLAB 1 Study Guide is administered through General Medical Council. Check official resources before booking, retesting, or relying on a stale requirement.
PLAB 1 Applied Knowledge Test
180 scored + 0 pretest
A three-hour written examination of 180 single-best-answer questions, each with five options.
Before your sitting
Recheck the GMC guide and direct booking communications for your content-map version, venue, identification, allowed items, adjustments, timetable and any policy change.
Official Outline Coverage Map
Coverage is mapped to official outline item counts so content depth can be checked without hard-coding a single exam.
| Topic | Official outline items | Your questions | Your flashcards | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antenatal Care and Maternal Emergencies | 0 | 20 | 5 | Strong |
| Labour and Postpartum Care | 0 | 20 | 5 | Strong |
| Gynaecology, Sexual and Reproductive Health | 0 | 20 | 5 | Strong |
| Acute Kidney Injury, Fluids and Electrolytes | 0 | 20 | 5 | Strong |
| Chronic Kidney and Renal Disease | 0 | 20 | 5 | Good |
| Urinary and Urological Presentations | 0 | 20 | 5 | Strong |
| Neurological Emergencies | 0 | 22 | 5 | Strong |
| Neurology, Cognition and Chronic Symptoms | 0 | 21 | 5 | Good |
| Skin, Eye and ENT | 0 | 21 | 5 | Strong |
| Trauma and Fractures | 0 | 20 | 5 | Strong |
| Rheumatology, Bone and Joint Infection | 0 | 19 | 5 | Good |
| Back Pain, Soft Tissue and Rehabilitation | 0 | 19 | 5 | Good |
| Depression, Self-harm and Suicide Risk | 0 | 20 | 5 | Strong |
| Psychosis, Cognition and Capacity | 0 | 19 | 5 | Strong |
| Anxiety, Substance Use and Eating Disorders | 0 | 19 | 5 | Good |
| Acute Abdomen and Gastrointestinal Bleeding | 0 | 21 | 5 | Strong |
| Liver, Biliary and Pancreatic Disease | 0 | 21 | 5 | Good |
| Chronic Gastrointestinal Disease and Nutrition | 0 | 20 | 5 | Good |
| Diabetes and Diabetic Emergencies | 0 | 22 | 5 | Strong |
| Endocrine and Metabolic Emergencies | 0 | 21 | 5 | Strong |
| Haematology, Coagulation and Transfusion | 0 | 21 | 5 | Strong |
| The Acutely Unwell Child | 0 | 20 | 5 | Strong |
| Neonatal, Growth and Developmental Care | 0 | 20 | 5 | Good |
| Common Paediatrics, Safeguarding and Transition | 0 | 20 | 5 | Strong |
| Chest Pain and Cardiac Disease | 0 | 23 | 5 | Strong |
| Breathlessness and Respiratory Disease | 0 | 22 | 5 | Strong |
| Shock, Thromboembolism and Perioperative Care | 0 | 22 | 5 | Strong |
| Acute Care, Infection and Prescribing | 0 | 16 | 5 | Strong |
| Professional Law, Communication and Safeguarding | 0 | 16 | 5 | Strong |
| Evidence, Quality, Population Health and Uncertainty | 0 | 16 | 5 | Strong |
How to use this guide
How to prepare for PLAB 1
Practise recognising the immediate clinical task, ruling in or out dangerous alternatives, choosing the safest next step and closing the loop.
1. Read the exact task
Identify whether the question asks for diagnosis, investigation, immediate action, treatment, medicine change, referral or professional response.
2. Find the immediate threat
Use physiology, red flags and trajectory to decide whether stabilisation or escalation must come before diagnostic refinement.
3. Build a discriminating differential
Use age, context, onset and key positives or negatives to separate the dangerous, common and most likely explanations.
4. Apply UK evidence and duties
Choose current best practice, work within F2 competence, respect patient preferences and apply the relevant professional or legal requirement.
5. Select and close the loop
Pick the option that fully answers the stem and includes necessary reassessment, communication, monitoring, safety-netting or follow-up.
Ten feedback areas
Balance clinical-system coverage
Use the GMC result categories for navigation while applying every scenario across the six MLA map domains.
Reproductive Health
Obstetrics, gynaecology, sexual health and reproductive decisions across acute and continuing care.
Choose a topic to open below
Renal and Urology
Acute kidney injury, chronic renal disease, fluid and electrolyte problems, urinary presentations and urological emergencies.
Choose a topic to open below
Neurosciences and Senses (including Skin)
Neurological, dermatological, ophthalmic and ear, nose and throat presentations with time-critical red flags.
Choose a topic to open below
Musculoskeletal
Trauma, bone and joint emergencies, inflammatory disease, back pain, rehabilitation and safe analgesia.
Choose a topic to open below
Mental Health
Risk, capacity, common mental illness, severe mental illness, substance use and person-centred crisis care.
Choose a topic to open below
Gastrointestinal
Acute abdominal presentations, gastrointestinal bleeding, hepatobiliary and pancreatic disease, chronic disease and nutrition.
Choose a topic to open below
Endocrine, Metabolic and Clinical Haematology
Diabetes, endocrine emergencies, metabolic disturbance, anaemia, coagulation, transfusion and haematological disease.
Choose a topic to open below
Child and Adolescent Health
The acutely unwell child, neonatal and developmental care, common paediatric illness, safeguarding and transition.
Choose a topic to open below
Cardiorespiratory
Cardiac and respiratory emergencies, chronic disease, thromboembolism, shock and perioperative risk.
Choose a topic to open below
Ethics and Other
Cross-system acute care, prescribing, infection, law, ethics, communication, safeguarding, evidence and patient safety.
Choose a topic to open below
Antenatal Care and Maternal Emergencies
Recognise pregnancy complications, prioritise maternal stabilisation and choose safe investigation, treatment and escalation.
Key rules
Rule 1
Pregnancy changes differential diagnosis, investigation choices, medicine risk and thresholds for senior obstetric input.
Exam cue: Confirm gestation and stability before selecting the next step.
Rule 2
Maternal resuscitation and time-critical escalation take priority when the mother or fetus is at risk.
Exam cue: Use the safest effective test or treatment without delaying emergency care.
Common traps
Withholding necessary care solely because the patient is pregnant.
Prevention: Avoid an option that names a plausible diagnosis but ignores physiology, contraindications, competence, patient priorities or follow-up.
Focusing on fetal assessment before stabilising the mother.
Prevention: Avoid an option that names a plausible diagnosis but ignores physiology, contraindications, competence, patient priorities or follow-up.
Memory anchors
What frames an obstetric emergency?
Maternal ABCDE, gestation, bleeding or pain, fetal concern and urgent obstetric escalation.
What comes first in maternal collapse?
Standard resuscitation with pregnancy adaptations and immediate expert help.
How should medicines in pregnancy be judged?
Balance maternal benefit, fetal risk, gestation, dose and safer effective alternatives.
What makes hypertension in pregnancy urgent?
Severe pressure, neurological symptoms, organ dysfunction or fetal compromise.
What closes antenatal management?
Clear escalation, safety-netting, follow-up and communication with maternity services.
Next best moves
Quick check-up
Use a short quiz to confirm the rule pattern is actually sticking.
Check-up Questions
A 29-year-old at 8 weeks' gestation has severe unilateral pelvic pain, shoulder-tip pain, pulse 118 and blood pressure 82/48 mmHg. What is the best next step?
A primigravida at 34 weeks has blood pressure 168/112 mmHg, headache, visual scotomata and epigastric pain. What should happen now?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Open another topic next
Official resources
Verify the details with the official sources
Use these links for eligibility, scheduling, handbook rules, and issuer updates. Our guide helps you study; official sources tell you what the testing partner currently requires.
GMC: What is the PLAB 1 exam?
The current official definition of the AKT, its F2-level clinical scope, 180 questions, three-hour duration and five-option response format.
GMC: PLAB 1 results
The current marking, ten feedback areas and Angoff standard-setting guidance.
GMC: PLAB 1 and MLA requirements
Confirms that PLAB is MLA-compliant and that its questions are based on the MLA content map.
Original MLA content map
GMC states that this remains the reference for PLAB assessments up to and including August 2026.
Updated MLA content map
The version that applies to PLAB assessments from September 2026, with the current transition notice and downloads.
GMC: PLAB 1 preparation resources
GMC guidance pointing candidates to the MLA map, Foundation Programme curriculum and Good medical practice.
Good medical practice
The current GMC principles, values and professional standards expected in the examination and UK practice.
FAQ
Common PLAB 1 questions
Is this an official GMC resource?
No. This is an independent study guide. The current GMC PLAB guide, MLA content map, Good medical practice and direct candidate communications remain authoritative.
What is the current PLAB 1 format?
PLAB 1 is a three-hour written applied knowledge test with 180 multiple-choice questions. Each item starts with a short scenario and asks for one answer from five options.
What clinical level does PLAB 1 test?
It tests common, important or acute conditions encountered by doctors appointed to Foundation Programme Year 2, together with long-term condition management in primary care. Advanced GP duties are excluded.
Has the MLA replaced PLAB 1?
The test is still called PLAB 1, but GMC states that it is compliant with MLA requirements and its questions are based on the MLA content map.
Which MLA content map applies to my sitting?
For PLAB assessments up to and including August 2026, GMC says the original MLA content map remains the reference. The updated content map applies to PLAB assessments from September 2026. Check the date of the sitting, not the date you began studying.
What changed in the updated MLA content map?
The six-domain structure remains, but the old appendix linking presentations and conditions to selected clinical areas was removed. The conditions list is explicitly non-exhaustive, and expectations around uncertainty, holistic care, health inequalities, communication, prescribing, escalation and professional behaviour are clearer.
Are the ten feedback areas the six MLA domains?
No. GMC reports PLAB 1 performance under ten clinical feedback areas. The MLA map also has six cross-cutting domains: clinical practice, professional knowledge, capabilities, practical skills and procedures, patient presentations, and conditions. A realistic question can draw from several map domains at once.
Does GMC publish fixed topic weights?
No. GMC publishes the 180-question total and ten feedback areas but not fixed item allocations across those areas. The 601 practice questions in this module use an internal balanced-coverage allocation, not official exam weights.
How is the PLAB 1 pass mark set?
Each correct answer earns one mark. GMC sets the pass mark for each sitting using the Angoff method and adds one standard error of measurement. There is no fixed pass percentage or expected pass rate.
Can I use a calculator?
No. GMC states that calculators and electronic devices are not allowed in the examination room, so dose and fluid calculations should be rehearsed accurately without one.
How many attempts are allowed?
After four failed attempts at either PLAB part, a candidate must complete at least 12 months of qualifying additional learning and development and apply for an exceptional fifth and final attempt.
Which professional standards should I use?
Use current Good medical practice and its explanatory guidance, together with applicable UK law, local systems and current authoritative clinical guidance. Where law differs among UK nations, apply the jurisdiction in the scenario.