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Pathway guide / The steps

The PLAB route, step by step

Seven steps from your degree to your first job in the UK, in the order most doctors take them. Each one says what it involves, what it costs, how long it takes and what to watch for.

Naira amounts are estimates: they allow 10% either side of the rate on 13 November 2026 (₦1,836 to £1) and move with the exchange rate.

1Show your English

The GMC needs evidence that you can communicate effectively in English: speaking, reading, writing and listening. Most doctors use an English test, usually IELTS or OET, and the GMC's English guide sets the minimum scores for each. The GMC verifies your evidence before it lets you book PLAB 1.

CostsSet by the test provider.
TakesYour test date, then the GMC's check.
Done whenGMC Online shows your English evidence as verified.
  • Check the GMC's current minimum scores before you book a test. The GMC's English guide sets them out for each test.
  • Think ahead to registration. A recent PLAB 2 pass can count as your English evidence then, but only if your IELTS or OET minimum scores are less than three years old when you apply.
  • The evidence the GMC accepts for PLAB may differ from what it accepts for registration, so read the guide for your situation.

Official: GMC: evidence of your knowledge of English · GMC: booking PLAB 1

2Open your GMC Online account

Everything happens in GMC Online: you show that your medical qualification and your English are acceptable, book PLAB 1 and PLAB 2, see your results and later apply for registration. Only you may use your account. The GMC treats booking through anyone else, or sharing your login, as misconduct.

CostsNo fee is listed for the account.
TakesAs long as it takes to upload your documents.
Done whenThe GMC has verified your qualification and English, and PLAB 1 booking is open to you.
  • If you already have a GMC reference number but have not logged in since August 2021, you need to update your account first.
  • If you have not graduated yet, you must confirm that you have passed your final exams and met all the other requirements for your qualification.

Official: GMC: a guide to the PLAB test · GMC: booking PLAB 1

3Book and sit PLAB 1

PLAB 1 is a written exam of 180 single best answer questions in three hours. Each question starts with a short scenario and has five possible answers. It tests how you apply knowledge to patient care, at the level of a doctor starting the second year of the UK Foundation Programme, using current UK best practice. The GMC says PLAB 1 meets the requirements of the Medical Licensing Assessment.

There are four sittings a year, in February, May, August and November, in UK cities (Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford and Sheffield), in Dublin and Madrid, and at overseas venues run with the British Council. You book in GMC Online, under My Tests.

Costs£283, roughly ₦470,000 to ₦570,000.
TakesYour preparation time, then results six weeks after the exam, by 4pm.
Done whenYour pass shows in GMC Online.
  • Book as soon as you have chosen a date. Places are released as the GMC sees demand.
  • Overseas venues are changing. The GMC will stop offering PLAB 1 in Dhaka, Alexandria, Accra and Chennai from February 2027, and its overseas schedule will drop from four sittings a year to three. Check the venues in GMC Online before you plan travel.
  • You can sit PLAB 1 until you have failed it four times. A fifth and final attempt needs an application with evidence of 12 months of extra learning.
  • A resit costs the full fee again, so sit when you are ready, with a plan that covers the whole syllabus.

Official: GMC: what is PLAB 1 · GMC: when and where · GMC: PLAB 1 results

Getting ready for PLAB 1? Try the free readiness check, practice questions and study timetable.

4Pass PLAB 2 in Manchester

PLAB 2 is a practical exam, an OSCE of 16 scenarios lasting eight minutes each. The scenarios reflect real settings, such as a consultation or an acute ward. It runs throughout the year at the GMC's clinical assessment centre in Manchester. You must pass it within two years of passing PLAB 1.

Costs£1,036, roughly ₦1,710,000 to ₦2,090,000, plus travel to the UK.
TakesResults within a month of the exam.
Done whenYour pass shows in GMC Online.
  • Your two years count from the day you sat PLAB 1, not the day your result arrived.
  • To change a date you cancel your booking and rebook, and the GMC deducts a cancellation fee.
  • The same attempt rules apply: you can sit until you have failed four times, then apply for one final attempt.

Official: GMC: booking PLAB 2 · GMC: PLAB 2 results · GMC: the Manchester centre

5Get your degree verified

Before the GMC registers you, your primary medical qualification has to be checked independently. ECFMG, a division of Intealth, does this through its EPIC service, by confirming your qualification directly with your medical school.

CostsECFMG's fees, on its fees page.
TakesDepends on how quickly your medical school replies.
Done whenYour qualification is verified for the GMC.

Start early. It runs alongside your exams, and slow replies from a medical school are the usual cause of delay.

Official: GMC: primary source verification · ECFMG fees

6Register with a licence to practise

Once you have passed both parts, you apply in GMC Online for full registration with a licence to practise. You need to have completed an internship, and your English evidence must still meet the GMC's rules. Your application has to be approved within two years of passing PLAB 2. After that, the GMC asks for more evidence of your knowledge and skills.

Costs£481 to apply, roughly ₦790,000 to ₦970,000, then an annual fee (£481, or less if you qualify for a reduction).
TakesApply in good time inside your two-year window.
Done whenYour name is on the register with a licence to practise.
  • Use the GMC's guide for international medical graduates to check every document before you apply.
  • If you passed PLAB 2 less than three months before you apply, and your IELTS or OET minimum scores are less than three years old, the GMC checks your English automatically.

Official: GMC: full registration for international medical graduates · GMC: fees

7Find a job and get your visa

With registration in place, you can work as a doctor in the UK. Doctors moving for a job usually come on a work visa sponsored by their employer, so the job offer normally comes before the visa.

CostsVisa fees, flights and settling in.
TakesVaries with the job market and visa processing.
Done whenYou start work.

Read the visa rules on GOV.UK before you accept an offer, and plan the money for the move.

Official: GOV.UK: Health and Care Worker visa

Keep track of every step

The free planner turns this page into a checklist you can tick off, with a cost estimate at today's exchange rate and a rough timeline.

Get the free planner

For step 3, PLAB Vault gives you a four-month plan of short lessons, flashcards and exam-format questions. See how it works.

General information to help you plan, not immigration or legal advice. The official GMC pages always come first, and fees and rules change, so check them before you pay for anything. PLAB Vault is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the General Medical Council.