PLAB vs MLA Exam: What You Need to Know
The Upcoming Changes in 2024 as per GMC UK ( link given below):
From 2024, the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) test for international medical graduates will be revamped to align with the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) standards. But what does this mean for candidates? In essence, not a lot in terms of their exam experience. The modifications are primarily focused on the test's quality assurance and structure (more about the structure is written below)
The core foundation of the PLAB exam, which is about assessing knowledge, skills, and behaviours critical for UK medical practice, remains consistent. Therefore, while the PLAB blueprint will be swapped for the MLA content map, candidates' test preparations won't see a significant shift.
GMC states that those eligible to appear for PLAB now will still qualify in the forthcoming years. Moreover, as of now, individuals with certain European qualifications are exempt from this exam, and any alterations to this will be timely communicated.
What does the change in structure mean?
We have been constantly monitoring the PLAB exam changes over the years, our content team with over a decade long experience writing questions for exams conducted by the GMC (PLAB 1 exam) have first-hand experience noticing this change. For the past few years GMC has been pilot testing MLA AKT structured questions in the PLAB 1 exam, and we have noticed the exam difficulty increasing over the years. Learn more about the changes to the exam questions with examples in this article .
We analyse these changes after every exam, i.e. 4 times a year and constantly improve the questions and add new questions to match this standard. Which in return has helped thousands of doctors to pass their exam. You can check out verified reviews with results here
Understanding MLA Standards:
GMC’s aim is to ensure both segments of PLAB align with respective MLA standards:
PLAB 1 will satisfy the MLA Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) prerequisites.
PLAB 2 will conform to the MLA Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA) guidelines.
The Shift to the MLA Content Map from PLAB blueprint:
Set to be introduced in early 2024, the MLA content map details essential knowledge, skills, and behaviours for practising in the UK. Since both segments of the PLAB test already measure these facets, therefore the candidates won't experience a shift in the examination standard or its format. Essentially, the test day experience will remain unchanged.
GMC states that the content map's rollout will be communicated to candidates three months ahead of their exam date. There's a possibility that the map might be incorporated into PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 at varying intervals.
Are More Alterations in the Pipeline?
While no more tweaks are anticipated currently, candidates will continuously be updated on any new developments concerning PLAB and MLA.
Aspects like eligibility, English proficiency, test standards, retake policies, and the day's experience will still remain the same
Will PLAB Undergo a Rebranding?
Despite its alignment with the MLA standards, the PLAB test will retain its name for the foreseeable future. However, a rebranding might be on the horizon to give the test a fresher appeal.
The above article was based on the information given by GMC UK: https://www.gmc-uk.org/education/medical-licensing-assessment/plab-and-the-mla
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✅ 4600+ exam style questions only focused on all the high yield topics in the PLAB blueprint/ MLA content map ( We cover all the topics / concepts mentioned here)
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At MedRevisions, We provide questions and not only explain the correct answer, we also explain the wrong answer so you will have a comprehensive understanding of the concepts that is commonly tested in the exam. On top of that, we also provide you PLAB 1 / UKMLA exam curated notes at no additional cost.
At MedRevisions, we strive hard to provide the most up-to-date content available for PLAB Part 1. We constantly add exam-style questions derived from the most recent exam and also update the content to align with the latest NICE/CKS guidelines to ensure doctors pass PLAB Part 1 or UKMLA exam with ease in ONE attempt.
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