PLAB 2 dates appear in the booking service inside your own GMC Online account only after your PLAB 1 results are available. The GMC runs PLAB 2 throughout the year at two Clinical Assessment Centres in Manchester: 3 Hardman Square, Manchester, M3 3EB, and 3 Hardman Street, Manchester, M3 3AW. From 1 April 2026, the booking fee is £1,036.
The two Manchester test centres
The two venues listed by the GMC are:
- GMC Clinical Assessment Centre, 3 Hardman Square, Manchester, M3 3EB
- GMC Clinical Assessment Centre, 3 Hardman Street, Manchester, M3 3AW
Your booking confirmation names the centre and gives its address. The GMC specifically warns that the addresses look very similar. Read the street name and postcode together before setting out.
The centres operate independently. Candidates sitting on the same day at different centres take different exams, and the pass marks can differ between the centres. Another candidate’s same-day details cannot confirm what applies to your booking.
The venue rule is the same wherever you live. The GMC lists PLAB 2 only at these Manchester centres, so candidates based in India, Pakistan or Nigeria must also book in Manchester.
The GMC emails an allocated arrival time before the exam. Its exam-day instructions say an early arrival may be asked to leave the building until that time, while a late arrival cannot take the exam. Build transport disruption into the journey and still follow the allocated time. The PLAB 2 exam-day guide covers accepted identification, clothing and the circuit inside the centre.
When PLAB 2 dates become visible
The GMC says PLAB 2 test dates run throughout the year. The dates available to you are the dates shown in the PLAB booking service after your PLAB 1 result arrives.
Where demand is high, the GMC says candidates may experience a wait for a test date. It gives no standard wait duration.
Two groups can ask the GMC for priority: a candidate with a UK NHS job offer that requires GMC registration, and a candidate who holds UK refugee status. The booking guidance asks eligible candidates to email plab@gmc-uk.org, and says the GMC will try to offer a place as soon as it can.
Book through GMC Online
Use the following booking sequence once your result is available:
- Confirm that you remain eligible. The GMC requires an acceptable overseas primary medical qualification and a valid PLAB 1 pass.
- Sign in to your own GMC Online account and open the PLAB booking service.
- Use the booking service for one of the dates it displays. The fee from 1 April 2026 is £1,036.
- Keep the booking confirmation and check which of the two Manchester addresses it gives.
Under the GMC booking rules, PLAB 2 must be passed within two years of passing PLAB 1. The date you took PLAB 1 starts that window, even though the result arrives later.
The normal limit is four attempts to pass PLAB 2. A candidate who fails a fourth time must apply for an additional attempt. A failed fifth attempt ends eligibility to take the exam again.
Only the account holder should use the account. The GMC describes sharing account details with any third party as misconduct, with possible consequences for the PLAB booking or a future registration application. This includes giving login details to an agent or academy. For booking problems, email plab@gmc-uk.org.
Refugee doctors living in the UK have a separate fee arrangement. The GMC reduces the PLAB 2 fee by 50% for their first two attempts and asks them to call 0161 923 6602.
Changing or cancelling your booking
Changing dates uses the cancellation process. The GMC requires you to cancel the existing booking first, with the cancellation fee deducted immediately, and then make a new booking. The replacement date remains subject to what is available in GMC Online.
For a PLAB 2 exam booked at the current rate, the cancellation deductions from 1 April 2026 are:
- More than 42 days before the exam: £103.60, which is 10% of the booking fee.
- From 42 to 29 days before the exam: £518, which is 50% of the booking fee.
- At 28 days or less before the exam: £1,036, which is 100% of the booking fee.
Exceptional circumstances can support a request for the cancellation fee to be refunded. The GMC gives visa refusal, newly introduced travel restrictions, ill health and bereavement as examples. Cancel the booking first, then email the evidence. Approval is discretionary. If the GMC cancels an exam, it automatically refunds the booking fee and offers an alternative date. It does not compensate for visa, travel or accommodation costs. Check cancellation terms before making separate travel purchases because the GMC refund covers the exam booking.
The GMC can also consider extending the eligibility window in exceptional circumstances. Its examples include war, severe ongoing health issues, pregnancy or maternity, travel restrictions and mandatory military service. Contact the GMC as soon as possible if one of these circumstances threatens the two-year limit.
Sequence the booking with visa and travel planning
Treat the PLAB 1 result as the point at which date selection can begin. After booking, work through visa planning before committing to inflexible travel. GOV.UK permits a Standard Visitor to travel to take PLAB and identifies a GMC letter confirming test registration as evidence. Fit the preparation plan to the time available before the selected date.
Where the booking service offers a workable choice, leave enough room to assess visa progress and the feasibility of preparation and travel before the booking reaches the 42-day boundary, when the deduction rises from £103.60 to £518. This is a planning allowance. The GMC does not promise that several suitable dates will be available.
Any replacement sitting must still fall inside the two-year window measured from the PLAB 1 test date. Contact the GMC before that window closes if exceptional circumstances may justify an extension.
Before the 42-day point
Complete this check while cancellation still falls in the lowest current deduction band of £103.60:
- Save the booking confirmation and match its full address to Hardman Square or Hardman Street.
- Check the PLAB 1 test date against the GMC Online booking and the two-year eligibility limit.
- Review visa progress before paying for travel or accommodation with restrictive cancellation terms.
- Complete timed practice and decide whether the remaining preparation period is workable.
- Keep the date, or cancel and rebook before entering the 42 to 29 day band, when the current deduction is £518.
Questions candidates actually ask
Where are the PLAB 2 exam centres?
Both GMC Clinical Assessment Centres are in Manchester, at Hardman Square and Hardman Street. The addresses look similar, so use the centre and full address shown on your booking confirmation.
Can I take PLAB 2 in India, Pakistan or Nigeria?
No. The GMC lists PLAB 2 only at its two Clinical Assessment Centres in Manchester.
How do I book PLAB 2?
Book through the PLAB booking service in your own GMC Online account. Available dates become visible after your PLAB 1 results are available.
Can someone else book PLAB 2 for me?
No third party should access your GMC Online account. The GMC treats sharing account details as misconduct, which may affect your booking or a future registration application.