For an IMG in 2026, the route is still PLAB 1 followed by PLAB 2. PLAB 2 is the CPSA-compliant clinical assessment with 16 scenarios. Since August 2024, both PLAB assessments have met the Medical Licensing Assessment standard. The PLAB names and booking route remain in use.
MLA, CPSA and PLAB
The GMC describes the MLA through two components: the applied knowledge test, or AKT, and the clinical and professional skills assessment, or CPSA. UK medical students take an AKT and a CPSA delivered through their medical schools. International graduates take PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 through the GMC. Both routes test against the MLA standard, but the names and booking arrangements differ. That distinction became visible during the 2024-25 rollout for UK medical schools. PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 became MLA-compliant from August 2024 without losing the PLAB label. If you see CPSA on a PLAB 2 page, it refers to the clinical component of the MLA standard. It is not a third exam to book.
The clean comparison is this:
| Question | UK medical students | International medical graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Knowledge assessment | AKT at the medical school | PLAB 1, aligned to the MLA from August 2024 |
| Clinical assessment | CPSA at the medical school | PLAB 2, CPSA-compliant from August 2024 |
| Booking route | Medical school | GMC Online |
| Name shown to the candidate | AKT and CPSA | PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 |
For an IMG, these terms describe different parts of the same regulatory framework. MLA is the common standard, CPSA is its clinical component, and PLAB 2 remains the GMC examination name used on the IMG route.
What PLAB 2 is now
The current examination remains recognisable as PLAB 2. According to the GMC's PLAB 2 guide, it contains 16 scenarios of eight minutes each, includes at least two rest stations and takes about three hours. Candidates move through simulated consultations, acute settings and other clinical encounters designed to test whether they can apply knowledge and professional behaviour safely. The label CPSA-compliant describes the standard behind those 16 scenarios. It does not add a second clinical exam after PLAB 2. A PLAB 2 pass satisfies the clinical assessment part of the PLAB route, subject to the other requirements for GMC registration.
The GMC says PLAB 2 can cover anything that a Foundation Year 2 doctor might encounter on the first day of work. That includes common, important and acute problems, so preparation cannot rely on a closed list of memorised consultations.
The expected level is safe F2 practice, not specialist performance.
Clinical answers must also travel beyond one hospital's habits. The GMC guide states that drug names come from the most recent British National Formulary and questions relate to current best practice. A local protocol learned in another country may be reasonable there but still differ from the published evidence expected in PLAB 2. Current BNF terminology and current UK evidence therefore belong in preparation for every 2026 diet.
You have eight minutes for each consultation, examination task or explanation. A rehearsed history that ignores the task can use that time quickly. Across 16 scenarios, you also need to leave the previous station behind when the timer ends.
Checking the content map for late 2026
The GMC says the updated MLA content map applies to all MLA exams and assessments from September 2026. If your sitting falls in that period, use the updated map when checking your preparation material.
If your resource uses an older map, compare its topic list with the map named for your sitting. Do not treat a larger file or script count as proof of coverage.
Recalls describe scenarios remembered from an earlier diet, often without the exact task, actor prompts or marking detail. An undated collection may not match the content map for your sitting. Check the date and map rather than relying on the number of files.
Recent pass rates
The GMC's pass-rate table records 19,594 PLAB 2 sittings in 2024 with a 65.8% pass rate. In 2025, 14,689 candidates sat and 59.8% passed.
That is a fall of 6 percentage points in the pass rate.
Sitting volume also dropped by 4,905, about 25%, so the two years were not identical candidate populations. The lower 2025 result coincided with the broader MLA-era content, but coincidence is not causation. The GMC table does not show whether content breadth, candidate mix, preparation or another factor produced the change.
The pass standard is set at diet level instead of one permanent percentage, a mechanism explained in the PLAB 2 scoring and pass-mark guide. The 59.8% figure describes the 2025 population. It cannot predict an individual's result.
The exam question also needs to be separated from the career question. MLA compliance concerns the standard for registration. It does not allocate an NHS post or create priority in specialty recruitment. The 2026 training prioritisation guide covers that separate decision, including the groups prioritised under the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026. A broader content map and a harder employment market are both real, but they require different responses.
Choosing up-to-date preparation material
Begin with your exact diet and the map shown in GMC Online. Date each main resource and compare its topic list with the applicable map. A resource described as “UKMLA ready” should still state which map it uses and when it was updated.
Timed spoken practice can show whether a case fits into eight minutes. Review each attempt across data gathering, clinical management and interpersonal performance. Unsafe plans, vague safety-netting and long explanations are easier to spot aloud. The six-week PLAB 2 preparation plan offers one way to organise that work.
GK's PLAB 2 Study Centre's mock exam runs the same 16-station format as the real exam. Its useful purpose is format rehearsal: sustaining concentration, recovering after a poor station and making 16 separate decisions under time pressure. No mock can reproduce a future GMC diet or guarantee a pass.
Before using a resource, check that it names the applicable content map and uses current BNF drug names and evidence-based UK management. Retired station counts, undated notes and rigid scripts are warning signs.
Questions candidates actually ask
Is PLAB being replaced by the UKMLA?
No. Since August 2024, PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 have been the MLA-compliant assessments for international medical graduates, and candidates still book them under the PLAB names.
Is PLAB 2 the same as the CPSA?
PLAB 2 is the CPSA-compliant clinical assessment for candidates taking the PLAB route. CPSA is the name of the clinical and professional skills component within the MLA standard, not an extra exam that an IMG books after PLAB 2.
Does PLAB 2 still have 16 stations?
Yes. The GMC describes PLAB 2 as 16 eight-minute scenarios, with at least two rest stations, taking about three hours in total.