PLAB 1 vs UKMLA: What's the Difference and Which Do You Sit?
5 min read
With the introduction of the UK Medical Licensing Assessment (UKMLA), many doctors are unsure how it relates to PLAB. The short version: they test very similar knowledge, but they are taken by different groups on different routes. Here's how to tell which applies to you.
Who sits PLAB 1
PLAB is the GMC's assessment route for international medical graduates (IMGs) who qualified outside the UK and are not covered by other registration routes. PLAB 1 is the written, single-best-answer paper (180 questions in 3 hours), followed by the practical PLAB 2.
Who sits the UKMLA AKT
The UKMLA is being phased in as the common assessment all doctors need to practise in the UK. UK medical students sit it as part of their degree, and over time it is replacing PLAB for many IMGs too. The Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) is the written knowledge component, mapped to the MLA content map.
How much do they overlap?
A lot. Both are single-best-answer exams set in UK clinical practice, both emphasise safe management and prescribing, and both draw on the same core conditions and presentations. If you prepare well for one, most of that work transfers directly to the other. The main differences are in emphasis and the exact content blueprint.
How to prepare for either
- Practise UK-context single-best-answer questions in volume, because both exams reward applied decision-making, not rote facts.
- Prioritise acute and emergency presentations, common chronic disease management, and prescribing safety.
- Use explanations grounded in NICE and the BNF, since both exams test UK practice specifically.