www.7plus7.com

 

More Details about Plab examination

The test is confined to core knowledge, skills and attitudes relating to conditions commonly seen by SHOs, to the generic management of life-threatening situations, and to rarer, but important problems. It will contain 200 questions, divided into a number of themes. The duration of the test will be three hours.For each group of questions there will be a list of options. Candidates are required to select the most appropriate option for each question. One mark is awarded for each correct response, but no marks are deducted for an incorrect answer. Therefore you should attempt all questions. The examination will be answered on a special answer sheet which is marked in UK by computer.Plab-2 is a 14-station Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) and tests your clinical and communication skills. You must pass Part 1 of the test before you can enter Part 2.. This is the clinical exam of PLAB and held only in UK.

Fees for the plab test :
Part 1 is £145
Part 2 of the test is ~£430 (held only in UK)

Skills of PLAB -1 test.
Four groups of skills will be tested in approximately equal proportions:

a) Diagnosis: Given the important facts about a patient (such as age, sex, nature of presenting symptoms, duration of symptoms) you are asked to select the most likely diagnosis from a range of possibilities.
b) Investigations: This may refer to the selection or the interpretation of diagnostic tests. Given the important facts about a patient, you will be asked to select the investigation which is most likely to provide the key to the diagnosis. Alternatively, you may be given the findings of investigations and asked to relate these to a patient's condition or to choose the most appropriate next course of action.
c) Management: Given the important facts about a patient's condition, you will be asked to choose from a range of possibilities the most suitable course of treatment. In the case of medical treatments you will be asked to choose the correct drug therapy and will be expected to know about side effects.
d) Others: These may include:
I. Explanation of disease process: The natural history of disease will be tested with reference to basic physiology and pathology.
II. Legal/ethical : You are expected to know the major legal and ethical principles set out in the GMC publication Duties of a Doctor.
III. Practice of evidence based medicine: Questions on diagnosis, investigations and management may draw upon recent evidence published in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, there may be questions on the principles and practice of evidence-based medicine.
IV. Understanding of epidemiology: You may be tested on the principles of epidemiology, and on the prevalence of important diseases in the UK.
V. Health promotion: The prevention of disease through health promotion and knowledge of risk factors.
VI. Awareness of multicultural society: You may be tested on your appreciation of the impact on the practice of medicine of the health beliefs and cultural values of the major cultural groups represented in the UK population.
VII. Application of scientific understanding to medicine

Professional Linguistic Assessment Board Test (PLAB) :

This factsheet sets out information about the PLAB test. This factsheet was issued in July 2002. The information contained in it will change from time to time, and it is intended for guidance only. Please note it does not carry legal force.

Notes for applicants:
1. General information about the PLAB test
The PLAB test is relevant for overseas qualified doctors. For those wishing to take up a period of limited registration (which can only be held in supervised training posts) we require evidence that the doctor has the necessary skills and knowledge to practise in the UK. The PLAB test - so called because it is set by the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board - is specifically designed to assess doctors' ability to work safely in a first appointment as a senior house officer in a UK hospital in the National Health Service (NHS).
The test is in two parts:

• Part 1 consists of a single computer markable paper to a standard set using the Angoff method.
• Part 2 consists of a 14-station objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). This tests both clinical and communication skills.

Candidates may not enter Part 2 until they have passed Part 1 and must take Part 2 within three years of having passed Part 1. Due to the high demand for places, we strongly advise you to allow at least four months from the time of submitting an application to getting a place. You should take this into account when applying for Part 2, which you must pass within three years of passing Part
With effect from 1 November 2002 there is a time limit for the validity of a pass in the PLAB test. A pass in the Part 2 test will be valid for three years from 1 November 2002 or the date on which the test was passed, whichever is later.

2. Requirements to be met before taking the PLAB test
Before taking the test, candidates must have:

• A primary medical qualification accepted for limited registration as listed in the WHO Directory of Medical Schools
• Taken and obtained the relevant scores in the IELTS test which is administered by the British Council. You must have obtained at least 7.0 as an overall score and minimum scores of 7.0 in the speaking section and 6.0 in each of the other sections (listening, academic reading and academic writing).

Candidates should also have 12 months' postgraduate clinical experience from teaching hospitals and other hospitals approved by the medical registration authorities in the appropriate country. It is possible for newly qualified doctors to take the test without this experience but only for subsequent employment as a junior house officer (the grade occupied by new medical graduates) rather than as a SHO.
You should be aware that the GMC currently requires a higher IELTS score for doctors who are not taking the PLAB test. We are currently undertaking work to look into the appropriate scores in IELTS and we will also be looking at whether accepting a lower score for those doctors taking the PLAB test remains valid.
Please note that the IELTS report form is valid for a maximum of two years and must not be more than two years old when you pass Part 1 of the PLAB test.
All doctors must obtain the minimum scores required in one sitting of the IELTS test.

3. Training and work opportunities in the UK
Passing the PLAB test will not guarantee you a job in the UK and you will not be granted limited registration without the offer of a job. Finding a job is your responsibility and you should ensure that you are well informed about opportunities for work before embarking on the PLAB test. There are fewer vacancies in some specialties than in others and there is almost always a delay of several weeks, possibly months, between passing the test and starting a job.
The GMC does not have information about job vacancies. The British Medical Journal, the Health Service Journal and Personnelnet Health carry job adverts, and the National Advice Centre for overseas doctors has general information about postgraduate training opportunities.

4. Fees for taking the PLAB test
The current fees are £145 for Part 1 and £430 for Part 2. These fees represent as fairly as possible the actual cost of the two Parts of the test. Refugee doctors living in the UK do not have to pay the fee for Part 1 on their first two attempts.
Cancellation of a confirmed place will incur a fee:
Period of notice Cancellation fee
Four months or more 60% of fee
Between 21 days and four months 70% of fee
Less than 21 days 100% of fee
From time to time Part 2 tests are added to or removed from the list of available dates. Please note that if you have a confirmed booking on a test and wish to change to an earlier test which has been added to the list, you will still be charged a cancellation fee.

5. Test locations and dates
Part 1 is held at centres in the United Kingdom and in certain other countries. Part 2 can only be taken in the UK. For information about accommodation in the UK, visit the British Tourist Authority website.

6. How to apply for the PLAB test

• Check you have a primary medical qualification accepted for limited registration.
• Consider whether you have the appropriate postgraduate clinical experience.
• Check the situation regarding job and training opportunities with the National Advice Centre for overseas doctors.
• Check you have a valid IELTS report with a minimum overall score of 7.0 and minimum scores of 7.0 in the speaking component and 6.0 in the listening, academic reading and academic writing components. You can get information about this test from the British Council's IELTS website www.ielts.org

Complete and return an application form with the appropriate fee.