Preparing for PLAB during graduation

A common query of medical students is how early they must start preparing for PLAB and when is the right time for each step in the PLAB journey.

This post hopes to answer these queries.

Remember these two things:

You can’t appear for PLAB1 before you complete your graduation.
You don’t have to wait to graduate to start planning for PLAB

Start planning!

So even though you can’t appear for PLAB before you graduate, you can very well start planning for it and trust us when we say this, planning is half your work done. If you do it right, you remove apprehension from the equation and having a timeline makes you organized and confident.

How to plan

In order to plan well, you must:

Understand PLAB

Go through the GMC website and our blogs to understand what PLAB is all about so you know what you have to look forward to. Also read about IELTS and EPIC verification to know what all you need to do before you undertake PLAB.

IELTS/OET🡪 PLAB1🡪 PLAB2🡪 EPIC verification🡪 GMC registration🡪 Applying for jobs

(Note: EPIC verification can be done any time after graduation but is a pre-requisite to GMC registration)

Make your own timeline and try to follow it as practically as possible.

Don’t ignore that internship/house job

It is a well known fact that for IMGs, it is much easier to get non-training jobs rather than FY1 training post (equivalent to internship in home country). Thus, it is better to complete internship/house job in your home country and then move to the UK.
Also, the practical clinical training you get in internship can prove to be very beneficial in PLAB and even after.

Know what adds value

If you complete all steps and get GMC registration done, you will land job offers for sure though the time it takes may vary. To speed up the process and add value to your CV, there are a few things you can do during and after graduation:

Attending seminars
Attending workshops
Doing voluntary work
Courses
Presentations
Research/audit projects
Teaching(even informal)

Do remember these are not essential but if you are planning well in advance, these are easily doable and can definitely add value, make landing a job easier.

Avoid gaps in employment

Any work you do after graduation will help you to

Feel confident in PLAB
Feel confident about work in UK after GMC registration
Make visa process easier by providing you bank statements(steady income evidence)
Add to your CV, making it easier to land jobs
Save money for PLAB(it isn’t cheap)

Don’t overprepare

Plan but don’t stress and overprepare. You can look into IELTS/OET towards the end of your graduation but you don’t need to start preparing for PLAB1. It is better to focus on your graduation and internship/house job as that will arm you with the basic knowledge that is needed and PLAB1 preparation would not need more than 3 months.

Enjoy the journey!

Preparing for PLAB during graduation