Exams and Qualifications

The UKMLA


What is the UKLMA and who will need to take the exam?

UKMLA stands for: United Kingdom Medical Licensing Assessment.

The UKMLA is a new medical assessment which will be introduced by the GMC (General Medical Council) to replace the existing PLAB tests.

From early 2024, IMGs who would have sat the PLAB exams to register with a licence to practise will start to take the MLA. UK medical students graduating in the academic year 2024-25 will need to pass the MLA as part of their medical school degree, before they can join the medical register.


What will the MLA involve?

The MLA will consist of an applied knowledge test (AKT) and a clinical & professional skills assessment (CPSA).

Before being able to take the CPSA, candidates will need to pass the AKT.

The applied knowledge test (AKT) will be an on-screen, multiple choice question exam. This will be similar to the PLAB 1 exam and will test a candidates ability to apply medical knowledge to different scenarios.

For international candidates, the GMC anticipate that the test will run four times a year at a number of locations worldwide.

For international medical graduates, the clinical & professional skills assessment (CPSA) will be held at the GMC’s clinical assessment centre in Manchester and will similar to the current PLAB 2 exam.

For UK medical graduates, the clinical & professional skills assessment (CPSA) will be set and run by each medical school. Each medical school may call the CPSA something different (i.e. an OSCE or OSLER). 


The MLA content map

By passing the MLA, candidates will demonstrate that they are ready for safe practice, able to manage uncertainty, and deliver patient centred care; these are the three themes underpinning the MLA content map, which sets out the core knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for UK practice.

The MLA content map details more about the topics and areas that the AKT and CPSA assessments could cover.


The transition from PLAB

If a candidate has passed both parts of PLAB at the time of the MLA being introduced, the candidate will still have to two years from the date of their pass to apply for a registration with a licence to practise.

If a candidate has passed PLAB 1, but not attempted PLAB 2 at the time of the MLA being introduced, – provided that their passed in PLAB 1 was less than two years ago – they will be able to take the CPSA.

If a candidate has attempted PLAB 1 but not passed, they will be able to sit the AKT. There will however be a maximum number of attempts at the AKT and any prior attempts at PLAB 1 will count towards this. This number has yet to be confirmed by the GMC and once they have passed the AKT, they will need to take the CPSA within two years.

If a candidate has passed PLAB 1 and attempted PLAB 2, but not passed, they will be able to the CPSA provided that their pass in pLAB 1 was less than two years ago. Again, there will be a maximum number of attempts at the CPSA and any previous attempts at PLAB 2 will count towards this.


Resitting the MLA

Once the MLA has been introduced, applicants will need to pass the MLA before they can apply for registration with a licence to practise medicine in the UK.

The GMC will set a maximum number of MLA resits, although these details have not yet been confirmed.


What will the cost be?

For international medical graduates, there will be a fee to pay to take the MLA (as there is with PLAB). To date, these details have not yet been released.

For UK medical graduates, the MLA will be part of their medical degree.


English language requirements

The MLA will not change the GMC English language requirements for registration.


The information on this page is correct at the time of writing. Please always check the GMC website for updates.

If you’re interested in working in the UK and would like to discuss the positions available in your specialty, and how we can assist you, please contact our team.