INTRODUCTION
My name is Milena, I’m a doctor graduated in Brazil in
December 2017. After my graduation, I moved permanently to the
UK, to join my spouse that is settled here, and since then I’ve been
on my journey to practice medicine in the UK. I’ve recently finished
with the exams to be able to work in the UK, all three parts, IELTS,
PLAB 1 and 2, cleared in my first attempts.
This eBook aims to give you tips on how to study, if you’re
an overseas doctor who is planning on taking the exams to work in
the UK. I’ll be writing about my journey, my preparation, and
sharing tips that helped me clearing my exams, for example, which
books and websites are useful, how much time to study should I take
for each exam, and also some tips on how to know when you’re
prepared to take the exam, based on my personal experience.
The GMC (General Medical Council), the official body that
is responsible for the registration of doctors in the UK, asks for 3
exams to be cleared for a doctor that graduated abroad to be able to
obtain the registration. These exams are IELTS and PLAB 1 and 2.
I’ll be talking about each one in detail.
Before talking about the exams and starting your preparation,
I would advise you to read the following links:
• https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/join-theregister/before-you-apply/acceptable-overseas-qualifications
• https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/join-theregister/plab
• https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/join-theregister/registration-applications/application-guides/fullregistration-for-international-medical-graduates
• https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-andlicensing/employers-medical-schools-and-colleges/the-plabtest
• https://www.gmc-uk.org/registration-and-licensing/join-theregister/registration-applications/application-registration
In this ebook I’ll be talking about the books, websites and the
English teacher that helped me, but I would like to let you know that
I’m not getting sponsored by anyone. It’s only suggestions, since it
was materials and a great teacher that were of a huge help for me to
be able to clear all the exams in my very first attempt.
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IELTS
The IELTS (International English Language Testing System)
is one of the exams required by the GMC to prove your English
language skills. Recently the OET (English Language Test for
Healthcare Professionals) test was added on the GMC list. Since
IELTS was the exam I took, I’ll be talking about it only. (You can
read about the OET requirements on this link: https://www.gmcuk.org/registration-and-licensing/join-the-register/before-youapply/evidence-of-your-knowledge-of-english/using-your-oetcertificate).
The IELTS exam consists of four parts: listening, reading,
speaking and writing. The GMC asks for a minimum score of 7 in
each area and a total average of 7.5. The total average is calculated
by adding the scores from each part and dividing it by four. The
result of this calculation needs to be 7.5 or above for the doctor to be
eligible to apply for PLAB 1.
There are a few different types of IELTS exam. For us,
doctors from abroad, the type needed is the IELTS Academic. If
you’re not settled in the UK and are applying for a VISA, you’ll be
needing the IELTS Academic for UKVI (UK Visa Immigration), so
you can use the same IELTS exam for your VISA application to
come to the UK and also your PLAB and registration application.
The average of 7.5 is a very high score to get on the IELTS
Academic exam, specially the minimum score of 7 on the writing
part. So it requires a very focused and dedicated preparation. The
secret for the IELTS exam is to know the structure of the exam and
manage your time well.
I started my IELTS studying by buying the book ‘‘The
Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS for Academic and General
Training’’. This guide explains in detail the general structure of the
IELTS exam, and it comes with a CD with examples of speaking
tests and listening audios. It also comes with essays examples that
show what is expected from you in the writing exam. I found this
book guide essential for me to be able to get the pass mark,
especially in the writing exam. My score was 7 in listening, 8 in
speaking, 7 in writing and 8.5 in reading. I read and did all the
exercises provided in the book. Although a few exercises in the book
seem very simple, it was very important for me to study all of it.
There are mocks at the end of the book also, but I found the mocks
concerning the reading and listening parts easier than in the exam
itself.
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I believe the most important section of the ‘‘The Official
Cambridge Guide to IELTS for Academic and General Training’’
book is the writing section, because it shows examples of essays
with their respective scores and the reason why that mark was given,
which was very useful for comparing with my mock essays. In
addition, the speaking section is also very important, by showing
candidate’s performances with marks, and the reason why that
specific mark was given.
The best mock exams for the reading and listening parts are
on the ‘‘Cambridge IELTS 9 Academic with Answers’’ book, due to
the fact that the level of the mocks in this book is very similar to the
level of the actual IELTS exam. So, after finishing the first book, I
moved on to doing mocks from the book ‘‘Cambridge IELTS 9
Academic with Answers’’. I believe this book is at their 13 volume
nowadays.
By the last month of my preparation, I would try and do as
many mocks as I could, doing the listening, reading and writing
parts together, like it is on the exam day, always paying attention at
the time management. The speaking test is usually held on a
different date, so be aware of it when booking your exam. Mine
was on the day before of the rest of the test.
My preparation for the IELTS test took 2 months, studying 2
hours every day during the week, usually in the night, after coming
back from medical school. Saturdays I used to study for 3 hours
during the day, and complement it by having English teaching with
a professional teacher. Sundays were off from IELTS studying, as I
needed to keep up with the medical school work as well, and also
spend time with family and friends.
My main concern during my IELTS preparation was the
writing part. I would sincerely advise you, especially in my case that
English is my second language and medicine in Brazil is thought in
Portuguese, to hire an English teacher, a professional, to at least
correct your mock essays, and if possible, also help you with the
other parts of the IELTS test. Of course it’s understandable that
English lectures can be a bit expensive, when added up with the
exam prices and the stay in the UK for the exams, so it’s
understandable that money can be a bit tight. But if you can afford
it, I would sincerely advise you to do it. IELTS is an expensive
exam, so I think it’s worth investing a bit more money and having
higher chances of clearing it in your first attempt.
I had my essays corrected and also practiced the other parts
of the IELTS test with an English teacher specialized on the TOEFL
and IELTS exam, Dejan Tomic. My lectures were once a week for
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around 2 months. If you’re interested, you can like Dejan’s page on
Facebook and get in touch with him through the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/DejanProfIngles
My main strategy to study for the writing exam was to do as
many mock essays as I could, with special attention given at the
time management. I used to do the essay mocks from the IELTS
Cambridge Guide book and always compare it with the example
essay offered, and try to improve and get as closer to the example
essay with the higher marks as possible (not as a copy of the essay,
but with a similar structure).
Still concerning the writing test, here are two tips that helped
me to improve the quality of my essays: 1) learn some connective
terms like ‘‘in addition’’, ‘‘on the other hand’’, ‘‘although’’, ‘‘also’’,
because those terms give fluency to your essay, and 2) when writing
your essay, try your best to complete your statements with
examples.
Concerning the speaking test, one way of studying for it it’s
recording yourself doing the task with a camera and comparing it
with the example speaking tests given in the CD of the IELTS
Cambridge Guide book, and go for the exam when you’re close to
the structure given. A very important tip for the speaking test is to
try your best not to finish talking too long before the time given.
You should be able to talk and conclude your task within the time
given, not before and not after. Silence gaps on the speaking test can
really compromise your grade, so focus on your time management
and task completion here. If you can practice with a study partner,
that will also help.
How to be sure that you’re ready for the exam?
Unfortunately, you can’t be 100% sure you’ll clear the exam when
you sit for it. But I would advise you to sit for the exam when you’re
getting at least a 7 on your mocks (the guide book also explains how
to count your marking) for the writing (which means that you’re
close to the example essay given on the guide book that scored 7 or
above) and at least an 8 on the listening and reading mocks (these
are parts of the exam considered “easier”, so it’s important to get a
very high score here to improve your average and you’ll end up
needing a 7 on your writing test, and no more than that).
I only booked my IELTS test when I was getting the grades
mentioned above on my mocks, and, very important, when I felt
very confident for the exam. I knew the IELTS test structure and
what to expect, so I felt that I had very good chances of getting the
GMC pass mark.