My PLAB 2 experience
My prep :
I gave my exam in Manchester.
I had 15 days to read for the exam.
There were around 170 different cases when I gave the exam.( every month, GMC keeps on adding new stations and the number increases).I used to study in the morning and practise with my study partners in the afternoon. I took around 5 days to finish the first read.
While practising I realised that I was weak in management. So for 2 full days, I just read the management part of each case.
I practised around 40- 50 cases with my partner. I timed all my stations while practising. I neither had the time nor energy to practice all the 170 cases. However, I felt confident with just 50 cases and decided to focus on the script of my case.
I also kept 2- 3 days aside for the examination and manikin cases. Trust me, you NEED to practice these cases atleast twice. Time management is extremely essential in these cases and hence you need to practice them a lot more.
I read the notes around 3-4 times before my final exam.
Exam day:
- My exam was in the morning.
- I reached the examination centre at 7AM.
- The ground floor reception guy checked my booking appointment paper and asked me to sit there.
- At around 8.30AM, all those who had their exam with me were escorted to the floor where the GMC office was located.
- Here, our IDs were checked and we had our biometrics taken. We were issued an ID card with a number on it(between 1-20). This is your start station number. For ex, if your number is 17, you will start from the 17 station and then move on to 18,19,20,1,2…and so on.
- We were then escorted to a room where GMC showed us a short video about the exam. You can watch this video here. We were also also provided with some water, coffee and biscuits.
- After, this we were are taken to the main exam area and he bell starts.
- I was nervous for my first station. But I soon forgot all of it as the station progressed.
- I tried to be as calm and as natural as possible.
- Before I could even realise, the exam was over!
- It’s now time to celebrate. The test location is very close to the city center. So roam around and shop as much as you can!