I passed the PLAB 2 exam. I’m sorry for ppl who didnt make it, i’m sure you’ll nail it next time. I’m not a person with great IP skills so i just thought to throw some light on the prep for aspirants like me. This is not a post to boast myself or any academy per se.
-
Firstly, space your exam at least 3-5 months from your PLAB 1 result so that you will have adequate time to sort out your Visa. For the timebeing, i would suggest you to take an online course which will give you an insight about the exam before you even arrive in the UK.
-
ACCOMODATION: The accomodation that Swamy’s academy offers is awful and totally unworthy. Please search in Spareroom or AirBnB.
-
ACADEMY: I attended Swamy’s academy and i found it to be very helpful. Their notes is the best as far as i have compared with the other academies. The classes are a lil hectic and It’s very hard to read the scripts during the course. I had friends who religiously attended the online course back home and read the scripts once or twice before coming here, and they passed the exam with tremendous scores.
-
PRACTICE: I practiced for about 5-6 weeks. Getting a good, focussed practice partner is the most crucial part of the preparation. Thank God i got one. We studied the scripts and practiced simultaneously like read in the mrng and practiced in the evg.
-
MOCKS: Swamy offers 4 mocks and to me, they were very helpful to relieve my anxiety and for the time management as well. The simulators are not experts so dont bother about the mark. I got 6 and below in many stations in my mocks. Dont be ignorant too, understand your mistakes and make sure you dont repeat them. I got at least 3-4 stations in my real exam similar to what i had in my mock.
-
EXAM:
- Your first station is probably where you are most tensed. Staying calm n composed is the key, Brace yourself to read & understand the task properly and remember the pt’s name and your dept before getting in the cabin.
- Be polite, empathise appropriately, BE A SAFE DOCTOR.
- IT’S OKAY TO MESS UP IN FEW STATIONS, REMEMBER YOU JUST HAVE TO PASS 11 STATIONS. This is of profound importance bcz every single millisecond you waste repenting of your last station, you are screwing your current/ upcoming station. You have all the time in the world to backtrack, repent, whine or to do whatever after your exam. There’s very high chance that you’ll pass the station that you messed up, but not the stations you wasted repenting.
- Immediately after your exam, you might have a sense of completion and satisfaction but few hours later, all what is in your mind are your blunders. It’s very natural so dont freak out, You will pass. (cz the pass rate is 65-70%)
- The period that you are waiting for your result is terrible and you tend to do a self-analysis several times. Please dont. I know it’s easier said than done but why i say this is bcz the way the GMC examiners score us is totally unpredictable. You end up passing stations that you think you didnt do well and fail the stations which you have thought otherwise.
- Finally, the exam result is precisely at 10am UK time.
Point to be noted, If you could focus and prepare well for 4-6 weeks, I’m sure you will be able to ace it even if you are a person with mediocre communication skills.
All the best everyone. I hope this post is of some help.