Free PLAB 2 history taking stations

What PLAB 2 history taking stations are

History-taking stations are the backbone of PLAB 2. Across every specialty you are assessed on whether you can take a focused, structured history, screen for red flags, and reach a sensible working diagnosis while keeping the patient at ease.

Topics you can practise in these stations include:

• Chest pain
• Acute asthma exacerbation
• Sudden severe headache
• Low mood with suicidal thoughts
• COPD exacerbation
• Right upper quadrant pain
• First-trimester PV bleeding
• Chest pain on exertion
• Palpitations and chest fluttering
• Ongoing chest-wall pain after shingles
• Pleuritic chest pain
• Breathlessness and weight loss
• Chronic cough and breathlessness
• Cough and breathlessness

How to approach history taking in PLAB 2

Open with the patient's own words and listen before you interrupt, then work through the presenting complaint systematically (for pain, use SOCRATES), screen associated symptoms and red flags, and cover past medical history, drugs, allergies, family and social history. Weave in the patient's ideas, concerns and expectations rather than tacking them on at the end.

For the full consultation structure and a study plan, see the free PLAB 2 preparation guide.

What examiners reward in history taking stations

• A clear opening question and genuine listening before interrupting
• Logical, systematic questioning rather than a random checklist
• Screening the red flags relevant to the presentation
• Exploring ideas, concerns and expectations naturally
• Summarising back to the patient to confirm accuracy
• Plain English throughout, with no jargon

All 279 free history taking stations, by specialty

Every station below is free. Click one to sit it as an eight-minute spoken consultation, then get your mark-scheme breakdown.

Paediatrics 27

• Child with a needlestick injury in the park - Carla Entwistle, 3 (talking to her nanny)
• My toddler had a seizure with a fever - Mrs Rachel Okafor (mother of Maya, 2)
• Abdominal pain in a toddler - Andrew Bellamy, 18 months
• Vomiting in a 6-week-old baby - Susan Crowther (mother of baby Ava), 31
• Yellow newborn - Hannah Dunmore (mother of 15-day-old baby), 29
• Child with constipation - Mrs Patricia Easton (mother of Toby, 3)
• Child waking screaming at night - Mrs Helen Frobisher, 40 (mother of a 5-year-old)
• Child not socialising - Mrs Linda Goddard (mother of 3-year-old son)
• Bedwetting in a 4-year-old - Mrs Naomi Harborne (mother of Elliot, 4)
• Baby with a head injury after a fall - Mrs Donna Jephcott (mother of 9-month-old Jane)
• Worried her toddler isn't walking yet - Mary Oakley, 35 (mother of 14-month-old)
• Toddler not talking yet - Michael Prescott, 15 months (mother Helen)
• Breathless wheezy child - Matthew Ulverston, 7
• Telephone call about a wheezy child - Sandra Vereker (mother of Leo, 5)
• Baby with feeding difficulty and fast breathing - Mrs Hannah Warburton (4-month-old son), 31
• Feverish, breathless baby - phone call from Helen Yardley (mother), baby 10 months
• Swallowed object in a toddler - Mrs Priya Ramanathan (mother of Aanya, 2)
• Diarrhoea and vomiting in a baby - Sophie Hartley (mother of Oliver, 14 months)
• Sudden bruising in a child - Leah Okafor, 4 (immune thrombocytopenia)
• Unwell young infant - telephone triage call from Mrs Priya Mahaling, mother of Anaya (7 weeks)
• Persistent high fever in a young child - Esme Hartfield, 3
• Child with fever and rash - Maisie Holloway, 4 (parent: Becca Holloway)
• Heart murmur found at the baby check - Baby Rosa (parent Leona Whitfield), 6 weeks
• Toddler with abdominal swelling and weight loss - parent of Rumi Acharya, 2
• Recurrent childhood infections - Leo Hartley, 3 (mother, possible immunodeficiency)
• Child with a rash and sore throat - Mrs Bethan Carwardine (mother of Erin, 6)
• Fever and stinging on weeing in a toddler - Bethan Whitcombe (mother of Nia, 2)

Neurology 26

• Sudden severe headache - Mrs Helen Beresford, 53
• Ongoing chest-wall pain after shingles - Mr John Thornbury, 45
• Headache - Mrs Anna Morgan, 63 (giant cell arteritis)
• Sudden severe headache - Mr Anthony Langley, 45
• Headache with visual aura - Ellie Atkins, 26
• Headache - Mrs Janet Norbury, 45 (band-like, stress-related)
• Recurring headache around periods - Hannah Pemberton, 17
• Wife's sudden weakness and slurred speech - Mr Gerald Oldroyd, 67 (transient ischaemic attack)
• Transient facial droop and slurred speech - Mr Elton Pickersgill, 74
• Difficulty walking - Marion Ulph, 35 (ascending weakness)
• Seizure in a young man - Mr Wherrett (father of David, 22)
• Recurrent seizures on treatment - Mr Daniel Harewood, 22
• First-time seizure - Mr Martin Jessop, 60
• Severe back pain with leg weakness and urinary retention - Helen Fairfax, 38
• Head injury after a fall - Mr Eric Irvine, 40
• Sudden one-sided facial droop - Mr Callum Whitfield, 38
• Hand tremor - Mr Geoffrey Hartnell, 58
• Personality and behaviour change in a younger adult - Karen Aldfield (daughter of Roy, 59)
• Daily headache with visual blurring - Miss Carys Underwood, 27
• New progressive headache - Mr Gareth Whitlock, 52
• Chronic daily headache - Mrs Bernadette Aldridge, 44
• Tingling hands and unsteady walking - Reuben Calloway, 22
• Tremor and slowness - Mr Albert Whitlock, 68 (suspected Parkinson's)
• Numbness and tingling in the feet - Mr Raymond Ashworth, 58
• Confusion and headache after a fall - Mr Petra Aldous, 79
• Severe facial pain - Mrs Ursula Aldous, 58 (trigeminal neuralgia)

Obstetrics & Gynaecology 25

• First-trimester PV bleeding - Mrs Eleanor Crossley, 31
• High blood pressure in pregnancy (pre-eclampsia) - Mrs Emily Farnsworth, 29
• Unplanned pregnancy in a teenager - Alison Mason, 16
• First antenatal visit after two miscarriages - Diane Membury, 29
• Vaginal dryness and soreness - Mrs Carol Whitfield, 58
• Painful, hot breast while breastfeeding - Mrs Rhiannon Talbot, 31
• Postcoital bleeding - Mrs Rhiannon Brookfield, 38 (suspected cervical cancer)
• Painful periods - Miss Robyn Achterberg, 19
• Painful intercourse (dyspareunia) - Mrs Felicity Aldous, 29
• Postmenopausal bleeding - Mrs Glenys Ashworth, 61
• Long-standing painful periods and pelvic pain - Priya Bhandari, 31
• Fever and offensive discharge after delivery - Mrs Imogen Aldous, 31
• Severe vomiting in early pregnancy - Mrs Crispin Aldous, 28
• Painful red breast while breastfeeding - Mrs Adela Aldous, 31
• Heavy periods - Mrs Bethan Hollings, 41
• Feeling faint after hysterectomy - Mrs Harriet Aldous, 52
• New breast lump after previous cancer surgery - Marianne Whitlock, 54
• Postmenopausal bleeding - Mrs Marjorie Hollings, 61
• Pregnant teenager - Mia Whitlock, 15
• Cyclical mood and physical symptoms - Bryony Halloway, 34
• Recurrent miscarriage - Mrs Leonora Aldous, 34
• Heavy periods and pelvic pressure - Mrs Verity Aldous, 41
• Something coming down below - Mrs Maureen Ashcroft, 62
• Burning when passing urine in pregnancy - Mrs Winifred Aldous, 29
• Persistent vulval lump and itch - Maureen Holloway, 68

Psychiatry 24

• Low mood with suicidal thoughts - Mr Thomas Ashworth, 34
• Trouble sleeping - Mrs Eleanor Linfield, 65
• Trouble sleeping, asking for sleeping pills - Daniel Netherwood, 26
• Weight loss - Sophie Hargreaves, 18
• Confused man found wandering - cognitive assessment - Mr Albert Verity, 77
• Memory concern after a fall - Mr Brian Whitaker, 80 (cognitive assessment)
• Self-harm after overdose and wrist-cutting - Meryl Clarks, 16
• Paracetamol overdose - Elliot Carmichael, 19
• Worried mother - weight loss in a teenage daughter - Pauline Lockwood, 42
• Unexplained weight loss - Naomi Thornbury, 27
• Persistent tiredness and low mood - Mrs Hazel Ashworth, 35
• Trouble sleeping and low mood - Adrian Redfern, 50
• Low mood after childbirth - Brenda Marsden, 33
• Low mood after his partner's miscarriage - Nigel Calloway, 33
• Belief of being followed by police - Trevor Sinclair, 29
• Believes he is being followed and recruited as a spy - Marcus Beaumont, 29
• Binge eating and self-induced vomiting - Hannah Whitlock, 23
• Persistent worry and restlessness - Mrs Rosalind Aldous, 34
• Persistent fear of serious illness - Mrs Bethan Lockyer, 41
• Tremor, vomiting and unsteadiness on lithium - Mrs Brenda Holloway, 68
• Distressing intrusive thoughts and repeated checking - Ms Priya Sandhu, 29
• Flashbacks and nightmares after a crash - Marcus Ellery, 34
• Multiple persistent physical symptoms with normal tests - Mrs Carys Ellington, 41
• Exhausted and overwhelmed at work - Mr Owen Brightwell, 38

Dermatology 23

• Chest pain - Mr Gerald Lockwood, 67 (shingles)
• Lump on the shoulder requesting removal - Mrs Louise Beaumont, 32
• Changing mole on the shoulder - Joan Driscoll, 39
• Enlarging scalp lesion - Mr George Ellison, 60
• Mole behind the ear - Mr Gordon Fenwick, 48
• Changing mole on the forearm - Eleanor Galbraith, 55
• Changing mole on the breast - Angela Hawkins, 58
• Itchy ring-shaped rash on the arm - Mr Brian Ingram, 37
• Recurrent itchy rash in a child - Karen Rylance (mother of a 5-year-old)
• Itchy rash in a 3-year-old - Mrs Hannah Stoddart (son Toby, 3)
• Itchy rash on the legs - Elliot Trescott, 15
• Slow-growing facial lesion - Mrs Marjorie Allenby, 71 (suspected basal cell carcinoma)
• Itchy hand rash - Yusuf Demir, 34
• Excessive sweating - Hugo Aldous, 22
• Sore rash under the skin folds - Donna Aldridge, 54
• Changing mole - Mrs Linnea Ashworth, 41
• Spots on a child's skin - Mrs Priya Devlin (mother of Aanya, 4)
• Thickened, discoloured toenails - Mrs Bridget Holloway, 58
• Painful swollen nail fold - Ms Róisín Gallagher, 34
• Itchy scaly rash - Mr Owen Brennan, 38 (chronic plaque psoriasis)
• Fast-growing crusted lesion on the scalp - Mr Albert Hargreaves, 74
• Sudden spotty rash on the back and chest - Liam Hargreaves, 24
• Hair loss on tacrolimus after kidney transplant - Sybil Aldous, 42

Gastrointestinal 18

• Right upper quadrant pain - Mrs Rachel Hartley, 37
• Constipation on the ward - faecal impaction from opioids (talk to the nurse) - Mrs Smith, 85
• Change in bowel habit with rectal bleeding - Mrs Eleanor Wadsworth, 60
• Diarrhoea and vomiting - Mrs Hannah Yates, 37
• Long-standing bowel trouble - Mr Marcus Ackroyd, 58
• Difficulty swallowing - Mr Jason Ormerod, 58
• Vomiting blood - Hazel Pemberton, 27
• Indigestion and heartburn - Mr Gary Quayle, 50
• Abdominal swelling - John Maddox, 40 (alcohol-related liver disease)
• Severe epigastric pain - Mr Gavin Holloway, 52 (acute pancreatitis)
• Painful bleeding on opening bowels - Ms Róisín Doyle, 34
• Right upper abdominal pain with fever and yellow eyes - Mrs Bernadette Whitlock, 64
• Chronic diarrhoea and weight loss - Niamh Donnelly, 24
• Lower abdominal pain and bowel changes - Mrs Eunice Hartwell, 68
• Epigastric pain and weight loss - Mr Albert Crowley, 61
• Weight loss and upper abdominal pain - Mr Royston Okafor, 61
• Yellow skin and weight loss - Mr Frank Holloway, 68
• Recurrent epigastric pain - Mr Reuben Castellano, 58

Respiratory 17

• Acute asthma exacerbation - Ms Charlotte Aldridge, 29
• COPD exacerbation - Mr Terry Walsh, 69
• Pleuritic chest pain - Linda Ashworth, 27
• Breathlessness and weight loss - Mr Adam Redfern, 65 (suspected lung malignancy)
• Chronic cough and breathlessness - Mrs Barbara Marsden, 72
• Cough and breathlessness - Mr Ryan Calloway, 24
• Cough and breathlessness - Ms Elizabeth Hartley, 29
• Breathlessness on exertion - Mr Richard Sinclair, 22
• Shortness of breath - Jennifer Beaumont, 35
• Cough and breathlessness - Mr Allen Fenwick, 72 (sepsis from pneumonia)
• Cough and breathlessness - Mrs Karen Galbraith, 72 (sepsis from pneumonia)
• Confusion and breathlessness - Mr Albert Hawkins, 67 (chest sepsis)
• Tiredness and a changed cough - Mrs Linda Cathcart, 67 (low sodium, suspected lung cancer)
• Daytime sleepiness and loud snoring - Gareth Mostyn, 45
• Breathlessness on exertion - Mr Colin Banister, 22
• Cough and coughing up blood - Mr Raymond Holloway, 70
• Headache and dizziness - Mrs Lorna Whitfield, 41 (carbon monoxide)

Musculoskeletal 17

• New headache with blurred vision - Mr Charles Kershaw, 60 (suspected giant cell arteritis)
• Aches, pain and stiffness - Marion Vereker, 74
• Painful, swollen hands - Mrs Eleanor Yardley, 53
• Painful swollen big toe - Mr Patrick Allardyce, 40
• Acute lower back pain - Bill Coode, 37
• Persistent low back pain - Mr Rohan Verghese, 28
• Tingling and numbness in the hand - Mrs Priya Venkataraman, 49
• Radial wrist pain - Mrs Cordelia Aldous, 32
• Low back pain radiating down the leg - Mr Owen Ratcliffe, 41
• Painful stiff shoulder - Mrs Yvonne Achterberg, 54
• Chest pain reproduced by movement - Ms Celia Aldous, 29
• Heel pain - Mrs Gwendolyn Aldous, 46
• Fingers changing colour in the cold - Katarina Aldous, 26
• Painful swollen knee and ankle - Mr Callum Hartley, 26
• Acutely hot, swollen knee - Mabel Aldous, 54
• Elbow pain on gripping - Thomasina Aldous, 44 (lateral epicondylitis)
• Neck pain after a car crash - Mr Owen Treharne, 34

ENT 17

• Headache after a cold - Mrs Paula Ormerod, 61 (sinusitis)
• Recurrent nosebleeds on a blood thinner - Mr Nigel Vavasour, 58
• Ear pain and blocked ear - Carol Thornbury, 36 (otitis externa)
• Discharging ear with hearing loss - Mr Alfred Thompson, 69
• Sore throat and fever - Sharon Redfern, 34
• Sneezing and nasal symptoms - Mr George Marsden, 24
• Dizziness in an admitted patient after a fall - Nurse Diane Calloway (re: Mrs Janet Smith, 85)
• Febrile toddler tugging her ear - Mrs Sara Allardyce (mother of Lailah, 15 months)
• Blocked, painful ear after a flight - Mr Lorenzo Bianchi, 34
• Dizziness on turning over in bed - Mrs Eleanor Whitfield, 54
• Recurrent nosebleeds - Mr Vernon Easterbrook, 58
• Persistent hoarse voice - Mr Albert Crowhurst, 64
• Severe persistent ear pain - Mr Albert Hollins, 74 (necrotising otitis externa)
• Recurrent dizzy spells - Mrs Lorraine Whitcombe, 49
• One-sided blocked nose with bleeding - Mr Frederick Aldous, 58
• Persistent neck lump - Mr Geoffrey Aldworth, 58
• Ringing in the ears - Mrs Pauline Aldridge, 54

Cardiovascular 14

• Chest pain - Mr Daniel Cartwright, 47
• Chest pain - James Whitaker, 46
• Chest pain on exertion - Mrs Margaret Bramwell, 60
• Chest pain - Mr Paul Tarrant, 57 (suspected ACS in GP)
• Palpitations and chest fluttering - Mrs Susan Pennington, 62
• Chest pain - Mr Robert Fairfax, 32 (pericarditis)
• Breathlessness - Mr Thomas Driscoll, 59 (heart failure)
• Persistent dry cough on blood-pressure medication - Mr Peter Gerald, 53
• Newly diagnosed high blood pressure - Gerald Postlethwaite, 58
• Leg pain on walking - Mr William Membury, 50 (peripheral arterial disease)
• Sudden back pain - Mr Mark Lockwood, 55
• Lip and tongue swelling - Marwa Haddad, 58
• Sudden tearing chest and back pain - Mr Roland Akhtar, 58
• Recurrent palpitations - Mr Owen Whitlock, 24 (Wolff-Parkinson-White)

Urology 12

• Burning when passing urine - Mr Albert Stainforth, 75
• Burning when passing urine - Daniel Verity, 25
• Blood in the urine - Mr Frank Whitaker, 57
• Erectile difficulties - Mr Alan Radcliffe, 58
• Testicular pain - David Galbraith, 27
• Waking to pass urine at night - Mr Oliver Hawkins, 58
• Painful urination with fever - Mr Raymond Okafor, 54 (acute prostatitis)
• Urinary leakage and urgency - Marion Holloway, 58
• Urinary urgency and leakage - Mrs Bridget Halloran, 58
• Non-healing lesion on the penis - Mr Raymond Whitlock, 67
• Cola-coloured urine and facial swelling in a child - Mrs Isolde Aldous (mother of Chidi, 7)
• Urinary leakage on coughing - Mrs Ottoline Aldous, 44

Medicine 11

• Confused and agitated care-home resident - Mrs Olive Ellison, 85 (telephone collateral)
• Elderly father becoming confused - relative of John Birtwistle, 82
• Tiredness on a new antidepressant - Mrs Margaret Dewhurst, 65 (low sodium)
• Reduced kidney function on a health check - Mr Joseph Embleton, 61
• Recurrent falls - Mrs Margaret Fotheringham, 78
• Recurrent falls after hip surgery - Mrs Bridget Grimshaw, 78
• Recurrent falls - Mr Richard Hollis, 78 (polypharmacy)
• Persistent tiredness - Mr John Pattinson, 45
• Blood found in urine sample - Mrs Lydia Saab, 57 (on warfarin)
• Burning when passing urine - Ms Eleanor Threlfall, 35
• Confusion and flushing on a new bladder medication - Nigel Stanfield, 60

Endocrine 10

• Unintentional weight loss - Eleanor Frobisher, 29
• Tiredness - Diane Harborne, 63 (hypothyroidism with low mood)
• Weight gain - Mrs Lisa Kettlewell, 48
• Thirst and weight loss - Hayley Yelland, 16 (new type 1 diabetes / DKA)
• Sudden drowsiness in a diabetic on insulin (hypoglycaemia) - Bob Featherstone, 65
• Tiredness, weight loss and dizzy spells - Mrs Frances Okonkwo, 38
• Sore throat and fever on carbimazole - Mrs Bridget Ackerley, 41
• Milky nipple discharge - Yvonne Asare, 34
• Raised blood calcium - Mrs Bernadette Holloway, 58
• Bumping into things / peripheral vision loss - Estelle Aldous, 44

Infectious Diseases 8

• Confusion after a urine infection - Mr David Ingram, 77 (urosepsis)
• Lumps in the groin - Mr Owen Ibbotson, 25
• Animal bite sustained abroad - Priya Nadarajah, 34
• Fever in a returning traveller - Priya Raman, 29
• Severe sore throat and fatigue - Erin Castellano, 19
• Expanding bull's-eye rash after a country walk - Naomi Fielding, 38
• Fever after travel - Ms Sebastian Aldous, 34
• Diarrhoea after foreign travel - Nadia Okonkwo, 31

Surgical 8

• Constipation after hip surgery - Mrs Sarah Underwood, 78
• Swollen, lumpy leg veins - Elizabeth Northcote, 33
• Acute loin pain - Mr Matthew Bramwell, 27
• Persistent back pain - Mr Stanley Carmichael, 58 (suspected prostate cancer)
• Pain and swelling at a hernia operation site - Kevin Mortimer, 50
• Breast lump - Mrs Patricia Jardine, 24
• Sudden painful cold leg - Mrs Pauline Hartwell, 72
• Right-sided abdominal pain - Ms Robyn Falconer, 24

Genitourinary Medicine 7

• Persistent burning when passing urine - Karen Uppingham, 16
• Pain passing urine and discharge - Mr Aaron Risley, 29
• Painful genital blisters - Leila Hassan, 24 (first-episode genital herpes)
• Lower abdominal pain - Ms Carys Hollowell, 24
• Positive chlamydia result after childbirth - Mrs Bethan Frost, 29
• Vaginal discharge and itch - Ms Lorraine Achterberg, 29
• Vaginal itch and discharge - Robyn Easterbrook, 29

Ophthalmology 6

• Painful red eye - Mrs Sharon Quayle, 55 (acute angle closure glaucoma)
• Painless red eye - Mr Steven Radcliffe, 54
• Blurred central vision - Mrs Diane Stanfield, 82
• Gradual blurring of vision - Edith Tindall, 82
• Sudden vision loss in one eye - Mrs Mary Tindall, 66
• Sudden loss of vision in one eye - Mrs Romilly Aldous, 74

Haematology 6

• Tiredness and bleeding gums - Mr Nigel Naylor, 30
• Microcytic anaemia on routine bloods - Mrs Jennifer Prescott, 30
• Tiredness and iron-deficiency anaemia - Ms Yvonne Rylance, 35
• Anaemia on blood tests - Mr Colin Stoddart, 55
• Raised white cell count on a routine blood test - Mr Margaret Ulverston, 65
• Easy bruising and bleeding gums - Mrs Marcus Aldous, 38 (low platelets)

Ethical / Communication 2

• Sleep problem hiding domestic abuse - Mrs Hannah Brearley, 35
• Disclosure of recent sexual assault - Juliet Aldous, 24

Palliative / Pain Medicine 1

• Drowsy patient on morphine - daughter of Mr Edmund Whitlock, 78

Practise other PLAB 2 skills

• PLAB 2 counselling stations (138)
• PLAB 2 breaking bad news stations (9)
• PLAB 2 risk assessment stations (12)

Or practise by specialty

• PLAB 2 Ethical / Communication stations (62)
• PLAB 2 Obstetrics & Gynaecology stations (52)
• PLAB 2 Paediatrics stations (42)
• PLAB 2 Neurology stations (34)
• PLAB 2 Psychiatry stations (31)
• PLAB 2 Cardiovascular stations (27)
• PLAB 2 Gastrointestinal stations (27)
• PLAB 2 Dermatology stations (25)
• PLAB 2 Endocrine stations (24)
• PLAB 2 Musculoskeletal stations (20)
• PLAB 2 Respiratory stations (20)
• PLAB 2 ENT stations (19)
• PLAB 2 Surgical stations (15)
• PLAB 2 Urology stations (15)
• PLAB 2 Medicine stations (14)
• PLAB 2 Genitourinary Medicine stations (12)
• PLAB 2 Infectious Diseases stations (11)
• PLAB 2 Haematology stations (9)
• PLAB 2 Ophthalmology stations (7)
• PLAB 2 Palliative / Pain Medicine stations (6)
• PLAB 2 Breast Surgery stations (2)

Frequently asked questions

See also: free PLAB 2 preparation · the complete PLAB 2 guide · all free stations