The PLAB 2 mark scheme, explained
The PLAB 2 mark scheme scores every station across three domains on a 0 to 4 scale, sets the pass mark per exam using borderline regression, and can fail a station outright on a single missed safety-critical action. This page explains each part of the marking scheme in plain terms, how to read your results, and how to train against the same three domains before exam day.
What are the three PLAB 2 marking domains?
Every station is marked across three independent domains. You are never given one overall impression mark; the examiner scores each domain separately, which is why candidates can feel a station went well and still lose it on a single domain.
| Domain | What the examiner is scoring | Where candidates lose marks |
|---|---|---|
| Data Gathering, Technical and Assessment Skills | A focused, organised history; appropriate examinations and investigations; red-flag screening. | Unstructured histories, missed family history, forgetting to screen red flags. |
| Clinical Management Skills | A sensible working diagnosis and differentials, safe initial management, safety-netting and follow-up. | No explicit safety-net, vague plans, missed safety-critical actions. |
| Interpersonal Skills | Empathy, clarity, jargon-free explanation, exploring ideas, concerns and expectations, checking understanding. | Talking over the patient, untranslated jargon, skipping ICE. |
How is each PLAB 2 station scored?
Each domain is scored on a 0 to 4 scale in every station, so one station carries a maximum of 12 marks and the 16 marked stations carry a maximum of 192. Your total is compared against a pass mark calculated for that specific exam, and the number of stations you passed is compared against a minimum that is also calculated per exam.
What is the PLAB 2 pass mark?
There is no fixed percentage. The GMC sets the pass mark with borderline regression: for each station, the examiners' global judgements of borderline candidates in that sitting are used to calculate the station's cut score, and one standard error of measurement is added on top. The pass mark therefore moves with difficulty. A harder paper produces a lower pass mark, a kinder paper a higher one, which is why comparing raw totals between sittings is meaningless.
Until November 2024 you also had to pass a fixed minimum of 10 stations. That fixed rule is gone: the minimum number of stations passed is now calculated per exam alongside the overall mark. The GMC explains the model in its guide to understanding your results.
Safety-critical actions: the part candidates underestimate
Some actions are weighted as things a safe doctor must do, not merely should do. Sending a chest-pain patient home without serial troponins, missing thunderclap onset in a headache, or failing to act on a safeguarding concern can collapse the Clinical Management domain for that station even if everything else was excellent. The regulator is testing whether you are safe to practise, and the mark scheme encodes that directly. Train yourself to close every station with the safety-critical checklist: red flags excluded out loud, explicit safety-netting, clear follow-up.
How to read your PLAB 2 results
Your results letter shows your overall mark, the calculated pass mark for your sitting, and station-level feedback. Two readings matter:
- The domain pattern. A near-miss spread thinly across many stations usually means one weak domain, most often Interpersonal Skills or missing management structure. That is trainable in weeks.
- The station pattern. A small number of heavily failed stations with an otherwise strong performance usually means specific presentations or station types caught you cold. That is a coverage problem, not a skills problem.
If the result was a fail, the pattern tells you exactly what your resit preparation should look like: see the PLAB 2 resit guide.
Practise against the same three domains
The reason candidates find the real mark scheme surprising is that most preparation never scores them with it. Every Plabity station marks your spoken consultation across the same three domains, criterion by criterion, with safety-critical actions flagged the way the exam flags them, and shows you the evidence from your own words. Sit a station, read the breakdown, and the mark scheme stops being abstract.
Practise against the PLAB 2 mark scheme free Browse the free stations
Frequently asked questions
What are the three PLAB 2 marking domains?
Every PLAB 2 station is marked across three independent domains: Data Gathering, Technical and Assessment Skills; Clinical Management Skills; and Interpersonal Skills. Each domain is scored 0 to 4 per station, so a station carries a maximum of 12 marks and the 16-station exam carries a maximum of 192.
What is the pass mark for PLAB 2?
There is no fixed pass mark. The GMC uses borderline regression: for each station the cut score is recalculated from the performance of borderline candidates in that sitting, and one standard error of measurement is added. A harder exam therefore has a lower pass mark and an easier exam a higher one. Since November 2024 the minimum number of stations you must pass is also calculated per exam rather than fixed at ten.
Can you fail a PLAB 2 station on one mistake?
Yes, if the mistake is safety-critical. Missing an action a safe doctor must take, such as ruling out red flags in a headache station or arranging serial troponins before discharging chest pain, can collapse the Clinical Management domain for that station regardless of how well the rest of the consultation went.
How do I read my PLAB 2 results?
Your results show your overall mark against the exam's calculated pass mark, plus feedback by station. Read the per-station pattern, not just the total: repeated low marks in one domain across many stations tells you exactly what to train before a resit. The GMC publishes a guide to understanding your results on gmc-uk.org.
See the mark scheme applied to your own consultation.
Every free station is scored across the three PLAB 2 domains, with the evidence quoted back to you.
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