The UKMLA, explained for international medical graduates
The UKMLA (UK Medical Licensing Assessment, usually just MLA) is the GMC's common standard for every doctor entering UK practice. UK students sit it inside their medical degrees; international medical graduates meet exactly the same standard through PLAB 1 and PLAB 2, which are aligned to the MLA and its content map. This page explains the AKT and CPSA components, the PLAB mapping, and the one practical consequence for your preparation: the syllabus got wider.
What is the UKMLA?
The MLA exists to make one thing true: every doctor who starts practising in the UK, wherever they trained, has demonstrated the same minimum standard of knowledge and clinical skill. It is not a single sitting in a single hall. It is a framework with two components, delivered through different routes depending on where you qualified.
| MLA component | What it tests | UK medical students | International medical graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| AKT (Applied Knowledge Test) | Applied medical knowledge in a written format | Sat within the medical degree | Met by passing PLAB 1 |
| CPSA (Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment) | Consultation and clinical skills with simulated patients | Delivered by the medical school to GMC requirements | Met by passing PLAB 2 |
Is PLAB going away?
No, and this is the most common confusion. For international medical graduates the route is still called PLAB: you book PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 through GMC Online exactly as before, and the fees and booking process are unchanged in kind. What changed is what the exams are written against. Both parts are aligned to the MLA's requirements and content map, so a PLAB pass now certifies the same MLA standard a UK graduate demonstrates in finals.
The MLA content map: the change that actually affects you
The MLA content map defines the presentations, conditions and professional skills the assessment can draw on, and it is broader than the older PLAB blueprint. The effect showed up quickly: PLAB 2 pass rates dipped after alignment, from 65.8% in 2024 to roughly 60% in 2025, and candidates consistently report being tested on presentations that the classic recall lists and academy question banks never covered.
The strategic consequence is simple. Preparation built on a memorised list of famous stations now has holes in it. Preparation has to cover every specialty cluster and every station type: history and management across the systems, counselling, breaking bad news, ethics and safeguarding, risk assessment. Breadth stopped being optional.
What the CPSA standard means inside the cubicle
The CPSA is a consultation-skills assessment, and PLAB 2 marks it across three domains: data gathering, clinical management and interpersonal skills, with safety-critical actions weighted heavily. The mark scheme page breaks down each domain. The standard rewards the same things in Manchester that it rewards in a UK finals OSCE: structured information gathering, safe plans with explicit safety-netting, and plain-English communication that responds to the patient's ideas, concerns and expectations.
Preparing for the MLA-aligned PLAB 2
Breadth plus repetition is the whole formula. Plabity's station library is organised against the same specialty and station-type clusters the content map draws on, every station runs to the real eight minutes, and every attempt is marked to the three CPSA-style domains with criterion-level feedback. Because all of it is free, covering the full breadth of the content map costs time rather than money.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the UKMLA?
The UKMLA, or UK Medical Licensing Assessment, is the GMC's common standard for doctors entering UK practice. It has two components: the AKT (Applied Knowledge Test) and the CPSA (Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment). UK medical students sit it within their degrees; international medical graduates meet the same standard by passing PLAB 1 and PLAB 2, which are aligned to the MLA.
Is PLAB 2 the same as the UKMLA CPSA?
For international medical graduates, PLAB 2 is how the CPSA requirement is met. The exam is set to the MLA's requirements and content map, so a PLAB 2 pass demonstrates the CPSA standard. You still book and sit it as PLAB 2 through GMC Online; the name on the booking has not changed.
Do IMGs need to sit a separate UKMLA exam?
No. There is no separate UKMLA exam for international medical graduates. Passing PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 meets the MLA standard. The practical change is in content breadth: both exams are written to the MLA content map, which tests a wider range of presentations than the older PLAB blueprint.
How does the MLA content map change PLAB 2 preparation?
Prepare wider. The dip in PLAB 2 pass rates since the alignment is widely attributed to candidates being tested across a broader range of presentations than older question banks and recall lists covered. Preparation built on a narrow list of famous stations now leaves gaps; cover every specialty cluster and station type rather than the greatest hits.
The MLA made breadth mandatory. Breadth is free here.
Timed stations across every specialty and station type, marked to the three domains.
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