Site icon Naseer's Journey

Studying for PLAB 1

Dr. Naseer Khan
Reading Time: 6 minutes

Recently the question bank for PLAB 1 seems to have been altered slightly. PLAB 1 in 2018 has included questions with comparatively longer stems. However, if you know how to study for it, PLAB 1 can still be a very easy exam.

Time Required for Preparation

8 to 16 weeks is the ideal time for PLAB 1 preparation. However, even if you have 4 weeks, you’ll pass this exam, with dedication and hard work.

Syllabus for PLAB 1

PLAB 1 only test clinical science and not basic science. Most of the 180 questions are from Medicine. A few are from Surgery, Paediatrics, OBGYN, ENT, Ophthalmology, Psychiatry and Ethics.

What to Study for PLAB 1?

I have organized a list of PLAB 1 preparation sources according to their importance:

A) Free Questions Banks - Very Important

  1. 1700 Questions

    Source: Study Material
    Number of questions: 1700
    Answers: unexplained
    Cost: free
    Importance: you must cover these. You will find multiple versions of 1700 (Dr. Khalid’s 1700, Sush’s 1700 and PLABABLE’s 1700). Each version of 1700 has more or less the same questions; these versions only differ in the explanations provided for the answers. You can go through any version which suits you best.

  2. Mocks

    Source: Files section
    Number of questions: unlimited
    Answers: unexplained
    Cost: free
    Importance: you must cover these. You will find multiple mocks. All of them are equal in importance. Solve as many mocks as you can, as many times as possible.

B) Study Material for PLAB 1 - Important

  1. Samson’s PLAB 1 Notes

    Source: Samson PLAB
    Type:     exam-oriented notes
    Subjectwise distribution:     yes
    Cost:     £200
    Importance: they are helpful but very pricey. They are not vital or necessary. Go through these notes only if you have enough time and resources. This subscription also includes the Samson question bank.

  2. Patient.co.uk

    Source: Patient.co.uk
    Type: website for references
    Subjectwise distribution:     no
    Cost:     free
    Importance: this should be your first go-to source of information. Please read only for references. No need to read the whole website.

  3. Oxford Handbooks

    Source: Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine (OHCM) & Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialties (OHCS)
    Type: pocket textbook
    Subjectwise distribution:     yes
    Cost:     £10-£45
    Importance: please read these only for references. No need to study them cover to cover.

C) Clinchers - Helpful

  1. Clinchers

    Source: Files section
    Cost: free
    Importance: they are one-liners for revision. They are helpful but not vital.

D) Other Free Question Banks - Less Important

  1. Dr. Khalid’s version of 1700 questions

    Source: Study Material
    Number of questions: 1700
    Answers: explained
    Cost: free
    Importance: you can go through them if you want some guidance after going through the unexplained answers of 1700. Explanations are short.
    Origin: these are the same 1700 questions with answers explained by Dr. Khalid Saifullah.

  2. Sush Unity’s version of 1700 questions

    Source: Study Material
    Number of questions: 1700
    Answers: explained
    Cost: free
    Importance: you can go through them if you want some guidance after going through the unexplained answers of 1700. Explanations are very detailed.
    Origin: these are the same 1700 questions with answers explained by the Sush Unity team.

E) Paid Subscriptions - Least Important

  1. PLABABLE’s Question Bank

    Source: PLABABLE
    Number of questions: 4900+
    Answers: explained
    Cost: £20-£25
    Importance: you can go through them if you want some guidance after going through the unexplained answers of 1700. Recent PLABbers feel that PLABABLE’s question bank is very similar to the actual exam.
    Origin: these are the same 1700 questions with answers explained provided by PLABABLE.

  2. Samson’s Question Bank

    Source: Samson PLAB
    Number of questions: 2782
    Answers: explained
    Cost: £200
    Importance: they are very helpful but very pricey. Thus, not advisable. You can easily find other question banks for free or less cost. Also, questions here will be repeated from other question banks. This subscription also includes the Samson notes.

  3. Pass Medicine

    Source: Pass Medicine
    Number of questions: 2756
    Answers:     explained
    Cost: £12-£15
    Importance: Cover this only if you’re done with everything and you have a lot of time.
    Origin: unclear.

You must go through A.
If you have time, you can go through B.
If you have more time, you can go through C.
If you have even more time, you can go through D.
If you have even more time, you can go through E.

Do not feel discouraged if you have less time. Most people pass their PLAB 1 just by going through A. A lot of people pass their PLAB 1 just by going through half of A.

Books Needed for PLAB 1

You do not need to go through any theory books to study for PLAB 1. The material mentioned above is more than enough to study from. It might be a bit difficult to believe that it is possible to pass PLAB 1 without studying theory, but that’s how easy the exam is. A lot of people make the mistake of studying from theory books and end up failing the exam. If you find this hard to believe, kindly scroll down to check other people’s experiences who have passed PLAB 1.

How to Study for PLAB 1

The main aim should be to practice as many questions as you can and to familiarize yourself with as many questions and as many scenarios as you can. There are only a limited number of scenarios in the world of medicine on which fresh graduates can be tested. Generally, around 50-150 scenarios can appear in the exam from the 1700 questions + mocks. However, this can vary.

Two Approaches

Approach 1: Read the notes. Then start solving questions.

If you start practicing questions without reading any theory, you might not be able to understand answers to all the questions. So it might be better to start your preparation with the notes. You can find them in the Files section of the PLAB Facebook page. These notes are exam-oriented, unlike OHCM and OHCS. After reading the notes, you’ll find it easier to answer questions. But this approach will take a lot of time.

Approach 2: Start solving questions, without reading the notes.

If you’re short on time, do not waste your time with the notes. It is completely doable if you just open the question banks and start solving questions. At first, you won’t understand much. But by the time you’ve gone through 1700 questions and the mocks, you would have a pretty good understanding of all the questions and you won’t need notes. If you get stuck anywhere, you can always check patient.co.uk or OHCM/OHCS.

Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine and Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialties

Regardless of your approach, do not waste your time in studying OHCM, OHCS or any other book cover to cover. Check OHCM and OHCS only for reference.

Facebook PLAB Group

Facebook is going to be your best friend in your preparation for PLAB. If you do not understand any question, post it on Facebook and others will help you. Also try to solve other people’s questions when you’re free. You’ll learn by commenting on other people’s questions. By doing this, you’ll also form a group with others. This group will help you the most during your preparation for PLAB 1; they will help you with your visa application, PLAB 2, GMC registration and everything else from then on.

Files Section of the Facebook PLAB Group

Here you will find all the material for your PLAB preparation. You might find files in this section which I haven’t mentioned. Keep going through the files section to find valuable knowledge.

WhatsApp Groups

This option is not for everyone, but it does help a lot of people. You’ll often find posts on Facebook where people would be asking others to join a WhatsApp study group for PLAB 1. You can start a group yourself as well. You and others can post questions on this group and help each other.

Joining an Academy

A lot of people prefer joining an academy for PLAB 1. They provide you with notes, questions banks and mocks. However, there’s no need to join an academy as you can find all of this study material online on PLAB’s Facebook page.

How Much You Need to Cover

It is ideal to have gone through 3,000 questions twice before the exam. Having gone through the notes is helpful, but not vital.

Some Encouragement

I know people who have passed PLAB 1 just by solving 1700 questions and questions on Facebook. I also know people who passed just by going through the mocks. I know people who passed just by studying for a month. And these people were not distinction holders or class toppers. They were average students who worked hard. And if they can do it, then so can you.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How many questions should I go through before I take my PLAB 1?

There is no fixed number. But as stated above, it is ideal to have gone through 3,000 questions twice before the exam.

2. Which mocks should I go through?

It does not matter which mocks you go through, as long as you go through them.

3. How many mocks should I go through?

Again, there is no fixed number. The more mocks you go through, the better. But ideally, you should go through at least 5 to 10 mocks before you take the exam.

Published on 10 February 2017
Last updated on 09 May 2019

Exit mobile version