PLAB 1 Syllabus Quick Summary
PLAB 1 has no separate syllabus of its own: its 180 questions are based on the GMC's Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) content map. It tests common, important and acute conditions at the level of a doctor starting Foundation Year 2, plus long-term conditions in primary care. A revised content map, with 118 additional conditions, applies to PLAB from September 2026.
What does PLAB 1 test?
PLAB 1 is an applied knowledge test: it checks how you apply knowledge to the care of patients, not how well you remember facts. Each of its 180 questions is a short clinical scenario followed by a question with five possible answers, and you have three hours to answer them all in one session. Since 2024, PLAB 1 has met the requirements of the MLA Applied Knowledge Test, so the content you need to know is set out in the MLA content map. For the full picture of the test, see all about the PLAB exam, and for how PLAB relates to the UKMLA, see PLAB and the UKMLA.
How the MLA content map is organised
The GMC's content map groups what you need to know into six domains. PLAB 1 questions draw on them to test your knowledge, while PLAB 2 focuses more on clinical skills and behaviours.
Areas of clinical practice
- Acute and emergency
- Cancer
- Cardiovascular
- Child health
- Clinical haematology
- Clinical imaging
- Dermatology
- Ear, nose and throat
- Endocrine, diabetes and metabolic
- Gastrointestinal
- General practice and primary healthcare
- Infection
- Medicine of the older adult
- Mental health
- Musculoskeletal
- Neurosciences
- Obstetrics and gynaecology
- Ophthalmology
- Palliative and end of life care
- Perioperative medicine and anaesthesia
- Renal and urology
- Respiratory
- Sexual health
- Surgery
Areas of professional knowledge
- Allergy and immunology
- Biomedical sciences
- Clinical biochemistry
- Clinical imaging
- Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
- Genetics and genomics
- Histopathology
- Human factors and quality improvement
- Laboratory haematology
- Medical ethics and law
- Microbiology
- Psychological principles
- Social and population health
What level and scope to study
How to use the syllabus to prepare
- Download the current MLA content map from the GMC and use it as your checklist, making sure it is the version for your exam date.
- Review the UK Foundation Programme curriculum and the GMC's Good Medical Practice.
- Work through the areas of clinical practice systematically, focusing on how to diagnose, investigate and manage each condition.
- Practise timed, scenario-based questions and the GMC's sample questions to build speed for 180 questions in three hours.
- Book your exam once you are consistently ready; see how to register for PLAB.
For more preparation advice and the rules on re-sits, see passing and re-sitting PLAB and our PLAB preparation guide. Once you pass, move on to the PLAB 2 syllabus.
Frequently asked questions
> What is the PLAB 1 syllabus?
PLAB 1 is based on the GMC's MLA content map, which sets out areas of clinical practice, areas of professional knowledge, clinical and professional capabilities, practical skills, patient presentations and conditions.
> Which content map applies to my PLAB 1 exam?
The revised MLA content map, published in October 2025, applies to candidates sitting PLAB from September 2026. The previous version applied until August 2026.
> Can PLAB 1 ask about conditions not in the content map?
Yes. The GMC states that the conditions list is not exhaustive, so you should expect questions beyond the listed items.
> What level is PLAB 1 set at?
The level of a doctor starting the second year of the UK Foundation Programme (F2), covering common, important and acute conditions and long-term conditions in primary care.
> How many questions are in PLAB 1?
180 single-best-answer questions, each with five options, answered in one three-hour session.
Questions about the syllabus? Contact us.
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