Timeframe to obtain your UK medical license
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Making the decision to leave your country and move to the UK and work as a doctor is a big step in your life that involves many aspects. It’s just sensible that you want to make sure you know all the steps you need to take in order to do that and especially how long it’ll take you to land that dream job in the UK. Let’s take a closer and real look to what that process would look like for 2023 doctors:
English stage
First things first, if English is not your first language, you need to take an English proficiency test like IELTS or OET. They usually have tests happening every other week and it’s easy enough to get a slot. Preparing for it could take you 3-12 weeks, depending on your level of English. For basic English speakers, 12 weeks would be ideal. For more advanced English speakers, 3 weeks works just fine. If you want to find out your level of English to know how much you should prepare, click here. Assuming you need 12 weeks to prepare, you could book your exam for the 29th of April and get results on the 19th of May.
Registering with the GMC
The next step would be to submit all documents to the GMC to create your account and start booking your PLAB. Assuming all documents are submitted correctly and on time, it can take the GMC up to 4 weeks to verify your account. In case they have a hard time validating your medical certificate, your application will be valid for 90 days until they receive approval that your medical certificate is valid.
Assuming it takes 4 weeks, by the 16th of June you could start booking your PLAB 1 exam.
PLAB 1 stage
The PLAB 1 exam only happens 4 times a year – February, May, August and November. When your GMC account gets verified, you could then book PLAB 1 for either August or November (assuming they still have slots). November would be a safer bet in terms of slots. That gives you plenty of time to prepare from May to November. 6 weeks after sitting your PLAB 1, you get your results and assuming you pass, you can then book your PLAB 2. That would be around mid-December.
PLAB 2 stage
The PLAB 2 happens more frequently than PLAB 1 but the GMC doesn’t let us know if we don’t have passed PLAB 1. I assume it must happen at least every month. Different from the English stage and PLAB 1, PLAB 2 can only be done in-person, in the UK. Upon getting your results for PLAB 1 in December, you want to make sure you have an approved visa already to come to the UK and get tested for PLAB 2. You’ll need some time to prepare, so assuming you take the month of January 2024 to do that, you could book your PLAB 2 exam for February 2024. 4 weeks after that, results are posted, and if passed, you can get your license to practice in March 2024!
Conclusion
This is a realistic timeframe for your license to be granted. It can be a long, arduous and overwhelming journey, but with a proper guide to aid you and support you every step of the way, the stress, insecurity and pressure is taken off you since you have the assurance you’re on the right path in terms of preparation and timeframe to pass all your exams and get your license in the most time-effective way! IELTS medical exists for that sole purpose – being your guide towards a successful GMC registration and landing your dream medical job in the UK! We assist you every step of the way with preparation, material, revision, test booking and support for all your exams and GMC registration process. We make this a simple and effective process so you don’t waste time and money into having to retake exams or risk losing exam deadlines. Curious about how we can do that for you? Schedule a non-commitment call with one of our team that will answer all your questions by clicking here!
