Cost gap
~£460
MRCP exam fees run about £460 above PLAB for UK candidates.
Time gap
12–24 months
PLAB is the faster route to GMC registration.
Career unlock
Different
PLAB = registration. MRCP = specialty progression.
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | PLAB | MRCP (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | GMC licensing exam — PLAB 1 (SBA paper) plus PLAB 2 (16-station OSCE). | Royal College postgraduate qualification — Part 1, Part 2 Written and PACES. |
| Grants GMC registration | Yes — the standard IMG route to full registration with a licence. | No — MRCP alone does not register you with the GMC. |
| Exam fees | £283 + £1,036 = £1,319 (from 1 April 2026) | £520 + £520 + £742 = £1,782 in the UK (£696 per written part internationally) |
| Sittings per year | PLAB 1 several times a year worldwide; PLAB 2 year-round in Manchester | Three diets a year per part, with fixed one-week application windows |
| Where you sit it | PLAB 1 at Pearson VUE centres; PLAB 2 only at 3 Hardman Square or 3 Hardman Street, Manchester | Written parts in-centre worldwide; PACES in the UK or at 40+ international centres |
| Latest published pass rate | 2025: PLAB 1 62.2%, PLAB 2 59.8% (GMC) | Not published per diet by the Federation; historically well below PLAB |
| Typical time to complete | 3–9 months of prep, then a PLAB 2 date | 18–36 months across three parts |
| Career ceiling | Registration — any Trust-grade, MTI, IMT or GP training post | Required for medical ST3+ (cardiology, gastroenterology, respiratory and so on) |
| Best for | Any IMG who needs GMC registration | Doctors targeting UK medical specialty training |
What does each route actually cost?
PLAB route (GMC fees, from 1 April 2026)
- PLAB 1GMC fee from 1 April 2026£283
- PLAB 2GMC fee from 1 April 2026£1,036
- Full registration with a licence£184 if you qualified within the last five years£481
- Total GMC spendBefore English test, flights and Manchester accommodation£1,800
MRCP (UK) route (Federation fees)
- Part 1Diets from September 2026 onwards£520 UK / £696 int.
- Part 2 WrittenDiets from November 2026 onwards£520 UK / £696 int.
- PACES (UK)2026/03 and 2027/01 diets£742
- Total, first-time UK passesResits and international centres cost more£1,782
Cancelling PLAB is not free: the GMC keeps 10% of the fee if you cancel more than 42 days out, 50% of the PLAB 2 fee between 42 and 29 days, and the whole fee inside 28 days. Budget for one Manchester trip of at least a week for PLAB 2.
Work out your own number with our cost calculator or see every fee on one page in the exam dates and fees guide.
MRCP (UK) dates you can plan around
MRCP application windows are short — usually one week — and close months before the exam. Part 1 moves to in-centre delivery from the September 2026 sitting and Part 2 Written from the July 2026 sitting (Myanmar and Sudan continue remotely).
| Exam | Diet | Apply | Exam date | Results by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | 2026/3 | 14–21 July 2026 | 23 September 2026 | 6 November 2026 |
| Part 1 | 2027/1 | 27 Oct – 3 Nov 2026 | 20 January 2027 | — |
| Part 2 Written | 2026/3 | 15–22 September 2026 | 25 November 2026 | 8 January 2027 |
| Part 2 Written | 2027/1 | 8–15 December 2026 | 24 February 2027 | 9 April 2027 |
| Part 2 Written | 2027/2 | 20–27 April 2027 | 7 July 2027 | 20 August 2027 |
| PACES (UK) | 2027/01 | 10–17 November 2026 | Late Jan – mid Apr 2027 | 15 working days after your centre finishes |
PLAB has no equivalent calendar: PLAB 1 runs at Pearson VUE centres several times a year, and PLAB 2 dates are released continuously in GMC Online once your PLAB 1 result is published. Where demand is high you may wait months for a PLAB 2 slot, so book the moment your result lands.
Are PLAB pass rates falling?
Yes. On the GMC's published figures, PLAB 1 fell from 70.5% in 2024 (14,849 passes from 21,058 candidates) to 62.2% in 2025 (8,513 from 13,691). PLAB 2 fell from 65.8% to 59.8% over the same period. Candidate numbers dropped too, which suggests a tighter, more competitive cohort rather than an easier one. Plan for the possibility of a resit in both your budget and your visa timeline.
Choose PLAB if…
- You need GMC registration as fast and cheaply as possible.
- You're targeting a Trust-grade, SHO or IMT-1 post first.
- You're open to any specialty and want to keep options open.
- You're within a few years of graduation with limited postgraduate experience.
Choose MRCP (usually alongside PLAB) if…
- You're set on a UK medical specialty (cardiology, gastroenterology and so on).
- You're aiming for ST3+ competitive entry within 2–3 years.
- You already have internal medicine experience and want to build your portfolio.
- You're considering the Portfolio Pathway (formerly CESR).
The realistic pathway most IMGs take
- 1. Sit PLAB 1 and 2 — the cheapest, fastest route to GMC registration. See the GMC registration guide.
- 2. Land a first NHS post — Trust grade, MTI, or IMT-1 depending on your CV.
- 3. Start MRCP in year one — Part 1 while you settle, Written and PACES over the next 18 months.
- 4. Apply for ST3+ — full MRCP unlocks competitive medical training numbers.
Frequently asked
Does MRCP exempt me from PLAB?
No. MRCP (UK) on its own does not register you with the GMC and does not give you a PLAB exemption. IMGs still need PLAB or an accepted alternative — a GMC-approved postgraduate qualification with sponsorship (for example the MTI scheme), a relevant European qualification, or the Portfolio Pathway. What MRCP does give you is credit towards medical specialty training and a far stronger application for IMT and ST3+ posts.
How much does PLAB cost in 2026?
From 1 April 2026 the GMC charges £283 for PLAB 1 and £1,036 for PLAB 2 — £1,319 in exam fees. Add the £481 application for full registration with a licence to practise and the GMC side of the route is £1,800, before English test fees, travel to Manchester for PLAB 2, and accommodation.
How much does MRCP (UK) cost?
For the diets running into 2027 the Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians charges £520 (UK) or £696 (international) for Part 1, the same again for Part 2 Written, and £742 for PACES in the UK. A UK-based candidate who passes everything first time pays about £1,782 in exam fees; resits and international centre fees push that higher.
Which exam is harder to pass?
The GMC's published pass rates for 2025 are 62.2% for PLAB 1 (8,513 passes from 13,691 candidates) and 59.8% for PLAB 2 (8,787 from 14,689) — both down sharply on 2024, when they were 70.5% and 65.8%. MRCP is a postgraduate exam with historically lower pass rates and three separate hurdles, so it is the harder qualification overall, but PLAB is no longer the near-formality it was a few years ago.
Which is faster to a first NHS job?
PLAB. PLAB 1 runs at Pearson VUE centres worldwide; PLAB 2 runs year-round at the GMC's two assessment centres in Manchester and you book it through GMC Online once your PLAB 1 result is out. MRCP has only three diets a year per part, with application windows that close months in advance — Part 1 applications for the January 2027 exam, for instance, closed on 3 November 2026.
I want to be a physician — should I skip PLAB and do MRCP?
Almost never as a first step. Even future physicians normally register via PLAB, take a first NHS post, and complete MRCP alongside it for IMT and ST3+ progression. The exception is a Portfolio Pathway candidate with substantial senior experience — there MRCP is part of the evidence bundle rather than a shortcut, and the GMC charges £1,974 for the application plus £857 for the review.
Do NHS employers prefer MRCP over PLAB?
For Trust-grade and non-training posts (SHO, MTI, clinical fellow) both are accepted — what employers need is GMC registration and a licence to practise. For medical IMT and ST3+ training numbers, MRCP Part 1 and later full MRCP are effectively required. PLAB gets you in the door; MRCP gets you into a training number.
Sources
- GMC — Fees for doctors (registration, annual and PLAB fees effective 1 April 2026)
- GMC — Recent pass rates for PLAB 1 and PLAB 2
- GMC — When and where can you take PLAB 2
- Federation of the Royal Colleges of Physicians — Part 1, Part 2 and PACES dates and fees