VISA APPLICATION GUIDE PLAB 2

PLAB 2 VISA 

So PLAB 2 is back and I am guessing most of you guys who had booked PLAB 2 previously are already thinking to gear up to march toward the UK. In this post, I am going to dissect the PLAB 2 visa process so that you don’t have to go to those Travel Agent looters. I gave 25000 rupees to my agent and I swear to God he literally did nothing except filling up the online form (And believe me when I saw the printed copies of that online form, I wanted to bite myself because it was so straight forward. Any literate person can fill it easily.)

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR VISA AGENT?

If you go to a VISA agent, firstly he will try to intimidate you with some made up complexities of the VISA process. Then he will demand his fee which is 25000 PKR. After taking the fee, he will tell you to prepare some documents. You have to prepare them on your own and after you have gathered all the documents, the VISA guy will take them from you and then he will apply online. This is it. Nice way to waste your 25000 rupees, huh? Now in this blog, I am going to be your VISA guy FOR FREE (Or you could always pay me if you want😛) 

BASICS OF PLAB 2 VISA

We have to apply for a standard Business Visitor Visa for PLAB 2. The visa fee is 95 GBP (20,000 PKR) and there is another 3500 PKR fee for scanning of your documents. The validity of the visa is fixed i.e., 6 months. There is no interview, you just apply online and they will give you a date to submit your documents at the UK Visa Center (Near FJMU). 

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR PLAB 2 VISA

Following are the essential documents that you would need for your VISA application.  Apart from that, you can write a cover letter as well. Some people write it, some people don’t. My agent asked me not to write it, but I did it anyway. You need to start working on these documents at least one month before your expected date of visa application.

Educational Evidence	Employment Evidence	Financial Evidence	Sponsorship Evidence	Proof of Relationship	Accomodation Evidence
1) All DMCs	1) HJ experience certificate	1) Your bank statement	1) Your sponsor’s (father in most cases) bank statement	1) Your passport	1) Your flight booking for UK
2) MBBS degree	2) PMDC certificate	2) Your account maintenance letter	2) Your sponsor’s account maintenance letter	2) Your ID card and sponsor’s ID card copy	2) Your Hotel Booking in UK
3) IELTS/ OET	3) Current Job letter	3) HJ Pay slip (If your HJ ended recently)	3) Your sponsor’s job letter	3) Family Registration Certificate
4) PLAB 1 Result	4) NOC and leave letter from current employer	4) Pay Slip of Current Job	4) Your sponsor income tax report	4) School/ college ID cards of your siblings
5) PLAB 2 Booking			5) Affidavit of Sponsorship (on 50Rs form)	5) Your house and car papers (Not necessary)

MAIN PURPOSE OF THESE DOCUMENTS

You have to prove that:

1. You have got a genuine reason to visit the UK.

2. You have got enough funds in your account to aid your UK visit and that you also have someone there to sponsor you in an hour of need.

3. You and your sponsor are law-abiding citizens of Pakistan.

4. You have strong ties with your home country and you will come back as soon as your exam is over.

Now, let’s discuss each group of documents one by one!

EDUCATIONAL EVIDENCE

There is nothing to talk. You already have got all these documents.

EMPLOYMENT EVIDENCE

You already have got your first two documents. 3rd and 4th document are very important. YOU MUST HAVE A JOB IN PAKISTAN because you need to show them that you are actively working in Pakistan and that you will come back after your PLAB 2 to continue working here.

FINANCIAL EVIDENCE

This is the crux of your application. As I said earlier, you need to show them that you have got enough legal funds for your UK trip. Ideally you should provide a bank statement of the last 6 months and you should have at least 4-6 lacs in your account at the time of application. Your bank should be active, meaning there should be money coming regularly in it (like your salary) and you should be spending some of it regularly. You can also attach a Pay slip of your current job which will further strengthen your financial evidence.

FAQ: “I don’t have got enough funds in my bank account.” You can always get some money from your father/sponsor. For example, I applied for a visa after 2 months of completion of my house job and I had only 4 lacs in my account at that time. So, my father transferred like 3 lacs into my account to help me with the finances. I also attached his bank certificate to assure them about the proper transfer funds from his bank account to mine.

FAQ: “What if I have more funds in my account?”  The bigger the better, however, if you have too much funds in your account like more than 10 lacs, it will be difficult for you to prove the source of all that money.  I personally think 6-8 lacs is an ideal amount to show.

SPONSORSHIP EVIDENCE

Another important group of documents. Even if you have enough funds in your account, it’s always better to show them that there is someone willing to take care of you in an hour of need. You also need to show the source of income of your sponsor and his income tax report to assure them that your sponsor is earning the money from legal channels and is a law-abiding citizen of Pakistan. Mostly, people choose their fathers as their sponsors and I did the same.

FAQ: “What is the ideal amount of money that the sponsor should have in his account?” Again, the bigger the better, but at the same time you need to prove them the source of income. For example, if your sponsor is a government employee, his bank balance must be in accord with his salary. On the other hand, if your sponsor runs his own business, he can show any amount of money provided he can show his source of income. So, there is no ideal amount of money for this section. My father (a government employee) had two accounts, I only showed them the one in which he had only 9 lacs in his account.

PROOF OF RELATIONSHIP

These documents show that you and your family are legal citizens of Pakistan. Family registration certificate is the most important document here. You can get it made from any NADRA office.

ACCOMODATION EVIDENCE

Here you have to provide them with proof of dates of your arrival and departure from the UK (from the flight booking) and your place of stay in the UK. DO NOT MENTION ACADEMY. This section is a bit tricky. Let me give you an example. Suppose your PLAB 2 is booked for November 1 and you intend to go there by the start of September. You should apply for a visa on 1st August. In your Visa application, you must mention your stay for just 10- 12 days i.e., 20 Oct – 02 Nov. You need to attach a provisional return ticket for these dates (You can go to any travel agent and he can make you a tentative flight ticket for these dates for free). You also need to attach a hotel booking for these 12 days (You can search on google, a lot of hotels offer pre-booking for free). Now if you have applied on 1st August, most probably you will get your Visa at around 20th August and its validity will start right away. So now you can cancel your older flight and hotel booking and book new ones and join the academy on 1st September.

FAQ: “Why do we have to mention such a short trip? Why can’t we mention the whole 2-month trip?”  The reason is threefold. Firstly, you need to show them that you mean business, that your sole purpose to visit the UK is to take an exam and you will come back as soon as your exam is over. Secondly, if you mention a 2-month whole trip, you will have to show them a big bank account and also prove the source of it which would be very difficult at our stage of career. This is the same reason why we shouldn’t mention academy in our application. Thirdly, a Visit Visa is almost always valid for six months and 90% of the time your visa’s validity starts as soon as it is issued to you.

FAQ: “What if they issue a Visa that actually starts according to our mentioned date of arrival in the UK.” This is highly unlikely, but yes there is a rare chance it can happen. In that case you will have to reschedule your PLAB 2 to a later date.

COVER LETTER:

This is like a summary of your Visa Application. I have attached my Cover letter at the end. You can get a general idea from there.

HOW TO APPLY VISA APPLICATION ONLINE

After you have gathered all your essential documents, just visit the website www.gov.uk and read about basics of Standard Visitor Visa before applying. The application process is very user friendly; any doctor can fill it easily. If you feel confused at any point, you can just pause your application process (It will be saved) and seek help from a colleague or senior and then complete the form after consulting them. Again, let me emphasize on it, PLEASE DON’T WASTE 25000 RUPEES ON SOME THING WHICH YOU CAN DO WHILE SITTING IN YOUR BEDROOM.

After submitting your application, you will download a pdf form of your application and print it. Then you will visit www.vfsglobal.co.uk and make an appointment for submission of documents at the UK visa center. Get copies of all your documents in A4 size: don't staple any of them. On the given date, you will reach the UK Visa center, get your documents scanned, submit your passport and come back home. If everything goes according to plan, you will get a call after 15-20 days from the center to collect your Passport and Visa.

FAQ: “What if my Visa gets denied?” I personally think, if you do everything according to plan, there is not a single chance your Visa will get denied. I literally don’t remember the last time I heard someone’s PLAB 2 visa getting denied. But even if it does, they will provide you a document mentioning valid reasons for their denial. So, you can work on those aspects and apply again.

Given below is a template for cover letter for your visa:

Dated: August 06, 2019

To

Entry Clearance Officer

UK Visa and Immigration 

Subject: Applying for Business Visitor Visa (PLAB 2 Visa) 

I, Dr. abc, Visa Reference Number xyz, Passport Number xyz, DOB xyz, am applying for Business Visitor visa to appear in PLAB Part 2 test which I've booked for October 17, 2019, which only takes place at 3 Hardman Square, Manchester, United Kingdom, M3 3EB and not anywhere else in the world. 

I am registered with General Medical Council (GMC), UK as a candidate to appear for PLAB examination. My GMC reference number is xyz. I have passed my PLAB 1 exam which took place in Islamabad on March 14, 2019. I have received emails from GMC, UK regarding my PLAB 1 exam result and my booking confirmation for PLAB 2 exam. (Copies of emails attached) 

I completed my primary medical qualification (MBBS) in March 2018 from Kind Edward Medical University Lahore, Pakistan (Copy of MBBS certificate attached). I worked as a House Officer at Mayo Hospital Lahore from May 01, 2018 to April 30, 2019 (House Job experience certificate attached). Now I am a fully qualified doctor. I am registered with Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) with a license to practice medicine in Pakistan. My PMDC license number is xyz (PMDC registration certificate attached). Currently, I am working as a Medical Officer in Omar Hospital Lahore (Copy of Job letter and NOC attached). 

WHY I WANT TO TAKE THE PLAB EXAM 

I have worked in Pakistan as a house officer for one year and as a medical officer for 2 months. Now I want to work as a doctor in a better system to improve my skills even better. UK's healthcare system (NHS) is undoubtedly one of the best health systems in the world. I want to make myself a better doctor by working in UK and by learning from the doctors in UK and then serve my country with my experience. And to be able to work in UK as a doctor, I need to clear the PLAB exam. 

MY TIMELINE 

April 2010: Passed secondary school certificate examination with A+ grade (BISE Lahore). 

May 2012: Passed intermediate certificate examination with A+ grade (BISE Lahore). 

December 2012: Enrolled in 5-year MBBS program in King Edward Medical University. 

March 2018: Passed MBBS Final Exam. 

April 2018: Scored Band 7.5 in IELTS Academic taken by British Council, Lahore, Pakistan. 

May 2018: Started training as a House Officer in Mayo Hospital, Lahore. 

April 2019: Passed PLAB 1 exam from Islamabad, Pakistan. 

May 2019: Started working as a Medical Officer in Omar Hospital, Lahore. 

MY FAMILY MEMBERS 

Father: abc,

Self-employed. Currently working as xyz. (Copies of his job letter and annual salary statement are attached). Phone number: xyz

Mother: xyz (Housewife) Phone number: xyz

Sisters: 1. xyz. Currently studying at xyz. (Copy of university student card attached) Phone number: xyz

2. xyz. Currently studying at xyz (Copy of college student card attached). 

 I live with my family in a residential colony of xyz, Lahore. My house number is house n.o 123, xyz, Lahore and it is owned by my mother (Property documents attached). My whole family lives in Pakistan and I have a very strong emotional attachment with all of them. My father is the main bread earner of our family. I am the eldest sibling and the only doctor in my family. 

MY FINANCIAL STATUS 

I have worked at Mayo Hospital, Lahore as a house officer for 1 year (May 2018 to April 2019). During my stay at Mayo Hospital, I used to get a monthly stipend of 45,555PKR every month (Copy of pay slip attached). After completing my House Job, I started working as a Medical Officer in Omar Hospital, Lahore (May 2019). My monthly salary in Omar Hospital is 50,000PKR per month (Copy of pay slip attached). I don't have any other source of income apart from aforementioned sources. I bear my expenses on my own and usually do not contribute to my family on a monthly basis. However, as a responsible son, I do help my parents occasionally as per their requirements. I have saved enough money for my visit to the UK. My expenses will also be supplemented with the money that my father transferred to my bank account (300,000PKR). A bank statement showing the record of my savings and transferred amount has been attached. I would also like to mention that I paid the fee of the PLAB 2 exam (860GBP) with my own money as it is evident from my bank statement. 

FINANCIAL SPONSORSHIP FOR MY VISIT TO UK 

I am currently employed and I can take care of the finances of this trip but my father, abc will be my financial guarantor. His bank statement and an affidavit declaring his sponsorship toward my visa have been attached for your consideration. He is fully supporting me for this trip and has already transferred 300,000PKR to my account for this visit. He has also assured full assistance ahead if needed. 

NO OBJECTION AND LEAVE LETTER FROM MY EMPLOYER 

I have taken an unpaid leave of absence from 7th October 2019 to 18th October 2019 for 12 days for my PLAB 2 exam. (NOC and leave letter attached). I will resume my duty as soon as I return to Pakistan. 

DETAILS OF MY EXPENSES 

Return Flight Ticket: 550GBP 

Accommodation in Hotel: 567GBP 

Living expenses: 200GBP 

Travel expenses: 150GBP 

Miscellaneous: 83GBP 

Total expenses: 1550GBP (300,700PKR) 

My Bank Balance: 3785GBP (735,399PKR) 

MY PLAN FOR ACCOMODATION IN UK 

During my course of stay in the UK, I will be staying at a paid accommodation at Park View Residence, located at 220 Waterloo Road, Manchester, United Kingdom from October 7, 2019 to October 18, 2019 (Hotel Booking attached). 

MY ITINERARY FOR THE TRIP TO UK 

October 7: Reach Manchester, UK. Travel to my accommodation. 

October 8: Acclimatize with a new environment. 

October 9 to October 16: Study and final review for test. 

October 17: Appear in PLAB 2 examination. 

October 18: Return to Lahore, Pakistan. (Pre-bookings attached). 

SUMMARY OF MY VISA APPLICATION 

I am a law-abiding citizen of my country and aspire to be a hardworking and passionate doctor. I will obey the rules and regulations of the UK legislation and I will return within the specified frame of time and won’t overstay. 

I have a genuine invitation from GMC, UK to appear in the PLAB 2 exam and as I have stated, I have more than enough funds in my bank account for my trip to the UK. 

I am seeking entry into the UK as a visitor and I will be highly grateful to you if you allow me visa clearance to appear in PLAB 2 exam and make a success story out of my life. 

Thank you for considering my application. 

Dr. abc

CNIC number: xyz

General Medical Council (GMC), UK reference number: xyz

Residential address: 123, xyz, Lahore, Pakistan. 

Email address:  xyz

Phone number: xyz

CAREER PATHWAYS IN THE UK

CAREER PATHWAYS IN UK FOR INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALTIES

There are basically 2 ways through which you can enter into the UK training for general internal medicine and its allied specialties and these are PLAB pathway and MRCP pathway. I will explain both of these but first, let’s go through the basic structure of the training system in the UK.

1. Foundation Year Training (FY1 and FY2; One year each)

2. Internal Medicine Training (IMT; 3 years)

3. Specialty Training (ST 3-6 years depending on your program)

Let’s discuss them one by one.

FOUNDATION YEAR 1 (FY1)

This is equivalent to your House Job. If you have a dual nationality, you can work either in the UK as FY1 or in your home country as House officer. However, the IELTS conditions for FY1 are a bit tougher, you have to score 7.5 in each section as compared to 7 as required for PLAB.

FOUNDATION YEAR 2 (FY2)

If you have done FY1 in the UK, you can easily get into FY2. However, if you have completed FY1 in your home country, you will probably never get FY2 in the UK because seats are very limited. What do you do now? You opt for non-training jobs which are relatively easier to get. After working 2-3 months, you will get your FY2 competencies (aka CREST form) signed by your consultant and then you can apply for Internal Medicine Training. Recently, they have started a new program called WAST (Widening Access to Specialist Training), you can apply here as well. It is also equivalent to FY2 and will help you get your competencies signed. 

INTERNAL MEDICINE TRAINING; IMT (Previously called CORE MEDICAL TRAINING; CMT)

This is your 3-year Internal Medicine residency. There are two rounds where you can apply for IMT, round 1 is in November and round 2 is in February every year. During these three years of IMT, you complete your Royal College Exams and get your MRCP diploma. At the end you will get your core competencies signed from your supervisor and after that you are eligible to apply for specialty.

SPECIALITY TRAINING (ST)

Depending on your specialty, it takes 3-6 years for your specialty training to complete, for example 3 years for Rheumatology and 5 years in case of Cardiology. After completion of ST, you will get your CCT (Certificate of Completion of Training) and become a consultant. A common myth among people is that we will get an FRCP degree after specialty training. FRCP is an honorary degree and you must work for years and earn a name for yourself before they finally nominate you for FRCP. (However, FRCS is different because here you have to sit an exam to get your FRCS).

Now let’s go through both PLAB and MRCP pathways separately.

PLAB PATHWAY

If you are non-British, complete your HJ, give PLAB, apply for a non-training job, get your CREST form signed and get enrolled into IMT, get your MRCP diploma and core medical competencies signed and apply for ST training, get your CCT and voila you are a consultant. If you have a British passport, no need to do HJ here, clear your PLAB exams and apply for FY1. The rest is the same.

MRCP PATHWAY

This is an alternative route if you don’t want to pursue the PLAB pathway. After completing HJ, get a job in Pakistan and clear your MRCP exams. After getting your MRCP diploma, you can get registered with GMC and apply for a non-training job as registrar. After getting your core medical competencies signed you can apply for ST and get your CCT after completing your training.

P.S Route to Surgical Training in the UK might be a bit different from this. We are working on it too and soon we will upload a blog about Surgery Training as well.

MRCP 1 EXPERIENCE

WHAT IS MRCP UK

MRCP is a postgraduate Diploma which is designed to test the skills, knowledge and behaviour of doctors in training. It consists of three exams.

1. MRCP Part 1 written.

2. MRCP Part 2 written.

3. MRCP Part 2 Clinical (PACES).

In this blog, I will only focus on MRCP Part 1.

MRCP PART 1 FORMAT

The exam consists of 200 MCQs in total. There will be two papers with a break of 1.5 - 2 hours between them. Each paper is 3 hours long and contains 100 MCQs. All the details about the exam are available at the official MRCPUK website.

EXAM FEE

MRCP Part 1 takes place all over the world.  The fee is 419 GBP if you are taking it in the UK and 594 GBP if you are taking it outside the UK. 

EXAM DATES AND BOOKING

This exam takes place 3 times a year. January, May and September. The booking window for these attempts open in October, February and June respectively.

PRE-REQUISITES 

The only condition to take the exam is that you must have a 12-month post-graduate experience. So, you can take it any time after completing your housejob.

FEW TIPS

If you are a recent graduate and wish to work in the UK but are stuck in PLAB exams due to COVID situation, this would be the ideal time to start preparing for the January 2021 attempt of MRCP 1. Even if you find a 3-4 months gap at any time before starting to work in the UK, MRCP 1 would be the best idea. Why? Because:

1. We usually forget many important things and principles that we had learnt in medical school because we didn’t integrate those concepts with our medical practice, MRCP 1 provides the best opportunity to revise all basics that are actually used in clinical practice hence giving an added advantage from the very start of professional life. 

2. If you prepare or take MRCP 1 in time, it will benefit you in PLAB1, PLAB2 and even in securing a job in the UK, having said that you shouldn’t delay your PLAB exams for it. 

3. When you come to the UK it takes a considerable amount of time to understand the NHS system and your job feels way more hectic in the beginning as compared to a job at home and you can’t give as much time to your study as you can in your country.

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

One resource if you know 100% gives you more chances to pass the exam rather than 2-3 resources which you know 50-70%. For part 1, the only Q bank that is necessary and the one you can’t afford to skip is Passmedicine. Give it 3-4 reads and you can easily pass the exam. Now the strategy I would recommend to prepare for it is: 

1. Take an online subscription. (Only 40 GBP fee for a 6 months subscription, up to date, helps in better concentration as compared to books for which publishers just change the year on the outer-cover).

2. Make notes from the online subscription. 

3. If you will start making notes on the register it will take months, search ‘Suda notes’ on google chrome, download them and print them. They are word to word copy of 2012 Passmedicine in a better and arranged topic wise manner. Just make the changes on these notes according to updated Passmedicine and your own notes will be ready in a very short time. 

4. Revise them and now you’ll just need to do questions from Q bank and you won’t need to read explanations, imagine how fast you’ll finish Q bank in revisions while reading from Suda notes. 

5. Some seniors also mentioned other Q banks like 'PassTest' and 'OneTest'. If you have time, you can do CVS, CNS, GIT and Endo portion from them. I had no time so I didn’t do it.

6. One extra resource that I came to know at about 11 pm the night before exam day was MRCP official website 200 pattern MCQs. I could only attempt 10-15 and I guess I got 2-3 questions out of those in the real exam. 

7. One last thing regarding the timeline is to find out booking dates for your exam and aim that the day you submit your fees, you should have done at least 80% of your first read. After fees closing date there are usually close to 3 months in which you can complete your preparation in the best manner possible. 

P.S. After graduation all exams are taken with a job so don’t think of quitting your job for any of the exams.

COMMON MISTAKES IN PLAB 2

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF PLAB 2

In my last post, I explained the basics of PLAB 2 in the simplest way possible. Now I am going into a bit deeper detail, throwing light on common myths and mistakes in PLAB 2 and tips to cope with them. It can be really helpful for the candidates who unfortunately failed their PLAB 2. But if you have not started preparing for PLAB 2, it’s natural that many of you guys won’t be able to apprehend it at the moment. My message to everyone is to go through this section again, once you have taken the PLAB 2 academy course. It will make more sense then.

COMMON MYTHS AMONG CANDIDATES

1. “All 3 sections of the station are judged independently.” There are 3 basic sections; data gathering, management and inter-personal (IP) skills. I’ll add another one here “time management”. Contrary to what other people say, I strongly believe that all four of them are highly interconnected and performance in one area will definitely affect your other sections. Just look at this picture: 

The white area in the middle represents your score. In order to succeed, you have to be an all-rounder. If your IP skills are weak, you will never get good marks in data gathering and management no matter how good you are in them. Similarly, if your IP skills are strong but you lack clinical knowledge, you will never get 4/4 in IP skills no matter what. Conversely, if you are good in all three of them but you don’t finish your station in time, there are chances you might still fail. BE AN ALL-ROUNDER!

2. “PLAB 2 is not a test of your knowledge, it’s a test of how you deal with patients” Partially contradict it. If you don’t have proper knowledge, how are you supposed to give proper consultation to the patient? For example, there is a pediatrics station in which a mother comes to you with her baby having tonsillitis. Now, if you don’t remember the ‘indications of tonsillectomy’ I assure you there is a high likelihood that you will never pass that station no matter how good your dealing with patients is. 

3. “If a patient is happy with you at the end of the station, it means you have passed that station and vice versa” Absolutely incorrect. You will only pass if you have completed the task of the station regardless of the patient's attitude. For example, in my exam I got a station in which a lady had attempted a suicide by ingesting dozens of paracetamol pills; my task was to take relevant history, take blood sample (from a mannikin) and then manage the patient. I was sure I was going to fail that station because the lady did not cooperate at all (that was her role) but I passed anyway because I had completed the task. In the same way you can fail a station if you made your patient happy but didn’t complete the required task.

 4. “If a patient does not want to talk, keep silent” There was a funny myth in our academy that once a student went into the station and the patient didn’t want to talk so, he kept silent the whole 8 minutes and when the result came, he had got 12/12 in that station 😛 All I can say is:

Look if a patient is not willing to talk, give him time, say words like “There is no rush, please take your time”, if he is crying, offer tissue, water etc. But you can’t afford to lose more than 1 minute in silence. Proceed with “I know you must be going through a lot, but I need to ask a few questions that might allow me to help you in a better way” and proceed with your task.

5. “You can still pass a station if your history taking was good but you made the wrong diagnosis.” You cannot pass that station, as simple as that. You will definitely get zero in management, 1 or 2 in data gathering (I am saying it because of my personal experience). In PLAB 2, you have to rule out all the differentials by your data gathering and give ONE SINGLE diagnosis to the patient and give him a management plan accordingly.

COMMON MISTAKES IN PLAB 2

1. “Time management” This is undisputedly, the most common cause of failure in the exam. Ask anyone who failed the exam, the most common answer will be, “I gave too much time to history taking and that left me very little time for clinical management.” A senior once said to me, “We Pakistanis have never been taught to take a proper history, so when we finally learn it, we get so excited that we unintentionally give all our time to history taking.” In my exam, there was a station of GCA (giant cell arteritis). Patient had vision loss. I had made my diagnosis in the 2nd minute when I asked her if it hurt when she combed her hair and chewed food and she said yes. But just to look cool in front of the examiner, I asked questions to rule out every single cause of vision loss on earth which took me too long. I had to do fundoscopy as well, which I did. In the end, I didn’t have enough time to talk about management plan. When results came, I had got 2 in history taking, 1 in management and 3 in IP skills. Even though I had taken such a long history, the examiner still gave me just 2/4. Why? Because I asked irrelevant questions and wasted time.

SUGGESTION: Try to finish history within 3-4 minutes. Be precise and concise. Try to start talking about clinical management as early as possible as it will allow your patient to ask more and more questions, hence more chances for you to score better in management and IP skills.  If you haven’t started management and the 6-minute bell rings, just leave everything and move on to management. 

2. “Too much and too little attention to IP skills and clinical knowledge, respectively” When we start our PLAB 2 preparation, the majority of us have good clinical knowledge but very little IP skills because we have never been taught that way. So naturally we start paying too much attention to IP skills and ultimately it destroys the balance between these two and ultimately leads to failure. Many times, our teachers tell us to not stick to notes too much and be natural. I personally am not in accord with this. I believe that we can stick to notes and still be natural as well. It’s all about practice.

SUGGESTION: Study your notes by heart. Keep your clinical knowledge updated. If you have enough knowledge, you will naturally feel at home with the given station and naturally in a position to answer patient queries in a better way. Having good IP skills is always a blessing. It does compensate for our lack of clinical knowledge a bit but it really can't compensate for lack of “basic” knowledge. Like I said earlier, if you don’t remember ‘indications of tonsillectomy’ in tonsillitis station, you will probably never pass it no matter how good your IP skills are.

3. “Fast Speech” A very common mistake among Asians, especially Pakistanis. I think we naturally have a fast way of speaking. Sometimes, if a station is long, we automatically start speaking fast so that we can complete the station. It’s a bad habit since we just keep talking and forget to listen to the patient. The examiners over there are very expert, they pick this up and cut our marks for being unprofessional.

SUGGESTION: Speak slowly, of course. While practicing with your colleagues, record yourself and listen to it later. If the station is long, try to be concise and precise instead of rushing through it. Listen to the patient carefully like you mean it. If a patient feels comfortable with you, he will literally help you with the station. For example, there was a TIA station. I finished the station in 7 minutes. The patient then asked, “Doctor, do you think I should drive?” And I said, “Oh, I am glad that you asked that question, I was just coming to that.” (I literally had forgotten that I had to forbid him from driving and tell him to go to DVLA, but he helped me with that himself.)

4. “Overconfidence” Another common reason for failure. Many times, you see people who did great in mocks, fail in the real exam and people who performed awfully in mocks, clear the exam. Doing good in mocks is a great feeling, it gives you good confidence to sit in the upcoming exam, however, there is a very thin line between confidence and over confidence, and if your cross it, it can lead to devastation. On the other hand, people who under perform in mocks can assess their weak areas in a better way and if they take the critical feedback constructively, they can easily turn the tables around in real exam. 

SUGGESTION: Even if you are doing good in mocks, always go to your teachers and inquire them about your feedback. Ask your colleagues as well. Don’t get too chilled, little anxiety is always good for a good performance in the exam.

5. “Bad stations'' Everyone has some favorite stations and some “bad” stations. Sometimes we hate those stations so much that we don’t even bother to get better at them. We are like, “There are more than 350 stations, leaving just a few ones won’t be such a bad idea.” But hey, I swear it is. 😛 There is an obstructive uropathy station, in which you have to take history about BPH, pass Foley catheter and tell management plan to patient. I hated that station to my guts, because unlike in Pakistan, urinary catheterization is a very technical procedure in the UK. It came in my mock and I failed it. Still, I didn’t bother to learn from my mistakes. Ironically, it came in my real exam as well and as soon as I entered the room and saw the apparatus, I knew I was gonna fail that one and I did, miserably. 

SUGGESTION: Like they say, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Enough said 😀

BOTTOMLINE

PLAB 2 is a very subjective exam. Sometimes it makes no sense because we pass the stations in which we performed miserably and fail the stations which we thought we put our best performance in. Remember, it is a competitive exam. If a station is difficult, it will be difficult for all 71 other candidates and if it’s easy, it will be easy for everyone. In order to pass you have to be “better than the average”. In my exam, the chief examiner spoke to us just before we were entering the hall. He said, “We want just three things from you. Safe doctors. Doctors who listen. Doctors who don’t judge.” And I think that’s the essence.