Posted on

What is the PLAB exam all about?

If you studied outside the United Kingdom or European Economic Area (EEA) and are looking for a way to practice medicine in the United Kingdom, this article is for you. We are here to give you all the details about PLAB, what it is, what it entails, and the requirements.

Firstly, PLAB stands for Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board. PLAB ensures that you have at least the same level of knowledge and ability as a UK doctor in their second-year foundational program. This exam is for anyone who did not get their medical degree in the UK, EEA, or Switzerland. You will have to pass the exam before you can practice medicine in the UK, regardless of whether you are a UK citizen or not. However, if you have a postgraduate degree that the General Medical Council approved, you can be exempted from the PLABs.

Requirements for the exam

So, now that you have a general overview of what the PLAB entails, it is essential to know the requirements that candidates will need before writing the exams.

  1. A medical qualification/degree from your country
  2. An IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of at least 7.5 or grade B in the OET (Occupational English Test). The test is to check your level of understanding of English.

Where Can the Exam Be Taken?

You can take the PLAB in many locations overseas and in the United Kingdom. These locations include Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Sudan, Australia, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, Canada, and Egypt.

What Does the PLAB Exam Entail? 

The exam has two parts – PLAB 1 and PLAB 2. Both facets of the exam are not just dependent on your ability to remember medical facts; instead, the questions will come from your understanding of the current UK medical practice.

Part 1

This part of the test contains 180 multiple-choice questions. These questions will focus on the current best practices in the UK regarding their provision of service and available equipment in the hospitals. The questions will also cover all the cases that a second-year medical trainee of the Foundational Program should know and have experienced. You will be given one mark for any answer you get correctly and zero for each incorrect one. There is no fixed pass mark, but it is usually from 120-126 and varies year to year.

One of the best ways to make sure that you ace this part is to go through the NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines. These guidelines give you the best possible evidence-based recommendation for health care in England. Thus, it would be best if you had them at your fingertips.

You can take this part of the exam in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Bangladesh, Egypt, and Sri Lanka.

Part 2

This part is a three-hour test divided into at least ten stations, and each of these stations carries simulated patients and scenarios. You would be expected to apply your real-life knowledge of care and clinical judgments in these stations. It is an objective structured examination used to access clinical skills, such as communication, evaluation, and interpretation of results. All the stations will be at least 8 minutes long, and just like part 1, the test will be structured at the level of a second-year medical trainee in the Foundational Programme. You have to make sure that you pass at least ten stations to complete this part successfully.

It is essential to note that unlike Part 1, which can be done in several countries, Part 2 can only be done in Manchester, United Kingdom.

How to Schedule Your Exam

Before you can book a PLAB exam, you must have a relevant overseas medical qualification. Also, you should have an IELTS score of at least 7.5 or a grade B for the OET (this can be done in the My Tests sections of your GMC (General Medical Council) online account).

To schedule your exam, you must have a  GMC account. When you get it, go to your GMC account and check all the available dates to write the exam to book a date. Booking Part 1 costs £240. After booking, you will get a verification email. Exam dates and venues are in high demand and limited, so be sure to follow instructions carefully to avoid anything falling through the tracks.

If you are outside the UK, there are several oversea locations where you can write Part 1 of PLAB, such as Egypt, Nigeria, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Australia, Sri Lanka, Canada, Sudan, Ghana, UAE, Nigeria, and South Africa. After you have booked online, contact the British Council in the area that you choose to receive more details about the venue.

After you have passed PLAB 1, you will be eligible for PLAB 2, held in Manchester in the UK. Just like Part 1, you will have to book online, and then you will receive a confirmation that shows you the exact place you will be accessed.

Note that the cost of both parts of the test is around £1114.

Preparing For the PLAB

It is advisable to prepare for about 4-8 months before the date you are scheduled to write the exam. This is where CanadaQBank question bank for the PLAB 1 comes in.

The CanadaQBank has over 3400 of some of the best MCQs you would need to prepare for the exam. Each of these MCQs would cover a different part of a Part 1 topic from the tested areas and provide detailed explanations for each of the topics. What is best about this is that it is accessible 24/7. The subjects covered range from Anesthesia, Emergency Medicine, Respiratory Medicine, Dermatology, Oncology, General Surgery, Infectious Disease, and a host of others.

It is an efficient and affordable way to practice the questions easily under simulated exam conditions. There are different subscription prices tailored to whatever your need is. The prices are:

  • $95 – 1 month
  • $135 – 2 months
  • $ 175 – 3 months
  • $250 – 6 months
  • $335 – 9 months
  • $395 – 12 months

Do not be left behind; take advantage of the services of CanadaQBank.

Posted on

MCCQE 1 Exam – 5 Tips for Preparation

The MCCQE (Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination) is an exam that assesses doctors trained outside of Canada but would like to practice in the country.

The MCC (Medical Council of Canada) uses this exam to check their level of clinical competence, knowledge, and judgment in actual clinical scenarios. The MCCQE has two parts- MCCQE 1 and MCCQE 2. However, we will only focus on MCCQE 1 in this article.

The MCCQE 1 has two sections: the MCQ and the CDM sections. The MCQ section has 210 questions and takes about 4 hours, after which there is a scheduled break for 45 minutes before the CDM section starts.

The CDM section is short for Clinical Decision Making.  It takes three and a half hours and comprises 38 cases with 1-4 questions each and specific instructions for each case. The passing score for the MCCQE 1 is 226.

Now that we have a general overview of the exam, what are the best tips and practices for MCCQE 1?

The MCCQE 1 is more than a test of factual knowledge. You must understand the intricacies of the test itself and be equipped with the right evidence-based clinical practices to ace this exam. Here are five tips to help you prepare for the exam very well.

1. Use proper resources

Using the right resources to prepare for the exams could potentially be what could push you over the finish line. Thus, to prepare for the MCCQE 1 exam make sure you use a board review book that works for you. These board review books help summarize the key concepts and objectives of the MCC to provide an efficient and easy way to digest all that you are required to know to pass your exam. You could then augment these board review books with textbooks to get more information. Remember to avoid using only textbooks as this could cause an overload of information making you lose what you need.

Furthermore, in choosing board review books always make sure to use one that works well for you. It would be foolhardy to use a book just because it is the best-reviewed on the internet. Thus, it is important to check the teaching style of each one, and you can do this by asking people who wrote the exams which ones they used.

2. Focus on those MCC objectives that you are not familiar with.

The MCCQE1 exam is based on the MCC guidelines. These guidelines are divided into different objectives, and some objectives may be harder to understand than others. So, it would be best to focus more on those objectives that are harder for you. This is to make sure you are not lacking in any area.

One of the ways to do this is to make sure you study them as often as you can because repetition enhances your memory. To ace this exam, you have to be as diligent and consistent as possible, so everything you need to know is just there, right at your fingertips.

3. Know the critical thresholds for the MCCQE 1

Many of the questions you will come across will be based on choosing the best possible answer for a treatment based on a given critical threshold value, e.g., ‘Mr. X has an apparent limb length discrepancy of Y cm; what could be the possible cause based on the history taken?’. To answer such questions, you will have to have the critical threshold value at your fingertips to choose the best possible action.

In many scenarios, you will be asked to choose the best patient management practices or routines based on the critical threshold values. If you have a good grasp of all these values, these questions will be a breeze.

These critical threshold values can sometimes slip your mind, so you should review them repeatedly to get familiar with them.

CanadaQBank can help you prepare with our simulated MCQ that mimics the exam situation.

4. Make Summary Notes

It is not just enough to read and understand. You should also make your study sessions as active as you can. You can do this by making summary notes of important points as you study to engage your mind. You do this to keep remembering the key points and digest information in such a way that you understand. The important thing is to make the information your own and not just read it repeatedly. When you do this, you attach a memory or an emotion to the information you process.

5. Use images to learn

Medicine is a visual and practical science, so media such as diagrams and graphics cannot be overemphasized. During the exam, you will see several clinical images and radiographs and will have to answer questions based on them. The MCC understands how central the use of visuals is for diagnosis and patient-centered management.

On CanadaQBank, there are many images to bring these clinical scenarios to life and help you prepare for the MCQ and CDM questions. We will also give you enough detailed information on these images so that when you are writing the exam, you will be able to answer any question with diagrams easily.

So, let’s run through all our tips

  • Use proper resources
  • Emphasize objectives you are not familiar with
  • Have the critical thresholds values on your fingertips
  • Make summaries of notes
  • Use images to learn

Do you need help with your preparation? Visit our website on CanadaQBank for more information and tips on accessing our question bank.

Posted on

Overview of USMLE Step 1

Overview of USMLE Step 1

Becoming a doctor in the United States is no small feat, there are a number of exams you have to pass like the MCATs and USMLE before you can practice medicine legally there. The process to write the USMLE is a little complex but that is why we are here to break it down for you. The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a three-step examination for medical licensure in the U.S. meant to assess a physician’s ability to apply knowledge, concepts, and principles and demonstrate fundamental patient-centered skills.

It is usually done by med students as well as graduates from foreign and local universities who wish to exercise their medical skills in the United States of America.

Step 1- Basics

The USMLE Step 1 exam is the first element of the USMLE. This exam is meant to assess the basic science knowledge of the student and requires the students to apply these basic science principles in clinical medical practice. Step 1 consists of multiple-choice questions (MCQs), that you will have to answer. These MCQs were created by USMLE committees that have recognized prominence in their respective fields.

However, the majority of questions require the examinee to interpret graphic and tabular material to identify gross and microscopic pathologic and normal specimens. These examinees also have to solve problems through the application of basic science principles.

Application Process

Before applying to ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) for examination, international medical students/graduates must obtain a USMLE/ECFMG Identification Number via ECFMG’s online services (an Application for ECFMG Certification), including the notarized Certification of Identification Form (Form 186).

Furthermore, applicants are advised to read the detailed instructions for the application before they begin working on it. This is because these instructions contain information on how to complete Form 186 using NotaryCam. They also include resources that will help you plan the timing of your application and outline any necessary items (such as official signatures). Also, it is essential to note that the application for ECFMG Certification will not be considered complete until ECFMG receives and processes both the online part of the application and the notarized Form 186 from NotaryCam.

You can apply for USMLE Step 1 via ECFMG’s online services. To do this you should read the USMLE Bulletin of Information and submit an application through your registration entity; as there are different procedures to account for both foreign and differently-abled students. When applying for the examination, you must select an eligibility period during which you wish to test, and then a scheduling permit with your eligibility period will be issued via email. After obtaining the scheduling permit, you may visit the Prometric website to schedule a test date.

Prometric’s test centers are grouped into defined testing regions, and you can take the exam at any test center in your testing region that offers USMLE, provided there is space available on the date you choose. Note the test centers available for USMLE Step 1 are subject to change. Scheduling may not be available more than six months in advance. You are permitted to reschedule within your eligibility period though you will pay a fee if you make a change during the 30 calendar days before your scheduled appointment.

Examinees should also keep in mind deadlines imposed by the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and graduate medical education (GME) programs as it is solely your responsibility to complete the required exams in time to meet deadlines imposed by the NRMP and/or GME programs. Since the number of applicants seeking to complete these exams may exceed the spaces available in time to meet those deadlines, there is no guarantee that sufficient spaces will be available for all applicants to meet deadlines imposed, so

Fees

Application for ECFMG Certification: $160

Step 1: $975 + $180 (Surcharge fee for writing outside the U.S.)

The total number of attempts allowed per Step is four (4). If you have attempted a Step four or more times, including incomplete attempts, and have not passed, you are ineligible to apply for any Step in the USMLE exam sequence.

Benefits of CanadaQBank

The USMLE Step 1 exams are not easy. Practicing with CanadaQBank allows examinees to test and develop themselves against the main exam. The question banks familiarize you with the different systems of questioning, and you will see an increase in the speed and reasoning with which questions are answered. You will be compelled to tailor your study plan to its optimum state; a good study plan will help you perfect your skills and increase your knowledge about the field. Handling such an exam will be less of a burden.

CanadaQBank contains 3016 classic simulated USMLE Step 1 multiple-choice questions (MCQs), with each MCQ covering a different USMLE Step 1 topic from the subject areas tested.

It offers three different modes that allow examinees to take tests in timed, un-timed, and tutor modes. Answers and detailed explanations for all questions are provided to allow you to review your selections and know where you erred.

CanadaQBank offers examinees the ability to generate tests by subject category or any combination of categories and to choose how many questions you want to take in each block,

Review detailed analysis of previous USMLE Step 1 tests taken, compare your scores with other users, review performance breakdown from an overview to overall cumulative performance.

CanadaQbank receives continuous updates to the questions and explanations. So therefore it is revised with feedback from the most recent exams and has an upgraded MCQ interface for accurate simulation with normal lab values. Furthermore, it can be accessed 24/7 from anywhere in the world.

Subjects Covered

Anatomy, Biochemistry, Embryology, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Ethics, Genetics, Histology/Molecular Biology, Microbiology & Immunology, Neuroscience, Pathology & Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, Physiology, Psychology

CanadaQbank is an efficient and affordable way to practice the questions with ease under simulated exam conditions. There are different subscription prices tailored to whatever your need is. The prices are:

  • $95 – 1 month
  • $135 – 2 months
  • $ 175 – 3 months
  • $250 – 6 months
  • $335 – 9 months
  • $395 – 12 months