If you’re a medical student based in the UK or an International Medical Graduate (IMG), and you’re hoping to practise medicine in the UK, then you’ve probably heard of the UKMLA. But it may also be just another acronym in a long list of examinations that you need to study for and sit even after you’ve graduated.
We’ve already covered exactly what this exam involves in The Pastest Guide to the UKMLA - which includes all the key information you need to know - but this detailed guide covers how to prepare for (and hopefully pass) the UKMLA.
What is the UKMLA?
The UKMLA (UK Medical Licensing Assessment) is a new exam that is designed to test the knowledge, abilities and behaviours that are required for doctors practising medicine in the UK. There are two candidate groups for this exam:
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Medical students graduating from a UK university from the academic year 2024-2025 onwards will need to take and pass the MLA as part of their degree before they can join the medical register.
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International doctors who want to join the UK medical register will continue to take the PLAB exam, but from 2024 onwards, the test will change to become compliant with the MLA requirements.
By applying to medical students who have graduated in the UK and abroad, the UKMLA ensures that all doctors practising medicine here meet the same standard, regardless of where they studied.
Now that you have an understanding of what the UKMLA is and why it was put in place, here’s how to properly prepare for taking it…
1. Understand the format
Before you dive into your revision, you first need to understand what the UKMLA will look like, as it consists of two main parts:
Applied Knowledge Test (AKT)
This exam is multiple choice question (MCQ) based and will test your clinical knowledge and understanding. You’ll take it on a computer to test your medical knowledge across a variety of scenarios.
Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA)
Your medical school may refer to this part of the exam as OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) or even OSLER (Objective Structured Long Examination Record). This part of the exam will take the form of an assessment of your clinical and professional skills and will be set and run by your school.
2. Know the content areas
Both the AKT and CPSA will test you on the following three categories:
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Areas of clinical practice
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Clinical and professional capabilities
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Areas of professional knowledge
Before you start your studying, it’s a good idea to take a closer look at the MLA Content Map, which goes into a lot of detail regarding what will be covered in the UKMLA.
The Content Map is based on the following important documents:
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The GMC’s Outcomes for Graduates - This identifies the skills and knowledge a newly qualified doctor must possess after leaving a UK medical school.
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The GMC’s Generic Professional Capabilities Framework - This specifies the “essential generic capabilities needed for safe, effective and high-quality medical care in the UK”.
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Any relevant parts of the UK Foundation Programme Curriculum and situations you will typically come across during the UK Foundation Programme.
There are three overarching themes to the UKMLA and the Content Map:
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Readiness for safe practice
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Managing uncertainty
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Delivering person-centred care
There are six sections, also called domains:
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Areas of clinical practice - such as cancer, mental health, neurosciences, and surgery
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Areas of professional knowledge - such as human factors, medical ethics and law, and social and population health
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Clinical and professional capabilities - such as safeguarding vulnerable patients and managing pain
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Patient skills and procedures - These are outlined in the GMC’s Outcomes for Graduates
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Patient presentations - This refers to the signs, symptoms, investigation results and other relevant patient-related issues that are typically seen by doctors in a first appointment within the UK Foundation Programme.
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Conditions - Again, referring to conditions that are typically seen by doctors in a first appointment within the UK Foundation Programme.
3. Start with the Content Map
The best first step to UKMLA prep is to start with the Content Map; this has everything you need - the knowledge, skills and behaviours - you will need to pass the exam.
This resource, coupled with your university revision notes and online question banks, will give you the best chance for success.
Although it’s a big resource, don’t be overwhelmed by the Content Map. It’s quite daunting and when you dive into the full breakdown of the six domains and the ‘A-Z of presentations’ it’s not necessarily the easiest document to review from.
At the very least, you can use the Content Map as a way to break down the areas of revision that you need to focus on, and can tick off subjects as you go along, depending on whether you believe you have mastered them, or if they need extra work.
4. Use Question Banks
While the Content Map is a great place to start, Question Banks and online revision resources will take your studying for UKMLA to the next level.
The good news is that the GMC has stated that - for the UKMLA - your UK medical degree is the best learning resource - there won’t be anything on the exam that hasn’t been covered in your curriculum! But that doesn’t mean that there won’t be topics or areas that you may struggle with, for whatever reason, or that may need a little more development.
Thankfully, there are some fantastic online revision resources out there that you can tap into to give your knowledge and clinical skill set an extra boost.
Pastest
We are incredibly proud of our MLA revision resource, mostly because it’s the only MLA-specific, multi-year medical school resource developed by Medical Educators!
Our resource features an expansive QBank, which includes more than 2,190 Pre-Clinical questions, and over 4,000 MLA questions - perfect for you to test your knowledge and see which areas may need a little more focus. To help support your revision, the Pastest resource contains hundreds of informative notes covering all the medical topics you need to sit the UKMLA, and hundreds of flashcards and spot diagnosis cards - ideal for practising for the CPSA!
For the visual learners among us, you’ll also find hundreds of video lectures and anatomy demonstrations, 100 OSCE Stations and 20 OSCE Procedure videos.
medibuddy
Medibuddy is another question bank provider, which takes the MLA Content Map and breaks it down per topic and condition, so you can choose the areas that best suit your revision style, and which areas need a little more focus.
The Medibuddy resource has around 4,000 questions that are specifically aimed at the AKT part of the exam. It also uses AI to identify your strengths and weaknesses and puts together a personalised learning plan.
When it comes to preparing for the CPSA, the Medibuddy revision resource includes over 145 stations taken from the UKMLA content map, covering the following areas:
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Specific histories
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General histories
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Examinations
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Documentation
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Procedures
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Interpretation
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Communication
Plabable
Plabable has a few different subscription options depending on the approach you want to take with your revision, but your access to this platform will give you more than 4,500 exam-like questions, timed mock exams to test your knowledge, and an extensive revision guide library.
They also have an app that’s available on the App Store and Google Play, making it great for revision on-the-go.
Road to UK
The Road to UK QBank features over 3,000 questions across the various medical disciplines you’d encounter in the UKMLA, each of which have been peer-reviewed by qualified doctors. With this revision resource you’ll also benefit from customisable study modes that allow you to tailor your revision, so you can focus on specific categories, question types, or difficulty levels.
Once you’ve brushed up your knowledge, there are also timed practice mock exams where you can simulate the real thing to help you build up confidence and endurance.
Lecturio
This revision resource features a QBank of more than 4,700 clinical case questions, accompanied by detailed video and text explanations. There are also video lessons and more than 1,450 detailed concept pages - to help you solidify your understanding of essential medical topics that you’ll encounter in the UKMLA - and spaced repetition quizzes that are tailored to your revision journey.
There’s also an extensive video library for you to benefit from, including 220 hours of video lectures, integrated recall questions, downloadable and high-quality slides and 3D models and detailed illustrations.
The overall aim of the UKMLA is to set a common safety threshold for everyone practising safe medicine in the UK, whether they are a UK medical student or IMG doctor. There’s no doubt that the MLA will be a tricky exam, but fortunately, everything you need to know has already been covered in your university course!
As the MLA is a fresh and brand new exam, it’s likely that more information will be added to online resources, and that QBanks and revision resources will be expanded on. So be sure to keep an eye on the GMC website for more information and to stay updated on the Pastest blog for regular updates!
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay for the UKMLA?
Students at UK medical schools will not be charged to sit the UKMLA. Your university will cover the cost of the exam, although you may be required to pay for resits.
How is the UKMLA scored?
The UKMLA (AKT) is a pass/fail exam; you will need to pass the AKT before progressing to the CPSA. There is no set pass mark and also, there is no fixed percentage of the number of people who will pass or fail – 100% of takers can potentially pass.
When will I sit the UKMLA?
In the UK, the AKT element replaces the Medical Finals exam for students, with assessment periods held four times a year. The CPSA is fully integrated into the existing exam system. Individual medical schools can pick when to sit their exam from set assessment windows.
This means for UK medical students no additional exams will need to be sat to complete the UKMLA. Still, additional exams may be required to complete graduation depending on the school.
The exam is delivered digitally at each individual university using the platform Exam-Write, in an invigilated setting. The number of times that the candidate can sit the exam will be set by the individual medical school. However, MSC/GMC recommends no more than four attempts in total. An in-year resit will usually be available.
For IMGs (international students), the AKT is readily available in test facilities all over the world as it is a computerised test. The CPSA, however, can only take place in Manchester which may pose a barrier to IMGs not currently residing in the UK.
Are UKMLA results made public?
The GMC has stated that although individual student scores won't be released, some data will be made public. For example, medical schools may be able to rank themselves and view their positions in league tables based on student performance.