UKMLA AKT preparation · 2026
What is the UKMLA?
The UK Medical Licensing Assessment (UKMLA) is the national standard set by the General Medical Council that every doctor must meet to practise medicine in the UK. It has two parts: the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) and the Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA). UK medical students sit the AKT through their own medical school; international medical graduates meet the same standard through PLAB 1 and PLAB 2. The UKMLA did not replace PLAB — both routes still exist.
UKMLA at a glance
- What
- UK Medical Licensing Assessment — the GMC's national standard
- Two parts
- AKT (written) + CPSA (clinical)
- AKT format
- 2 papers, consecutive days · 200 questions · SBA, 5 options
- Time
- 2 hours per paper
- Negative marking
- None
- Pass mark
- No fixed mark — modified Angoff, set per sitting
- Results
- UK students: your school. IMGs: GMC publishes PLAB 1 results per sitting
- UK students
- MS AKT via your medical school
- IMGs
- PLAB 1 + PLAB 2 (MLA-compliant)
- Content map
- Confirm the live GMC version that applies to your sitting
On this page
Jump to a section
Section 1
Who has to sit the UKMLA?
Two routes, one GMC standard: UK medical students through their school, international graduates through PLAB.
UK medical students
If you are graduating from a UK medical school from the 2024/25 cohorts onwards, you sit the UKMLA as part of your degree. The written component is the Medical School Applied Knowledge Test (MS AKT), organised by your school — not booked on GMC Online. The clinical component is a CPSA designed and run by your school against the GMC's standard. Passing both is a requirement for graduation and for progressing towards GMC registration. The GMC's overview is the Medical Licensing Assessment pages; the Medical Schools Council explains school delivery on its MLA assessment pages.
In practice, many UK schools draw written finals from the Medical Schools Council Assessment Alliance (MSCAA) item ecosystem, which is closely aligned with the MS AKT. Treating AKT prep as an extension of MSCAA-style finals — same reasoning style, same breadth — is more efficient than running two competing revision plans. Schools that use this style of written finals include:
- Imperial College London
- UCL
- King's College London
- University of Manchester
- University of Birmingham
- University of Leeds
- University of Sheffield
- University of Nottingham
- University of Bristol
- Queen Mary University of London
Always confirm delivery with your own school handbook. The list above is orientation, not a substitute for local assessment rules.
International medical graduates
If you trained outside the UK, you do not sit the university MS AKT. You meet the same MLA standard through PLAB 1 and PLAB 2. PLAB has not been withdrawn. From 1 April 2026 the GMC fees are £283 for PLAB 1 and £1,036 for PLAB 2 — verify on the GMC fees page before you book. IMG-specific transition detail lives on the PLAB to UKMLA pathway for international graduates.
| UK medical students | International medical graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Written component | MS AKT via their medical school | PLAB 1 |
| Clinical component | School-run CPSA | PLAB 2 |
| Set by | Medical Schools Council Assessment Alliance + individual schools | GMC directly |
| Dates | Per medical school — no national date | Fixed national sittings |
| Fee | Included in tuition | £283 (PLAB 1) / £1,036 (PLAB 2) from 1 Apr 2026 |
| Same content map? | Yes | Yes |
Section 2
UKMLA format: the AKT and the CPSA
Two papers, two hundred questions, two days for the written test — and a separate clinical assessment.
The Applied Knowledge Test (AKT)
The AKT is a computer-based single-best-answer exam. The Medical Schools Council describes the Medical School AKT as two papers of 100 questions, usually sat on sequential days, with a standard time of two hours per paper. Each item has five options. There is no negative marking. Papers are blueprinted to the GMC MLA Content Map and test applied clinical knowledge — next-best-step, data interpretation, and risk — not isolated recall. Confirm timing adjustments and delivery (in-person computer suite versus other local arrangements) in your school handbook and the MSC MLA FAQs.
Two-day stamina is a real scoring factor. Candidates often report Paper 2 feeling harder because of fatigue, not because the GMC publishes a harder syllabus for day two. Practising Paper 1 and Paper 2 on consecutive days in your final weeks is more useful than collecting another untimed question block. For pacing detail see Paper 1 vs Paper 2.
The Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA)
The CPSA is an OSCE-style clinical exam. For UK students it is designed and run by the medical school against the GMC's standard — it is not a single national OSCE with one station list. It tests communication, examination, procedures, and professionalism. For international graduates the equivalent clinical assessment is PLAB 2 at the GMC's Clinical Assessment Centre. This page focuses on the written AKT; treat your school's CPSA handbook as the source for stations, timing, and resits.
| Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Papers | 2, on consecutive days |
| Questions | 200 total (100 per paper) |
| Format | Single Best Answer, five options |
| Time | 2 hours per paper |
| Negative marking | None |
| Results | UK students: your school. IMGs: GMC PLAB 1 result dates |
| Standard | A newly qualified doctor entering UK practice — no fixed percentage |
Section 3
How is the UKMLA pass mark set?
There is no useful fixed percentage. The cut score is set per sitting.
The GMC does not publish a single number you can revise towards. The Medical School AKT is criterion-referenced. Panels use a modified Angoff method, including a standard error of measurement, so the pass mark can move slightly between sittings as paper difficulty moves. You are judged against a newly qualified doctor entering UK practice, not against a league table of your year group.
Any website quoting a fixed “UKMLA pass mark” as 60%, 70%, or similar is describing a rumour, not the exam you will sit. Candidates typically receive their score, the score required for that sitting, and information about the cohort mean — your school will tell you exactly what appears on your results transcript.
The Medical Schools Council reported a 98.3% overall AKT pass rate across the first national 2024–25 delivery. That is an overall outcome, not a promise for any candidate. PLAB 1 pass rates are published per sitting by the GMC and have historically been lower, which reflects a different candidate mix and a shorter prep window — not a different content map. Full method: UKMLA AKT pass mark explained.
Section 4
When is the UKMLA? Dates for 2026 and 2027
There is no national AKT date. Your school chooses a sitting; IMGs use GMC PLAB calendars.
This is the fact most “UKMLA dates 2026” pages get wrong. There is no single national date for the Medical School AKT. Each UK medical school schedules the exam inside national assessment arrangements. Most first-attempt students sit between January and May; resits typically fall in autumn. 2027 will work the same way: wait for your school's assessment calendar, do not copy a peer at another university, and do not treat a blog timetable as yours.
The deep-dive — windows, what happens if you miss a sitting, and how to reverse-plan revision — is UKMLA AKT exam dates 2026. Use that page, then confirm the date on your intranet.
International graduates ignore university calendars. Book PLAB 1 on the GMC's published sitting list and check PLAB 1 results dates after you sit. Those are national dates. They are not MS AKT dates.
Section 5
Did the UKMLA replace PLAB?
No. Two routes still exist. They share a standard; they do not share a paper.
No. The UKMLA did not replace PLAB. UK medical students sit the MS AKT and a school CPSA. International medical graduates sit PLAB 1 and PLAB 2. Both routes are mapped to the GMC MLA Content Map. If you trained abroad, you still book PLAB.
Is the UKMLA the same as PLAB?
No. Same blueprint, different exam. The AKT is two 100-item papers on consecutive days inside a UK degree. PLAB 1 is one 180-item paper at Pearson VUE. The clinical half is a school CPSA versus PLAB 2.
Is the UKMLA harder than PLAB?
Not by secret extra content. The GMC aligned both to the same map and the same licensing standard. What changes is who sits which paper, how long they have prepared, and whether the test is two days of 100-item papers or one three-hour sitting. Treating either as a memory test is what makes it feel harder.
How is the UKMLA different from PLAB?
Booking, fees, dates, and who invigilates. UK students do not pay a GMC exam fee for the MS AKT (it sits inside tuition) and do not pick a Pearson VUE centre. IMGs pay GMC fees, pick a sitting, and travel to PLAB 2 in the UK. For the IMG-facing explanation of what changed in the PLAB pathway, use the PLAB to UKMLA pathway for international graduates.
Section 6
What does the UKMLA cover? The MLA Content Map
A short summary only — the map has its own page.
The GMC MLA Content Map is the public syllabus boundary: areas of clinical practice, clinical presentations, and professional capabilities (ethics, law, and Good Medical Practice). If a topic is not on the map, it is not a legitimate AKT target. If it is on the map, it can appear as a next-best-step stem rather than a textbook heading.
The GMC updates the map. Check the live GMC page for the version that applies to your sitting — including the 2026/27 academic year — rather than memorising a blog's condition count. Do not use this pillar as a condition inventory.
The full walkthrough, including how to audit coverage, is the MLA Content Map resource. Professional capabilities (the ethics layer people under-revise) has its own guide: MLA Professional Capabilities explained.
Section 7
How to prepare for the UKMLA AKT
Free official papers first. Then coverage. Then two-day mocks.
Start with resources the GMC and Medical Schools Council already publish at no cost. Paid banks come after you have seen the real item style.
Free official resources (use these first)
- The Medical Schools Council free MS AKT practice exam — 200 items as two 100-item papers, blueprinted to the content map. Find it via the MSC MLA pages and the student FAQs.
- The GMC content map itself. Tick presentations your school has already taught; that list is your syllabus, not a commercial topic menu.
After the official papers, a paid bank is optional. Look for MLA tagging, UK guideline citations in explanations, and mocks that can be sat as sequential Paper 1 + Paper 2. UKMLARevisions is one of those options (5,400+ exam-style questions, and we continue to add more). Compare before you subscribe — see the next section.
Phase 1 · Foundation
Map and official papers
Phase 2 · Reinforcement
Mixed questions and weak areas
Phase 3 · Simulation
Consecutive Paper 1 and Paper 2
Section 8
UKMLA resources compared
Name the options honestly, then pick on explanation style and map coverage — not on a superlative.
UK students typically weigh Pastest, Quesmed, Passmedicine, and UKMLARevisions. All four are credible. Pastest is familiar from earlier years of many UK courses. Quesmed pairs questions with video-led learning. Passmedicine is a long-running finals bank. UKMLARevisions maps questions and notes to the MLA Content Map and cites UK guidelines in management explanations. Pricing for this platform is on /pricing.
Do not choose from a marketing claim. Sit a free sample on two platforms and compare whether the explanation teaches a rule you can reuse on a stem you have not seen. The decision guide — criteria, not a ranking — is how to choose a UKMLA AKT question bank. Verify current features and prices on each official site before you pay.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Answers taken from questions people actually search — not product FAQs.
Did the UKMLA replace PLAB?+
No. The UKMLA did not replace PLAB. UK medical students sit the Medical School AKT and a school-run CPSA. International medical graduates still sit PLAB 1 and PLAB 2. Both routes are mapped to the same GMC MLA Content Map and the same licensing standard. PLAB continues in 2026.
Is the UKMLA the same as PLAB?+
No. They share a blueprint and a standard, not a paper. The UKMLA AKT is two 100-question papers, usually on consecutive days, organised by your UK medical school. PLAB 1 is a single 180-question paper booked through the GMC and sat at Pearson VUE. The clinical component is a school CPSA for UK students and PLAB 2 for IMGs.
Is the UKMLA harder than PLAB?+
They are pitched at the same GMC licensing standard and the same MLA Content Map. What feels harder is usually the format you sit, not a secret extra syllabus. UK students have a two-paper, two-day AKT inside finals; IMGs sit one three-hour PLAB 1 paper after a shorter, self-directed prep window. Candidates who treat either exam as recall rather than applied next-best-step reasoning find it harder.
How is the UKMLA different from PLAB?+
Audience, booking, and delivery. UK students sit the MS AKT and CPSA through their medical school as part of the degree. IMGs sit PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 through the GMC, with published national sittings and fees. Content is aligned: both are blueprinted to the MLA Content Map. UK students do not book the AKT on GMC Online.
When did the UKMLA start?+
The UKMLA is already live. UK medical students in graduating cohorts from 2024/25 onwards must pass the MLA (AKT + CPSA) to progress towards GMC registration. IMGs were not switched onto a new exam: PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 continue, now mapped to the same content map.
Is there a fixed pass mark for the UKMLA?+
No. There is no published fixed percentage. The Medical School AKT uses criterion-referenced standard-setting (commonly described as a modified Angoff method, including a standard error of measurement). The cut score is set per sitting. Any page quoting a single number as “the” UKMLA pass mark is wrong. See our pass-mark guide for the method and what published pass rates actually mean.
Is there negative marking in the UKMLA?+
No. You receive one mark for a correct single best answer and zero for an incorrect or omitted answer. There is no penalty for guessing. If you are running out of time, flag and return — then answer remaining items rather than leaving blanks.
How many questions are in the UKMLA AKT?+
200 Single Best Answer questions in total: two papers of 100 questions each, typically sat on consecutive days, with a standard time of two hours per paper. Each item has five options. Confirm any timing adjustments with your medical school.
Are there UKMLA past papers?+
No. The Medical Schools Council and GMC do not publish real UKMLA AKT past papers, and they are not going to. Anyone selling “UKMLA past papers” is not selling the exam you will sit. What does exist is the MSC's free practice exam (200 items) plus full-length mocks that match Paper 1 / Paper 2 timing. Use those.
When are the 2027 UKMLA dates?+
There is no single national AKT date in 2027 either. Each UK medical school chooses a sitting inside the national assessment arrangements. Confirm 2027 dates, venues, and resit windows with your school when its assessment calendar is published. IMGs should use the GMC's published PLAB 1 sitting dates, not a university timetable.
Do UK students sit PLAB?+
No. UK medical students sit the Medical School AKT and their school's CPSA. PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 are the international-graduate route to the same GMC standard. A UK student does not book PLAB unless they are on a separate IMG-style registration pathway — that is unusual and should be confirmed with the GMC, not assumed from this page.
What happens if I fail the AKT?+
Your medical school runs the resit, not the GMC. Most schools offer an autumn resit window after a spring first sitting. Failing the first sitting can delay graduation and Foundation Programme start — check your school's attempt limits, mitigating-circumstances policy, and result dates. Do not plan electives or travel that collide with the resit window until results are confirmed.
Review
Sources and how this page is reviewed
Reviewed by UKMLARevisions Clinical Team. Last verified . The public review policy is on editorial standards. Named individual authors are not invented for schema; this page is maintained by GMC-registered doctors on that editorial process.
Official sources cited in the body (followable, not nofollow):
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Preparing for a different exam?
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