How many PLAB 1 mock exams should you do?

Question banks teach you the content. Full mock exams teach you to sit the exam: to keep going for three hours, to manage your time and to stay accurate when you are tired. So how many PLAB 1 mock exams should you do? Most candidates do well with somewhere between 6 and 10 full mocks, spread over the last six to eight weeks and reviewed properly.

Exam facts below come from the General Medical Council (GMC), checked on 12 November 2026. Always confirm details with the GMC before you book.

The PLAB 1 exam at a glance

• 180 multiple choice questions in three hours.
• Each question opens with a short clinical scenario, followed by a question with five answer options.
• It is an applied knowledge test: it tests how you use knowledge in patient care, not recall.
• The GMC states that PLAB 1 meets the Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) requirements.

Why full mocks matter

Three hours for 180 questions is one minute per question. Short quizzes do not train that pace or that stamina. A full mock shows whether you run out of time, where your accuracy drops off, and which topics still let you down.

How many PLAB 1 mock exams should you do?

• Fewer than 4: usually too few to see a trend or to fix your timing.
• 6 to 10: enough to build stamina, track progress and review each one properly. This suits most candidates.
• More than 12: only helpful if you still review each one in depth. Sitting mocks without reviewing them adds little.

When to start

Sit one early mock as a baseline once you have covered most topics, then return to topic-by-topic revision. Start regular mocks six to eight weeks before your exam: one a week at first, then two a week in the final month. Leave the last two or three days for light review, not a new mock.

How to review a mock

1. Sit it in one go, timed, with no notes, at the time of day of your real exam.
2. Read the explanation for every question you got wrong and every one you guessed.
3. Group your mistakes by topic, then spend the next few days revising those topics.
4. Track your score and the number of unanswered questions over time.

How Kung Medics can help

PLAB 1 Pro gives you 2,449 original single best answer questions, topic quizzes and five full 180-question mocks. The PLAB 1 Mock Bundle adds six more themed mocks with 1,080 different questions. Take both together with the PLAB 1 Complete bundle for 11 full mocks and 3,529 questions, for less than buying them separately.

Kung Medics is an independent training provider. It is not part of, or endorsed by, the General Medical Council (GMC).