The UK Medical Licensing Assessment (UKMLA) is a new exam introduced by the General Medical Council (GMC) to standardise the medical degree across the country.
Whether you are a medical school applicant or currently studying medicine in the UK, having familiarity with the UKMLA will improve your chances of succeeding at medical school.
UKMLA Summary: What You Need To Know About The New Finals
If you’re short on time, this summary will tell you everything you need to know about the UKMLA:
The UKMLA is a new medical licensing exam
Students in their final or penultimate year sit the UKMLA, with the first cohort sitting from the 2024-25 academic year onwards.
Every UK medical school will use the UKMLA as their final exam.
The UKMLA contains 2 components; the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) and the Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA)
The PLAB has been updated to reflect the UKMLA content map for international medical graduates: PLAB 1 maps to the AKT and PLAB 2 maps to the CPSA, so IMGs meet the same standard.
What is the UKMLA? Meaning of the UK Medical Licensing Assessment
The UK Medical Licensing Assessment (UKMLA) is a new, mandatory exam introduced by the General Medical Council (GMC) to ensure that all medical students graduating in the UK meet a consistent standard of knowledge and skills.
From the 2024-25 academic year onwards, all UK medical students must pass the UKMLA before they can join the GMC's medical register and start work as a doctor.
The UKMLA is required for UK graduates and sets the standard for international medical graduates (IMGs) who wish to practise in the UK. It is built into medical school finals rather than being a separate sitting, and for IMGs it does not abolish the PLAB: the PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 exams have been updated to be MLA-aligned, so IMGs now meet the same standard through PLAB.
For UK students, UKMLA dates are set by each medical school, and the assessment is built into finals: the AKT and CPSA sittings typically fall between roughly January and the summer of the final or penultimate year. There is no single national exam day, so the exact UKMLA date for 2026 depends on your university. For international candidates, the AKT runs several times a year at test centres worldwide and the CPSA is sat at the GMC's clinical assessment centre in Manchester.
For more details, we recommend contacting your medical school.
Who needs to sit the UKMLA?
Will EU graduates have to sit the UKMLA?
This is one of the most common questions I am asked, and the honest answer is: it depends on your route. Doctors who hold a relevant European qualification recognised under the pre-Brexit transitional arrangements generally do not need to take the MLA. Since the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications rules no longer apply to the UK, EEA graduates who qualified more recently are assessed in the same way as other international medical graduates and may need to meet the MLA standard through the PLAB. Because outcomes are decided case by case, the safest thing is to apply directly to the GMC for an assessment of your specific qualification rather than rely on a general rule.
The UKMLA is required by all medical schools in the UK.
The PLAB examination for international medical graduates hoping to gain registration to work as a doctor in the UK is now UKMLA-compliant: PLAB 1 reflects the AKT and PLAB 2 reflects the CPSA, and the AKT for international candidates runs several times a year at test centres worldwide.
The position for EU graduates depends on when and where they qualified. Doctors who hold a relevant European qualification recognised under the pre-Brexit transitional arrangements generally do not need to take the MLA. EEA graduates who qualified more recently are assessed like other international graduates and may need to meet the MLA standard through the PLAB, so you should always check your specific route directly with the GMC.
When did the UKMLA start?
The UKMLA was rolled out so that students graduating from the 2024-25 academic year onwards are the first cohort required to pass it as part of their degree before joining the register.
For some UK medical schools, the UKMLA could be used as a pilot exam in the years prior to its official introduction. At these medical schools, the students sat the first component of the UKMLA, known as the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT). The UKMLA pilot ended in the academic year of 2023/24.
The GMC decided that a more streamlined assessment was required, which would allow all UK medical graduates and international medical graduates to be compared to the same criteria.
Although the exam sat by international medical graduates is still called the PLAB, the exam content was updated in 2024 to be compliant with the UKMLA standards.
Previously, the content and format of medical school exams in the UK were determined by individual medical schools.
In contrast, the UKMLA provides a standardised assessment across all medical schools. Every UKMLA exam will have a common format, delivery and content.
The PLAB examination has been updated to reflect the UKMLA content map: PLAB 1 reflects the AKT exam, and PLAB 2 reflects the CPSA. International graduates therefore sit the same content map and standard as UK students, just through the PLAB route.
The Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) consists of multiple-choice questions that test students' understanding of medical principles, clinical knowledge, and decision-making.
The AKT is made up of two papers of 100 single-best-answer (SBA) questions each, so 200 questions in total, testing topics across the medical curriculum.
The Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA)
The Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA) is a performance-based assessment, which mirrors the style and format of the OSCE or OSLER exams that medical students may have sat.
The CPSA will assess each student’s practical skills in professional communication and applied clinical knowledge.
The UKMLA content map sets out the medical knowledge content covered in the UKMLA’s AKT and CPSA exams.
This document contains a framework for the practical skills, procedures, presentations and conditions that medical students must be familiar with in order to succeed in the UKMLA exam, and practice as a safe doctor.
The UKMLA content map reflects the GMC’s Outcomes for Graduates document, which describes the “knowledge, skills and behaviours” expected of new UK medical graduates.
The UKMLA does not have a fixed percentage pass mark. Instead, the GMC and medical schools use a standard-setting process: a panel of experts judges how a borderline-but-competent candidate would perform, and that sets the threshold for each sitting. In practice, recent AKT pass marks have tended to sit somewhere in the region of the low-to-mid 60s as a percentage, but the exact figure changes with the difficulty of each paper and is confirmed after the exam. The CPSA is standard-set in a similar way against the skills a safe new doctor must demonstrate.
For applicants, the takeaway is simple: the UKMLA is a competence threshold, not a competitive ranking. It is designed to confirm you are safe to practise, not to fail a fixed quota of students.
For UK medical students the UKMLA is sat as part of their degree and there is no separate exam fee. International graduates pay the PLAB fees, as the PLAB is the MLA-aligned route for IMGs.
It is currently unclear whether students will need to pay for additional resit attempts if they do not pass the UKMLA the first time. This will be at the discretion of the university’s medical school.
To prepare for the UKMLA, the GMC recommends using the same teaching resources from your university institute, guided by the new UKMLA content map.
Common revision methods which we endorse include active recall through practice questions and flashcards, use of memory devices, reflective practice and teaching.
How to revise for the AKT:
Understand the Content Map: Familiarize yourself with the UKMLA content map, focusing on key areas like basic sciences, clinical knowledge, ethics, and healthcare systems.
Practice MCQs: Regularly complete multiple-choice question (MCQ) banks, simulating the format and style of AKT questions to sharpen your test-taking skills.
Study Key Textbooks: Use recommended medical textbooks and online resources that align with the UKMLA syllabus for comprehensive coverage of topics.
Focus on Weak Areas: Identify and target areas where your knowledge is lacking, reviewing complex topics or conditions that commonly appear in exams.
Use Clinical Guidelines: Stay updated with clinical guidelines (e.g., NICE guidelines) to ensure your answers reflect the most current practices.
Take Mock Exams: Complete timed mock exams to build confidence, manage time effectively, and get used to the pressure of the actual test.
How to revise for the CPSA:
Practice Clinical Skills: Regularly practical essential clinical procedures, such as taking histories, performing examinations, and handling equipment during your clinical placement.
Simulate OSCE Scenarios: Practice mock OSCEs with friends, focusing on common scenarios and getting feedback on your performance.
Use Checklists: Review OSCE checklists to ensure you cover all key steps during examinations or procedures in a structured manner.
Starting in 2024, the UK Medical Licensing Assessment (UKMLA) will be a requirement for all medical graduates in the UK, regardless of the medical school they attend.
This means that every UK medical school will use the UKMLA in their final medical school assessments.
As such, it will be incorporated into the curricula of all UK medical schools, including but not limited to:
Each medical school will align its teaching and assessment methods with the requirements of the UKMLA to best prepare students.
Why the UKMLA matters for your medicine interview
You will not sit the UKMLA for years, so why mention it at interview? Because it shows you understand how UK medicine is regulated and why patient safety is standardised nationally. When I interview applicants, knowing that the GMC introduced a single licensing standard, rather than 40-odd different finals, signals genuine awareness of how the profession protects patients.
A good way to frame it is through the four pillars of medical ethics and the principle of consistency of care: a patient in one part of the country should be able to trust that every newly registered doctor has met the same threshold. You can also link it to wider workforce debates you may be asked about, such as the role of physician associates and how the NHS assures who is safe to practise.
Sample interview question: "What is the UKMLA and why was it introduced?"
A strong answer has three layers. First, define it: the UKMLA is the GMC's national licensing assessment, made up of the AKT and the CPSA, that every UK graduate must pass to join the register from 2024-25. Second, give the reason: previously each medical school set its own finals, so the GMC wanted one consistent standard so patients can trust any newly qualified doctor. Third, show balance: standardisation supports patient safety and fairness for international graduates, though some argue it adds pressure and may narrow how schools teach. Finishing on a balanced view is exactly what interviewers are testing.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
What is the UKMLA?
The UKMLA (UK Medical Licensing Assessment) is a national exam set by the General Medical Council that every UK medical graduate must pass to join the medical register. It has two parts: the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) and the Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA), and it creates one consistent standard across all UK medical schools.
What does UKMLA stand for?
UKMLA stands for United Kingdom Medical Licensing Assessment. It is often shortened to the MLA, and it is the assessment the GMC uses to confirm that new doctors are safe to practise in the UK.
When did the UKMLA start?
The UKMLA was rolled out so that students graduating from the 2024-25 academic year onwards are the first cohort who must pass it to join the register. Some medical schools ran pilots of the AKT in earlier years before the full rollout.
When is the UKMLA exam in 2026?
There is no single national exam day. For UK students the AKT and CPSA are built into finals and dates are set by each medical school, usually falling between roughly January and the summer of the final or penultimate year. For international candidates the AKT runs several times a year at test centres worldwide, so check the GMC's published dates for the exact 2026 sittings.
Who needs to sit the UKMLA?
All UK medical students graduating from the 2024-25 academic year onwards must pass the UKMLA. International medical graduates who want to practise in the UK meet the same standard through the MLA-aligned PLAB exams.
Will EU graduates have to sit the UKMLA?
It depends on your route. Doctors holding a relevant European qualification recognised under the pre-Brexit transitional arrangements generally do not need to take the MLA, while EEA graduates who qualified more recently are assessed like other international graduates and may need to meet the MLA standard through the PLAB. Always confirm your specific position directly with the GMC.
Will the UKMLA replace the PLAB?
No, the PLAB has not been abolished. International medical graduates still take PLAB 1 and PLAB 2, but these have been updated to be MLA-aligned: PLAB 1 maps to the AKT and PLAB 2 maps to the CPSA, so IMGs meet the same standard as UK graduates.
What are the components of the UKMLA?
The UKMLA has two parts. The Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) is a multiple-choice exam of two papers, and the Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA) is an OSCE-style practical exam of clinical and communication skills. You must meet the standard in both.
How many questions are in the UKMLA AKT?
The AKT contains 200 single-best-answer multiple-choice questions, split into two papers of 100 questions each. They are sat on screen and test how you apply medical knowledge across the curriculum.
What is the UKMLA pass mark?
There is no fixed percentage pass mark. The threshold is set for each sitting through a standard-setting process based on how a borderline-but-competent candidate would perform. Recent AKT pass marks have tended to sit in the region of the low-to-mid 60s as a percentage, but the exact figure is confirmed after each exam.
How much does the UKMLA cost?
For UK medical students the UKMLA is sat as part of their degree, so there is no separate exam fee. International graduates pay the PLAB fees, because the PLAB is the MLA-aligned route to registration for IMGs.
Is the UKMLA harder than the old finals?
The content is broadly comparable to existing finals because it follows the GMC's Outcomes for Graduates, but the UKMLA standardises the format and difficulty nationally. The aim is consistency and patient safety, not to make the exam harder or to fail a fixed number of students.
What is the UKMLA content map?
The content map is the GMC document that sets out the conditions, presentations, practical skills and professional behaviours covered in the AKT and CPSA. It reflects the GMC's Outcomes for Graduates and is the single best guide to what you need to know.
How do you prepare for the UKMLA?
The GMC recommends using your own medical school teaching guided by the content map. Effective methods include active recall with question banks and flashcards for the AKT, and regular mock OSCEs with structured checklists for the CPSA.
How does the UKMLA differ from the USMLE?
The UKMLA is the UK's licensing assessment for practising in the UK, set by the GMC, while the USMLE is the United States licensing examination. They are separate systems, and passing one does not give you a licence to practise in the other country.
How might the UKMLA come up in a medicine interview?
You could be asked what it is and why it was introduced. A strong answer defines it as the GMC's national licensing assessment of the AKT and CPSA, explains that it replaces 40-odd separate finals with one consistent standard for patient safety, and shows balance by noting both the benefits and the criticisms of standardisation.
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