Been planning to take the PLAB 2 test this summer? Well, you will have to postpone your plans to become a doctor in the UK. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, doctors have faced many challenges, beginning with being the front line facing this pandemic, leading up to having their plans put on pause. Not only this, but also doctors who have invested their time and money to become a licensed doctor in the United Kingdom, had either their PLAB 1 or PLAB 2 tests cancelled, and possibly their English qualification certificates will expire soon. Cancellation of PLAB 1 This overseas test has been cancelled in multiple countries, especially those which have venues thatare not suitablefor the current situation, or do not comply with the country's government rules and policies that have been newly implemented. The British Council have cancelled the PLAB 1 exam that would be held on June 25 in the following countries: Islamabad and Karachi, Pakistan Enugu and Lagos, Nigeria Toronto, Canada Khartoum, Sudan Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Doctors who were planning to take the exam in these countries will get a full refund. Booking for the next exam, which would be held in November, will start after 25 June. The bookings have been stopped in the current period so that the GMC can process refunds to doctors. Cancellation of PLAB 2 This test, which is based in the UK, has been cancelled twice during the previous period. In March 2020, the GMC cancelled all PLAB 2 tests, until 1st of July. Doctors who had their tests during this period, had to rebook their exam. Some doctors were already in the UK when their tests got cancelled and others were about to travel in a couple of weeks. On the 3rd of June, the GMC sent out E-mails to all doctors who booked PLAB 2 exam, notifying them that it got cancelled. The reason behind the cancellation is the unpreparedness of the venue to hold examinations as usual. The GMC are working to change how the exam is held, and possibly the venue will be changed too. "We’re doing everything we can to get PLAB 2 up and running, by looking again at the format and length of the test, how we can create more space in the centre, and whether other venues could offer the safe environment we need." - Official GMC website The GMC are trying hard to resume the test by autumn, which could be any time between September and December. However, this will depend on the number of new COVID cases, which if didn't drop to accepted levels, PLAB 2 will stay cancelled for the year. How these changes affected doctors It is true that doctors will get a full refund, but the damage caused is much more expensive than just the examination fees. And it is not about the accommodation fees, the flights or even the course, it is about the cost of the wasted time. Doctors have been planning to start their careers in the UK by this summer or autumn, they could have quit their jobs to focus on their plan or maybe they have paused other plans in their lives to focus on being licensed to practice in the UK. Additionally, the tests they took, either PLAB 1 or English qualification tests could be expiring soon, which lead them to start a petition requesting the GMC to provide them with temporary registration or otherwise extend their PLAB 1, IELTS or OET expiry dates. The COVID pandemic put a pause on all our lives, and the uncertainty it comes with makes us all worry about our future. So we have nothing else to do, other than having hope and patience, that we either adapt to the new changes that affected our lives, or that this pandemic will end.
