Doctors who pass the UK’s Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) 2 exam will be exempt from the Medical Council’s Pre-Registration Exam (PRES) 3 under planned changes.
A PRES 3 working group, established by the Medical Council, has concluded that PLAB 2 can be accepted as equivalent to PRES 3. This position has been approved by Council.
A Council spokesperson told the Medical Independent it is currently “considering revisions to its PRES rules so that the PLAB 2 may be considered as an exemption to the PRES 3”.
As of 13 March, the Council expected that this exemption would be in place within the next three to four months. The Council’s spokesperson said the General Medical Council (GMC) had confirmed it has capacity to accommodate additional applicants from Ireland (on the condition they meet the GMC eligibility criteria).
Doctors who qualified outside of the EU/EEA are required to pass, or be exempt from, the PRES exams to be eligible for general registration. The exams are primarily a test of knowledge and clinical skills in obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, psychiatry, surgery, and medicine/general practice.
PRES 2 is comprised of multiple-choice questions, while PRES 3 involves a data interpretation exam and an objective structured clinical exam.
At the end of 2025, some 325 doctors were waiting to sit PRES 3. The figure had increased to 326 by the end of February 2026, according to figures provided by the Council.
Last year there were three sittings of PRES 3, which accommodated 140 candidates. Three medical schools have indicated their willingness to host PRES 3 in mid/late 2026.
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