PLAB 2 Stations: The Complete List of OSCE Scenarios

PLAB 2 consists of 18 stations, each testing a different clinical scenario in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) format. Understanding the distribution of station types and specialties is the foundation of an efficient revision strategy.

Exam Structure at a Glance

| Feature | Detail | |---|---| | Total stations | 18 | | Duration per station | 8 minutes | | Total exam time | Approximately 3 hours | | Location | GMC Clinical Assessment Centre, Manchester | | Domains assessed | Data gathering · Clinical management · Interpersonal skills |

Station Types

1. History-Taking Stations

You take a focused history from a simulated patient. These are the most common station type.

What examiners assess:

• Systematic data gathering (SOCRATES for pain; RED flag screening)
• Eliciting ICE (Ideas, Concerns, Expectations)
• Not missing serious diagnoses

Common presentations: chest pain, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, headache, loss of consciousness, fatigue, weight loss, joint pain

2. Counselling Stations

You explain a diagnosis, investigation, or treatment to a patient. No clinical examination required.

What examiners assess:

• Clear explanation in plain language
• Empathy and active listening
• Addressing the patient's specific concerns

Common scenarios: new diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, starting antidepressants, explaining a procedure (e.g., colonoscopy, angiogram), medication changes

3. Breaking Bad News

One of the highest-stakes station types. You deliver serious news — a new cancer diagnosis, a poor prognosis, or unexpected test results.

Framework — SPIKES:

• Setting: private, seated, warn you have difficult news
• Perception: what does the patient already know?
• Invitation: ask permission to share news
• Knowledge: deliver clearly, without jargon
• Emotions: pause, acknowledge, don't rush
• Strategy: what happens next; who will support

4. Communication Challenges

Includes: dealing with an angry patient, handling a complaint, difficult conversations (e.g., patient refusing treatment).

What examiners assess:

• Staying calm under pressure
• Acknowledging feelings before problem-solving
• Maintaining professionalism

5. Ethics Stations

You navigate an ethical dilemma — consent, capacity, confidentiality, or end-of-life decisions.

Key principles to apply:

• Autonomy (patient's right to decide)
• Beneficence / non-maleficence
• Justice
• GMC Good Medical Practice guidelines

Common scenarios: patient refusing blood transfusion, concern about colleague's performance, teenager seeking confidential advice, undisclosed fitness to drive issue

6. Physical Examination

You examine a system (cardiovascular, respiratory, abdomen, neurological, MSK) and present your findings.

Format: Often combined with history or management discussion. Role-players may have real clinical signs (e.g., trained actors with a cardiac murmur on cardiac auscultation models).

7. Procedural Skills

Less common but occasionally tested. You demonstrate or describe a procedure — e.g., venepuncture, ECG interpretation, basic life support.

8. Telephone Consultations

You handle a clinical situation over the phone — a patient calling in, a referral, or an advice call. Same consultation structure applies; absence of visual cues requires more explicit verbal empathy.

9. Prescribing Stations

You review a prescription, identify errors, and make clinical decisions. Tests knowledge of common drug interactions and safe prescribing.

Specialty Distribution

| Specialty | Approximate % of Stations | |---|---| | Medicine (general, cardiology, respiratory, GI) | 30–35% | | Surgery | 10–15% | | Psychiatry | 10–15% | | Obstetrics & Gynaecology | 8–10% | | Paediatrics | 8–10% | | Emergency medicine | 8–10% | | General practice / primary care | 10–15% |

These are approximate — the GMC does not publish the exact breakdown. The distribution varies slightly between exam sittings.

Specialties in Detail

Medicine

The largest block. High-yield topics:

• Chest pain (ACS vs. musculoskeletal vs. GORD vs. PE)
• Shortness of breath (COPD, asthma, heart failure, pneumonia)
• Headache (migraine vs. tension vs. subarachnoid haemorrhage red flags)
• Seizures and epilepsy (first seizure counselling; driving restrictions)
• Diabetes management (new diagnosis, insulin initiation)
• Hypertension

Psychiatry

Often candidates' weakest area. Focus on:

• Depression (PHQ-9 style assessment; suicide risk)
• Anxiety disorders
• Psychosis (first episode; medication discussion)
• Alcohol dependency (CAGE questionnaire; withdrawal risks)
• Eating disorders
• Capacity assessment

Obstetrics & Gynaecology

• Antenatal counselling
• Ectopic pregnancy red flags
• Contraception advice (combined pill, IUD, emergency contraception)
• Postnatal depression
• Smear test counselling

Paediatrics

• Fever in a child (red flag recognition; parental reassurance)
• Immunisation discussion
• Developmental concerns
• Safeguarding red flags
• ADHD and learning difficulties

Emergency Medicine

• Anaphylaxis management
• Acute chest pain triage
• Trauma assessment (ATLS-style)
• Overdose management
• Mental health crisis

Building Your Revision Plan

A practical framework:

Weeks 1–3: Core consultation skills

• Practise the opening, ICE, and closure sequence until automatic
• Time yourself on every station — 8 minutes is shorter than it feels

Weeks 4–6: High-frequency specialties

• Medicine (history-taking stations)
• Psychiatry (mental health assessments)
• Counselling stations (explanation and empathy)

Weeks 7–8: Lower-frequency + targeted weakness

• Ethics and communication challenges
• Breaking bad news stations
• Procedural and prescribing

Throughout: Simulate full exam conditions Practise full 8-minute consultations without pausing. The transition from free-form practice to timed stations is one of the biggest surprises for candidates.

Free Practice Resource

Plabster's scenario library covers all major station types across every specialty listed above. Each scenario generates an AI patient response that stays in character — so you practise the full consultation rhythm, not just the history template.

Your first 25 sessions are completely free.