I passed my IELTS in four attempts and trust me, I was panicking like you are right now. IELTS was a necessary first step toward my PLAB 1 exam and I had no clue how to approach it.
I had no access to any appropriate IELTS guide and hardly anyone steered me in the right direction. Only through failures, I learned how to pass it.
And remember, no good doctor passed his medical school without failing, IELTS is just the beginning of your new career in the UK. This step is only the first before moving to the next and finding an exam date.
Recommended Posts
- Step 1: Passing IELTS/OET and providing your English Proficiency Exam to GMC (You are here)
- Step 2: Knowing the Exam Dates
- Step 3: Booking PLAB 1 Slot Effectively
- Step 4: Picking the Right Study Material
- Step 5: Creating A Study Schedule
- Step 6: EPIC Verification
- Step 7: Applying for UK Visa (all documents, cover letter, invitation letter, and experiences)
- Step 8: Booking PLAB 2 Academy
- Step 9: Booking an Accommodation
- Step 10: Passing the PLAB 2 Exam
- Step 11: Getting GMC Registration
- Step 12: Creating a Perfect CV
- Step 13: Searching for Jobs
Other guides you can check out:
IELTS Guide: Booking PLAB 1 Exam
Step 1: Knowing the requirements for PLAB 1
The following are the criteria from the GMC website:
- that you took the academic version of the test
- that you got a score of at least 7.0 in each testing area and an overall score of 7.5
- that you got these scores on the same test
- that you got these scores in your most recent sitting of the test
- the original stamp and test report form number.
Step 2: Identifying what test you need
Firstly, you need to know what type of IELTS you need to give to enter the GMC registration process and see yourself in the UK working as FY2.
Academic IELTS is the one you are looking at! (General training is not what you need).
Then you need to pick either Computer-based or Written IELTS for Plab. I highly suggest Computer-based since it saves you a lot of time.
You can go written if you have issues with typing on the keyboard (I doubt there is someone like that in the modern world). Also, Computer-based exam dates are relatively sooner than the Written ones. This is as per the IELTS guide you need to know.
Step 3: Where to Book?
Now to the most important question, where to book? UK citizens can book through British Council, for me, I had to book through IELTS-IDP for Indian citizens.
My First Failure: An Eye Opener
I always believed I was an excellent English speaker and this zone was a minor barrier for me. I booked my exam on 27/08/2021 and went after preparing for 15 days.
Sources I used for First Attempt
- Speaking- Spoke to my family members and friends and blabbered all-day
- Listening- Same Practice Mocks
- Reading- Practice on YouTube Mocks
- Writing- Went through some random mocks online
Results
- Overall- 7.5
- Speaking- 7.0
- Listening- 8.0
- Reading- 8.5
- Writing- 6.5
My Second Failure: Disaster!
The first was okay, but hey, I prepared for the second for two months!!! What went wrong?
Definitely, I was not using the right resources. I booked my exam on 22/10/2021 and was confident after 2 months of preparation. My results were even more disastrous than my first attempt and I could not believe what I was seeing.
Do I need a new IELTS guide now?
Sources I used for Second Attempt
- Speaking- Blabbered all day, practiced in the mirror like the Hitler
- Listening- Same Practice Mocks
- Reading- Practice on YouTube Mocks
- Writing- Went through some random mocks online AGAIN!
Results
- Overall- 7.0
- Speaking- 6.0
- Listening- 7.0
- Reading- 8.0
- Writing- 7.0
My Third Failure: Heartbreaking
First and Second and now a third time? Definitely not a charm. I prepared again for 2 months, even taking coaching this time.
And after failure, I started to wonder, is Plab just not made for me? Am I a failure? Even my family members started to ask me to give up!
Something in me just couldn’t. Booked this one on 01/12/2022 without a proper IELTS guide again.
Sources I used for Third Attempt
- Speaking- Coaching + Blabbered all day practiced in the mirror like the Hitler
- Listening- Same Practice Mocks
- Reading- Practice on YouTube Mocks
- Writing- Deep and thorough mocks checked by the coaching examiner
Results
- Overall- 8.0
- Speaking- 7.5
- Listening- 8.0
- Reading- 9.0
- Writing- 6.5
My Fourth Attempt: Showdown!
I took a day to grieve myself, and then looked at my scores again. Wait, I got 9 in Reading??? (literally, no room for improvement in my scorecard was reflected). My overall score was 8.0! What is wrong??
Ah, the writing! I have been persistently failing in the Writing part since the beginning. And then I figured I seek new resources for one last time now.
Stumbled upon a great resource and trust me, this was the best I could get for my Writing part. Did some 15-20 mocks here and finally I started to realize, this is not a high school English exam, this is IELTS!
Finally mustered some courage and booked the exam for the next 10 days on 11/12/2022.
Sources I used for Fourth Attempt
- Speaking- Same blabbering all day, practiced in the mirror like the Hitler
- Listening- Same Practice Mocks
- Reading- Practice on YouTube Mocks
- Writing- Purely relied on IELTS Podcast– The BEST IELTS GUIDE for free on the Internet!
Did Band 9 questions and compared my answers with theirs. Emphasized their writing pattern vs mine, even stole some eye-catching lines, mugged them up, and used them in the exam.
Results
- Overall- 8.0
- Speaking- 7.5
- Listening- 8.5
- Reading- 8.5
- Writing- 7.0
Conclusion
Don’t underestimate IELTS for the PLAB exam. This is not easy as we come from the Medical field and we rely purely on our knowledge more than our communication skills.
Most importantly, more than half of IELTS students fail in Writing Part alone. Focus on that first before jumping to Speaking part.
My advice? Don’t waste time on the IELTS exam unless you are super confident. It costs over 15,000 INR (around 150 GBP) for each exam.
Failure means only a waste of money and time. The later you get, the slimmer the chances of booking a PLAB 1 slot.
My best advice? Go for OET. Its result will come a bit late and it is costly, but it is circling around medical environment. A boon for us!
Hope my experience, rather than my failures, help you in your endeavors. No matter how much everyone tells you, don’t let your dreams fade away. If you have queries on the IELTS guide, let me know in the comments.