PLAB 1 Pass Rate: The Real Range, Not Just One Number

GMC data puts PLAB 1's overall pass rate around 65%, though individual sittings have historically ranged from 55% to 75% — it varies more by sitting than many candidates expect. The passing mark is typically 115–120 out of 180 (roughly 65%). Since PLAB aligned with the UKMLA content framework, early post-alignment sittings ran at the lower end of that historical range (~55–65%) as candidates and prep resources adjusted to the new format, with later sittings stabilizing.

Study takeaway: because the pass mark itself moves sitting to sitting, practicing against a fixed target score is less useful than practicing under full timed conditions across the whole syllabus (medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, psychiatry) — consistency across topics matters more than optimizing for one narrow score.