GMC Cuts Overseas PLAB 1 Venues From February 2027: Islamabad and Karachi Stay

The General Medical Council (GMC) is reducing where and how often it delivers PLAB 1 outside the United Kingdom. In a news release of 20 May 2026 the regulator said that from February 2027 it will stop offering PLAB 1 in Dhaka, Alexandria, Accra and Chennai, and that the overseas schedule will move from four sittings a year to three. Pakistan's two venues, Islamabad and Karachi, are not on the closure list. For Pakistani candidates the change is less about geography than about seats.

What the GMC announced

• PLAB 1 bookings fell by 40 per cent between 2023 and 2025 after a sustained decline, and the GMC concluded there was "no longer sufficient demand to continue delivering exams in these locations".
• Four overseas sites close from February 2027: Dhaka (Bangladesh), Alexandria (Egypt), Accra (Ghana) and Chennai (India).
• Overseas sittings reduce from four to three a year.
• Doctors affected can book an alternative location or a later date; the GMC's "Changes to PLAB 1 in 2027" page carries the detail.

Una Lane, the GMC's Director of Registration and Revalidation, said the regulator regularly reviews how and where it delivers PLAB 1, recognised that "some candidates may be disappointed if a location they expected to use is no longer available", and framed the decision as a way to "maintain a viable number of locations" with a good geographical spread.

The current map

The GMC's PLAB 1 guide lists UK venues in Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London and Manchester; EU venues in Dublin and Madrid; and overseas venues including Sydney, Toronto, Cairo, Nairobi, Abuja, Lagos, Riyadh, Johannesburg, Colombo, Istanbul, Dubai, several Indian cities and, for Pakistan, Islamabad and Karachi. The exam currently runs in February, May, August and November. The guide adds that the GMC is "updating the number of PLAB 1 places and locations we offer".

Why Pakistani candidates should care

1. Demand will concentrate. Candidates who would have sat in Dhaka or Chennai may book Dubai, Riyadh or the Pakistani centres. With one fewer overseas sitting a year, each remaining date carries more applicants.
2. Booking windows close early. The GMC says availability varies by location and that registrations may close between two and six weeks before a test date, with new places released in line with demand. Waiting for "the last date" is a losing strategy.
3. The first 2027 sitting is close. The GMC's results page lists an exam date of 11 February 2027 with results on 25 March 2027. Candidates aiming for it should have their GMC Online account, English evidence and eligibility sorted now.

What has not changed

The exam itself is the same: 180 single-best-answer questions in three hours, built on the Medical Licensing Assessment content map and pitched at the level of a doctor starting Foundation Year 2. PLAB 2 continues in Manchester. Fees are set on the GMC's fees page and were not part of this announcement.

What this means for you

Open GMC Online, check the PLAB booking service for Islamabad and Karachi availability, and book the earliest sitting your preparation allows rather than the latest. If you are abroad, consider Dubai or Riyadh as alternatives. FAME's PLAB 1 question bank follows the MLA content map and includes timed 180-question mocks for the three-hour format.

Two questions candidates ask

Is Lahore a PLAB 1 venue? No. The GMC's list for Pakistan names Islamabad and Karachi only, so Lahore-based candidates should plan travel to one of the two or consider a Gulf venue such as Dubai or Riyadh.

Will the fee change with the venue cuts? Fees were not part of the May 2026 announcement; they are set out on the GMC's fees page and change on the GMC's own schedule, usually each April. Check that page at booking.

Sources and references

• GMC, 20 May 2026: Changes to international PLAB 1 exam locations following declining demand
• GMC: When and where can I take PLAB 1? (venues and sitting months)
• GMC: Information on booking a PLAB 1 place
• GMC: PLAB 1 results dates (11 February 2027 sitting, results 25 March 2027)