A-Z Glossary

The Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board of the GMC oversees the PLAB test. The test is the main route by which International Medical Graduates demonstrate that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to practise medicine in the UK.

For UK graduates, the Primary Medical Qualification (PMQ) is a first medical degree that is recognised by the GMC. The GMC provides a list of accepted PMQs.

For doctors who gained a medical degree outside the UK, the university or medical school where the PMQ was taken must be on the World Health Organisation’s World Directory of Medical Schools. You must provide evidence of your PMQ when applying to take Part 1.

A formal alignment or rotation of placements which together comprise a programme of training in a given specialty or sub-specialty. A programme may either deliver the totality of the curriculum though linked stages in an entirety to CCT, or the programme may deliver different component elements of the approved curriculum. The GMC approves programmes of training in all specialties, which are based on a particular geographical area (which could cover one or more deaneries). They are managed by a training programme director (TPD) or their equivalent. A programme is not a personal programme undertaken by a particular doctor in training.

A proposer is an educational supervisor or supervising consultant who is responsible for a candidate’s training.

Penultimate year assessment - A summative assessment for doctors in training which occurs approximately 12–18 months before their CCT date at which targets are set and a final CCT date is agreed.