You do not need all of these. Pick one reference for PLAB 1, one for examination and communication for PLAB 2, and add the rest as you need them.
The pocket reference that most UK trainees carry. Concise, bedside-oriented summaries across every medical specialty.
How to use it: Look up a condition after a missed question, then check the current NICE guideline.
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A full textbook of adult medicine with the depth that a handbook lacks.
How to use it: Read the chapter on a system you find difficult; do not try to read it cover to cover.
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Step-by-step examination routines and procedures in a form you can rehearse.
How to use it: Learn each sequence until you can say it aloud while you perform it.
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Clear illustrated guidance on history and examination, with what each sign means.
How to use it: Use it to understand findings, so you can state them confidently to an examiner.
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The standard text behind the Calgary–Cambridge consultation model used in UK medical schools.
How to use it: Read the chapters on gathering information and explaining, then practise the phrases with a partner.
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A readable guide to consent, capacity, confidentiality and the legal framework in the UK.
How to use it: Read it alongside the GMC’s guidance, because both feed ethics questions and stations.
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Fast first-line management of acute presentations, the core of many scenarios.
How to use it: Learn the first ten minutes of each emergency, in order.
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Practical coverage of antenatal care, emergencies and gynaecology, areas many candidates find unfamiliar.
How to use it: Pair it with the NICE antenatal and pregnancy-complication guidelines.
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Written for new UK doctors: ward jobs, prescribing, escalation and what to do on call.
How to use it: Read it before your first shift and keep it in your bag.
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A common first book for the MRCP(UK) exams that follow for doctors heading into medicine.
How to use it: Start once you are in a UK post and know your specialty direction.
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