Good Medical Practice is the GMC’s core guidance on the standards expected of every doctor in the UK. Both PLAB 1 ethics questions and PLAB 2 professionalism stations draw on its principles. The current edition took effect in January 2024; read the live version on the GMC site.
The structure
| Domain | In plain words |
|---|---|
| Knowledge, skills and development | Keep up to date, work within your competence, learn from mistakes |
| Patients, partnerships and communication | Listen, share decisions, get consent, respect confidentiality |
| Colleagues, culture and safety | Teamwork, raising concerns, candour when things go wrong |
| Trust and professionalism | Honesty, integrity, boundaries and being fit to practise |
Applying it in the exam
- When two answers look clinically similar, choose the one that is honest, safe and respectful of the patient’s choices.
- Know the basics of consent, capacity, confidentiality (and when it can be broken), duty of candour and raising concerns.
- Never choose an option that covers up a mistake or puts your own convenience before a patient.
Practise these in PLAB 2 ethics and interpersonal scenarios and use the frameworks in communication frameworks. For reading, see the ethics and law book in recommended books.
Related guides
General education, reviewed 24 October 2026. Guidance changes: confirm with the official sources. Not medical, legal or immigration advice.