Hello, my name is Vinit. I am an IMG from India. I have recently booked a PLAB 1 seat for the February 2024 exam. In this blog post, I will discuss some key points that you should keep in mind on the day of booking your PLAB 1 seat to book your desired seat successfully. Let's get on to it straight away.
Do's for the day of booking a PLAB 1 seat:
- You can use any device (a PC, laptop, or even an iPad works fine) to book your seat, but it's preferable to avoid using a mobile. Just make sure you have charged your device fully, as you might have to wait at least an hour before you get a seat.
- Use a reliable browser for booking. Some of them are Chrome, Safari (for iOS users), Firefox, etc. I faced a small issue with Chrome, so I immediately shifted to Safari, and the rest of my booking experience was smooth.
- You should have a strong and uninterrupted internet connection.
- Log in to the GMC website only from the link sent to you via an email by the GMC one day earlier. This is done by the GMC to avoid the unnecessary rush to the website during booking hours.
- Set up your GMC Online account beforehand and make sure you have a valid English proficiency test result verified by the GMC just to avoid any last-minute hassle.
- Prioritise your exam date, city and country beforehand to avoid any confusion while you're booking.
- Sometimes, the test centre you are looking for might get fully booked before your turn. So, it is advisable to have a plan B for your preferred test centre before you start booking. Hence, you can avoid panic and anxiety while you're booking a seat.
- Make yourself familiar with the format you will see while booking your seat with this photograph.
- The GMC accepts both debit and credit cards, but it's advisable to use a credit card (either MasterCard or Visa) with an international payment option enabled. Make sure your credit card has enough credit left to avoid any trouble in paying.
- Try to have at least two cards with you. Just in case one card gets declined for whatever reasons.
- On the Billing Details page, fill in the details of the person whose name is on the credit/debit card.
- If you are planning to book a test centre in a foreign country, make sure that you do proper research on how easy it is to get a visa from the respective country before you book the exam.
Don'ts for the day of booking a PLAB 1 seat:
- Don't use a mobile phone to book a PLAB 1 seat.
- Please refrain from booking through a bot, a third-party app or a person. The GMC strictly advises against it, and doing so can potentially land you in trouble. Read more about it here.
- Stay away from scammers in different Facebook and Telegram groups. Only you can book an exam for yourself, and nobody else can.
- Don't log in from multiple devices or tabs. GMC could block your account if they detect any unusual activities. Log in from only one device and keep only one tab open.
- Don't click on the refresh or back button while booking. The website automatically gets refreshed, and you don't need to do it manually.
- Don't panic when you are assigned a big random number in the queue for booking. I was 1030th in the queue, which was overcome in just 12 minutes. This should give you an idea of how easily the queue gets cleared.
- Don't get confused with the dates on the booking page. One is the Test Date, and the other one is the Closing Date. The format used by the GMC is DD/MM/YYYY.
- Again, don't press the refresh or back button when you are on the payment page.
Final word:
Booking a PLAB 1 seat can be quite an overwhelming task considering the competition for getting a seat, but with these points in mind, you can make the whole process very easy and favourable for you. Just have faith in your abilities, focus on the one step at a time, and you are good to go!
If, for any reason, you missed the date for booking a seat and you are planning to book a cancelled seat, please check out the Booking a cancelled PLAB 1 slot blog written by Dr Mahak Agrawal.
Good luck,
Vinit.
Need more tips?
If you have any questions about booking your PLAB 1 seat, I would be happy to answer them at trewlink.com. You can register using this link. Find me as an Ambassador/Expert and Follow my profile – Vinit Gothi - to receive regular support and advice. Follow TrewLink's Instagram and Twitter accounts for regular tips and advice.