BREAKING: Year 2020 PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 Exams Cancelled over Coronavirus Pandemic.
This is breaking news. This year’s 2020 foreign medical exams for doctors that want to migrate to the united kingdom has been cancelled over the coronavirus pandemic the NIGERIAN HEALTH BLOG can authoritatively report… This means the first stage of the exam PLAB 1 scheduled for June has been moved to an unannounced date and the second stage of the exams PLAB 2 will not hold until 2021 especially for Nigerian candidates..
In Nigeria, the scheduled June 25th PLAB 1 exams that was supposed to take place in Lagos and Enugu have been postponed till further notice (date not announced). However, the exam will still be conducted in some countries as planned according to the exam body. Apart from Nigeria, PLAB 1 has also be postponed in Canada, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan.
READ ALSO: All you need to know of about IELTS and PLAB Exams in Nigeria
The British Council, is therefore calling on candidates who have before now registered for PLAB 1 and PLAB 2 to come for the refunds of their money.
This was a statement released on the official website of the British Council:
“Like all organisations and people across the UK, we have to comply with guidance from the four UK governments on social distancing. That means we need to make some changes to the way we run PLAB, so that our tests are safe for everyone.
The British Council has cancelled some PLAB 1 tests scheduled for 25 June 2020. We’ve also taken the difficult decision to cancel all existing bookings for PLAB 2.
We know that this will be distressing news for many doctors who are waiting to progress on into UK practice.
On this page, you’ll find more information about what these updates mean for candidates and what support is available.
If you need to contact us, please email [email protected].
PLAB 1
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the British Council has cancelled some PLAB 1 tests scheduled on 25 June 2020. This is because venues in these locations can’t safely run the tests, in line with their governments’ advice. Tests affected are:
Karachi and Islamabad, Pakistan
Enugu and Lagos, Nigeria
Toronto, Canada
Khartoum, Sudan
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
All other June PLAB 1 tests are currently going ahead. We’re working with the British Council and suppliers to introduce measures that comply with public health guidance in the host countries.
You’ll receive an automatic refund, which we’ll process as soon as possible.
We have temporarily closed bookings for PLAB 1 so that we can process refunds as quickly as possible. We will reopen bookings on 25 June 2020 and you will then be able to see availability for September and November.
We know this uncertainty is difficult for doctors waiting to progress into UK practice. We’re doing everything we can to keep you updated with information about PLAB 1 as the situation develops around the world.
PLAB 2
The layout of our PLAB 2 test centre, which is in a multi-occupancy building, makes it very difficult for us to comply with the latest government guidance on social distancing and safe workplaces. Unfortunately, this means we’ve had to cancel all existing bookings for PLAB 2 in 2020.
We’re doing everything we can to get PLAB 2 up and running, by looking again at the format and length of the test, how we can create more space in the centre, and whether other venues could offer the safe environment we need.
We hope to restart PLAB 2 tests in autumn. We’ll let candidates know as soon as we reopen bookings.
We’ve not taken this decision lightly, and appreciate the significant inconvenience this will cause, but your health and safety are our priority.
Refunds of money
You will receive an automatic refund to the card you used to pay for your booking if you:
➡️have an existing PLAB 2 booking for 2020
➡️were due to take PLAB 1 in June and your test has since been cancelled
➡️had to cancel your PLAB 1 place for September or November using GMC Online, because of coronavirus.
We’ll try to process all refunds within ten working days, but it could take slightly longer due to the high demand we’re experiencing.
We can only refund you the cost of your cancelled test place. Unfortunately, we can’t reimburse you for any costs you may have incurred for travel or accommodation.
What we’re doing to support candidates -extension of validity of PLAB 1 and IELTS
We’re doing everything we can to run PLAB 1 and 2 as regularly and as safely as possible, and to minimise the impact on candidates as far as we can. We are:
➡️extending the validity of PLAB 1 and English language test certificates where candidates have been affected by cancellations. Please email [email protected] if you’ve been impacted by this, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can
➡️exploring how PLAB 2 can operate while complying with current guidance on social distancing. This might involve smaller groups of candidates taking the test at one time, and an increased use of technology in the scenarios
➡️working with those who are supporting doctors currently in the UK who are waiting to take PLAB tests.
We’re looking at their individual circumstances to see if there is anything else we can do to help them into practice. And we’re also working with other organisations to see if they are able to sponsor their entry onto the register.” They wrote.
This press release was culled for the official website of gmc-uk.org
