What is the UKMLA?
The United Kingdom Medical Licensing Assessment confirms that doctors entering UK practice meet a safe standard of clinical knowledge, practical skills, and professional judgement.
Two-part framework
AKT for applied knowledge and CPSA for clinical and professional skills.
One standard
Built around the official MLA content map and GMC quality assurance.
Official guidance matters
Rules and timelines can move, so keep official GMC pages close by.
Two components, each testing a different part of safe practice.
For UK medical students, both components are delivered through medical schools and quality assured against GMC MLA requirements.
Applied Knowledge Test (AKT)
A written, computer-based assessment focused on applying clinical knowledge to real clinical decisions, commonly through single-best-answer style questions.
Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA)
A performance-based assessment of communication, clinical skills, and professional behaviours in patient-facing or simulated settings.
What is the UKMLA?
The Medical Licensing Assessment is overseen by the General Medical Council. It sets a common threshold for doctors joining the UK medical register and focuses on readiness for safe, person-centred care.
The assessment is grounded in the official MLA content map, so the target is applied clinical reasoning, professional behaviour, and decision-making under uncertainty rather than isolated recall.
Who needs to pass it?
- UK medical students must pass the MLA as part of their degree before registration.
- International medical graduates continue to use GMC registration routes, including PLAB, which are MLA compliant.
How to practise for the written paper
For most students, the written MLA is not just a recall test. It rewards applied clinical reasoning across common presentations, investigations, and management decisions.
Practising with UKMLA-style SBA questions helps you identify weak areas, review explanations, and build the fluency needed for AKT-style written exams.
What content does the UKMLA cover?
The content map defines the knowledge, skills, and behaviours expected for entry to UK medical practice. That includes:
- Clinical presentations and conditions across major specialities.
- Clinical and procedural skills used in frontline care.
- Professional capabilities including ethics, communication, and patient safety.
- Applied interpretation of evidence, data, and uncertainty in clinical decisions.
If you want a fuller explanation of how the framework is organised and how to use it for revision, read the MLA content map guide.
UKMLA and PLAB
The PLAB pathway remains in place for many international candidates. Its components are aligned to MLA requirements, so both UK graduates and international applicants are assessed against the same underlying licensing standard.
Common questions, kept short.
Is the UKMLA a single exam?
No. The UKMLA has two parts: the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) and the Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA). Candidates are expected to pass both through the relevant route to registration.
What question style appears in the AKT?
The AKT is delivered digitally and focuses on applied decision-making. Single best answer questions are common, but the key expectation is safe clinical reasoning rather than recall in isolation.
Where should I check the current rules?
Use the General Medical Council and Medical Schools Council pages as the source of truth for timelines, policy updates, and implementation details.
Keep the official pages close while you prepare.
Policies and implementation details can update over time. Use official guidance for the latest requirements.