A booked mock exam — a fixed date, a set of stations, a human examiner marking you — is one of the more useful things you can do before PLAB 2. It tells you where you stand under something close to real conditions, and there is nothing quite like the nerves of a stranger with a mark sheet.
The trouble is that a mock is a measurement, not a training loop. You get a handful of stations, on someone else’s date, marked once. Improvement comes from what you do between measurements — and that is where practising on demand does the work.
From sign-up to your first station in about five minutes
- Create a free accountabout 60 seconds
- Confirm your emailone click
- Speak to your first patientabout 2 minutes
15 free voice minutes. No card required.
| Feature | ZWIP (online AI practice) | Booked mock exam |
|---|---|---|
| When you can practise | On demand, any hour, from anywhere | On the date and at the location you booked |
| How many stations | As many as your monthly voice minutes allow | The stations in that sitting, and no more |
| Repeating a station you found hard | Immediately, and as often as you like | Not until you book another mock |
| Who marks you | An examiner rubric applied the same way every time, tested before it is trusted | An experienced human examiner — judgement we do not reproduce |
| Feedback turnaround | Structured feedback by domain within seconds of finishing | On the day, or afterwards by email |
| Exam-day nerves | A clock and a patient, but you are at home | A genuine strength — a room, a stranger, and a bell |
| Progress over time | Domain trends across every consultation you have had | One snapshot per sitting |
| Travel | None | Often travel, sometimes accommodation |
| Cost | A low monthly membership covering as much practice as you can fit in | Priced per sitting, before travel |
The verdict
Book a mock if you can afford one, and book it late enough that it tells you something useful. Sitting in a room with a real examiner is worth doing at least once, and the nerves are a genuine part of the preparation.
But a mock will not make you better on its own — it will only tell you how you are doing. The improvement happens in the weeks around it, in the stations you run again after you have been told what went wrong. ZWIP gives you that loop: realistic patients across all nine station types, exam timing, and structured feedback on every consultation, as often as you want it. Register free and run your first station today.
Frequently asked questions
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