This page is for UK medical students only. International medical graduates should visit the GMC website.
What is the Medical Licensing Assessment?
The Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA) is a two-part assessment made up of an applied knowledge test (AKT) and a clinical and professional skills assessment (CPSA) which, for students in UK medical schools, will be embedded within your degrees from the academic year 2024-25. If you are graduating in the academic year 2024-25 or beyond, you will need to have a degree that includes passing the MLA before you can apply to the GMC to join the medical register.
What does the assessment involve?
The MLA is a two-part assessment which will be embedded within UK medical schools’ final exams. Students in UK medical schools will sit both parts of the assessment on dates chosen by their school.
- The applied knowledge test (AKT)
This is planned to be an on-screen exam, with multiple choice questions. It will test your ability to apply medical knowledge to different scenarios.
- The clinical and professional skills assessment (CPSA)
This is a practical assessment of your clinical skills and professionalism. Each medical school calls the CPSA something different – for example, an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) or Objective Structured Long Examination Record (OSLER). The GMC will set requirements that all CPSAs must meet.