Core Revision
Your MSRA timeline: GMC registration, Oriel and the exam, in the right order
The Core Revision TeamWritten with the IMG Hub · 7 min read
Published 11 July 2026 · Checked against sources current July 2026
Most MSRA disasters for IMGs are not exam failures — they are calendar failures: registration that lands three weeks after applications close, CREST evidence that expires before the start date, a first attempt planned for a round that never suited the paperwork. This article is the calendar, worked in the only direction that works: backwards.
The fixed points (2026/27 pattern)
- Round 3 · Feb 2027 start
- This round has now run; check Oriel for whether a Round 3 is offered for February 2028 starts.
- Round 1 · Aug 2027 start
- Applications 22 October to 19 November 2026 · MSRA window 5–20 January 2027 (a second GP/psychiatry window in February is still to be published).
- Offers
- Typically inside two months of the MSRA window, via Oriel, with short hold/upgrade deadlines.
Dates shift slightly each year — confirm the current round on Oriel and the GPNRO pages before you commit money or leave to anything.
Worked backwards from the application window
The application window: registration must already be DONE
The GP person specification now requires full GMC registration at the time of application, and a licence to practise by the post start date. Not “in progress”, not “before offer” — in hand when you submit on Oriel. This single line should anchor your whole plan.
Sitting the MSRA? See where you stand.
Try twenty original MSRA questions, ten Professional Dilemmas and ten Clinical Problem Solving, marked on the near-miss principle NHS England describes. Free, no card and the first five are open to all.
GMC registration processing
After passing PLAB 2 (or via an accepted postgraduate qualification route), registration itself takes weeks to months depending on document checks and ID verification. Start the application the day you are eligible, with every certified document ready. Buffer generously: an October application window means registration submitted by early summer at the latest.
PLAB 2 booking and sitting
PLAB 2 runs in Manchester with finite slots, a visit visa may be needed to attend, and popular months book out. Working back from a summer registration submission means PLAB 2 sat by spring — and booked the previous winter.
CREST evidence and the 3.5-year clock
Foundation competence evidence must sit within 3.5 years of your intended start date — measured to the start, not the application. Recent NHS or well-supervised overseas practice keeps it fresh; a long gap between the evidence and the training start can silently invalidate an otherwise perfect application. The CREST guide covers who can sign and what counts.
Where MSRA preparation fits
Give it a named block, not leftover evenings: 10–12 weeks of structured preparation before your sitting window is the pattern that consistently works alongside a job (here is the week-by-week version). For a January sitting that means starting in October — the same month applications open, which is why the paperwork must be finished before the autumn, not during it.
Should you apply in the earliest round you can, or the round you can be ready for? Under the 2026 prioritisation rules, most IMGs’ realistic path runs through an NHS job first — which usually makes the later, well-prepared application from inside the system the stronger play than a rushed early one from outside it. Ranked exams reward readiness, not eagerness.
Put three dates on one page today: when applications open for your target round, when your registration must therefore be submitted, and when your 12-week preparation block therefore starts. Every IMG we have seen come unstuck was missing one of those three lines — never the ability.
Turn the timeline into a weekly plan
Once your sitting is booked, the question becomes what to do each week. Our MSRA resources and question bank are built to answer it.
Explore the MSRA resources Explore the IMG Hub →Sources & the small print. NHS England GP recruitment timeline; GP ST1 person specification; GMC registration guidance. General careers information, not immigration or legal advice — always check the current person specification, the GP National Recruitment Office and Oriel before acting. Written by the Core Revision team.
