AlphaMED Resources · https://alphamedicine.uk/Resources/glossary/pbl-cbl

PBL vs CBL

Problem based learning lets students set their own pace as a scenario unfolds. Case based learning prepares everyone in advance, with stated learning objectives and more guidance from teachers.

Updated 19 October 2026 (1 minute read)

Summary

Both methods use a clinical case as their starting point, according to a 2016 review of case based learning.
In PBL, the student sets the pace, and learning happens as the case unfolds, with little advance preparation.
In CBL, teachers guide and direct the learning much more than in PBL, and students and teachers both prepare in advance.
CBL can cover more topics because it works from stated learning objectives.
The two terms are often compared, but the definitions are used interchangeably in the literature.

Sources

PubMed Centralpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/…/PMC5736264
tcd.ietcd.ie/…/case-based-learning

Not sure where to apply?

School selection is a consultation with a mentor on which medical schools fit your grades and your UCAT score.

See school selection Book a free consultation

alphamedicine.uk/Services · alphamedicine.uk/Contact

Problem based learning Problem based learning, or PBL, is a way of teaching medicine in which small groups of students work through a problem or scenario. Case based learning Case based learning, or CBL, is a way of teaching medicine through tutorials in which a group of students learns from a case. Team based learning Team based learning, or TBL, is a teaching method in which students take a test alone, then the same test as a team, and then apply what they learned to a problem. Predicted grades Predicted grades are the grades a student is expected to achieve in qualifications they have not yet finished.

More NHS hot topics, medical ethics case studies and medical school interview questions are in AlphaMED Resources, which we add to and update through the application cycle.

PBL vs CBL

Summary

Sources

Not sure where to apply?

Related