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Prepare for your 2027 Academic Clinical Fellowship (ACF) interview with our live, one-day ACF Interview Course, designed to develop your academic interview technique, confidence and ability to discuss research effectively.
The window for ACF interviews is 9 November 2026 - 15 January 2027. We are running ACF interview courses throughout October, November and December 2026. Dates and availability are as follows:
Virtual courses are run on the Zoom platform. Instructions with the code to join the meeting will be sent a couple of days prior to the course date.
09:30 - Start of the course
17:45 - End of the course.
Our ACF Interview Course provides structured, practical preparation for Academic Clinical Fellowship interviews. You will learn how to present your academic experience effectively, demonstrate your motivation and potential as a clinical academic, discuss research confidently and approach academic questions with a clear and structured interview technique.
A strong academic CV alone does not guarantee a strong ACF interview. You need to communicate what you have actually contributed, what you have learned from your academic experience and why an ACF is the appropriate next step in your development.
We cover the key question types and areas you may face, including::
The emphasis is not simply on describing what you have done. We help you demonstrate the academic curiosity, insight, reflection and potential that interviewers are looking for when selecting future clinical academics
Knowing research terminology is not enough to perform well in an academic interview. You may need to analyse a research problem, discuss methodology, interpret results, critically evaluate evidence or explain complex research concepts clearly under pressure. We focus on how to apply your research knowledge effectively during the interview.
You will learn how to:
The aim is not to turn the day into a research methods or statistics course. It is to help you use the academic knowledge and experience you already have to give clear, thoughtful and convincing answers at interview.
Throughout the course, the emphasis is on practical ACF interview preparation, giving you adaptable frameworks for approaching different questions rather than relying on scripted answers.
Having research experience and communicating it effectively at interview are not the same thing. Candidates can lose impact by giving lengthy descriptions of projects, concentrating on the achievements rather than their own contribution, or failing to explain what they learned from the experience. Our ACF Interview Course helps you identify the strongest evidence from your academic background and turn it into focused, structured answers that demonstrate your skills, insight and academic potential.
This is not a generic medical interview course with a few research questions added. The course is designed specifically around the demands of Academic Clinical Fellowship interviews, bringing together academic motivation, previous research experience, research methodology, critical appraisal, academic career planning and interview technique. You will develop practical frameworks that help you approach unfamiliar questions confidently rather than learning scripted answers that may not fit the question you are given.
ACF interviews require a different approach from conventional specialty interviews. Our course has been developed with input from doctors with experience of clinical academia and medical interview selection, helping candidates understand how academic potential can be demonstrated at interview and how research knowledge can be communicated clearly and convincingly.
We limit each course to a maximum of 12 candidates, creating time for genuine interaction, practical interview exercises and individual feedback. You will have opportunities to practise structuring and delivering answers, receive constructive feedback and learn by observing how other candidates approach the same academic and interview challenges.
You will have opportunities to practise structuring and delivering answers, receive constructive feedback and learn by observing how other candidates approach the same challenges
The aim is not to give you a collection of model answers to memorise. It is to give you a repeatable approach for analysing questions, selecting the most relevant evidence and communicating your thinking clearly when faced with the unpredictability of a real ACF interview.
Ready to put your ACF interview preparation into practice?
Develop the structure, confidence and academic interview technique to turn your research experience and knowledge into a strong ACF interview performance.
Our ACF Interview Course is designed for doctors preparing for an Academic Clinical Fellowship interview in the UK. It is suitable whether this is your first ACF application or you have applied previously and want to strengthen your academic interview technique and performance. Candidates with both extensive and relatively limited previous research experience can benefit from the course.
Yes. We review the course against the latest available ACF recruitment information and update the content where required. Individual ACF programmes and specialties can use different interview formats, so candidates should also review the information provided by the programme to which they are applying.
The course covers the major areas you may need to address during an Academic Clinical Fellowship interview, including academic motivation, your previous research experience, research methodology, statistics, critical appraisal, future research interests and your understanding of the clinical academic pathway. We also focus extensively on interview technique: how to interpret academic questions, organise your thoughts quickly and communicate complex information clearly and convincingly.
This course is designed specifically for Academic Clinical Fellowship interviews rather than being a general medical interview course adapted for ACF applicants. The teaching, exercises and practice questions focus on the academic competencies and challenges you may encounter during ACF selection, including discussing your research, demonstrating academic potential, critical appraisal and answering questions about research methodology.
No. ACF applicants come from a range of academic backgrounds. Some candidates already have publications and substantial research experience, while others are earlier in their academic development. We help you identify and communicate the strongest evidence from the experience you genuinely have. The important thing is to understand your own academic work, be able to explain your contribution and demonstrate what you have learned from it.
Yes. We cover important principles of research methodology, study design and statistics that may arise during an ACF interview. The emphasis is on understanding, application and communication rather than complex calculations or attempting to teach an entire research methods curriculum in one day.
Yes. The course is highly interactive and includes opportunities to practise answering ACF-style questions and receive personalised feedback. Courses are limited to a maximum of eight candidates, allowing everyone to participate and learn from both their own practice and the approaches taken by others.
Yes. Before the course, we ask you to review your ACF application and CV and identify the academic experiences you are most likely to discuss at interview. You should be familiar with the purpose, methodology, findings and limitations of your principal research projects and be able to explain your own contribution. We will also ask you to consider your motivation for pursuing academic medicine, your future research interests and why you have applied to your particular ACF programme.
We limit each ACF Interview Course to a maximum of eight candidates. This keeps the course highly interactive and creates time for practical exercises, discussion and personalised feedback.
The course is delivered live online via Zoom. It is a fully interactive course rather than pre-recorded e-learning, allowing you to participate in discussions, practise interview questions and receive feedback throughout the day.
Ideally, you should attend with enough time afterwards to practise and apply the techniques you have learned. For many candidates, attending a few weeks before their interview works well. However, the techniques taught on the course can also be applied immediately if your interview is only a few days away.
No. ACF interviewers are looking for answers that reflect your own academic experience, understanding, judgement and ambitions rather than rehearsed responses. We will help you develop clear frameworks for approaching different types of questions, but these are not scripts to memorise. The aim is to help you organise your thoughts, select the most relevant evidence and communicate your own answer clearly and convincingly.
Make sure your preparation translates into performance
You have developed your academic experience. Now practise how to communicate it, structure your answers and demonstrate your potential as a clinical academic.
