Your experience. Your evidence. Your interview.

Show the panel why you are ready to progress

You may have strong clinical experience, useful projects and genuine enthusiasm for your specialty. The interview challenge is turning that experience into answers that make your readiness, judgement and contribution easy for the panel to recognise.

Our CT, ST & Registrar Interview Course develops the transferable skills that underpin core training, specialty training and registrar interviews across medical and surgical specialties. Work on the questions and scenarios that commonly cause difficulty, then use feedback to improve your own approach.

The focus is not on memorising polished phrases. It is on recognising what a question is testing, choosing evidence that supports your answer and communicating your own judgement clearly enough for the panel to score what you have done.

Select your strongest evidence

Choose the experience and achievements that demonstrate your suitability rather than taking the panel through every job you have held.

Explain your motivation and readiness

Show how your experience, interests and informed career choices fit the specialty and level of training you are seeking.

Bring structure to clinical scenarios

Identify priorities, explain safe decisions and make your reasoning easy to follow when faced with an unfamiliar problem.

Apply professional judgement

Recognise the different issues in ethical, governance and colleague-related scenarios before explaining a proportionate response.

Show what you contributed

Explain your role in leadership, teamwork, teaching, research or improvement, what changed and what you learned.

Communicate and adapt under pressure

Keep answers focused, recognise when you have said enough and respond naturally to follow-up questions or new information.

Your next stage of training

Interview preparation for CT1, ST1, ST3 and ST4

The course teaches a shared set of interview skills that you apply to your specialty, experience and level of responsibility. The day follows a common programme, with practical exercises and feedback on your own answers.

CT1 and ST1 interview preparation

Explain your career choice, identify evidence of your suitability and show the judgement and potential expected of a doctor entering core or specialty training. Develop examples that demonstrate what you contributed and learned.

ST3, ST4 and registrar interview preparation

Show your readiness for greater responsibility. Present your clinical experience, leadership, teamwork, teaching, research and improvement work with clear evidence of your contribution, decisions and development.

Preparation that fits your application

A cross-specialty course that still starts with your own interview

There is no single interview format shared by every medical and surgical specialty. The course combines common interview techniques with the information and examples you bring from your own application.

Doctors attending this course have applied across specialties including orthopaedics, vascular and plastic surgery, anaesthetics, intensive care, emergency medicine, acute and geriatric medicine, palliative medicine, gastroenterology, endocrinology, cardiology, respiratory medicine, audiovestibular and rehabilitation medicine, oncology, infectious diseases, histopathology, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics and paediatric subspecialties.

Skills that transfer across specialties

Learn how to interpret a question, select relevant evidence, structure a response and communicate your judgement. The teaching covers motivation, achievements, clinical and professional scenarios, leadership, teamwork and wider experience.

One shared foundation
Structure, evidence and communication

Your own recruitment context

Bring your interview format, person specification, assessment domains and particular questions. Where appropriate, these can inform discussion and practice, helping you apply the techniques to your own specialty and level of application.

Your individual application
Specialty, experience and training level

This is interview preparation, not a specialty-specific clinical revision course. The emphasis is on how you approach and communicate a problem. Your own recruitment information remains the reference for the stations and assessments you will face.

Practical course content

What you will learn on the CT, ST & Registrar Interview Course

The course covers the recurring areas that doctors need to handle well at CT, ST and registrar interviews: motivation, evidence from your career, clinical and professional judgement, leadership, teamwork, teaching, quality improvement, research and communication. The topics are grouped below for easier browsing; they are not a fixed timetable and individual specialties may assess them differently.

Present your background, motivation and readiness

Present your experience and career story clearly

Questions such as "Tell us about yourself" or "Talk us through your CV" sound straightforward, but they are easy to answer badly. A chronological account of every job you have held rarely tells the panel why you are a strong candidate.

We help you select the experience that matters, organise it coherently and use it to demonstrate the qualities you bring to Specialty Training.

Explain why you want the specialty

Motivation questions require more than enthusiasm. A strong answer demonstrates that you understand the specialty, have made informed career choices and can explain why your experience, interests and longer-term ambitions fit the training programme you are applying for.

You will work on developing an answer that is personal and credible rather than relying on generic descriptions that could apply equally to another candidate.

Demonstrate that you are ready for higher training

As you progress through training, interviewers increasingly expect you to demonstrate maturity, judgement and a broader understanding of your role within a clinical service.

We look at how you can use examples from your own experience to demonstrate progression, responsibility and readiness for the level of training you are seeking.

Demonstrate clinical, professional and team judgement

Structure clinical scenarios

Where your specialty uses clinical scenarios, good performance depends on more than recalling medical knowledge. You need to identify priorities, demonstrate safe decision making and communicate your reasoning in a way that the panel can follow.

We explore practical ways of bringing structure to unfamiliar scenarios without making your answer sound mechanical or rehearsed.

Handle ethical and professional scenarios

Specialty interviews frequently explore professionalism through situations involving colleagues, patients, consent, confidentiality, mistakes, safeguarding, inappropriate behaviour or competing responsibilities.

We help you identify the different issues within a scenario, consider the people affected and explain a proportionate course of action rather than jumping immediately to a memorised rule or escalation pathway.

Demonstrate leadership and teamwork

Leadership and teamwork questions are opportunities to demonstrate much more than the fact that you have held a formal role.

You will learn how to select examples that show what you actually contributed, how you worked with other people, how you handled difficulties and what changed as a result of your involvement.

Explain your teaching, improvement and academic contribution

Discuss teaching and training experience

Panels may explore your experience of teaching students, trainees, colleagues or other healthcare professionals. We look at how to move beyond listing teaching activities and demonstrate the quality of your contribution, including planning, adapting your approach, gathering feedback and reflecting on what you have learned as an educator.

Present audit and quality improvement effectively

Simply describing the stages of an audit or quality improvement project rarely makes a strong interview answer.

We help you explain why the work mattered, what your own contribution was, what changed and what you learned about improving services in practice.

Discuss research and evidence-based medicine

Depending on your specialty and level of application, you may be asked about research experience, publications, critical appraisal or evidence-based medicine.

The course helps you present your academic experience accurately and confidently while demonstrating that you understand how evidence influences clinical decision making.

Approach clinical governance questions with maturity

Governance questions should demonstrate that you understand how quality and patient safety work in real clinical environments rather than simply reciting definitions.

We explore areas including risk, incidents, audit, quality improvement, professional accountability and learning from problems, with an emphasis on applying these principles to practical situations.

Handle difficult situations and communicate under pressure

Handle difficult colleagues and challenging situations

Questions involving an underperforming, impaired or difficult colleague test several things at once: patient safety, professionalism, communication, judgement and your ability to manage relationships appropriately.

You will learn how to analyse these situations carefully, distinguish immediate risks from longer-term concerns and explain how you would respond without becoming either passive or unnecessarily confrontational.

Communicate clearly under interview pressure

A strong answer can lose impact if it is difficult to follow. We work on structure, signposting, pace, clarity and knowing when you have answered the question sufficiently.

The aim is not to make everybody sound the same. It is to help you communicate your own ideas with greater clarity and confidence.

Deal with follow-up questions

Interviewers may challenge an assumption, introduce new information or ask you to justify something you have said. This is often where heavily scripted preparation begins to unravel.

By understanding the principles behind your answer, you are better able to think, adapt and respond naturally when the interview develops in an unexpected direction.

Plan your preparation

Interview formats by specialty and training level

This overview covers medical and surgical specialties, higher training and selected paediatric subspecialty interviews. It highlights transferable skills relevant to each process. It does not describe separate specialty programmes delivered during this course.

Checked 16 October 2026. Each row identifies the source recruitment round or published review date. Older formats are included as preparation references; they are not confirmation of the next round’s requirements. Check the official source and your invitation for the requirements applying to your interview.

Medical specialties

Medical specialties: official interview formats
Specialty and entry level	Published interview structure	Relevant skills developed on this course
Acute internal medicine ST4	Two 15-minute stations, approximately 40 minutes overall. Four questions lasting 7–8 minutes, with communication scored separately. Includes a clinical scenario and medical registrar suitability. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Acute internal medicine ST4 →	Explain priorities, medical registrar responsibility and leadership of an acute team.
Audiovestibular medicine ST3 (AVM)	Two 20-minute stations, approximately 50 minutes overall. Four 10-minute questions, with communication scored separately. Includes clinical and ethical/professional discussion. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Audiovestibular medicine ST3 (AVM) →	Present your motivation and transferable experience, and explain clinical and professional reasoning clearly.
Cardiology ST4	Two 22-minute stations, approximately 50–55 minutes overall. Assessment includes medical registrar suitability, professionalism/governance, clinical scenarios and communication. 2026-entry guidance; next-round format to be rechecked. Official guidance for Cardiology ST4 →	Demonstrate registrar-level responsibility, explain leadership examples and communicate professional judgement.
Clinical oncology ST3	Three online stations, approximately 30 minutes overall: clinical questions; ethics and communication; and portfolio/experience questions. Interviewers do not have access to portfolio evidence during the interview. 2027 recruitment guidance; source reviewed 28 September 2026. Checked 16 October 2026. Official guidance for Clinical oncology ST3 →	Explain clinical and ethical reasoning, discuss your experience and communicate clearly.
Endocrinology and diabetes mellitus ST4 (D&E)	Two 20-minute stations, approximately 45–50 minutes overall. Four 10-minute questions, with communication scored separately. Includes an endocrinology clinical scenario. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Endocrinology and diabetes mellitus ST4 (D&E) →	Make complex reasoning easy to follow and support answers with relevant examples from your experience.
Gastroenterology ST4	Two 15-minute stations, approximately 40 minutes overall. Four questions lasting 5–10 minutes, plus communication assessment. Includes a clinical scenario and a prepared presentation of up to four minutes on a case or recent specialty development. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Gastroenterology ST4 →	Deliver concise presentations, structure scenario answers and explain the significance of your experience.
Geriatric medicine ST4 (care of older people / COTE)	Two 15-minute stations, approximately 40 minutes overall. Four questions lasting 5–10 minutes, with communication scored separately. Includes clinical and ethical scenarios. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Geriatric medicine ST4 (care of older people / COTE) →	Organise complex answers, explain professional judgement and demonstrate effective multidisciplinary working.
Infectious diseases / combined infection training ST3 (Group 2)	Two 10-minute stations, approximately 30 minutes overall. Four questions lasting 4–6 minutes. Includes a prepared three-minute presentation on a recent infection research paper, clinical discussion and ethics/professionalism. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Infectious diseases / combined infection training ST3 (Group 2) →	Present research clearly, discuss evidence and explain clinical and professional judgement.
Infectious diseases / combined infection training ST4 (Group 1)	Three 10-minute stations, approximately 45 minutes overall. Includes the Group 2 interview questions plus a ten-minute medical registrar suitability assessment. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Infectious diseases / combined infection training ST4 (Group 1) →	Combine clear research and scenario answers with evidence of readiness for medical registrar responsibility.
Medical oncology ST3	Two 11-minute stations, approximately 30 minutes overall. Four questions lasting 5–6 minutes, including a clinical scenario, ethics/professionalism and research/academic medicine. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Medical oncology ST3 →	Structure concise answers, discuss evidence and research, and explain professional decisions.
Palliative medicine ST4	Two 15-minute stations, approximately 40 minutes overall. Four questions lasting 5–8 minutes; the ethical scenario has two scoring areas. Includes medical registrar suitability. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Palliative medicine ST4 →	Explain sensitive professional decisions, communicate clearly and demonstrate readiness for registrar responsibility.
Rehabilitation medicine ST3	Two 18-minute stations, approximately 45 minutes overall. Four questions lasting 8–10 minutes, including clinical and ethical/professional scenarios. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Rehabilitation medicine ST3 →	Explain patient-centred priorities, professional judgement and experience of working with other disciplines.
Respiratory medicine ST4	Two 16-minute stations, approximately 40 minutes overall. Four questions lasting 6–10 minutes, with communication assessed in both stations. Includes a clinical scenario and discussion of career and achievements. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Respiratory medicine ST4 →	Present achievements concisely, explain reasoning and respond naturally to follow-up questions.

Surgical specialties

Surgical specialties: official interview formats
Specialty and entry level	Published interview structure	Relevant skills developed on this course
General surgery ST3	Clinical, management and professional development stations. Clinical and management stations each have 5 minutes’ reading and 10 minutes’ questions. Professional development lasts 10 minutes. 2026-entry guidance; next-round format to be rechecked. Official guidance for General surgery ST3 →	Structure scenario responses, explain management decisions and discuss career development.
Plastic surgery ST3	One continuous 30-minute interview with three ten-minute sections: OSCE/communication (consent and communication tasks), two clinical scenarios, and structured interview questions. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Plastic surgery ST3 →	Organise responses, discuss consent and professional issues, and present your experience clearly.
Trauma and orthopaedic surgery ST3	Four 10-minute stations: commitment to specialty, clinical judgement, prioritisation and communication. The commitment station explores career experience; the communication station uses a patient scenario. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Trauma and orthopaedic surgery ST3 →	Explain commitment, organise priorities, present career evidence and communicate decisions under pressure.
Vascular surgery ST3	Approximately 50 minutes. Station 1 covers clinical and communication scenarios; Station 2 covers management and virtual operative skills. Each topic has ten minutes, with five minutes’ reading before each station. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Vascular surgery ST3 →	Structure scenario answers, explain management decisions and communicate your reasoning.

Anaesthetics, intensive care and emergency medicine

Anaesthetics, intensive care and emergency medicine: official interview formats
Specialty and entry level	Published interview structure	Relevant skills developed on this course
ACCS emergency medicine ST1	Two stations of up to 10 minutes each, covering person-specification criteria, including commitment to the specialty and communication. 2027 recruitment pages; England, Scotland and Wales. Official guidance for ACCS emergency medicine ST1 →	Deliver focused answers and explain your career choice within short time limits.
Anaesthetics CT1, including ACCS Anaesthetics	Clinical judgement: 5 minutes’ preparation and 15 minutes’ interview. General interview: 15 minutes. Domains include decision making, reflection, working under pressure, communication, commitment and teamwork. Current Medical Hub guidance; reviewed 22 September 2026. Official guidance for Anaesthetics CT1, including ACCS Anaesthetics →	Structure scenario answers, explain motivation and decisions, and demonstrate teamwork.
Anaesthetics ST4	Two 15-minute stations: clinical judgement and general interview, with 5 minutes’ preparation for the clinical scenario. The general interview includes professional behaviour, communication, teamwork and generic professional capabilities. 2026-entry guide; next-round format to be rechecked. Official guidance for Anaesthetics ST4 →	Demonstrate greater responsibility, reflect on experience and explain leadership and improvement work.
Emergency medicine ST3 (DRE-EM)	Three ten-minute stations: prioritisation, clinical/ethical scenario and communication. The 2026 DRE-EM guide provides five minutes’ reading before each station. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. This row describes DRE-EM; check route-specific instructions. Official guidance for Emergency medicine ST3 (DRE-EM) →	Communicate priorities, explain ethical judgement and adapt your answer to scenario information.
Emergency medicine ST4	Refer to the national ST4 applicant handbook and your interview invitation for the station breakdown. A 2026 handbook is available, but its detailed format could not be independently verified for this table. 2026 official handbook linked. Checked 16 October 2026; station details not reproduced. Official guidance for Emergency medicine ST4 →	Develop clear answers about responsibility, leadership, judgement and your readiness for higher training.
Intensive care medicine ST3 (ICM / ITU)	Three ten-minute stations: clinical interview, commitment to specialty and task prioritisation. Five minutes’ preparation is provided before the clinical and prioritisation stations. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Intensive care medicine ST3 (ICM / ITU) →	Explain decisions and changing priorities, demonstrate insight and articulate motivation for intensive care.

Paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and diagnostic specialties

Paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and diagnostic specialties: official interview formats
Specialty and entry level	Published interview structure	Relevant skills developed on this course
Clinical radiology ST1	Two stations of up to 15 minutes each. Station A includes portfolio questions and other person-specification areas; Station B covers further person-specification areas. Commitment and communication are assessed. 2027-entry guidance. Official guidance for Clinical radiology ST1 →	Present achievements and motivation with evidence, and respond clearly to follow-up questions.
Histopathology ST1	Two 15-minute stations. Topics include image interpretation, career choice, a case study, teamwork/MDT, clinical knowledge, clinical error and audit. Current guidance; reviewed 9 October 2026. Official guidance for Histopathology ST1 →	Explain motivation and teamwork, and discuss mistakes, learning and audit.
Neonatal medicine (paediatric subspecialty recruitment)	The 2026–27 paediatric subspecialty process uses two stations lasting 40 minutes overall, with at least one question about a selected portfolio uploaded in advance. Specialty-specific questions follow the applicant’s interview instructions. 2026–27 recruitment round; source updated 7 October 2026. Checked 16 October 2026. Official guidance for Neonatal medicine (paediatric subspecialty recruitment) →	Present subspecialty motivation, explain achievements and communicate your experience and judgement.
Obstetrics and gynaecology ST1	Two stations: clinical prioritisation plus ethics/governance, and structured interview questions. Published timings: 5 minutes’ reading, 6 minutes’ prioritisation, 4 minutes’ ethics/governance and 10 minutes’ structured questions. Current published format; subject to change. Official guidance for Obstetrics and gynaecology ST1 →	Identify priorities, explain proportionate action and structure professional and experience-based answers.
Obstetrics and gynaecology ST3	Two 15-minute stations, approximately 40 minutes overall including reading/waiting time. Clinical prioritisation covers four patients; the structured interview covers management, communication, challenges, improvement, research and teaching. 2026 recruitment format. Checked 16 October 2026; 2027 format not confirmed in the source reviewed. Official guidance for Obstetrics and gynaecology ST3 →	Explain prioritisation, discuss management challenges and present teaching, research and improvement work.
Ophthalmology ST1	Two virtual interviews/role plays of up to 10 minutes each, with 5 minutes’ preparation before each. One is a clinical consultation; the other concerns difficult communication or an ethical scenario. 2027-entry guidance. Official guidance for Ophthalmology ST1 →	Analyse professional issues and communicate sensitively and clearly. Specialty clinical preparation remains separate.
Paediatric immunology and infectious diseases (subspecialty recruitment)	The 2026–27 paediatric subspecialty process uses two stations lasting 40 minutes overall, with at least one selected-portfolio question. This is a separate process from general paediatrics ST1/ST3 entry. 2026–27 recruitment round; source updated 7 October 2026. Checked 16 October 2026. Official guidance for Paediatric immunology and infectious diseases (subspecialty recruitment) →	Explain subspecialty motivation, present academic and clinical experience, and structure reflective answers.
Paediatrics ST1	Previous-round format: two 20-minute stations covering communication, career motivation, clinical reasoning and reflective practice. Virtual interviews are confirmed for 2027 entry; detailed updated guidance is pending. 2026 format shown as reference; 2027 details pending. Official guidance for Paediatrics ST1 →	Explain motivation, organise your reasoning and use examples that show reflection and learning.
Paediatrics ST3	Approximately 40 minutes overall, including two 17-minute stations covering communication, clinical thinking, reflective practice, governance and leadership. 2026-entry guidance; next-round format to be rechecked. Official guidance for Paediatrics ST3 →	Explain readiness to progress, discuss governance and present leadership and professional judgement.

Apply the techniques to your interview

Bring your interview format and assessment domains. Use the course to strengthen how you interpret questions, select evidence, organise answers and explain your judgement. Prepare specialty-specific clinical knowledge and station tasks alongside this work.

Check the correct entry level

Anaesthetics and ACCS Anaesthetics recruit at CT1. For general paediatric training, the current entry points are ST1 and ST3; ST3 is the higher entry route. Other specialties use different entry levels, so refer to the official guidance for your application.

View dates and book your place →

Practice, feedback and another approach

Learn to think at interview, not memorise answers

Knowing what a good answer should contain is different from delivering one when the panel is waiting. The day is built around applying the techniques, not simply listening to an explanation of them.

With a maximum of 12 participants, there is room for practical exercises, discussion and individual feedback. You can raise a particular concern, an unusual career background or a question you have found difficult, and learn from doctors applying to other specialties.

We teach structures that help you organise your thinking, but they are tools rather than scripts. Your answers should remain personal and adaptable when the wording changes or an interviewer asks you to justify what you have said.

Practise an answer

Apply the techniques to realistic interview questions and scenarios. Make your reasoning and examples clear enough for another person to follow.

Active participation
Questions and practical exercises

Understand the feedback

Identify what needs attention: an unclear structure, an example that needs more evidence, an overlooked issue or an answer that takes too long to reach the point.

Individual feedback
Content, structure and communication

Try a different approach

Use what you have learned in subsequent questions and exercises. Notice how others approach the same challenges without copying their answers.

Apply the learning
Reflect, adapt and improve

Experienced clinician educators

Meet the CT and ST Interview Course tutors

The tutors listed for this course bring experience from different medical and surgical backgrounds. Their role on the day is to help you sharpen the way you analyse questions, select evidence and communicate your own answer.

Ishtiaq Ahmed

Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon

Read Ishtiaq's profile →

Ram Matsa

Consultant Acute Medicine & Intensive Care

Read Ram's profile →

Ross Elledge

Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

Read Ross's profile →

Different specialty, same interview discipline. The course is deliberately cross-specialty. Feedback focuses on the quality of your reasoning, evidence, structure and communication while you apply the techniques to the recruitment process you are actually facing.

Why ISC Medical?

Specialist experience in medical interview preparation

ISC Medical has been preparing doctors for medical interviews for more than 22 years, including applicants to Specialty Training and registrar posts across medical and surgical specialties.

Interview technique built around evidence

Strong candidates can still underperform when an answer hides the evidence the panel needs. The course focuses on common problems such as vague examples, unclear personal contribution, weak prioritisation and answers that take too long to reach the point.

The aim is to help you identify what is being assessed and make your experience easier to evaluate.

We wrote the book on CT, ST and Registrar interviews

ISC Medical's Course Director, Olivier Picard, wrote Medical Interviews: A Comprehensive Guide to CT, ST & Registrar Interview Skills. First published in 2008, it explores interview techniques, medical interview questions and NHS topics.

The same principle runs through the book and this course: understand the assessment, organise your thinking and apply the techniques to your own experience. Explore the CT/ST Medical Interview Book →

Before your course

Arrive with the raw material, not polished scripts

A little preparation allows the day to focus on testing, developing and improving your answers. Before attending, you will be asked to think about your application and a selection of common Specialty Training interview questions.

Bring your interview information

Review any interview format, person specification, assessment domains or station information you have received. Bring the questions or areas you particularly want to discuss.

Your recruitment process
Requirements and areas to explore

Choose examples from your experience

Review your application and identify examples of leadership, teamwork, teaching, improvement, research, communication, reflection and difficult professional situations.

Your own evidence
Contribution, outcomes and learning

Understand the specialty and role

Consider what attracts you to your specialty, which experiences have informed that choice and what you hope to develop at the next stage of training.

Your career choice
Motivation and readiness to progress

You do not need to arrive with finished answers. The purpose is to have relevant examples and information available so you can use the course to select, structure and communicate them more effectively.

Choose your preparation

Find the right interview course and support

Choose preparation that fits your recruitment pathway and the help you need.

Internal Medicine Training

For preparation focused on the national IMT interview, explore our dedicated course.

View the IMT interview course →

Dental Core Training and dental ST

Our separate dental course is designed for applicants to Dental Core Training and dental specialty training.

View the DCT and ST dental interview course →

One-to-one interview coaching

Individual support with motivation, suitability, experience, governance, ethics and professionalism. This coaching service does not cover clinical questions.

Explore CT, ST and registrar coaching →

Books and further reading

Build your preparation with our CT, ST and registrar interview books and guides. Read our guide to UK specialty training competition ratios for recruitment context.

Before you book

Frequently asked questions about the CT, ST & Registrar Interview Course

Is the course suitable for CT1 and ST1 interviews?

Yes. Learn how to explain your motivation, select evidence of suitability, structure answers and communicate your judgement for core and specialty training interviews. For Internal Medicine Training, choose our dedicated IMT interview course.

Is the course suitable for ST3 and ST4 interviews?

Yes. Apply the techniques to examples appropriate to higher specialty training and registrar responsibility, including leadership, teamwork, teaching, improvement and professional judgement.

Can the course help with anaesthetics interviews?

The techniques support preparation for anaesthetics CT1 and ST4 interviews: structuring answers, explaining your experience, discussing teamwork and communicating reasoning. Prepare alongside the official guidance and clinical requirements for your entry level.

Can the course help with paediatrics interviews?

The course develops skills for explaining motivation, reflecting on experience, communicating clearly and discussing professional and leadership issues. Apply them alongside preparation for the specific paediatrics ST1 or ST3 assessment tasks.

Should I choose this course or the dedicated IMT or dental course?

For Internal Medicine Training, choose our IMT interview course. For Dental Core Training or dental specialty training, choose our DCT/ST dental interview course. This course teaches transferable interview techniques across medical and surgical specialties.

Who is the CT, ST & Registrar Interview Course suitable for?

The course is for doctors preparing for CT1, ST1, ST3, ST4 and registrar-level interviews across medical and surgical specialties. It develops transferable interview techniques that you can apply to your own specialty, experience and level of application.

Is this a specialty-specific interview course?

No. This is deliberately a broad CT, ST and registrar interview course, rather than a separate programme for each national recruitment format. It covers motivation, achievements, clinical and professional judgement, leadership, teamwork, teaching, research, governance and communication.

Bring information about your own interview format, assessment domains and any specialty-specific areas you would particularly like to explore. The course helps you apply the transferable techniques to that context.

How is the course delivered, and what are the timings?

The course is delivered live online via Zoom over one full day. Registration starts at 9:15am, teaching begins at 9:30am and the day finishes at approximately 5:45pm, UK time.

It is interactive rather than pre-recorded e-learning, with opportunities to take part in discussion, questions and exercises.

How many participants are on each course?

Each course has a maximum of 12 participants. This allows practical exercises, discussion, individual participation and personalised feedback, as well as the opportunity to learn from doctors applying to different specialties.

How much does the course cost, and is there a discount?

The course costs £299 including VAT. Save 10% when you book two places on this course or combine it with any other ISC Medical course.

Add each place separately to the same basket so you can enter each participant's details. Check the discount in your basket before paying.

Will I practise questions and receive individual feedback?

Yes. Practical interview work is central to the course. You will have opportunities to apply the techniques to realistic questions and scenarios, with personalised feedback on structure, content, use of examples and communication.

You can use that feedback in subsequent questions and exercises during the day.

What kinds of ST interview questions do you use?

The course draws on questions, themes and scenarios encountered in Specialty Training interviews over many years. The purpose is not to predict the exact questions you will receive, but to develop approaches you can adapt when a question or follow-up is unfamiliar.

Will you teach me model answers?

No. We want you to develop authentic, well-considered answers based on your own experience and judgement. The structures and techniques help you understand the question, organise your thinking and select evidence; they are not scripts or algorithms to memorise.

Does the course cover clinical scenarios?

Yes. You will explore ways to identify priorities, demonstrate safe decision making and explain your reasoning clearly. The focus is how you approach and communicate a clinical problem at interview, not revising the full clinical syllabus for your specialty.

Does the course cover ethics, professionalism and governance?

Yes. The course explores scenarios involving consent, confidentiality, mistakes, patient safety, difficult or impaired colleagues and professional responsibilities. It also considers risk, audit, quality improvement and learning from problems.

The emphasis is on analysing the situation and explaining a proportionate response rather than reciting a definition or memorised escalation route.

Does the course cover leadership, teamwork and communication?

Yes. You will work on examples that show what you personally contributed, how you worked with others, what changed and what you learned. Communication practice also considers structure, signposting, pace, clarity and handling follow-up questions.

Will I discuss teaching, audit, quality improvement and research?

Yes. The course helps you explain the significance of these activities rather than simply listing projects, publications or teaching sessions. The precise emphasis can vary with the specialties represented on the day.

Is there any pre-course work?

Yes. Think about your application, career and answers to a selection of common interview questions. Review your motivation and prepare examples relating to leadership, teamwork, teaching, research, improvement, communication and difficult professional situations.

Bring any information you have about your own interview format. You do not need perfectly polished answers before attending.

When will I receive the joining instructions?

Joining instructions for the live Zoom course will be sent a couple of days before your course date.

How many CPD points does the course provide?

The CT, ST & Registrar Interview Course provides 6 CPD points.

Who are the course tutors?

The tutors listed for this course are Ishtiaq Ahmed, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon; Ram Matsa, Consultant Acute Medicine & Intensive Care; and Ross Elledge, Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon.

You can read their profiles in the tutor section above.

Participant feedback

What doctors say about our CT and ST Interview Course

Participants describe the value of practical interview exercises, a small-group approach and feedback on their own answers.

"I attended the interview skills course and found it extremely useful. I was successful in my Core Surgical Training application and ranked top in London out of 544 applicants, with an interview score of 207/216. I'm obviously thrilled."

Laura, Core Surgical Training applicant

"The clear message throughout the day was to personalise your responses and avoid vague, generic answers. The small group also allowed a much more personal approach than I had experienced on other courses."

Sam, ENT

"Excellent course, perfectly tailored to my needs for my ST1 interview. I particularly enjoyed the interactive nature of the day, and the feedback I received was extremely useful and constructive."

Rehan, CMT

"I found the course inspiring and the interview role plays particularly illuminating. It substantially improved my understanding of the interview process and how to approach questions more effectively."

Dan, Paediatrics

"The course covered all aspects of medical interviews and I particularly valued how interactive the day was. Having such an enthusiastic, warm and approachable trainer also made a real difference."

Nasser, Anaesthesia

"The course gave me a much clearer understanding of what is expected at interview and how to approach the common questions. I would certainly recommend it to doctors preparing for an ST interview."

Sridhar, Orthopaedics

These quotations describe individual experiences. Names, roles and recruitment terminology are retained as supplied in the original feedback.

Your experience. Your judgement. Your answer.

Put your CT, ST and registrar interview preparation into practice

Develop answers that are structured, personal and convincing, and practise communicating them before your interview day.

One day live on Zoom · Max. 12 participants · Personalised feedback · 6 CPD points · £299

View dates & book →

December 2026
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January 2027
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CT, ST & Registrar Interview Course for Doctors

CT, ST and registrar course dates and booking

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2Select your date and book