Built specifically for UK Higher Specialty Training. Timed 22-minute station circuits, PHST portfolio calibration, and comprehensive coverage across all core medical specialties.
Station 1 is free — no account needed.
Station 1A · Clinical
Acute Medicine · 2 examiners
Scenario brief
A 75-year-old presents with sudden breathlessness and pleuritic chest pain. CTPA confirms a saddle PE with right-heart strain. BP 88/54. Walk us through your acute management.
Specialties
Clinical stems mapped to each curriculum. Portfolio, registrar and ethics stations shared — because every panel asks them.
ST4 · October–November 1969
Qpercom (virtual) · 2 per station · 40 minutes
ST4 · October–November 1969
Qpercom (virtual) · 2 per station · 40 minutes
ST4 · October–November 1969
Qpercom (virtual) · 2 per station · 32 minutes
ST4 · October–November 1969
Qpercom (virtual) · 2 interviewers per station · 32 minutes + reading time
ST4 · October–November 1969
Qpercom (virtual) · 2 per station · 32 minutes
ST4 · October–November 1969
Qpercom (virtual) · 2 per station · 32 minutes
ST4 · October–November 1969
Qpercom (virtual) · 2 per station · 40–50 minutes
ST4 · October–November 1969
Qpercom (virtual) · 2 per station · 32 minutes
ST4 · October–November 1969
Qpercom (virtual) · 2 per station · 32 minutes
ST4 · October–November 1969
Qpercom (virtual) · 2 per station · 32-35 minutes
ST4 · October–November 1969
Qpercom (virtual) · 2 per station · 32 minutes
ST4 · October–November 1969
Qpercom (virtual) · 2 per station · 32 minutes
How it works
Three steps, repeated until the structure is automatic and the timing is second nature.
Clinical stems mapped to your specialty's curriculum, plus the portfolio, registrar and ethics stations every panel asks.
Choose a specialtyA phased 22-minute mock in the Qpercom format — read the brief, record your answer, hard stop.
Try Station 1 freeReveal the Score-5 anchors, grade each domain 1–5 and see where your Raw Interview Score out of 50 lands.
How scoring worksThe platform
Engineered with registrars who have sat — and passed — the PHST panel. No recycled MCQs. Real stations, real frameworks, real timing.
Four domains, each scored 1–5 by two assessors and aggregated to a Raw Interview Score out of 50 — exactly how the national panel marks you.
Appointability threshold — RIS ≥ 30, no domain scored 1, at most two 2s.
A strict, phased countdown mirroring the online Qpercom format.
Every clinical answer scaffolded the way examiners listen for it.
Seek info, Patient safety, Initiative, Escalate, Support — for every dilemma.
Reveal what the panel wants after each attempt and self-grade against Score-5 anchors.
Station guides
Each station has two examiners and two ~7–8 minute sub-stations covering a distinct domain.
STATION 1
Acute clinical reasoning + commitment to specialty
Two back-to-back sub-stations with the same panel on Qpercom. The panel first tests how you manage an acute clinical scenario, then probes your portfolio and training. Timings and question names vary by specialty and round — e.g. Respiratory Medicine 2026 runs a 10-minute clinical scenario then a 6-minute Application & Training question — so always check your specialty page.
STATION 2
Medical registrar role + ethics / professionalism
Opens with your 1-minute prepared presentation on managing the acute unselected take, followed by examples of leading the take and the MDT, then a second question. In many specialties that is ethics / professionalism; some replace it — e.g. Respiratory Medicine 2026 uses Suitability & Commitment (6 min) and has no ethics station. Check your specialty page.
FAQ
The questions candidates ask most before they sit the PHST panel.
The ST4 HST interview is the UK national recruitment interview for doctors entering higher specialty training in physician (medical) specialties such as Acute Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Respiratory, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, Neurology, Renal and Geriatric Medicine. It uses a multi-station online (Qpercom) format scored against the PHST framework.
There are two stations of ~15–16 minutes each, split into 7–8 minute sub-stations: Station 1 covers a Clinical Scenario and Portfolio/Suitability; Station 2 covers Medical Registrar Suitability (with a 1-minute presentation) and Ethics. Each domain is scored 1–5 by two assessors, giving a Raw Interview Score (RIS) out of 50.
Score your portfolio against the official PHST self-assessment framework, rehearse timed station simulators, practise SBAR for clinical handovers and SPIES for ethical scenarios, drill a 1-minute registrar suitability pitch, and use specialty-specific scenario banks with model answers.
PHST interviews for medical specialties run in October–November 1969 for the 1970 entry cohort. Applications open earlier in the recruitment cycle via Oriel; see the PHST recruitment website for exact dates.
Physician group ST4 recruitment covers Acute Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Respiratory Medicine, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology & Diabetes, Neurology, Renal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine and several smaller specialties. StepUp ST4 covers the core medical specialties above, with more added over time.
Begin your preparation
One annual membership unlocks every station, specialty and simulator. No tiers, no per-specialty upsells.
Annual plan
1970 entryOne payment covers your whole recruitment cycle — every specialty included.
Unlock full platform — £99/year Try Station 1 free firstBilled annually · auto-renews · cancel anytime
