General Surgery ST3 Interview Masterclass
Read the scenario, resuscitate, decide on theatre, and lead the team safely.
- 2027 dates not yet published (2026: 26–27 March)
- ≈ 40 minutes (3 stations, online)
- Qpercom (online)
- 2 consultant interviewers per station
- Competition
- 5.18:1
- Scenarios
- 16
- Stations
- 3
Competition: 834 applications for 161 posts (2025). Source: NHS England specialty recruitment competition ratios.
Recruited by NHS England national General Surgery ST3 selection (not PHST).
Official recruitment information
General Surgery ST3 recruitment
NHS England national General Surgery ST3 selection (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Round described: 2026 round (2026 entry).
Latest available recruitment information. NHS England has not yet published the 2027 General Surgery ST3 interview details. Last checked against the sources below on 6 October 2026. Always confirm details with the recruiting office before your interview.
Interview (2026 round)
- Online only, using the Qpercom Recruit browser-based system. The 2026 interviews ran on 26 and 27 March 2026.
- Three stations, about 40 minutes in total.
- Clinical station: 5 minutes' reading time for a clinical scenario, then 10 minutes of questions on it and related topics.
- Management station: 5 minutes' reading time for a management scenario, then 10 minutes of questions on it and related topics.
- Professional Development station: 10 minutes of questions about your career history. No portfolio presentation is required.
- Two consultant interviewers per station; a lay representative or another observer may be present.
- Your portfolio evidence is not available to the interviewers during the interview.
Shortlisting and eligibility (2026 round)
- Shortlisting is by consultant scoring of your portfolio evidence, submitted on the published templates and verified by your Educational Supervisor.
- Full GMC registration was required at the point of application for 2026.
- The 2026 portfolio scoring increased the weight of General Surgery experience and operative numbers, set a minimum number of appendicectomies at supervised-trainer-scrubbed level or above, and accepted a single closed-loop audit. Check the exact thresholds in the applicant guide appendices.
Not yet published
- 2027 interview dates, station format and portfolio scoring
- Interview scoring weights and the appointability threshold (not published for 2026 either)
Sources
- NHS England — General Surgery ST3: Interviews
- NHS England — General Surgery ST3: Overview
- NHS England — General Surgery ST3: Appendices (portfolio scoring)
- NHS England — General Surgery ST3: Recruitment timelines
Everything else in the General Surgery library — model answers, frameworks, scenarios and the mock interview prompts — is StepUp preparation guidance, not an official mark scheme.
General Surgery resource library
45 written topics and 4 scored practice questions, organised the way the interview is.
Interview Format & Strategy
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Clinical Scenario
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Suitability & Commitment
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Surgical Experience & Logbook
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Communication & Consent
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Ethics & Professionalism
UnlockAcademic & Research
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Management & Leadership
UnlockPortfolio & Evidence
UnlockScored questions
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Mock circuit
UnlockGeneral Surgery ST3 interview: common questions
What is the General Surgery ST3 interview format?
In the 2026 round (the latest published), the interview was online on Qpercom with three stations, about 40 minutes in total: a clinical station (5 minutes' reading, 10 minutes of questions), a management station (5 minutes' reading, 10 minutes) and a professional development station (10 minutes on your career). Two consultants interview at each station. Check NHS England's interviews page for the 2027 round when it is published.
Do the interviewers see my portfolio?
No. NHS England states that your portfolio evidence is not available to the interviewers during the interview. Your portfolio is scored separately at shortlisting, so in the professional development station you need to give the numbers and outcomes yourself.
How should I answer a surgical clinical scenario at ST3 level?
Panels want to hear a safe registrar, not a textbook. A structure that works: immediate assessment and resuscitation in parallel, a ranked differential, investigations that change the plan, initial management, early senior and anaesthetic escalation, the definitive operative or non-operative plan, then communication, documentation and safety-netting. This is StepUp's preparation framework, not an official marking scheme.
How competitive is General Surgery ST3?
In the 2025 round NHS England reported 834 applications for 161 General Surgery ST3 posts, a competition ratio of 5.18.