Structure & content

In the three minutes before your interview starts, you will be given a clinical scenario to review. Upon arrival in the interview, you will be asked questions relating to this scenario.

Questioning in the scenario may cover the following:

• what next steps you would take, e.g. further investigations

• your differential diagnosis 

• any potential treatments possible

• any further information you would gather

• how you would go about communicating with any people (eg patients, family members, colleagues) involved in the scenario.

The clinical scenario will be relatively brief (a few sentences), so once you have seen this, the remainder of the preparation time will allow you to undertake some short mental preparation. Whilst it is permitted to make notes, these must be destroyed as soon as your interview is completed and not shared with anyone.

Questioning on the clincial scenario will last for up to eight minutes. After this, you will be asked to do a one-minute handover of the patient to a colleague. This will require you to speak for up to one minute as if you were speaking to the person being given the handover.

Areas for assessment

There are two areas that will be scored in the clinical scenario question:

• One mark will be awarded to you based on the investigations you would do, your diagnosis given the information available and subsequent management of the patient.

• The second mark will be awarded for your handover and your ability to relay information in a clear, concise and accurate way.

The ethical question deals with consideration of the moral, ethical, legal, etc. issues of a particular situation. This question will not be available to you to consider in advance and the hypothetical scenario will be given to you on completion of the clinical scenario.

You will be assessed on your responses to the ethical scenario, as well as knowledge of the different considerations required.

This question will last up to five minutes.

Once the ethical question has been completed, the second half of the interview focuses on your career to date and future intentions.

This question will focus on your suitability for and commitment to training in the specialty and give you opportunity to expand on the information provided in your application form. You may also be asked about your interests outside medicine.

Questioning on this area will last approximately three minutes.

Following immediately on from the suitability and commitment question, this question will focus on your application form and training to date. Interviewers will ask you questions based on your career and achievements to date.  

This question will last up to three minutes. At the end of this question your interview will be completed and you will be asked to leave the interviewing room.