General Surgery ST3 Application Guide

Introduction

General Surgery is a six-year training programme. Recruitment across the UK is run through a nationally coordinated process. It involves a General Surgery ST3 application, a portfolio submission and an interview. Applications are accepted only through the Oriel platform. This guide is for the 2027 recruitment round, for posts starting from August 2027.

What is confirmed for 2027 and what is not. NHS England has published the 2027 person specification and the national dates for the ST3/ST4 round. General Surgery’s own timeline, shortlisting questions, interview and ranking pages were last reviewed on 19 November 2025 and still describe the 2026 round. This guide labels the 2026 round clearly wherever it is used.

General Surgery ST3 at a glance

Eligibility & Longlisting

You must meet the eligibility criteria to be considered for speciality training. The requirements are set out in the General Surgery ST3 person specification (2027).

• Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) or an equivalent medical qualification
• Core surgical competence, shown by one of: a current UK Core Surgical Training programme that leads to successful completion; completion of a UK Core Surgical Training programme with a satisfactory ARCP outcome; or the Alternative Certificate of Eligibility to Enter Higher Surgical Training (commonly called CREHST)
• MRCS (Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons) by examination, completed by the “initial offers released by” date for the round
• Full registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) at the time of application, and a current licence to practise on the date your post commences
• A complete employment history
• You must not hold, or be eligible to hold, a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT), and must not already be eligible for the specialist register in General Surgery, including through the Portfolio Pathway
• For Locum Appointment for Training (LAT) posts, no more than 24 months’ experience in LAT posts in the specialty

The person specification also lists desirable criteria, including less than 72 months’ General Surgery experience at CT/ST level and a minimum of 12 months in elective General Surgery including 12 months on call for emergency General Surgery. For 2027 recruitment the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 applies to recruitment using this specification.

October Rotations

In the 2026 round the training start date was listed as August or October 2026 (to be confirmed by the employing trust), and the time-in-post questions counted experience by the end of July 2026 or by the completion of core training if that was later. Check the 2027 advert for the rules that apply to you. The General Surgery recruitment timelines page will carry the 2027 dates once published.

Recruitment Timeline 2027

The table shows the national dates NHS England has confirmed for the ST3/ST4 round and, for reference, the General Surgery dates from the 2026 round. General Surgery’s own 2027 dates are to be confirmed.

From 2027 you can submit no more than five applications per round.

Portfolio Assessment & Shortlisting

In the 2026 round, the General Surgery ST3 self-assessment of your portfolio was used again: you calculate a self-assessment score from your personal achievements and are required to submit evidence. NHS England has not yet published the 2027 shortlisting questions, so check the official page before you start. These were the seven questions in the 2026 round.

Question 1: Time in General Surgery

In the 2026 round the question read: by the end of July 2026, or by the completion of Core Training if this is later, how many months full time (or equivalent if LTFT) will you have spent in General Surgery in any post-Foundation job in any country? Eligible posts must include both unselected emergency and elective general surgery (or a recognised sub-specialty). Do not include other posts.

Maximum points: 8

Question 2: Appendicectomies

By the time your evidence is submitted, how many appendicectomies (laparoscopic and/or open) have you completed? Do not include cases where your role was limited to assisting the operating surgeon only. You need full and consecutive logbook evidence, with a legible signature, printed name and GMC number from the verifying supervisor on every page. Gaps in the logbook score 1 point.

Maximum score: 10

Question 3: Closed-loop audit

Submit your single best closed-loop audit, and only one that has been presented. You must show your involvement in both audit cycles. If you were involved only in the initial audit or the re-audit, you score 0 and are ineligible to proceed. Very generic audits, such as mandatory trust VTE audits, antibiotic prescribing compliance or simple case-note audits, are no longer accepted. Evidence is the audit presentation and a letter from the head of department or clinical lead describing your contribution; a departmental certificate alone is not enough. Points are awarded for depth of involvement, reference standard, study design, importance of the clinical question and impact. Maximum score: 8

Question 4: Time in other specialties

By the end of July 2026, or the completion of Core Training, will you have spent at least 4 months in T&O, Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, ENT, Cardiac/Thoracic surgery, A&E, ITU/critical care, Paediatric Surgery, Urology, Vascular or OMFS posts since completing your Foundation Programme? To score, you must evidence at least 4 months, full time or equivalent, of both unselected emergency and elective work in the relevant specialty.

Maximum score: 4

Question 5: Publications

Submit your 2 best publications in a PubMed-indexed journal. Each must have a PubMed ID and a journal impact factor, and be published by the time your evidence is submitted. Collaborative papers, abstracts, case reports, letters and technical tips are acceptable. For a collaborative paper, include the list of collaborators with your name highlighted, or you score no points. Publications in pay-to-publish journals (for example Cureus) are no longer accepted and score 0. Maximum score: 10 (5 per publication)

Question 6: Presentations

Submit your 2 best academic presentations. Posters are accepted. Presentations at departmental, hospital or regional level only are not eligible, and neither are presentations made while delivering teaching or training. Evidence is the relevant programme page and your slides (six per page) or poster. Maximum score: 10 (5 per presentation)

Question 7: Stand-alone degree

By the time your evidence is submitted, have you been awarded a stand-alone degree by a UK university? This does not include intercalated degrees, including those that are part of a standard training programme. Points are not awarded unless you provide evidence that the qualification has been awarded (a degree certificate or written confirmation from the university, with a certified translation if needed).

Maximum points: 5

You must provide evidence for every response, uploaded to the dedicated Qpercom evidence upload portal, with the General Surgery ST3 Shortlisting Evidence Applicant and Educational Supervisor Checklist. NHS England warns that plagiarism or AI use in evidence may be treated as a probity concern and can lead to a GMC referral. The evidence guidance for each question is on the official page.

Interviews

If you are shortlisted for a General Surgery ST3 interview, you will be invited to book an interview slot via Oriel, on a first-come, first-served basis. Invites to interview will be sent on a date to be confirmed (10 March in the 2026 round).

The 2027 interview dates are to be confirmed and will fall within the national window of 11 January to 9 April 2027 (in the 2026 round they were 26 and 27 March 2026).

In the 2026 round the interviews were held online on the Qpercom Recruit system. NHS England has not yet confirmed the 2027 format. In the 2026 round each station had two consultant interviewers and at most one observer.

In the 2026 round the interview lasted about 40 minutes and was made up of 3 stations: Clinical, Management and Professional Development.

1. Clinical Station: You are given a clinical scenario about a patient and have 5 minutes of reading time. You then have 10 minutes to answer questions about the scenario and related topics.
2. Management Station: You are given a scenario about a management problem in the clinical environment and have 5 minutes of reading time. You then have 10 minutes to answer questions about it and related topics.
3. Professional Development Station: You have 10 minutes to answer questions about your career to date. You do not need to prepare or present a hard copy of your portfolio, and portfolio evidence is not available to the interviewers during your interview.

The key to success at the interview comes down to two things: preparation and using the right answer frameworks.

Strong candidates are not always the ones who know the most. They are often the ones who communicate what they know clearly and in a structure the interviewer can follow.

If you want to practise answer frameworks for each station, the Medset General Surgery ST3 Interview Course has modules on the clinical station, the management station and the professional development (portfolio) station.

Competition Ratios

General Surgery ST3 is competitive. In 2025 there were 834 applications for 161 posts, a competition ratio of 5.18. In 2024 there were 681 applications for 181 posts (3.76). NHS England has not yet published the 2026 figures.

Source: NHS England Medical Hub, competition ratios. The Hub counts applications, not individual applicants.

Preferences

Following the interview, you will be invited to preference available posts on Oriel before offers are made.

Your ranking is based on your combined shortlisting (portfolio) and interview scores. These scores are collated to generate one national ranking from which offers are made to all available posts.

Offers

Offers are made to successful applicants who have matched to a post, based on ranking and preferences. Offers will be made via Oriel by 5 pm on 13 April 2027 (the national ST3/ST4 deadline; General Surgery’s own date is to be confirmed).

Following initial offers, further offers are made in subsequent iterations. You have 48 hours from the time of offer (excluding weekends) to confirm via Oriel whether you wish to accept, reject or hold your offer. Offers made after the hold deadline only have the option to accept or reject. You can opt in to upgrading: if you do, and a post you ranked higher than the one you accepted becomes available, you are upgraded automatically.

Allocations

Once offers have been accepted, the appointee’s details are passed on to the local training programme director around 14 weeks before the start date.

Preparing For The ST3 Interview?

The Medset General Surgery ST3 Interview Course teaches answer frameworks for the clinical and management stations and covers typical questions for the professional development (portfolio) station, with practice scenarios throughout.

Frequently Asked Questions

When do General Surgery ST3 applications open for 2027?

The national ST3/ST4 round opens at 10 am on Thursday 19 November 2026 and closes at 4 pm on Thursday 10 December 2026. General Surgery’s own 2027 dates have not yet been published.

Is the General Surgery ST3 interview online?

Yes, in the 2026 round it was held online. NHS England has not yet confirmed the 2027 format.

What happens during the General Surgery ST3 longlisting process?

Your application is checked against the person specification: MBBS or equivalent, MRCS by the initial offers date, core surgical competence through CST or CREHST, and a complete employment history. Applications may be withdrawn if the entry criteria are not met.

How is the Alternative Certificate of Eligibility to Enter Higher Surgical Training (commonly called CREHST) used?

It is for doctors who have not completed a UK Core Surgical Training programme. Every competence on the form must be signed off for it to be accepted, and competences can be signed by more than one supervisor if a single supervisor cannot sign them all.

Build Your Skills Beyond the Shortlisting Score

General Surgery is highly competitive, so it is worth standing out. None of the seven shortlisting questions scores teaching, leadership or communication courses directly, but these skills help at interview and in the Professional Development Station. Medset offers these courses to build them. Neither scores shortlisting points for General Surgery ST3.

• Train The Trainers (also sold as Teach The Teachers): 12 CPD points, online and self-paced at £195, or a live virtual classroom with 6 hours of live teaching plus online modules at £279 from the November 2026 dates.
• Medical Leadership & Management Course: online and self-paced, 12 hours, 12 CPD points, £195.

Further Reading

General Surgery ST3 Interview Preparation

Answer frameworks for the ST3 interview (article by Francis Ugwu)

Person Specification 2027

Teaching Skills For Doctors: The Complete Guide