CST interview practice
Make your CST interview reflect the work you’ve put in.
Turn your portfolio into a convincing case for surgery. Rehearse clinical and management questions with an AI assessor, then sharpen your reasoning.
For UK doctors applying to Core Surgical Training.
- Voice only, no camera
- Reads your CV and portfolio
- Every day, up to two hours
$12.99 a week or $29.99 a month. Cancel at any time in Settings.
“Tell me about a surgical complication you were involved in.”
- Clinical knowledge and reasoning
- Communication and patient-centredness
- Judgement, ethics and professionalism
- Teamwork and leadership
“My commitment-to-surgery answer was just a list of courses and theatre time. I needed to explain what I’d taken from those experiences.”
Questions you’ll practise
Common phrasings of what this interview asks, and what each one tests. An AI consultant assessor works from your own application, so expect follow-ups on what you say.
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“Tell me about a surgical complication you were involved in.”
Tests: honesty, candour and learning
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“You are asked to consent a patient for a procedure you have never seen. What do you do?”
Tests: working safely within your competence
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“What have you done to show your commitment to surgery?”
Tests: portfolio evidence beyond the minimum
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“Talk me through an audit you completed.”
Tests: closing the loop and what changed
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“Tell me about a time you led a team.”
Tests: leadership with a real example
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“How would you teach a medical student a surgical skill?”
Tests: teaching and structured explanation
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“A colleague keeps arriving late for theatre. How do you handle it?”
Tests: professionalism and constructive challenge
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“How do you deal with stress on a busy on-call?”
Tests: resilience and safe prioritisation
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“Where do you see yourself in ten years?”
Tests: a credible surgical career plan
Setup takes about two minutes.
Know what to change before the real interview
See where your answer lost its point, what was missing and what to try next. Your own words, with feedback on each question and scores across four skills.
Safe, but the structure arrived after the diagnosis.
“I think it’s probably an anastomotic leak, so I’d, um, get bloods and…”
Start with A to E and resuscitation, then the differentials, then who you call.
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“Tell me about a surgical complication you were involved in.”
Honest about your part. Finish on what changed in your practice.
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“You are asked to consent a patient for a procedure you have never seen. What do you do?”
Right call. Say who you would ask, and what you would tell the patient.
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“What have you done to show your commitment to surgery?”
Strong list. Pick one and say what it taught you.
Illustrative example. Your scores will differ.
“When the clinical scenario got difficult, I stopped explaining my priorities. Practising helped me keep talking through what I would do and when I’d escalate.”
One question, and what a strong answer does
An example of the kind of question you’ll be asked, and what the feedback looks for.
“You are on call and a patient two days after a bowel resection becomes tachycardic and hypotensive. Talk me through what you do.”
Follow-up: “Your registrar is scrubbed in theatre. Who do you call?”
What a strong answer does
- Starts with a structured A to E assessment and immediate resuscitation.
- Names the likely causes to rule out without jumping to one answer.
- Escalates early and says exactly who would be called if the registrar is unavailable.
- Communicates a clear plan to the nurse in charge and documents it.
What it costs
Spoken interview sessions on either plan, up to two hours of interviews a day.
Spoken interview sessions, up to two hours of interviews a day
A week of focused preparation when your interview is just days away.
Need more than a week? Two weekly payments total $25.98. From three weeks on, the monthly plan costs less.
Cancel at any time in Settings, with no cancellation fee. You keep access until the end of the period you paid for.
Before you ask
Is an AI good enough?
For the reps, yes. It asks, listens and follows up on what you actually said, up to two hours a day, at 2 a.m. or the night before. Then it scores four skills and quotes your own words back, so you know exactly which answer to fix.
Does it mark me the way the panel does?
No. It scores four skills of its own, with a note on every question. It does not reproduce the official mark scheme.
Voice only?
Yes, no camera. You practise saying it, which is the part that goes wrong under pressure. It does not grade body language.
How fast can I start?
Setup takes about two minutes and needs no account. You choose a plan before your first interview.
How it works
Set up in about two minutes, then interview out loud and see your scores.
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Add your CV and portfolio
Upload your CV or paste your portfolio summary. No account needed, and setup takes about two minutes.
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Interview out loud
Pick 10 minutes for one station, or 15 or 20 for a longer run. One AI consultant assessor asks and follows up.
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Get scored on four skills
Clinical reasoning, communication, judgement and teamwork, each scored, with your own words quoted back and a note on every question.
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Go again on the weak spot
Run the scenario or the management question again until your answer holds up under follow-up.
The night before
The same evening, two ways.
Without rehearsing
- You know the A to E. You’ve never said it out loud with someone interrupting.
- Your complication story still starts with the whole operating list.
- Your commitment to surgery is a list, not a reason.
After practising out loud
- You’ve talked through an acute scenario out loud, with a follow-up behind it.
- The complication is what happened, your part and what you changed.
- Your commitment to surgery is one reason, and the evidence for it.
Good to know
15 minutes by default
One station in 10 minutes, or a longer run in 15 or 20.
Voice only
Voice only: no camera and no video. Your spoken answers are transcribed so they can be scored on what you say.
Your interviewer’s accent
Your interviewer speaks with a British accent. You can change it in Settings.
Start practising before your interview date is confirmed.
Questions
What to know before you start practising.
Is the assessor a real person?
Does it use my camera or record video?
Does it check my portfolio score?
How long is a session?
What does it cost?
What doesn’t it cover?
Related interview practice
Updated on
Say the scenario out loud tonight, not for the first time in front of the panel.
10, 15 or 20 minutes, voice only, scored on four skills with a note on every question.