ACCS Acute Medicine (CT1) practice

How to prepare for the ACCS Acute Medicine (CT1) interview

ACCS Internal Medicine (ACCS-IM) is recruited through the same application and interview as Internal Medicine Training, so you prepare for the national IMT interview, as published for 2026 and expected to be largely unchanged for 2027: two 11-minute online stations covering a two-minute achievements presentation, your suitability for internal medicine, an ethics scenario, a clinical scenario read aloud to you and a one-minute handover. The ACCS-specific work comes before and after it: be sure the four-year ACCS-IM route is what you want, and choose your programme preferences with care.

What happens in the ACCS Acute Medicine (CT1) interview: parts, timings and marking An example ACCS Acute Medicine (CT1) station, with example feedback ACCS Acute Medicine (CT1) recruitment dates

Step by step

  1. 1

    Know what ACCS-IM involves

    ACCS-IM replaced ACCS Acute Medicine in August 2021. It is a four-year programme: in the first two years you normally spend six months each in acute medicine, emergency medicine, anaesthetics and critical care, and years three and four are the equivalent of IMT years 2 and 3. Completing it fulfils the Internal Medicine Stage 1 curriculum and allows entry to Group 1 and Group 2 physician specialties.

  2. 2

    Think about ACCS-IM versus IMT early

    IMT Recruitment advises choosing your ACCS pathway with care, because switching between ACCS career paths needs a further competitive selection. At the preferences stage you can rank only ACCS-IM posts, only IMT posts or any mix, but not all regions have ACCS-IM programmes.

  3. 3

    Prepare the same interview as IMT applicants

    The interview is the same whichever posts you want, so use the format page for timings and prepare all seven scored areas. Each is marked 1 to 5 by two interviewers, and to be appointable you need no 1/5, no more than two 2/5 and a raw score of at least 42 out of 70.

  4. 4

    Build the presentation around transferable achievements

    Your two-minute presentation is an overview of achievements most relevant to training in internal medicine. Credit is given for transferable skills even if they were not gained in physician-related activity, so achievements from emergency medicine, critical care or outside medicine can count if they show those skills. You are stopped at two minutes, and slides are not allowed.

  5. 5

    Link your interest in acute care to a career in medicine

    Suitability is scored on knowledge and enthusiasm for medicine and commitment to a career as a physician, the same criteria as for IMT applicants. Prepare specific examples that show that commitment, including what draws you to the acute side of medicine.

  6. 6

    Practise ethics scenarios using Good Medical Practice

    The ethics, professionalism and governance question is a hypothetical situation given verbally, lasting up to five minutes and assessed against GMC Good Medical Practice. It is not a clinical question, so practise identifying the moral, ethical and legal issues out loud.

  7. 7

    Practise the clinical scenario and handover together

    In Station 2 a brief scenario is read to you and you may make notes while it is read. Questions can cover next steps, differential diagnoses, treatment, further information and communication, then you give a one-minute handover scored on clear, concise and accurate information. Rehearse both parts with a colleague reading the scenario.

Official resources

Common mistakes examiners report

  • Choosing an ACCS pathway without thinking it through: moving to another ACCS stream later needs a further competitive selection. source
  • Running over two minutes or preparing slides: the presentation is stopped at two minutes, and visual aids and screen sharing are not allowed. source
  • Changing your answers to match other candidates' accounts: IMT Recruitment says questions change regularly and advises against it. source
  • Over-claiming on your application: it can make you not appointable and, in very serious cases, be reported to the GMC. source

Practise with MedMock

MedMock practises the national IMT interview that ACCS-IM applicants take, by voice: Station 1 with your two-minute achievements presentation, questions on your application and suitability and an ethics, professionalism and governance scenario, and Station 2 with a short clinical scenario read to you, questions on it and a one-minute handover of the patient. There is a worked example of Station 2, set on an acute medical unit night shift.

Practise your ACCS Acute Medicine CT1 interview Free trial, no card needed.

Questions candidates ask

Is the ACCS-IM interview different from the IMT interview?

No. ACCS-IM and IMT are recruited through the same application and interview, and the interview is the same whether you want ACCS-IM posts, IMT posts or both.

Does the interview decide my ranking?

Yes. Your self-assessment score is used only for shortlisting, and the interview alone gives the total score used to rank candidates for offers.

Can I move from ACCS-IM to emergency medicine or anaesthetics later?

Not without a further competitive selection process. The first two years share a common ACCS curriculum and competences are transferable, but IMT Recruitment advises choosing your initial pathway with care.

What can I apply for after ACCS-IM?

Completing all four years fulfils the Internal Medicine Stage 1 curriculum and allows entry to Group 1 and Group 2 physician specialties; completing the third year allows entry to Group 2 specialties only.

Is anything changing for 2027?

IMT Recruitment says the process will be largely unchanged and its site will be updated in autumn 2026. The five shortlisting points given in 2026 to applicants who applied only to the joint IMT/ACCS-IM vacancy have been removed, and prioritisation will apply at shortlisting and offers. National applications for the 2027 round mainly for CT1/ST1 posts open on 22 October 2026 and close at 4pm on 19 November 2026.

Sources

Checked on 27 September 2026.

Exams and their regulations change. MedMock is not affiliated with any examining body; always check the current guidance on the official site before you apply.