# Practising for ACCS Internal Medicine (CT1) with MedMock

Canonical page: https://medmock.com/exams/accs-internal-medicine-ct1

## What is the ACCS Internal Medicine CT1 interview, and how do you practise for it?

The ACCS Internal Medicine CT1 interview assesses how you reason and communicate under pressure in front of interviewers. The most effective preparation is rehearsing your answers out loud to realistic questions — with MedMock you practise against an AI interviewer who asks the demanding follow-ups and get instant feedback.

An illustrative example station, written by MedMock with example feedback, is at https://medmock.com/exams/accs-internal-medicine-ct1/example

## About this exam

The national Internal Medicine Training (IMT) interview, which ACCS Internal Medicine CT1 applicants also take: two 11-minute stations, each scored by two interviewers. Station 1 covers your application and suitability for internal medicine training, opened by a two-minute presentation on your achievements, then an ethical, professionalism and governance scenario. In Station 2 the panel reads you a short clinical scenario (there is no reading time), then asks questions on it, and you give a one-minute handover of the patient. Communication is marked in both stations. To be appointable you need no score of 1, no more than two scores of 2, and a raw interview score of at least 42 out of 70.

## What happens in the real ACCS Internal Medicine (CT1) (checked against the official source on 2026-09-26)

Applicants to ACCS Internal Medicine CT1 posts sit the national Internal Medicine Training (IMT) interview, which in the 2026 recruitment round was held online on Qpercom Recruit and had two stations of 11 minutes each, lasting about 30 minutes including the time between stations. Each station has its own pair of scoring interviewers, and you are scored on seven areas, each marked 1 to 5 by both interviewers.

- **Station 1: application, suitability, ethics and communication** (11 minutes): Opens with a two-minute presentation giving an overview of your achievements most relevant to becoming an internal medicine trainee, then questions on your suitability for IMT (six minutes in all), followed by an ethical, professionalism and governance scenario given verbally, lasting up to five minutes. Your communication is also marked across the whole station.
- **Station 2: clinical scenario and patient handover** (11 minutes): A brief clinical scenario (a few sentences) is read to you as you enter the station, followed by up to ten minutes of questions, with extra information or data possibly given as it progresses; you then give a one-minute handover of the patient to a colleague. You are not required to read scenarios, although some may include written data or graphics such as ECGs.

Marking: Two interviewers independently mark each of seven areas from 1 to 5, giving 14 marks and a raw interview score out of 70; 3/5 is considered satisfactory. The areas are application and achievements, suitability for IMT, the ethical, professionalism and governance question and communication in Station 1, and investigations/diagnosis/management, communication and handover in Station 2. Weighted scores are then combined into a total out of 96, used for ranking.

Passing: To be appointable you must have no score of 1/5, no more than two scores of 2/5, and a raw interview score of 42 or above.

Sources: https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/interview/interview-structure-and-content https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/interview/interview-scoring https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/interview https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/about-imt/about-accs https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/news/changes-to-the-2026-imt-recruitment-process https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/news/imt-2027-website-update-in-the-autumn https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/person-specifications/person-specifications-2026/acute-care-common-stem-accs-internal-medicine-ct1-2026 https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/person-specifications/person-specifications-2026/acute-internal-medicine-st4-2026
Full format page: https://medmock.com/exams/accs-internal-medicine-ct1/format

## How to prepare for the ACCS Internal Medicine (CT1) interview (facts checked against official sources on 2026-09-27)

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.

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. **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. **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. **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. **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. **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. **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:

- IMT Recruitment: About ACCS (https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/about-imt/about-accs): What the ACCS-IM programme involves and how it differs from the other ACCS streams.
- IMT Recruitment: Structure & content (https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/interview/interview-structure-and-content): The official description of both interview stations, including the presentation guidance.
- IMT Recruitment: Interview scoring (https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/interview/interview-scoring): The scoring frameworks, appointability rules and weightings.
- IMT Recruitment: Programme preferences (https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/offers-and-beyond/post-programme-preferences): How ACCS-IM and IMT programmes are ranked together at the preferences stage.
- ACCS Internal Medicine CT1 2027 person specification (https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/person-specifications/person-specifications-2027/acute-care-common-stem-accs-internal-medicine-ct1-2027): The eligibility and selection criteria for the 2027 round.
- ACCS curriculum (https://www.accs.ac.uk/accs-curriculum): The 2021 ACCS curriculum for the first two years of the programme.
- GMC Good medical practice (https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/the-professional-standards/good-medical-practice): The principles the ethics, professionalism and governance question is assessed against.

Common mistakes examiners report:

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

Sources: https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/about-imt/about-accs https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/interview https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/interview/interview-structure-and-content https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/interview/interview-scoring https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/interview/preparing-for-interview https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/planning-your-application/assessment-methods https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/recruitment-process/offers-and-beyond/post-programme-preferences https://www.imtrecruitment.org.uk/news/imt-2027-website-update-in-the-autumn https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/person-specifications/person-specifications-2027/acute-care-common-stem-accs-internal-medicine-ct1-2027 https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/overview-of-specialty-training/recruitment-timelines https://www.thefederation.uk/training/specialties/acute-care-common-stem-medicine https://www.accs.ac.uk/accs-curriculum https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/the-professional-standards/good-medical-practice
Full guide: https://medmock.com/exams/accs-internal-medicine-ct1/prepare

Recruitment dates: Applications 22 October 2026 to 19 November 2026 (national Round 1); Interviews within the national Round 1 window, 11 January 2027 to 2 April 2027 (source: IMT Recruitment (IMT and ACCS Internal Medicine), checked 2026-09-24).
All ACCS Internal Medicine (CT1) dates: https://medmock.com/exams/accs-internal-medicine-ct1/dates

## Stations you can practise

- **Station 1 – Application, Suitability & Ethical Scenario** — Question 1 (about 6 minutes): a two-minute presentation on your achievements most relevant to training in internal medicine, then questions on your application and suitability for IMT. Question 2 (up to 5 minutes): a hypothetical ethical, professionalism or governance scenario, answered with reference to GMC Good Medical Practice. Communication is marked across the station.
- **Station 2 – Clinical Scenario & Patient Handover** — The panel reads you a brief clinical scenario as the station starts (there is no reading time), then asks questions on your next steps, differential diagnoses, treatment, further information and communication, and a one-minute handover of the patient to a colleague. Communication is marked across the station.

## Sample ACCS Internal Medicine (CT1) questions

- *Station 1 – Application, Suitability & Ethical Scenario:* Tell us about a patient-safety concern you raised and explain what you learned.
- *Station 2 – Clinical Scenario & Patient Handover:* You are the foundation doctor on the acute medical unit. A 60-year-old woman has become suddenly short of breath with oxygen saturations of 82%. What are your next steps? Then hand her over to the medical registrar.

## Example scenarios

- *Station 2 – Clinical Scenario & Patient Handover:* You are the foundation doctor on the acute medical unit. A 60-year-old woman has become suddenly short of breath with oxygen saturations of 82%. What are your next steps? Then hand her over to the medical registrar.
- *Station 1 – Application, Suitability & Ethical Scenario:* Give an overview of your achievements to date most relevant to training in internal medicine. Later: a colleague asks you to countersign a controlled drug entry you did not witness. What would you do?

## How a practice session works

1. **Choose a station** — Choose the kind of question or scenario you want to rehearse — ethics, motivation, a role-play, and more.
2. **Have the conversation** — Speak naturally, out loud. The AI interviewer listens and asks the demanding follow-ups, just as a real interviewer would.
3. **Get instant feedback** — The moment you finish, you get specific, examiner-style feedback and a score — what you did well, what cost you marks, and precisely what to fix before the next attempt.

## Price

Free trial of 30 credits, no card required. After that, £45 per month for 300 credits. One credit is one minute of spoken practice, or two typed exchanges, and where the examiner or patient speaks first, that opening line is free. Marking is separate: your examiner scorecard costs 2 credits, and you choose whether to mark each session. Cancel at any time. Full details: https://medmock.com/pricing

## Frequently asked questions

### How realistic is MedMock's ACCS Internal Medicine CT1 practice?

Every scenario is built around the real ACCS Internal Medicine CT1 interview format and the domains examiners assess. You speak out loud and the AI interviewer asks genuine follow-ups, so it feels far closer to the day than reading notes or rehearsing silently.

### How does the feedback work?

When you finish a station you can have it marked, and the scorecard comes back in seconds — what you did well, what cost you marks, and exactly what to work on next. Marking costs 2 credits on top of the practice, you choose which stations to mark, and the price is shown before you are charged.

### Can I practise specific ACCS Internal Medicine CT1 stations?

Yes. You can pick either station to drill a weak area, or run a mixed set to simulate the real interview.

### Do I need a study partner or a fixed time slot?

No. That is the point — MedMock is available 24/7 and you practise alone, out loud, whenever it suits you. No coordinating diaries, no waiting for a course date.

### Is MedMock right for me if I am sitting the ACCS Internal Medicine CT1?

If your ACCS Internal Medicine CT1 interview involves speaking — thinking on your feet in front of interviewers — then spoken rehearsal is exactly what MedMock is built for.

### How much does it cost?

Far less than a one-off interview course. Every plan includes a monthly credit allowance, and everyone starts with a free trial — no card required — so you can see how it works before paying. See current options on our pricing page.

## About MedMock

MedMock is a web app for practising the spoken parts of UK medical exams and interviews out loud. The candidate talks; an AI patient, examiner or interview panel answers in real time by voice; and when the station ends MedMock marks the performance against that exam's assessment domains and shows the model answer.

It covers 98 spoken exams and interviews — OSCEs, vivas, structured oral exams, simulated consultations, and specialty-training and consultant interviews. It does not cover written or multiple-choice papers, and it is not a question bank.

It was founded by Mr Sam Nahas, MBBS BSc MEd FRCS (Tr & Orth), a practising consultant orthopaedic surgeon in the UK, with co-founder and CTO Arjan Jandu. It is operated by VirtualPatients Ltd (company no. 16303492).

Pricing: a free trial of 30 credits with no card required, then a monthly subscription from £20 to £129 depending on the exam (student exams cost least, fellowship exit exams and consultant interviews most), or £199 to £275 for the Intensive plans, which carry more credits. One credit is one minute of spoken practice, or two typed exchanges, and where the examiner or patient speaks first, that opening line is free. Marking is separate: your examiner scorecard costs 2 credits, and you choose whether to mark each session. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time.

It runs in a web browser on a laptop or phone; spoken practice needs a microphone. There is no public demo: practice starts after creating a free account.

MedMock is for adults aged 18 or over. Sign-up asks every new account to confirm it.

MedMock is a revision tool. The patients, examiners and cases are fictional and AI-generated; it is not clinical guidance and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any Royal College, the GMC or any examining body.

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