# Practising for Cardiothoracic Surgery (ST1) with MedMock

Canonical page: https://medmock.com/exams/cardiothoracic-surgery-st1

## What is the Cardiothoracic Surgery ST1 interview, and how do you practise for it?

National recruitment to run-through Cardiothoracic Surgery ST1, coordinated by NHS England – Wessex. The online interview on Qpercom Recruit has two stations of about 25 minutes: five structured questions, and three communication-skills questions. The question areas are given only to invited applicants, and no marking domains or pass mark are published; your verified self-assessment score carries into the final score. MedMock lets you practise it out loud against an AI interview panel, with examiner-style feedback on any station you finish.

## About Cardiothoracic Surgery (ST1) recruitment (official sources, checked 2026-10-13)

- 2025 recruitment round, NHS England figures for Cardiothoracic Surgery ST1: 737 applications for 10 posts, a competition ratio of 73.70.
- For 2027 Cardiothoracic Surgery recruitment, applications open at 10:00am on 22 October 2026 and close at 4:00pm on 19 November 2026. Interviews are on 22 and 23 February 2027.
- Cardiothoracic Surgery recruitment for 2027 follows the Round 1 timetable. The Wessex page states that the August 2026 intake was the last year of recruitment to ST4 Thoracic Surgery posts.
- Applicants to Cardiothoracic Surgery must have 18 months or less combined experience in cardiac and/or thoracic surgery, congenital cardiac surgery and cardiothoracic transplantation by the closing date.
- All post-Foundation experience in these specialties counts towards the combined limit, whatever the post level, whether paid or unpaid, and in any country.
- Applicants must not hold, or be eligible to hold, a Certificate of Completion of Training, or already be eligible for the specialist register for this specialty.
- The 2027 Cardiothoracic Surgery person specification adds one essential criterion: recognising and initially managing an acutely ill patient.

Sources: https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/competition-ratios/2025-competition-ratios https://wessex.hee.nhs.uk/medical-dental-training-recruitment/core-and-specialty/cardiothoracic-surgery-st1-st4-national-recruitment/ https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/person-specifications/person-specifications-2027/cardiothoracic-surgery-st1-2027

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: NHS England Medical Specialty Recruitment, checked 2026-09-24).
All Cardiothoracic Surgery (ST1) dates: https://medmock.com/exams/cardiothoracic-surgery-st1#dates

## Stations you can practise

- **5 Structured Questions** — About 25 minutes of five structured questions from the panel. The areas are not published; here they cover clinical judgement and decision-making, team working, reflection, working under pressure, and your audit, research and teaching.
- **3 communications skills questions** — About 25 minutes of three communication-skills questions from the panel, with no role-player. Here they cover consent, breaking bad news, and difficult conversations or disagreement.

## Sample Cardiothoracic Surgery (ST1) questions

- *5 Structured Questions:* Present your motivation for ST1 training in cardiothoracic surgery.
- *3 communications skills questions:* Discuss your approach to consent for emergency cardiac surgery.

## Example scenarios

- *5 Structured Questions:* Tell us about a time you worked under significant pressure during your training so far — what did you do, what was the outcome, and what did you learn that you would apply as a cardiothoracic trainee?
- *3 communications skills questions:* How would you obtain consent for a high-risk redo CABG in an 80-year-old with reduced cognitive reserve? Walk us through your approach and how you would handle a family member who disagreed with the patient's wishes.

## 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

Start with a one-off £5 taster: 30 credits (30 minutes of speaking practice), not a subscription. After that, or instead, £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. Examiner scorecards, mark schemes and model answers for finished sessions are included at no extra credit cost. Cancel at any time. Full details: https://medmock.com/pricing

## Frequently asked questions

### 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. Scorecards, mark schemes and model answers are included at no extra credit cost.

### Can I practise specific Cardiothoracic Surgery ST1 stations?

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

### How much does it cost?

You can start with a one-off £5 taster: 30 credits, which is 30 minutes of speaking practice, with no subscription. After that, or at any time, you can choose a monthly plan, which includes a monthly credit allowance. Current prices are on the pricing page.

## About MedMock

MedMock is a web app for practising the spoken parts of UK medical and dental 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 104 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 one-off £5 taster of 30 credits to try it (not a subscription, one per account), and 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. Examiner scorecards, mark schemes and model answers for finished sessions are included at no extra credit cost. 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 needs an account with credits, usually from the taster or a monthly plan.

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, the GDC or any examining body.

Start with the £5 taster: https://medmock.com/auth/signup