# Practising for Clinical Oncology (ST3) with MedMock

Canonical page: https://medmock.com/exams/clinical-oncology-st3

## What is the Clinical Oncology ST3 interview, and how do you practise for it?

Clinical Oncology ST3 national interview: three 10-minute stations rotated in no fixed order — a clinical station, an ethics and communication station (two ethics questions with communication scored throughout), and a portfolio station. MedMock lets you practise it out loud against an AI interview panel, with examiner-style feedback on any station you finish.

## About Clinical Oncology (ST3) recruitment (official sources, checked 2026-10-13)

- 2025 recruitment round, NHS England figures for Clinical Oncology ST3: 276 applications for 105 posts, a competition ratio of 2.63.
- Clinical oncology selection is a centralised process managed alongside the Royal College of Radiologists, with a single interview centre held online for all posts.
- Clinical oncology is not part of the national Physician Higher Specialty Training recruitment process. Its recruitment is coordinated by the London Recruitment Office.
- The online interview lasts approximately 30 minutes across 3 stations: clinical, ethics and communication, and portfolio. Each station has 2 questions, and the panel has 2 panellists.
- At the portfolio station the panel asks general portfolio and experience questions but does not have access to the applicant's portfolio evidence during the interview.
- For 2027 entry, applicants give a self-assessment score on Oriel and consultants review the uploaded evidence and can change the score. Verified evidence scores and interview scores are combined for the final ranking.
- Clinical oncology is entered at ST3 after completing Internal Medicine stage 1 (or equivalent). The curriculum is overseen by the Royal College of Radiologists and training typically lasts five years.
- Interviews for clinical oncology are online on 24 and 25 March 2027.

Sources: https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/competition-ratios/2025-competition-ratios https://www.phstrecruitment.org.uk/specialties/clinical-oncology https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/clinical-oncology/st3-clinical-oncology/clinical-oncology/overview-of-clinical-oncology https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/clinical-oncology/st3-clinical-oncology/clinical-oncology/interviews

Recruitment dates: Applications 19 November 2026 to 10 December 2026 (national Round 2); Interviews within the national Round 2 window, 11 January 2027 to 9 April 2027 (source: Physician Higher Specialty Training Recruitment (PHST), checked 2026-09-24).
All Clinical Oncology (ST3) dates: https://medmock.com/exams/clinical-oncology-st3#dates

## Stations you can practise

- **Clinical Scenario Station** — Two clinical questions from the panel in 10 minutes (NHS England publishes no reading time; about 5 minutes each). Acute oncology emergencies (MSCC, neutropenic sepsis, hypercalcaemia, SVCO, brain metastases), structured assessment, investigation, management and escalation.
- **Ethics and Communication Station** — Two ethics questions put to you in the room, with communication scored throughout — for example capacity, consent, confidentiality, raising concerns and end-of-life decisions.
- **Portfolio Station** — Questions on your training, achievements, audit and quality improvement, research, teaching, leadership and commitment to clinical oncology, each asking for a specific example.

## Sample Clinical Oncology (ST3) questions

- *Ethics and Communication Station:* A patient with hypercalcaemia who has become confused is refusing IV fluids and trying to leave the ward. A nurse suggests using the Mental Health Act. How would you proceed?
- *Portfolio Station:* What experience do you have of acute oncology, and how has it shaped your understanding of the on-call commitment in this specialty?

## Example scenarios

- *Clinical Scenario Station:* A 60-year-old man with metastatic prostate cancer presents with progressive lower-limb weakness and acute urinary retention. Discuss your immediate management.
- *Ethics and Communication Station:* Discuss capacity assessment in a 70-year-old refusing palliative chemotherapy when her daughter is pushing for treatment.

## 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, £69 per month for 350 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 Clinical Oncology ST3 stations?

Yes. You can pick any of the 3 stations 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