# Practising for Dermatology (ST3) with MedMock

Canonical page: https://medmock.com/exams/dermatology-st3

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

Physician Higher Specialty Training national ST3 interview for Dermatology, entered after the first two years of internal medicine training: three stations of about 7 minutes, each with its own pair of interviewers. Station 1 is research and academic medicine, Station 2 a clinical scenario scored for your clinical response and separately for communication, and Station 3 suitability and commitment. MedMock practises all three. MedMock lets you practise it out loud against an AI interview panel, with examiner-style feedback on any station you finish.

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

- 2025 recruitment round, NHS England figures for Dermatology ST3: 261 applications for 57 posts, a competition ratio of 4.58.
- The lead recruiter for dermatology is North West.
- The interview has three stations with a separate pair of interviewers at each, and three questions of 7 minutes each. It takes approximately 30-35 minutes including the time between stations.
- The first station is a research and academic medicine question. Applicants are given a research-based clinical scenario and a short time to consider it, then asked about the scenario and/or research methodology.
- The interview score is weighted: research/academic 2.5, clinical scenario 1.8, communication 1.2, and suitability and commitment 2.5, with a raw interview score out of 40.
- Commitment to specialty is not assessed at shortlisting. The application is scored purely through the self-assessment scoring framework, and commitment is assessed at interview.
- Dermatology also accepts applicants from paediatric and core surgical training routes. Applicants from these pathways must also have specific physician experience and capability.

Sources: https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/competition-ratios/2025-competition-ratios https://www.phstrecruitment.org.uk/specialties/dermatology

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 Dermatology (ST3) dates: https://medmock.com/exams/dermatology-st3#dates

## Stations you can practise

- **Station 1 – Research & academic medicine** — Station 1: on entering you are given a research-based clinical scenario and a short time to consider it, then asked about the scenario and research methodology. There is no presentation to prepare.
- **Station 2 – Clinical scenario** — Station 2: a clinical situation is read to you, then follow-on questions on diagnosis and management. One mark is for your clinical responses and a second for communication, with the people in the scenario and with the interviewers.
- **Station 3 – Suitability and commitment** — Station 3: questions on your suitability for and commitment to dermatology training, expanding on your application form.

## Sample Dermatology (ST3) questions

- *Station 2 – Clinical scenario:* A 30-year-old man presents with a single, asymptomatic, well-demarcated hairless patch on his scalp that appeared overnight. How would you manage this first presentation of alopecia areata?
- *Station 3 – Suitability and commitment:* What are the main pressures currently facing UK dermatology services, and how might these affect your training?

## Example scenarios

- *Station 1 – Research & academic medicine:* A patient with plaque psoriasis asks whether a treatment she has read about in a new trial would work for her. How would you judge whether that evidence applies to her, and how could the question be studied properly?
- *Station 2 – Clinical scenario:* A 42-year-old woman is admitted under medics on day 12 of co-trimoxazole for a UTI. She has a widespread dusky erythematous eruption with mucosal blistering, ~18% body-surface-area detachment and a positive Nikolsky sign. The medical registrar has called you. Talk me through your approach.

## 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 Dermatology 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