Internal Medicine Training (CT1) practice

How to prepare for the Internal Medicine Training (CT1) interview

Your IMT ranking comes from the interview alone, so prepare every scored area of the two 11-minute online stations, as published for 2026 and expected to be largely unchanged for 2027: a two-minute presentation on your achievements, questions on your suitability for internal medicine, an ethics, professionalism and governance scenario, a clinical scenario read aloud to you and a one-minute handover. Communication is marked in both stations, and to be appointable you need no score of 1, no more than two scores of 2 and a raw score of at least 42 out of 70.

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

Step by step

  1. 1

    Plan the two-minute achievements presentation

    Station 1 opens with a two-minute overview of your achievements most relevant to training in internal medicine. IMT Recruitment advises headlines with brief descriptions, and gives credit for achievements showing skills transferable to IMT even if they were not gained in physician-related activity. You are stopped at two minutes, and slides and screen sharing are not allowed.

  2. 2

    Prepare for questions on your application and suitability

    Next you are asked about your suitability to be an internal medicine trainee, which may include clarifying questions about your achievements and application. Suitability is scored on knowledge and enthusiasm for medicine and commitment to a career as a physician, so review your application form beforehand and prepare specific examples rather than general statements.

  3. 3

    Practise ethics and governance scenarios using Good Medical Practice

    The ethics, professionalism and governance question starts with a hypothetical situation given verbally and lasts up to five minutes. It is not a clinical question: it deals with the moral, ethical and legal issues, may be followed by questions on GMC Good Medical Practice and is assessed against its principles. Practise talking such scenarios through aloud.

  4. 4

    Practise clinical scenarios you hear rather than read

    In Station 2 a brief scenario of a few sentences is read to you, and you may make notes while it is read. Up to ten minutes of questions can cover next steps, differential diagnoses, treatments, further information and how you would communicate with patients, family or colleagues, and data such as an ECG may be added. Ask a colleague to read you acute medical scenarios and question you.

  5. 5

    Rehearse the one-minute handover

    The station ends with a one-minute handover spoken as if to the colleague receiving the patient, scored on relaying information clearly, concisely and accurately. Practise fitting the patient, your working diagnosis, what has been done and what is outstanding into the minute.

  6. 6

    Treat communication as scored throughout

    Station 1's communication mark covers the clarity and structure of your presentation and how you communicate in every answer; Station 2's covers how you would communicate in the scenario and with the interviewers. Each communication mark has a weighting of 1.6, as high as any area.

  7. 7

    Aim for consistency across all seven areas

    Each area is marked 1 to 5 by two interviewers, and 3/5 is performance at the level expected during F2. The appointability rules are designed so that outstanding answers in one area cannot make up for weak ones elsewhere, so practise your weakest area as much as your strongest. The format page sets out all seven areas.

  8. 8

    Set up for Qpercom Recruit

    There is no blur-background feature, so choose a quiet, well-lit room with nothing distracting behind you, and test your camera and microphone with another person. Have your passport ready, or a photo-card driving licence if you have no passport, for the identity check.

Official resources

Common mistakes examiners report

  • 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: blatant or persistent over-claiming leads to a probity investigation and can make you not appointable. source
  • Using AI tools during the interview: applicants found doing so are disqualified and may be referred to their regulator. source

Practise with MedMock

MedMock runs both IMT stations by voice: Station 1 opens with your two-minute presentation, then questions on your application and suitability and an ethics, professionalism and governance scenario given verbally; in Station 2 a brief clinical scenario is read to you, followed by up to ten minutes of questions and your one-minute handover. One examiner asks the questions rather than a pair. There is a worked example of Station 2.

Practise your Internal Medicine Training CT1 interview Free trial, no card needed.

Questions candidates ask

Does my self-assessment score count towards my ranking?

No. It is used only for shortlisting, and the interview alone gives the total score used for ranking. Your achievements still count at interview through the application and achievements score, which takes your personal circumstances into account.

Can I use notes?

You may use notes for your own use during the presentation, and you may make notes while the Station 2 scenario is read to you. Notes must be destroyed as soon as the interview ends and must not be shared.

How long should I prepare?

IMT Recruitment sets no preparation time and says it is not really possible to 'revise' for the interview, though you should review your application form, experience and achievements. It helps to rehearse the presentation and several scenarios out loud with colleagues before your interview date.

Is anything changing for 2027?

IMT Recruitment says its site describes 2026 recruitment, will be updated for 2027 in autumn 2026 and that the process will be largely unchanged. Prioritisation will apply at shortlisting and offers, and the extra shortlisting points for IMT-only applicants have been removed. The national 2027 round mainly for CT1/ST1 posts takes applications from 22 October to 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.