Neurosurgery (ST1 & ST2)
Walk into your Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2 interview already knowing how you will answer
Rehearse for your Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2 interview against an AI interviewer who challenges your answers. Get feedback on any session you finish, in seconds.
What is the Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2 interview, and how do you practise for it?
Neurosurgery ST1 and ST2 national recruitment interview (National Recruitment Office for ST1 & ST2 Neurosurgery, NHS England), held online: four 15-minute stations — Clinical, Management, Telephone Referrals, and Motivation and Understanding of Specialty. Before each station there are 5 minutes of reading time when a document is shared. The applicant handbook names the stations but does not describe their content, so the practice questions here are MedMock's own. Applicants are appointable at 65% of the marks available at ST1 and 74% at ST2. Here one examiner voice speaks for the panel. MedMock lets you practise it out loud against an AI interview panel, with examiner-style feedback on any station you finish.
Last updated 29 October 2026
About Neurosurgery (ST1 & ST2) recruitment
Neurosurgery ST1, 2025 recruitment round (Round 1). NHS England competition ratios
- The National Recruitment Office for ST1 and ST2 Neurosurgery is NHS England North East and Yorkshire. It recruits to posts across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
- For 2027, the Neurosurgery interview is split into four 15-minute stations: Clinical, Management, Telephone Referrals, and Motivation and Understanding of Specialty. Each has 5 minutes of reading time first.
- All 2027 Neurosurgery interviews are held online via Qpercom VIDs.
- Neurosurgery applicants are shortlisted on a combined score of their validated self-assessment score and their MSRA score. The MSRA accounts for 40% of the total shortlisting score.
- Applicants answer multiple-choice self-assessment questions in the application form and upload evidence. A panel of clinicians verifies the responses against that evidence.
- All Neurosurgery ST1 and ST2 applicants must sit the MSRA in the first recruitment round of the recruitment year, with no exceptions or exemptions.
- For 2027 recruitment, a new self-assessment process is being introduced into shortlisting for national Neurosurgery ST1 and ST2 recruitment.
Checked on 13 October 2026 against 2027 National Neurosurgery Applicant Handbook (NHS England North East and Yorkshire) and National Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2 Recruitment (Yorkshire and Humber deanery). Recruitment changes each year: confirm on the official pages before you apply.
Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2 interview practice, on demand
MedMock gives you an AI interviewer who challenges your answers, available 24/7. Pick a station, have a spoken conversation, and ask for examiner-style feedback when you finish, scored against what genuinely matters in the Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2.
How it works
Choose a station
Choose the kind of question or scenario you want to rehearse — ethics, motivation, a role-play, and more.
Have the conversation
Speak naturally, out loud. The AI interviewer listens and asks the demanding follow-ups, just as a real interviewer would.
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.
Practise every scenario
MedMock covers the stations you will face in the Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2 interview. Rehearse each one until it feels routine.
Clinical Station
A written clinical scenario read during the reading time, then a 15-minute discussion with the panel. Here the panel asks about your interpretation of the case, differential diagnosis, investigations and initial management.
Management Station
A written management scenario read during the reading time, then a 15-minute discussion with the panel. Here the scenario asks you to prioritise and manage competing clinical and organisational demands.
Telephone Referrals Station
You are the neurosurgical SHO on call taking a telephone referral from another hospital's doctor: gather the key information, give safe interim advice, and decide on transfer and escalation.
Motivation and Understanding of Specialty Station
Questions on your motivation for neurosurgery and your understanding of the specialty: the training pathway, the realities of the job, your experience and your resilience.
Sample Neurosurgery (ST1 & ST2) interview questions
Two questions from the topics that come up most in MedMock's Neurosurgery (ST1 & ST2) bank.
“A 28-year-old man fell from height 1 hour ago. GCS 15 but complete sensorimotor loss below T1 dermatome, priapism, hypotensive 86/50 mmHg, HR 52. Cervical CT shows a C5 burst fracture with retropulsion. Discuss the case.”
“You are the on-call neurosurgical SHO. An FY1 colleague on your team has been observed by the anaesthetist to look exhausted, has snapped at theatre nursing staff, and has missed a routine VTE prescription on the ward. Walk me through how you handle this.”
Example scenarios
A sample of the Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2 scenarios you can practise, each as a spoken conversation.
“You are the on-call neurosurgical SHO. A 62-year-old man on apixaban arrives with GCS 10, a fixed right pupil, and a 14 mm right acute subdural haematoma with 8 mm of midline shift. Walk me through your differential, investigations, and immediate management.”
“You are the on-call neurosurgical SHO at 21:00 with one emergency theatre, one anaesthetist and no HDU bed. Rank the following five patients in order of priority and justify: a Hunt-and-Hess II subarachnoid haemorrhage, an open depressed skull fracture with CSF leak, an intracerebral haemorrhage at GCS 9, a cauda equina with retention, and an anticoagulated chronic-on-acute subdural.”
“An emergency department registrar at a district general hospital calls about a 70-year-old on warfarin with a falling GCS after a fall. Take the referral and advise.”
“What have you done to test that neurosurgery is right for you, and what do you understand about the realities of training?”
Neurosurgery (ST1 & ST2) recruitment dates 2026–27
The next Neurosurgery (ST1 & ST2) recruitment date we hold is: Applications 22 October 2026 to 19 November 2026 (national Round 1). Checked against NHS England Medical Specialty Recruitment on 24 September 2026.
Open now: Applications 22 October 2026 to 19 November 2026 (national Round 1)
Neurosurgery (ST1 & ST2) is recruited through NHS England’s national recruitment round 1, which the national timeline says is for CT1/ST1 posts. Applications are made on Oriel.
Recruitment dates change. MedMock is not affiliated with NHS England Medical Specialty Recruitment; confirm every date, application window and venue on the official site before you apply. NHS England Medical Specialty Recruitment
Neurosurgery (ST1 & ST2) practice — your questions answered
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 Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2 stations?
Yes. You can pick any of the 4 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.
Formats change from year to year: check the official candidate guidance or applicant handbook from the body that runs your exam or interview (the Royal Colleges, NHS England, the GMC and others) for your sitting.
Ready for your Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2 interview?
Rehearse real Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2 scenarios out loud and get instant, examiner-style feedback.
- Instant, personalised feedback
- Real voice-to-voice conversation
- Repeatable attempts, a different run every time
Related exams to practise
Be ready for your Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2 interview before you walk in
Start with the £5 taster, a one-off payment for 30 credits: practise Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2 interview scenarios out loud and get any of them marked when you are ready.
Practise your Neurosurgery ST1 & ST2 interview