# Practising for Palliative Medicine (ST4) with MedMock

Canonical page: https://medmock.com/exams/palliative-medicine-st4

## What is the Palliative Medicine ST4 interview, and how do you practise for it?

Palliative Medicine ST4 national recruitment interview: two 15-minute stations with four scored questions. Station 1 is suitability and commitment, then medical registrar suitability opened by a one-minute presentation. Station 2 is an ethical scenario played out as a role play with a simulated patient or relative after five minutes with a short written briefing, a reflection on it for the interviewers, then an ethics, professionalism and clinical governance question given verbally. MedMock lets you practise it out loud against an AI interview panel, with examiner-style feedback on any station you finish.

## About Palliative Medicine (ST4) recruitment (official sources, checked 2026-10-13)

- 2025 recruitment round, NHS England figures for Palliative Medicine ST4: 136 applications for 58 posts, a competition ratio of 2.34.
- Palliative medicine has been a Group 1 specialty since 2022, with doctors dual accrediting with Internal Medicine, so applicants must show evidence of stage 1 IM capabilities through an accredited training programme or Alternative Certificate.
- Palliative medicine training is four years, including a maximum of 12 months in relevant Internal Medicine posts delivered in three-to-six-month blocks, with participation in the acute unselected take.
- The Midlands is the lead recruiter for palliative medicine.
- The palliative medicine interview has four questions of 5 to 8 minutes, with the ethical scenario split into two areas to give five scoring areas. Each station lasts 15 minutes, and the interview takes approximately 40 minutes.
- In the ethical scenario, applicants review the scenario for five minutes, then take part in an 8-minute role play with an experienced actor. The actor gives feedback to the panel on communication and professionalism, which contributes to the score.
- Palliative medicine assesses commitment to specialty as part of shortlisting.

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

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 Palliative Medicine (ST4) dates: https://medmock.com/exams/palliative-medicine-st4#dates

## Stations you can practise

- **Station 1 — Commitment and Registrar Suitability** — Question 1: your suitability for and commitment to palliative medicine, achievements and engagement with training. Question 2: medical registrar suitability, opened by a one-minute summary of your experience of the acute unselected take.
- **Station 2 — Ethical Scenario and Governance** — Question 3: five minutes to prepare from a short written briefing, then an 8-minute role play with a simulated patient or relative in an ethical scenario with a palliative theme, then 2 minutes reflecting on it for the interviewers. Question 4: an ethics, professionalism and clinical governance question given verbally.

## Sample Palliative Medicine (ST4) questions

- *Station 1 — Commitment and Registrar Suitability:* What experience do you have of advance care planning discussions, and what did you learn from them?
- *Station 1 — Commitment and Registrar Suitability:* Tell us about an audit you have completed and what came of it.

## Example scenarios

- *Station 1 — Commitment and Registrar Suitability:* Tell us what drew you to palliative medicine and what you have done to test that choice; then give us your one-minute summary of leading the acute take.
- *Station 2 — Ethical Scenario and Governance:* You are about to speak with the daughter of an 83-year-old woman who is in the last days of life on a medical ward. She would like her mother's subcutaneous fluids stopped, but her brother wants them continued.

## 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 Palliative Medicine ST4 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