Plastic Surgery (ST3)
Walk into your Plastic Surgery ST3 interview already knowing how you will answer
Rehearse for your Plastic Surgery ST3 interview against an AI interviewer who challenges your answers. Get feedback on any session you finish, in seconds.
What is the Plastic Surgery ST3 interview, and how do you practise for it?
Plastic Surgery ST3 national recruitment interview, run online by NHS England: three 10-minute sections with no breaks, 30 minutes in all. OSCE and Communications is a 5-minute consent task, then a 5-minute communication task, with a role-player; Clinical Scenario is a discussion of two cases; the Structured Interview asks two or three questions on your achievements beyond clinical practice. Every section is scored from 0 (no evidence) to 5 (outstanding), and the final score weights the OSCE 30%, Clinical Scenario 25%, Structured Interview 25% and your portfolio 20%. 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 Plastic Surgery (ST3) recruitment
Plastic Surgery ST3, 2025 recruitment round (Round 2). NHS England competition ratios
The official pages have not yet been updated for the next round. Most of what follows describes the previous recruitment round.
- The Plastic Surgery ST3 interview was one 30-minute station with multiple panel members and three sections, with no break between questions.
- The first Plastic Surgery interview section combined two 5-minute OSCE tasks, consent and communication; the second was a 10-minute section with two clinical scenarios, and the third a 10-minute structured interview of 2 or 3 questions.
- Plastic Surgery interview sections were scored from 0 (no evidence) to 5 (outstanding).
- The weighted Plastic Surgery score was made up of the structured interview (25%), clinical scenario (25%), OSCE (30%) and portfolio (20%).
- For 2026 entry, Plastic Surgery reduced the number of self-assessment domains from 17 to 11, with reduced surgical components for Skin, Hands and Burns.
- Plastic Surgery consultants verified the self-assessment evidence to produce a verified evidence score, and the highest scoring applicants were then invited to a remote interview.
- Plastic Surgery ST3 recruitment in England, Scotland and Wales is a nationally coordinated process hosted by the London Recruitment Office.
Checked on 13 October 2026 against Plastic Surgery - Interviews, Plastic Surgery - Overview and Plastic Surgery - Applying. Recruitment changes each year: confirm on the official pages before you apply.
Plastic Surgery ST3 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 Plastic Surgery ST3.
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 Plastic Surgery ST3 interview. Rehearse each one until it feels routine.
OSCE and communications
10 minutes: a 5-minute consent task scored on operative environment and anaesthesia, technique, post-operative regime, risks and complications, and overall communication; then a 5-minute communication task scored on introduction, history, examination, investigations planned and management plan. Here the same role-player plays the patient in both tasks: consent for the operation, then that patient back in clinic after it.
Clinical Scenario
Panel discussion of two clinical scenarios drawn from the FRCS Plast syllabus (hand trauma, burns, breast, head & neck oncoplastic, lower-limb open fracture, paediatric / craniofacial), each scored from 0 (no evidence) to 5 (outstanding).
Structured Interview
Two or three questions on achievements and skills beyond clinical practice — audit and quality improvement, research, teaching, leadership, management and ethics — answered reflectively. Worth 25% of the final score.
Sample Plastic Surgery (ST3) interview questions
Two questions from the topics that come up most in MedMock's Plastic Surgery (ST3) bank.
“Mrs G, a 60-year-old retired teacher, has a basal cell carcinoma on her left temple measuring 1.5 cm. She has been listed for wide local excision and full-thickness skin graft from the supraclavicular fossa. Consent her for the procedure.”
“A 19-year-old man with 60% TBSA mixed-depth burn from a chemistry-lab explosion. Walk me through your initial management and ongoing burn-shock resuscitation.”
Example scenarios
A sample of the Plastic Surgery ST3 scenarios you can practise, each as a spoken conversation.
“Mrs S is a 38-year-old who has been listed for bilateral breast reduction. Take her through the consenting process — Montgomery-anchored material risks, BAPRAS leaflet, BDD screen, two-stage consent.”
“A 35-year-old man with a 30% TBSA full-thickness flame burn presents two hours post-injury. Walk the panel through your EMSB-anchored primary survey, modified Parkland resuscitation titrated to urine output, and onward referral to the regional burns centre under the National Burn Care pathway.”
Plastic Surgery (ST3) recruitment dates 2026–27
The next Plastic Surgery (ST3) recruitment date we hold is: Applications 19 November 2026 to 10 December 2026 (national Round 2). Checked against NHS England Medical Specialty Recruitment on 24 September 2026.
Time until Applications 19 November 2026 to 10 December 2026 (national Round 2)
— d — h — m — sPlastic Surgery (ST3) is recruited through NHS England’s national recruitment round 2, which the national timeline says is for ST3/ST4 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
Plastic Surgery (ST3) 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 Plastic Surgery 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.
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 Plastic Surgery ST3 interview?
Rehearse real Plastic Surgery ST3 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 Plastic Surgery ST3 interview before you walk in
Start with the £5 taster, a one-off payment for 30 credits: practise Plastic Surgery ST3 interview scenarios out loud and get any of them marked when you are ready.
Practise your Plastic Surgery ST3 interview