# Practising for Public Health (ST1) with MedMock

Canonical page: https://medmock.com/exams/public-health-st1

## What is the Public Health ST1 interview, and how do you practise for it?

Public Health ST1 national selection interview: three stations of two strictly timed 6-minute questions, each station scored by a different pair of assessors. Every question is mapped to essential criteria in the person specification, and no station themes are published. The computer-based assessment centre that comes first is not simulated here. MedMock lets you practise it out loud against an AI interview panel, with examiner-style feedback on any station you finish.

## About Public Health (ST1) recruitment (official sources, checked 2026-10-13)

- 2025 recruitment round, NHS England figures for Public Health Medicine ST1: 2710 applications for 95 posts, a competition ratio of 28.53.
- Selection into Public Health specialty training in 2027 is run by NHS England - Midlands for England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
- Public Health recruits once per year. For the 2027 round, applications open on 22 October 2026 and close at 4pm on 19 November 2026.
- Public Health has no scored application-form shortlisting. All eligible applicants proceed to the assessment centre stage.
- The Public Health assessment centre has 3 timed papers: numerical reasoning, critical thinking and situational judgement. For 2027 it is scheduled for 5 and 6 January 2027.
- Applicants must pass all 3 assessment centre papers and rank highly enough to be invited to the selection centre. Passing all 3 papers does not guarantee progression.
- The 2027 Public Health selection centre is expected to be held virtually, and its interview assesses essential criteria from the person specification.

Sources: https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/competition-ratios/2025-competition-ratios https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/public-health/recruitment-information https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/public-health/recruitment-information/recruitment-timelines https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/public-health/public-health-st1-essential-guidance

Recruitment dates: Applications 22 October 2026 to 19 November 2026 (2027 Round 1); Interviews within the national Round 1 window, 11 January 2027 to 2 April 2027 (source: NHS England Medical Specialty Recruitment, checked 2026-09-24).
All Public Health (ST1) dates: https://medmock.com/exams/public-health-st1#dates

## Stations you can practise

- **Interview Station 1** — Two strictly timed 6-minute questions, each mapped to specific essential criteria in the person specification. Some questions use briefing material sent the day before.
- **Interview Station 2** — Two further 6-minute questions against different essential criteria, scored by a different pair of assessors.
- **Interview Station 3** — The final two 6-minute questions against the remaining essential criteria, scored by a third pair of assessors.

## Sample Public Health (ST1) questions

- *Interview Station 2:* Discuss leadership skills needed for a public health consultant role.
- *Interview Station 2:* Discuss how you handled a critical incident review in an outbreak setting.

## Example scenarios

- *Interview Station 1:* What do you understand by health improvement, health protection and healthcare public health, and where do you see yourself contributing?
- *Interview Station 2:* How would you explain an uncertain health risk to a worried local community?
- *Interview Station 3:* Tell us how you would work with a local authority partner whose priorities differ from the NHS's.

## 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, £45 per month for 300 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 Public Health ST1 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