What happens in the Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery (ST3) interview

The Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 national recruitment interview is run by NHS England North East and Yorkshire. In the 2026 round it was an online interview on Qpercom VIDs, scheduled for 24 to 27 March 2026, lasting 60 minutes over four 10-minute stations: Commitment to Specialty, Clinical Judgement, Prioritisation and Communication. Before each station there are 3 minutes of reading time when a document is shared with you. At every station two interviewers score you independently in each of that station's domains, and your station scores are combined with your verified self-assessment score.

Checked against the official sources on 27 September 2026.

The parts, in order

How it is marked

Two interviewers score you independently in each of the station's domains, using a structured scoring system. Commitment to Specialty is scored on career motivation, learning and development; leadership and team involvement; organisation and planning; communication (information giving); and academic. Clinical Judgement is scored on technical knowledge; problem solving and decision making; situational awareness; communication (information gathering); and communication (information giving). Prioritisation is scored on organisation and planning; communication (information gathering); communication (information giving); judgement under pressure; and situational awareness. Communication is scored on technical knowledge; situational awareness; judgement under pressure; communication (information gathering); and communication (information giving). Your station scores and your verified, weighted self-assessment score are combined into an overall interview score, and you are ranked on that overall score and your individual station scores.

Passing

To be appointable in the 2026 round you needed a minimum overall score of 146 out of 232 (station scores plus the verified, weighted self-assessment score). NHS England may also set a minimum required score in any individual domain; if your score in that domain does not meet it, you are ranked 0.

Worth knowing

• This is the 2026 round's format. For the 2027 round, applications open at 10am on 19 November 2026 and close at 4pm on 10 December 2026, and all interviews will take place online, but when this was checked the interview dates were still to be confirmed and the 2027 applicant handbook had not been released.
• Reading time before each station was 3 minutes in 2026 (it was 5 minutes in the 2025 round), and you may make brief notes during it.
• Interview slots are 90 minutes long, including 30 minutes for pre-interview checks, and you prove your identity at the start by showing your passport or driving licence.
• You may bring notes into the interview and make notes during it, but they must be on paper (not on an electronic device) and prepared by you, books are not permitted, and you should avoid relying heavily on them.
• A lay representative may observe to make sure the process is fair and consistent; they do not score you.
• Tied overall scores are separated by the total interview score, then the Clinical, Prioritisation, Communication and Commitment to Specialty station scores, then the validated self-assessment score.

Sources

• Trauma and Orthopaedics ST3 National Recruitment 2026 Applicant Handbook | NHS England North East and Yorkshire
• National Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgery ST3 Recruitment (2027 round page) | NHS England North East and Yorkshire
• Trauma & Orthopaedics ST3 National Recruitment 2025 Applicant Handbook | NHS England North East and Yorkshire