Key takeaways
- The anaesthetics CT1 and ACCS interview is two 15-minute online stations on Qpercom, Clinical Judgement and General Interview, each scored by two assessors. Source: ANRO's CT1 Applicant Guidance, August 2026 edition.
- Each assessor gives 15 domain marks plus a 10-mark global rating, so 25 per assessor, 50 per station and 100 in total. The interview is 85% of the selection score; the MSRA is 15%.
- You must score at least 60 out of 100 to be appointable. A global rating of 1 from both assessors in a station may make you unappointable regardless of your total.
- The 2027 national interview window is Monday 11 January to Friday 2 April 2027. ANRO's own 2027 dates are not yet published; in 2026 interviews ran 25 February to 13 March.
- In 2025 there were 6,770 applications for 539 posts, 12.6 to 1, so about 8% of applicants were appointed.
- There is no self-assessment at CT1, and ACCS anaesthetics is recruited through the same single application and interview.
Interview Overview
The anaesthetics CT1 and ACCS interview for 2027 is two online stations of 15 minutes each, Clinical Judgement and General Interview, scored by two assessors per station out of 50, for 100 marks in total. According to ANRO's CT1 Applicant Guidance, August 2026 edition, the interview is 85% of your selection score and the MSRA the other 15%.
Recruitment is run by the Anaesthetics National Recruitment Office (ANRO), hosted by NHS England West Midlands. Every figure on this page is taken from the RCoA and ANRO CT1 Applicant Guidance, August 2026 edition; the dates inside the 2027 window are the ones not yet published.
Format and marks below are taken from ANRO's published applicant guidance. ANRO publishes each round's guidance and scoring matrix before the application window opens.
What is the format of the anaesthetics CT1 interview in 2027?
The anaesthetics CT1 interview is two stations of 15 minutes each, held online through Qpercom, with two assessors per station scoring independently. The whole process takes about 50 minutes including identity checks, five minutes of reading before the clinical station and the wait between stations.
- Stations: Two: Clinical Judgement and General Interview
- Length: 15 minutes each; about 50 minutes for the whole process
- Assessors: Two per station, scoring independently
- Platform: Qpercom, online
- Reading time: Five minutes before the clinical station; paper notes permitted
- Source: ANRO CT1 Applicant Guidance, August 2026 edition
Anaesthetics CT1 and ACCS anaesthetics are recruited in one process, so one application and one interview cover both. anaestheticinterview builds its question bank around the same two stations.
When are the 2027 anaesthetics CT1 interviews?
Anaesthetics CT1 interviews for 2027 entry fall inside the national Round 1 window of Monday 11 January to Friday 2 April 2027. ANRO has not yet published the anaesthetics MSRA and interview dates within that window.
- Applications open: 10am, Thursday 22 October 2026 (confirmed by NHS England)
- Applications close: 4pm, Thursday 19 November 2026 (confirmed)
- MSRA window: Not yet published for 2027. In 2026: 6 to 19 January
- Interviews: Within 11 January to 2 April 2027. In 2026: 25 February to 13 March
- Initial offers: 5pm, Tuesday 6 April 2027 (confirmed). In 2026: by 24 March
The 2026 dates are given as the shape of the year, not as 2027 dates. ANRO's guidance for the 2026 round said offers by 24 March; some third-party pages quote 31 March, and the guidance is the authority.
What happens in the Clinical Judgement station?
The Clinical Judgement station is 15 minutes, preceded by five minutes of reading, and marks three domains: clinical judgement and decision making, reflective practice, and working under pressure. Two assessors score it independently out of 25 each, 50 in total.
According to ANRO's guidance, each domain carries five marks per assessor, 15 in all, and each assessor then adds a global rating out of 10. The Clinical Station page in this guide covers the scenarios and how to use the reading time.
What happens in the General Interview station?
The General Interview station is 15 minutes across three domains, communication, commitment to specialty and teamwork, scored by two assessors out of 25 each in the same structure as the clinical station, 50 in total.
Because there is no self-assessment at CT1, this station is where motivation and experience are actually assessed. Nothing is scored from the application form; it has to come out here, in words.
How is the anaesthetics CT1 interview scored?
The anaesthetics CT1 interview is scored out of 100: each of the two stations carries 50 marks, made up of 15 domain marks and a 10-mark global rating from each of two assessors. The interview total is 85% of the selection score.
- Per domain: 5 marks per assessor, three domains per station
- Domain marks per assessor: 15
- Global rating per assessor: 10
- Per assessor: 25
- Per station: 50 (two assessors)
- Interview total: 100 (two stations)
- Weight in selection score: 85%; MSRA 15%
In practice the arithmetic means a single assessor's global rating is worth two whole domains. ANRO's August 2026 guidance treats the global rating as the assessor's overall judgement of you as a future CT1, not a fourth domain.
anaestheticinterview marks spoken practice answers by AI against the same three domains per station, across 340 questions, so a candidate sees a domain-by-domain score before the real assessors do.
What is the appointability score for anaesthetics CT1?
You must score at least 60 out of 100 at the anaesthetics CT1 interview to be appointable. That is ANRO's published threshold for the 2026 round, carried into its 2027 guidance, and it is a floor for appointment, not a ranking.
Above 60 you are ranked by total score, and offers follow rank against the posts available. In 2025 there were 6,770 applications for 539 posts, 12.6 to 1, so about 8% of applicants were appointed. Being appointable and being appointed are different things.
What is the veto rule in the anaesthetics CT1 interview?
The veto rule is that a global rating of 1 from both assessors in a station may make you unappointable regardless of your total. ANRO's August 2026 guidance lists two further vetoes: serious concerns over patient safety or probity, and any station scored at or below 25%.
- Global rating veto: A global rating of 1 from both assessors in one station
- Safety or probity veto: Serious concerns over patient safety or probity
- Station floor: Any station scored at or below 25%, that is 12.5 marks out of 50
- Score floor: Fewer than 60 marks out of 100 overall
That said, the vetoes are rare outcomes. They matter because they are the only ways a candidate above 60 can fail, and every one of them turns on judgement and honesty rather than knowledge.
How much does the MSRA count for anaesthetics CT1?
The MSRA is 15% of the anaesthetics CT1 selection score, 7.5% from the Professional Dilemmas paper and 7.5% from Clinical Problem Solving, with the interview making up the other 85%.
According to ANRO, there is no MSRA cut-off score. It is used to allocate interview capacity, and applicants not invited in the first pass join a Shortlist Reserve and are called in rank order as slots free up. The MSRA page in this guide has the detail.
Is ACCS anaesthetics interviewed separately from CT1?
No. ACCS anaesthetics and CT1 anaesthetics are recruited through one application and one interview, scored the same way, with the two routes preferenced within the same Oriel application.
Recruitment runs in three clusters, England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, with one interview each and a single transferable score within England and Wales.
What has changed for the 2027 anaesthetics CT1 interview?
Two things are confirmed for 2027: prioritisation under the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 now applies at shortlisting as well as at offer, and the national dates are set. The station format and mark scheme are unchanged in ANRO's guidance.
- Confirmed: prioritisation applies at shortlisting, so it affects who is interviewed. The 2027 criteria were still unpublished in August 2026.
- Confirmed: applications open at 10am on Thursday 22 October 2026 and close at 4pm on Thursday 19 November 2026; initial offers at 5pm on Tuesday 6 April 2027.
- Unchanged: two 15-minute stations, 50 marks each, appointable at 60, MSRA 15%, per ANRO's August 2026 guidance.
- Not published: the anaesthetics MSRA window and interview dates within the 2027 window.
- Still wrong on older pages: a 2022 Royal College of Anaesthetists news page describes a single-station interview. Current ANRO guidance contradicts it.
How should you prepare for the anaesthetics CT1 interview?
Prepare the anaesthetics CT1 interview as two 15-minute spoken performances, each marked on three domains and a global rating, and give the MSRA enough work to be invited in the first pass.
- Build one structure for the sick patient and one for reflection, and rehearse both aloud under a 15-minute clock.
- Prepare commitment-to-specialty and teamwork examples with outcomes; the General Interview station is half your marks.
- Practise the five minutes of reading: plan on paper, then speak to the plan.
- Sit the MSRA properly. No cut-off does not mean no consequence; a low score leaves you on the reserve list.
anaestheticinterview covers both stations with 340 questions, model answers and AI-marked spoken practice for £97, with access to the end of the 2027 interview window.
Top Tips
- The interview is 85% of your score. Almost nothing else you do moves the needle as much.
- Do not neglect the MSRA even though there is no cut-off; it decides whether you are invited in the first round or left on the reserve list.
- Use the five minutes of reading properly and write notes; you are allowed them.
- Watch the vetoes: a station at or below 25%, or a global rating of 1 from both assessors, ends your application regardless of your total.
FAQ
How long is the anaesthetics CT1 interview?
Two stations of 15 minutes each, so 30 minutes of interviewing, and about 50 minutes in total with identity checks, five minutes of reading before the clinical station and the wait between stations. That is ANRO's published format.
How is the anaesthetics CT1 interview scored?
Each station is scored out of 50 by two assessors: 15 domain marks plus a 10-mark global rating each. The two stations total 100, and that total is 85% of your selection score.
What score do I need to be appointable?
At least 60 out of 100 at interview, per ANRO's guidance. You can still be unappointable above 60 through a veto: a global rating of 1 from both assessors, a safety or probity concern, or a station at or below 25%.
How much is the MSRA worth for anaesthetics?
15% of the selection score: 7.5% from Professional Dilemmas and 7.5% from Clinical Problem Solving. There is no cut-off; it allocates interview slots, with a Shortlist Reserve called in rank order.
When are the 2027 anaesthetics CT1 interviews?
Within the national window of 11 January to 2 April 2027. ANRO has not yet published the anaesthetics dates; in 2026 interviews ran from 25 February to 13 March, with offers by 24 March.
Is there a self-assessment for anaesthetics CT1?
No. Part 3 of the application form was removed for CT1, so degrees, prizes and courses are not scored at application. Self-assessment applies at ST4 only.
Is the ACCS anaesthetics interview different?
No. ACCS anaesthetics and CT1 anaesthetics share one application, one interview and one mark scheme. You preference the routes within the same Oriel application.
How competitive is anaesthetics CT1?
In 2025 there were 6,770 applications for 539 posts, 12.6 to 1, so about 8% of applicants were appointed. Those are NHS England's published Round 1 competition ratios.
More interview info
Practise both stations
The question bank covers every station with model answers and AI-marked spoken practice.
Register for the question bank