The Anaesthetics CT1 and ACCS Anaesthetics interview for 2027 entry is two 15-minute online stations, each marked out of 50 by two assessors, giving 100 marks that count for 85% of your selection score. The MSRA supplies the other 15%.
You need 60 out of 100 to be appointable, and a global rating of 1 from both assessors in one station can veto you whatever your total.
Reviewed and updated 10 September 2026. Every interview mark below is taken from ANRO's August 2026 applicant guidance and is the 2026 position; ANRO publishes the 2027 guidance before applications open on 22 October 2026. The 2027 Round 1 dates are confirmed by NHS England.
Key takeaways
- The interview is 85% of the anaesthetics CT1 selection score and the MSRA 15%, split 7.5% Professional Dilemmas and 7.5% Clinical Problem Solving, according to ANRO's August 2026 applicant guidance.
- Two stations of 15 minutes each, Clinical Judgement and General Interview, held online on Qpercom with two assessors per station scoring independently.
- Each assessor gives 5 marks in each of three domains (15) plus a global rating out of 10, so a station carries 50 marks and the interview 100.
- Appointability is 60 out of 100, or 60%. A global rating of 1 from both assessors in a station, a station at or below 25%, or a patient-safety or probity concern can each make you unappointable.
- The confirmed 2027 window: applications 22 October to 19 November 2026, interviews between 11 January and 2 April 2027, initial offers on 6 April 2027. Anaesthetics' own interview dates are not yet published; in 2026 they ran 25 February to 13 March.
- In 2025 there were 6,770 applications for 539 posts, a ratio of 12.56 to 1, or about 8% of applicants appointed.
What is the format of the anaesthetics CT1 interview in 2027?
The anaesthetics CT1 interview is two online stations of 15 minutes each, with two assessors in every station, and the whole process takes about 50 minutes including identity checks. That is the format ANRO ran in 2026 and describes in its August 2026 guidance.
The Clinical Judgement station is preceded by five minutes of reading time, and paper notes are permitted. The General Interview station follows without a reading period.
ANRO's guidance states that Anaesthetics CT1 and ACCS Anaesthetics are recruited in one process. You make a single application, sit a single interview, and rank programmes of both kinds in your preferences.
In practice the platform is Qpercom, so log in early, use a wired connection where you can, and have your identity document within reach. anaestheticinterview's free interview overview restates the format with ANRO's figures.
How is the anaesthetics CT1 interview scored?
Each anaesthetics CT1 station is scored out of 50: 5 marks per domain from each of two assessors across three domains, which is 30, plus a global rating score of 10 from each assessor, which is 20.
| Component | Per assessor | Per station (two assessors) | Whole interview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain marks (three domains, 5 each) | 15 | 30 | 60 |
| Global rating score | 10 | 20 | 40 |
| Total | 25 | 50 | 100 |
The 100-mark total is then weighted to 85% of the selection score, with the MSRA contributing the remaining 15%. Both figures are the 2026 position in ANRO's guidance.
A global rating score is the assessor's overall impression of you in that station, out of 10, awarded separately from the three domain marks. It is 40% of the interview, so it is not a tie-breaker.
What is the veto rule in the anaesthetics interview?
The veto rule means a candidate can be found unappointable even with a total above 60, and ANRO's August 2026 guidance lists three triggers.
- A global rating of 1 from both assessors in the same station.
- Any station scored at or below 25%, which is 12.5 out of 50 or lower.
- Serious concerns about patient safety or probity raised by the assessors.
That said, the veto is rare in a prepared candidate. It catches the answer that is unsafe, the candidate who bluffs a drug dose, and the one who freezes for a full station.
The anaestheticinterview question bank marks every spoken answer against the same domains, so an unsafe escalation plan is flagged in practice rather than on the day.
How much is the MSRA worth compared with the interview?
The MSRA is worth 15% of the anaesthetics CT1 selection score and the interview 85%, so a 10-mark swing at interview moves your score by 8.5 points while the same proportional swing on the MSRA moves it by 1.5.
ANRO's guidance also states there is no MSRA cut-off for anaesthetics. The MSRA allocates interview capacity, and applicants not invited in the first pass form a Shortlist Reserve, which is a ranked waiting list called in order as slots free up.
Our MSRA for anaesthetics 2027 post covers the two papers and the 2026 window.
What do the two stations assess?
The two anaesthetics CT1 stations assess six named domains, three each, and ANRO's guidance names them exactly.
What does the Clinical Judgement station mark?
Clinical judgement and decision making, reflective practice, and working under pressure. Expect a deteriorating patient, a structured A to E answer and a clear point at which you call for help. The clinical judgement station guide has a worked scenario.
What does the General Interview station mark?
Communication, commitment to specialty, and teamwork. There is no self-assessment at CT1, so this station is where your experience is scored. The general station guide lists what assessors credit.
When are the 2027 anaesthetics CT1 interviews?
The 2027 anaesthetics CT1 interviews will fall inside NHS England's confirmed Round 1 window of Monday 11 January to Friday 2 April 2027; the anaesthetics-specific dates are not yet published.
| Milestone | 2027 (confirmed by NHS England) | 2026 reference (ANRO) |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open | 10am, Thursday 22 October 2026 | 23 October 2025 |
| Applications close | 4pm, Thursday 19 November 2026 | 20 November 2025 |
| MSRA window | Not yet published | 6 to 19 January 2026 |
| Interviews | Within 11 January to 2 April 2027 | 25 February to 13 March 2026 |
| Initial offers | 5pm, Tuesday 6 April 2027 | By 24 March 2026 |
NHS England's recruitment timelines page, updated 24 February 2026, states the 2027 dates. ANRO publishes its own sub-dates before the window opens, so check anro.wm.hee.nhs.uk in October.
Is there a portfolio or self-assessment station in 2027?
No. There is no portfolio station and no self-assessment at anaesthetics CT1, and there has not been since Part 3 of the application form was removed.
ANRO's guidance states that degrees, prizes and courses are no longer scored at application; self-assessment applies at ST4 only. Older guides describing a portfolio or presentation station are out of date, which is why anaestheticinterview's bank is organised by the two current stations.
However, a 2022 RCoA news page describing a single-station interview still ranks in search. It is contradicted by current ANRO guidance, so do not plan around it.
How competitive is anaesthetics CT1?
Anaesthetics CT1 drew 6,770 applications for 539 posts in 2025, a ratio of 12.56 to 1, so roughly 8% of applicants were appointed, according to NHS England's 2025 competition ratios.
NHS England reported in June 2026 that the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act cut Round 1 to about 16,066 prioritised applications, so the 2026 ratio was lower. The 2026 anaesthetics figure is not yet published.
What has changed for 2027?
The confirmed change for 2027 is that prioritisation under the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 applies at shortlisting as well as at offer, so it affects who is interviewed at all.
NHS England stated on 17 August 2026 that the 2027 criteria are still being agreed across the four nations and that the 2026 immigration-status proxy will not apply automatically. Expect them before 22 October 2026.
Nothing else 2027-specific is published for anaesthetics. The interview format, marks and veto above are the 2026 position, and ANRO's February 2027 start-round guidance repeats them word for word.
How should you prepare for a 100-mark interview?
Prepare for the anaesthetics CT1 interview by rehearsing both stations aloud, against the six domains, with a structure you can apply to any scenario and any question.
- Practise a deteriorating-patient answer A to E until the escalation point comes naturally.
- Prepare three examples each for commitment, teamwork and pressure, with an outcome and a reflection.
- Rehearse spoken answers and get them marked: anaestheticinterview offers 340 questions across 37 scenarios for £97, with AI-marked spoken practice, and four free knowledge articles.
- Read ANRO's guidance yourself. It is free, detailed, and the document your assessors are trained on.
In practice, candidates who lose marks do so on structure and escalation, not on knowledge. The spoken-answer structure post shows the shape that scores.