CT1 Anaesthetics Application 2027: Dates, Person Specification and the Ratio

The CT1 anaesthetics application for 2027 entry opens at 10am on Thursday 22 October 2026 and closes at 4pm on Thursday 19 November 2026, through Oriel, run by the Anaesthetics National Recruitment Office (ANRO).

Interviews fall between 11 January and 2 April 2027 and initial offers are released at 5pm on Tuesday 6 April 2027. In 2025 there were 6,770 applications for 539 posts, a ratio of 12.56 to 1.

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

• NHS England has confirmed the 2027 Round 1 dates: applications 22 October to 19 November 2026, interview window 11 January to 2 April 2027, initial offers 6 April 2027, hold deadline 9 April, upgrade deadline 14 April.
• Anaesthetics' own sub-dates are not yet published. In 2026 the MSRA ran 6 to 19 January, interviews 25 February to 13 March, and offers were made by 24 March.
• The 2027 person specification allows 24 months or less whole-time-equivalent experience in anaesthetics by the post start date, excluding foundation modules, counted wherever in the world it was gained.
• One application covers both Anaesthetics CT1 and ACCS Anaesthetics; there is no separate ACCS form and no self-assessment at CT1.
• 2025 competition: 6,770 applications for 539 posts, 12.56 to 1, so about 8% of applicants were appointed, according to NHS England.
• Prioritisation under the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 applies at shortlisting as well as offer for 2027; the criteria were unpublished on 17 August 2026.

When does the CT1 anaesthetics application open in 2027?

The CT1 anaesthetics application opens at 10am on Thursday 22 October 2026 and closes at 4pm on Thursday 19 November 2026, according to NHS England's specialty recruitment timelines page, updated 24 February 2026.

These are the national Round 1 dates shared by every CT1 and ST1 specialty. The window is four weeks, so a reference or a GMC query left to November can cost you the round.

What were the 2026 anaesthetics dates, and why do they matter?

The 2026 anaesthetics dates matter because ANRO has not yet published the 2027 MSRA window or interview dates, and the 2026 round is the best guide to where they will sit inside the national window.

ANRO's August 2026 applicant guidance states the 2026 offers date as by 24 March; one commercial guide gives 31 March, which is not what the guidance says.

In practice, expect the MSRA in early January and interviews in late February or March again. Book leave provisionally for both and firm it up when ANRO publishes. anaestheticinterview's application overview is updated when the sub-dates land.

Who is eligible for anaesthetics CT1 in 2027?

You are eligible for anaesthetics CT1 in 2027 if you hold a medical degree, have or will have full GMC registration with a licence to practise on the start date, can evidence foundation competence, and have 24 months or less experience in anaesthetics.

NHS England's 2027 person specification for Anaesthetics and ACCS Anaesthetics CT1 sets out the foundation-competence routes: current UK Foundation Programme employment, current employment in a GMC-approved training programme, a Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion, or 12 months' post-registration experience plus a CREST form.

The experience cap is 24 months or less whole-time-equivalent in anaesthetics by the post start date, not including foundation modules. The specification states that experience at any level, in any country, counts.

You must not already hold, or be eligible for, a CCT. Read the specification itself before you apply; it is short and it is the document the shortlisters use.

What is the competition ratio for anaesthetics CT1?

The anaesthetics CT1 competition ratio was 12.56 to 1 in 2025: 6,770 applications for 539 posts, meaning about 8% of applicants were appointed, according to NHS England's 2025 competition ratios page dated 24 July 2025.

For comparison, Core Surgical Training was 8.57 to 1 (5,399 for 630), Internal Medicine Training 5.27 to 1 (8,841 for 1,678) and ACCS Emergency Medicine 14.23 to 1 (5,081 for 357) in the same table.

However, NHS England reported in June 2026 that the Prioritisation Act reduced Round 1 to about 16,066 prioritised applications and most ratios to around 2 to 1. The 2026 anaesthetics ratio is not yet published, so do not plan on either number.

Do you apply separately for ACCS Anaesthetics?

No. Anaesthetics CT1 and ACCS Anaesthetics share one application, one interview and one person specification, and you rank programmes of both types in your Oriel preferences.

ANRO's guidance describes the two as a single recruitment process, and the 2027 person specification is titled for both. Our CT1 versus ACCS post explains the two programmes.

Is there a self-assessment or portfolio score at CT1?

There is no self-assessment and no portfolio score at anaesthetics CT1. Part 3 of the application form was removed, and degrees, prizes and courses are no longer scored.

ANRO's guidance states that self-assessment applies at ST4 only. That said, your experience still matters: it is assessed in the General Interview station under commitment to specialty, communication and teamwork, the domains anaestheticinterview's general scenarios are marked on.

How does the MSRA fit into the application?

The MSRA is booked after your application is submitted, sat in a January window at a Pearson VUE centre, and contributes 15% of the selection score, with the interview worth 85%.

According to ANRO, there is no MSRA cut-off for anaesthetics. It allocates interview capacity, and applicants not invited in the first pass join a Shortlist Reserve called in rank order.

The MSRA is a 170-minute computer-based assessment in two papers, Professional Dilemmas and Clinical Problem Solving, according to NHS England's MSRA page. Our MSRA for anaesthetics post covers the weighting.

What does prioritisation mean for the 2027 application?

Prioritisation means that for 2027 the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 is applied at shortlisting as well as at offer, so it can decide whether you are interviewed, according to NHS England's applicant information.

NHS England stated on 17 August 2026 that the 2027 criteria were still being agreed across the four nations and that the 2026 immigration-status proxy will not apply automatically. Expect the criteria before applications open.

Is there a February 2027 start round?

Yes. ANRO's website, read on 11 September 2026, lists a February 2027 start round with applications from 28 July to 13 August 2026, an MSRA window of 3 to 10 September 2026, interviews from 8 to 13 October 2026 and offers on 20 October 2026.

That round has closed to applications. It is worth knowing because ANRO's February 2027 applicant guidance repeats the August 2026 format and marks word for word, which is the best available signal for the main 2027 round.

What should you do between now and 22 October 2026?

Between now and 22 October 2026, confirm your eligibility against the person specification, line up referees, create your Oriel account, and start spoken interview practice, because the interview is 85% of the score.

1. Check your anaesthetics experience against the 24-month cap, counting every post at any grade.
2. Ask referees now; Oriel references are requested at application.
3. Arrange a taster week or theatre time if your commitment to specialty evidence is thin.
4. Book MSRA revision for December, and read the free knowledge articles on anaestheticinterview for the clinical station.
5. Rehearse both stations aloud. The anaestheticinterview bank has 340 questions across 37 scenarios for £97, with AI-marked spoken practice.

In practice, candidates who start after the window opens spend November on forms and January on the MSRA, and reach the interview unrehearsed. Start the spoken practice first.