Built by recent ST3 and Core Surgical Training appointees, for the next cohort. No actors, no career coaches, no recycled textbook answers — just structured teaching from people who were on the other side of the panel twelve months ago, across both UK surgical selection interviews.
Every year thousands of UK doctors apply for a small number of Core Surgical Training (CST) and General Surgery ST3 posts. These interviews are the single biggest determinant of where — or whether — you train. Good candidates fall short not because of knowledge, but because of structure, delivery, and unfamiliarity with a format they see only once or twice in a career.
Surgical Steps was founded in 2025 by a group of nationally-ranked ST3 and CST trainees who had spent the previous year tutoring friends one-to-one. The resources we'd built — question banks, frameworks, debriefs — worked. We formalised them, and have since expanded our programme so it covers both stages of UK surgical selection.
Our tutors all sat the panel within the last two interview cycles. Every resource on this site is calibrated against the current scoring rubric, not a general interview-skills handbook.
Memorised answers fall apart under unexpected follow-ups. We teach adaptable frameworks — SPIKES, A-to-E, PAST–PRESENT–FUTURE — that carry you through anything the panel asks.
We don't soften feedback. If your delivery is weak, we'll say so and show you how to fix it. Candidates who book with us consistently tell us the honesty was what made the difference.
Our mocks mirror the real station — same timing, same format, same examiner behaviour. We update the question bank monthly during interview season based on what's actually being asked.
We cap prices so the full pathway is achievable on a trainee salary.
Every tutor is a practising UK General Surgery ST3, Core Surgical Trainee, or higher — each appointed through the national selection process within the last 24 months. Our team covers both the ST3 and CST interview formats.
Founder · Upper GI interest
ST4, North West London Deanery. Ranked 15th nationally, 2025 cohort. Lead tutor for the portfolio station.
· Co-founder ·
ST3, North West Deanery. Ranked 19th nationally, 2026 cohort. Lead tutor for clinical station.
The General Surgery ST3 interview is scored by two independent panellists across three main stations plus an overall performance score. Each criterion is marked out of 5 by each panellist — giving a maximum of 10 per criterion. The scoresheet below reflects the ST3 format; Core Surgical Training uses a similar station-based marking scheme, with weighting that varies between deaneries.
| Criterion | Max |
|---|---|
| Recognition of the clinical issues | 10 |
| Judgement and prioritisation | 10 |
| Planning: investigations & resources | 10 |
| Communication strategy | 10 |
| Station total | 40 |
| Criterion | Max |
|---|---|
| Recognition of the issues | 10 |
| Prioritisation and timescale | 10 |
| Strategy and communication | 10 |
| Outcomes and challenges | 10 |
| Station total | 40 |
| Criterion | Max |
|---|---|
| Portfolio question 1 | 10 |
| Portfolio question 2 | 10 |
| Portfolio question 3 | 10 |
| Overall interview performance | 8 |
| Station total | 38 |
Each criterion is scored independently by two panellists (max 5 each = 10 per criterion). A perfect score is 118. Scores from the portfolio shortlisting process are added to your interview score to produce a combined ranking.
We offer a free 15-minute call to map out a plan around your interview date — no pressure, no sales pitch.
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