30 minutes. Three stations.
One shot at surgery.
The CST interview tests management decisions, clinical judgement, and surgical portfolio — all in one 30-minute session. Practice every section with AI until the answers come naturally.
5,000+ applicants compete each year · All 3 stations covered · Instant scored feedback · Available 24/7
The Format
Know exactly what's coming.
The CST interview is 30 minutes online via Qpercom. Three sections, same panel, no breaks.
Management Question
10 minsYou're given a scenario: a ward crisis, a struggling colleague, a leadership dilemma. Examiners assess how you think through problems — not just what you know, but how you decide, prioritise, and escalate. Frameworks like SPIES and CAMP help structure your answer.
Clinical Scenarios
10 minsTwo clinical questions — typically emergency presentations or post-operative complications. You'll need to demonstrate safe, structured clinical thinking: A-E assessment, differentials, investigations, escalation. Surgical emergencies and common post-op complications are the core focus.
Portfolio Station
10 minsAssessors review your uploaded evidence for 10 minutes before the station begins. Then they ask two questions about two domains from your portfolio. You need to know your own evidence cold — and articulate it confidently under questioning.
Score Breakdown
The Problem
How surgical applicants prep. And where they fall short.
You know the answer. You just can't say it under pressure.
You've read the scenarios. You know SPIES and CAMP. But when a consultant is staring at you through a screen and the clock is running, the frameworks disappear. Knowing the content and performing under pressure are two different skills. You've only practised one.
Your portfolio is strong. Your presentation of it isn't.
45% of your score comes from the portfolio station. Most candidates upload excellent evidence — then fumble when asked to explain it. You haven't rehearsed talking through your achievements out loud with a stranger asking probing follow-up questions.
The turnaround is brutal.
MSRA results come out in January. Interview invites follow almost immediately. By the time you know you've been shortlisted, you may have less than four weeks until the interview. Most candidates aren't ready.
The Solution
Practice out loud. Until it's automatic.
AI voice practice for all 3 sections
Voice AISpeak through management scenarios, clinical cases, and portfolio questions with an AI that responds in real time — pushing back, probing your reasoning, asking the follow-up questions examiners actually ask.
Management, Clinical, and Portfolio — all covered
Full coverageManagement crises (colleague issues, escalation dilemmas, ward emergencies) · Surgical clinical scenarios (post-op complications, A-E emergencies) · Portfolio walkthroughs (commitment to surgery, audits, research, teaching)
Instant feedback mapped to CST criteria
ImmediateAfter every section: a score, what you missed, what examiners were looking for, and a model answer. Mapped to the actual CST assessment domains — not generic interview feedback.
How It Works
Three steps to interview-ready.
Choose your section.
Management, Clinical, or Portfolio. Pick a scenario difficulty. Start the timer.
Talk through it.
Speak your answer out loud. The AI responds like an examiner — asking follow-ups, challenging your reasoning, pressing on gaps.
Review your score.
See where you lost marks, what the model answer looks like, and what to drill next.
Social Proof
From shortlisted to scrubbed in.
The management station completely blindsided me in mocks. MLAbuddy let me drill it 20+ times until I stopped freezing. First choice deanery, starting August.
Dr. James O.
CST1 · London Deanery
My portfolio was strong but I couldn't articulate it under pressure. After a week of portfolio station practice on MLAbuddy, I was confident walking in.
Dr. Priya N.
CST1 · Yorkshire & Humber
As an IMG the turnaround between MSRA results and interview was terrifying. MLAbuddy meant I could practise at midnight after shifts. It made the difference.
Dr. Khalid A.
CST1 · West Midlands
Why not just use a question bank?
| Feature | MLAbuddy CST | Question Banks | 1-to-1 Mocks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speak answers out loud | scheduled | ||
| Unlimited practice attempts | reading | ||
| Management scenario roleplay | limited | ||
| Instant scored feedback | delayed | ||
| Portfolio station walkthroughs | sometimes | ||
| Available 24/7 | |||
| Price | £XX/mo | £50–100 one-off | £80–150/session |
Pricing
One price. Unlimited practice.
Free
£0
Forever free
- 3 practice sessions per week
- Management + Clinical stations only
- Basic feedback summary
Pro
£XX
per month
- Unlimited sessions across all 3 stations
- Full CST rubric-mapped scoring
- Model answers after every section
- Portfolio station access
- Priority support
Less than one one-to-one mock session. Unlimited attempts.
One round. No retries. Be ready.
Interviews open February 2027. Applications close November 2026. Start your first station free — no card needed.
Join 1,000+ doctors prepping on MLAbuddy this cycle.