General Surgery ST3 · Latest published criteria

General Surgery ST3 shortlisting 2027: points calculator and scoring guide

2026 criteria (Appendix 2 last reviewed 19 November 2025); 2027 not yet published Last checked

Answer the four questions with published points to see your score out of 27, and what you can still add before the deadline.

Applications expected to close 4pm, Thu 10 Dec 2026

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General Surgery ST3 points calculator

Answer one question for each question with published point bands. We add up those points with the published rules shown on each step. The other questions are scored by the panel against descriptors that are not published, so we list them without a number. Then we show what you could still add before the deadline, with dates. It takes about two minutes.

We'll show your result and email you a copy.

When are you applying?

We use this to date your plan. Applying this round, it works back from the deadline. Applying next year, you get the long-run version instead.

The calculator adds up the questions with published point bands, out of 27. Question 3: Closed loop audit; Question 5: Publications; Question 6: Academic presentations; Global score for presentation of shortlisting evidence (33 points) are scored by the panel against descriptors that are not published, for a full total of 60.

Maximum 8 pointsQuestion 1: Months in General Surgery

By the end of July 2026, or by the completion of Core Training if this is later, how many months full time (or equivalent if LTFT) will you have spent in total in General Surgery in any Post-Foundation job in any country? Eligible posts must include experience in both unselected emergency general surgery and elective general surgery (or a recognised general surgical sub-specialty). Please do not include any other posts. Maximum points: 8

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 8 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Total months (full-time equivalent) in post-Foundation General Surgery jobs, counted to the end of July 2026 or the end of Core Training if later (2026 wording). The jobs must include both unselected emergency and elective general surgery.

Watch out. More is not better. 13 to 36 months scores the maximum of 8, while 37 to 60 months scores 4 and 61 or more scores 1. A job that was elective only, or emergency only, does not count.

Caps. Maximum points: 8. The scale goes down after 36 months: 37 to 60 months scores 4 and 61 months or more scores 1. 0 to 3 months is not a score of 0: the form marks it "Score ineligible for appointment".

Maximum 10 pointsQuestion 2: Appendicectomies

By the time your evidence is submitted, how many appendicectomies (laparoscopic and/or open) have you completed? Do not include cases where your role was limited to assisting the operating surgeon only. Maximum score: 10

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 10 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Appendicectomies (laparoscopic or open) you have completed, not counting cases where you only assisted, up to the time your evidence is submitted. They must be backed by full, consecutive logbook evidence, with every page signed by your supervisor.

Watch out. Do not trim or pad your logbook to hit a band. Under-reporting is penalised too: "If the applicant has undertaken General Surgery posts where logbook evidence is omitted, then a score of 1 point will be awarded for this section". The minimum rose from 6 to 10 for 2026.

Caps. Maximum score: 10. The scale goes down above 70: 71 to 85 scores 5 and 86 or more scores 1. A logbook with gaps, or one that leaves out General Surgery posts, scores 1. 0 to 9 is not a score of 0: the form marks it "Scoring ineligible for appointment".

Maximum 4 pointsQuestion 4: Posts in other surgical/acute specialties

By the end of July 2026, or the completion of Core Training, will you have spent at least 4 months in Trauma and Orthopaedics T and O), Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Ear, nose and throat (ENT) Surgery, Cardiac/Thoracic surgery, A and E, Intensive/Critical Care (ITU), Paediatric Surgery, Urology, Vascular or Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) posts since completing your Foundation Programme?

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 4 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Posts of at least 4 months since Foundation in T&O, Plastics, Neurosurgery, ENT, Cardiac/Thoracic, A&E, ITU, Paediatric Surgery, Urology, Vascular or OMFS.

Watch out. "In order to be eligible for points, applicants must evidence that they have completed a minimum of 4 months full time (or equivalent if LTFT) in both unselected emergency and elective work within the relevant specialty." An elective-only post does not count.

Caps. Maximum score: 4. Each post must be at least 4 months full-time equivalent and include both unselected emergency and elective work.

Maximum 5 pointsQuestion 7: Stand-alone degrees

By the time your evidence is submitted, have you been awarded a stand-alone degree by a UK university (see evidence below)? NB: This does not include intercalated degrees, including intercalated degrees which are part of a standard training programme.

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 5 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

A stand-alone university degree that has been awarded (not intercalated). "This category has now been broadened to include PG Certs, Diplomas and taught Masters degrees."

Watch out. Intercalated degrees do not count. A course still in progress scores nothing until the award is confirmed, and a thesis needs separate proof or it is scored as a degree without one.

Caps. Maximum points: 5 (highest degree). "Points will not be awarded unless evidence is provided that the qualification has been awarded."

Scored by the panel, so not asked here: Question 3: Closed loop audit (max 8); Question 5: Publications (max 10); Question 6: Academic presentations (max 10); Global score for presentation of shortlisting evidence (max 5).

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General Surgery ST3 has no self-scored points: you answer seven shortlisting questions on templates, upload the evidence behind each one to the Qpercom Evidence Portal, and a consultant scores it. The seven questions carry 55 points between them, and a global score of 0 to 5 for how you present the evidence brings the total we can derive to 60; NHS England then says “The scores from shortlisting will be added to the interview scores and will therefore continue to form part of the overall candidate score.” The 2027 questions haven’t been published, so this page follows the 2026 framework. General Surgery took part in national Round 2 last time, and the 2027 Round 2 window is expected to run from 19 November (10am) to 10 December 2026 (4pm), followed by a separate evidence upload (16 December 2025 to 12 January 2026 in the last round).

General Surgery ST3 shortlisting questions (7 templates plus evidence uploaded to the Qpercom Evidence Portal, scored by a consultant); not a self-assessment points at a glance

2026 criteria (Appendix 2 last reviewed 19 November 2025); 2027 not yet published Last checked

Your score is the total of the domain scores, out of a maximum of 60.

Seven questions total 55 (8+10+8+4+10+10+5), plus "a global score for the presentation of the shortlisting evidence (score range 0-5)" = 60 (derived). "The scores from shortlisting will be added to the interview scores and will therefore continue to form part of the overall candidate score. The final total score will be used for ranking and job offers." No percentage weighting is published.

General Surgery ST3: every domain, what scores and the maximum
DomainWhat scores (official wording)Max
Question 1: Months in General Surgery
  • 0 points 0 to 3 months
  • 1 point 4 to 7 months
  • 6 points 8 to 12 months
  • 8 points 13 to 36 months
  • 4 points 37 to 60 months
  • 1 point 61 months or more

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 8 points.

Maximum points: 8. The scale goes down after 36 months: 37 to 60 months scores 4 and 61 months or more scores 1. 0 to 3 months is not a score of 0: the form marks it "Score ineligible for appointment".

8
Question 2: Appendicectomies
  • 0 points 0 to 9
  • 2 points 10 to 20
  • 7 points 21 to 35
  • 10 points 36 to 70
  • 5 points 71 to 85
  • 1 point 86 or more

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 10 points.

Maximum score: 10. The scale goes down above 70: 71 to 85 scores 5 and 86 or more scores 1. A logbook with gaps, or one that leaves out General Surgery posts, scores 1. 0 to 9 is not a score of 0: the form marks it "Scoring ineligible for appointment".

10
Question 3: Closed loop audit
  • no fixed value Point bands not published; only the maximum (8) is public

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 8 points.

Maximum score: 8, for a single audit. Point bands are not published: a consultant scores it on quality ("Points will be awarded for example, depth of candidate involvement, reference standard, study design, importance of clinical question and impact of work."). If you were not involved in both cycles you score 0 and cannot go to interview.

8
Question 4: Posts in other surgical/acute specialties
  • 0 points I will not have spent 4 months in any of these specialities
  • 2 points I will have spent at least 4 months in a post in 1 of these specialities
  • 4 points I will have spent at least 4 months each in posts in 2 or more of these specialities

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 4 points.

Maximum score: 4. Each post must be at least 4 months full-time equivalent and include both unselected emergency and elective work.

4
Question 5: Publications
  • no fixed value Point bands not published; only the maximum (10) is public

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 10 points.

Maximum score: 10 (5 per publication), 2 publications. Point bands are not published: "Points will be awarded for candidate contribution, level of authorship, quality of study and impact factor of publication."

10
Question 6: Academic presentations
  • no fixed value Point bands not published; only the maximum (10) is public

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 10 points.

Maximum score: 10 (5 per presentation), best 2. Point bands are not published: "Points will be awarded for example, depth of candidate contribution, being the presenter of the work, quality of study." Since 2026 there is no extra credit for international over national, or for oral over poster.

10
Question 7: Stand-alone degrees
  • 1 point Postgraduate Certificate
  • 2 points Diploma/Masters degree without thesis or dissertation
  • 3 points Masters with thesis or dissertation (for example, MSc, MMedEd, MS, ChM)
  • 4 points Doctor of Medicine (MD)
  • 5 points Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 5 points.

Maximum points: 5 (highest degree). "Points will not be awarded unless evidence is provided that the qualification has been awarded."

5
Global score for presentation of shortlisting evidence
  • no fixed value No descriptors published; scored 0 to 5 by the shortlister

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 5 points.

Score range 0-5, given by the shortlister. No descriptors are published. "Global scores will also form the initial “tie-break” in the event of tied scores."

5
TotalNot published as a single figure: this is the sum of the domain maxima.60

Dates for this round

  • General Surgery pages updated with 2027 guidance (expected) expected source
  • Applications open (national Round 2, ST3/ST4; General Surgery was recruited in Round 2 in 2026) expected source
  • Applications close expected source
  • National interview window opens expected source
  • National interview window closes expected source
  • Initial offers released by expected source

What you can still add before 10 December 2026

What each of these adds is the difference between the option you would reach and the one you already hold, so it can be nothing if you hold that option already. The calculator works out the gain from your own answers.

  • Question 2: Appendicectomies. Keep doing appendicectomies as operating surgeon (not just assisting) and log every case in a validated logbook, with each page signed by your supervisor. Start by 10 October 2026. The count runs to "By the time your evidence is submitted". The 2027 evidence upload dates are not published (in 2026 the window was 16 December 2025 to 12 January 2026).
  • Question 3: Closed loop audit. Only if you already have a closed-loop audit you were involved in at both cycles that has not yet been presented. Presenting it (for example at a meeting) gives you the presentation evidence the question requires. Starting a new two-cycle audit now is unlikely to finish in time. Start by 10 October 2026. The audit must have been presented before you upload your evidence. The 2027 evidence dates are not published.
  • Question 5: Publications. Only for a paper that is already accepted and will be published, with a PubMed ID, before you upload evidence. A new paper written now is unlikely to be indexed in time. It must be "published by the time your evidence is submitted". The 2027 evidence dates are not published.
  • Question 6: Academic presentations. Submit an abstract of an audit, QI or research project to a meeting above regional level that you can present at before you upload evidence. One example is NMERC 2026 (free to present, submit at nmerc.org/submit, delivered online on 14 Nov 2026, abstract book issued by 16 Nov 2026). The abstract book should meet the "published" requirement, and NMERC also publishes optional full write-ups linked from each abstract. Choose different data from your other presentation. The presentation must be "published by the time your evidence is submitted"; 14 Nov 2026 comes before the expected 10 Dec 2026 close and any evidence upload window.
  • Global score for presentation of shortlisting evidence. Draft your 7 templates early, get your Educational Supervisor to sign the checklist, and assemble one merged PDF per question. Start by 19 November 2026. The templates are released with the Oriel advert (the 2027 national Round 2 opens 19 Nov 2026).

Evidence traps

  • More experience can score fewer points. 13 to 36 months of General Surgery scores 8, but 37 to 60 months scores 4. 36 to 70 appendicectomies scores 10, but 86 or more scores 1. Report your true numbers; the bands are not a target to inflate. 37 to 60 months 4 61 months or more 1 source
  • A logbook with gaps, or one that leaves out General Surgery posts, drops Question 2 to 1 point, whatever your case count. Please ensure there are no gaps in the logbook evidence. If there are gaps in the logbook evidence you provide, then a score of 1 point will be awarded for this section source
  • Regional presentations no longer count, and the panel judges a meeting's level, not its title. Applicants should note that presentations made at departmental/hospital/regional (or equivalent) level only are not eligible. Decisions regarding benchmarking of the relative level of a scientific meeting are at the discretion of the shortlisting panel/clinical leads irrespective of meeting title. source
  • Teaching does not score at shortlisting. There is no teaching question, and presentations given while teaching are excluded (they can come up at interview instead). Applicants should note that presentations made in the course of the applicant delivering teaching/training activity are not accepted. This category of activity can be discussed during the professional development interview station. source
  • Cureus and other pay-to-publish papers now score 0, even with a PubMed ID. Irrespective of PubMed ID, publications in pay-to-publish model journals (for example, Cureus) are no longer be accepted and will score 0 points. source

Sources

Where the count stays open until your evidence goes in

Four of the seven questions count achievements up to the moment your evidence goes in (“By the time your evidence is submitted”), which gives General Surgery applicants a few more weeks than most specialties, though the 2027 upload window hasn’t been announced. Appendicectomies are the most direct gain: every case you do as operating surgeon and log with a supervisor’s signature counts, and moving from 21 to 35 cases into the 36 to 70 band takes Question 2 from 7 to 10. Academic presentations are the other open door, since a talk or poster above regional level that you give before the upload can become one of your two scored entries. If you already have a closed-loop audit you were involved in at both cycles but never presented, presenting it now gives Question 3 the evidence it requires. Months in General Surgery and posts in other specialties are fixed by your rotations, and a degree or a new paper can’t realistically be finished in time unless it’s already awarded or accepted. From 19 November, when the templates appear with the Oriel advert, start drafting all seven and get your Educational Supervisor to sign the checklist, because the presentation of your evidence earns up to 5 points of its own.

Three rules that cost surgical applicants marks

Two of the bands run downhill: 37 to 60 months in General Surgery scores 4 against 8 for 13 to 36 months, and 86 or more appendicectomies scores 1 against 10 for 36 to 70, so report your true numbers rather than inflating them. A logbook with gaps scores 1 whatever your case count (“If there are gaps in the logbook evidence you provide, then a score of 1 point will be awarded for this section”), and leaving out a General Surgery post has the same effect. Papers in pay-to-publish journals now score nothing: “Irrespective of PubMed ID, publications in pay-to-publish model journals (for example, Cureus) are no longer be accepted and will score 0 points.”

Worked example: a CT2 with 20 of the 27 objective points

Take a hypothetical CT2 applying in the 2027 round and scored on the 2026 framework. They have 24 months in General Surgery, 40 appendicectomies as operating surgeon on a complete, signed logbook, one 4-month A&E post, one closed-loop audit, no stand-alone degree, no publications and no presentations above regional level. Question by question:

  • Question 1, months in General Surgery: 13 to 36 months, 8 points.
  • Question 2, appendicectomies: 36 to 70, 10 points.
  • Question 3, closed-loop audit: marked by a consultant on quality, out of 8.
  • Question 4, posts in other specialties: one specialty, 2 points.
  • Question 5, publications: none, 0.
  • Question 6, academic presentations: none eligible, because regional talks don’t count, 0.
  • Question 7, stand-alone degree: none, 0.
  • Global score for presenting the evidence: marked by the shortlister, out of 5.

That gives 20 of the 27 points that have published bands. We can’t give a total out of 60, because Questions 3, 5 and 6 and the global score are marked against descriptors that aren’t public. A teaching course would gain this doctor nothing. If they presented the audit at a national meeting, for example NMERC in mid-November, that would be their first eligible entry under Question 6, worth anywhere from 0 to 5 depending on how the panel rates their contribution, the fact that they presented it and the quality of the work, so we won’t put a number on it. The same talk would also give Question 3 the evidence that the audit “has been presented”.

Estimate your objective points

There’s no calculator for General Surgery, because four of the eight scored items have no published bands. You can still total the four questions that do, which are worth 27 points together:

  • Question 1, months in General Surgery (max 8): 4 to 7 months scores 1, 8 to 12 scores 6, 13 to 36 scores 8, 37 to 60 scores 4, and 61 or more scores 1. Only post-Foundation jobs that included both unselected emergency and elective general surgery count.
  • Question 2, appendicectomies as operating surgeon (max 10): 10 to 20 scores 2, 21 to 35 scores 7, 36 to 70 scores 10, 71 to 85 scores 5, and 86 or more scores 1. “Do not include cases where your role was limited to assisting the operating surgeon only.”
  • Question 4, posts of at least 4 months in the listed surgical or acute specialties (max 4): none scores 0, one specialty scores 2, and two or more score 4.
  • Question 7, your highest awarded stand-alone degree (max 5): Postgraduate Certificate 1, Diploma or Masters without thesis 2, Masters with thesis 3, MD 4, PhD 5. Intercalated degrees don’t count.

Two answers carry no score at all. If you have 0 to 3 months in General Surgery, or 0 to 9 appendicectomies, the form marks you “Score ineligible for appointment” or “Scoring ineligible for appointment”, so you can’t be appointed with either answer. The remaining 33 points (audit 8, publications 10, presentations 10, global 5) depend on the consultant’s judgement.

For a printable copy of the seven questions, their bands and the evidence each one needs, enter your email here.

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Does a teach the teacher course count for General Surgery ST3?

No. None of the seven shortlisting questions is about teaching, so a teach the teacher course scores 0 for General Surgery ST3, and so does any teaching you deliver. Teaching talks can’t be claimed as academic presentations either: “Applicants should note that presentations made in the course of the applicant delivering teaching/training activity are not accepted. This category of activity can be discussed during the professional development interview station.” Question 7 only rewards a stand-alone degree awarded by a UK university, starting at a Postgraduate Certificate, which a CPD course isn’t. Teaching does appear in the 2027 person specification as a desirable criterion, “Evidence of knowledge of principles of adult education and effective design and delivery of teaching and learning”, so it’s worth being ready to talk about at interview, but it adds nothing to your shortlisting score. If you’re applying to more than one specialty, our teaching points by specialty table shows where a course does score.

An academic presentation at NMERC on 14 November

Question 6 asks for “2 best academic presentations” and adds that “the presentation must have been published by the time your evidence is submitted”. NMERC talks and posters happen on Saturday 14 November 2026, nearly four weeks ahead of the expected Round 2 close and before any evidence upload, with the abstract book out by 16 November, so the timing works. That abstract book should meet the “published” requirement, and if you want a fuller record of the work, NMERC’s optional full write-up is published with a link from your abstract. Any doctor or medical student can submit an abstract at nmerc.org/submit, and there’s no charge to present. “You may include poster presentations”, and since 2026 there’s no extra credit for an oral over a poster. The work has to be an audit, QI project or research, because talks given while teaching are excluded, and it should use different data from your other submitted presentation, since “only the first presentation will be scored” when two repeat one another. Each presentation is worth up to 5, but the panel scores it on your contribution, whether you presented it and the quality of the study, so we can’t tell you in advance what it will add. You’ll need the programme page and a copy of the slides or poster. Details are on the NMERC conference page.

Questions surgical trainees ask about GS shortlisting

How many points is a presentation worth for General Surgery ST3?

Up to 5 each, with your best two counted, so presentations are worth up to 10 of the 60. Posters are allowed, and departmental, hospital and regional presentations aren’t eligible. A consultant scores each one on your contribution, whether you were the presenter and the quality of the study, and no point bands are published.

When do General Surgery ST3 2027 applications open?

General Surgery hasn’t published its 2027 dates, and its pages still describe the 2026 round. It recruited through Round 2 last time. For 2027, national ST3/ST4 Round 2 applications run from Thursday 19 November 2026, 10am, until Thursday 10 December 2026, 4pm. In the 2026 round, evidence went to Qpercom after the close, from 16 December 2025 to 12 January 2026.

How competitive is General Surgery ST3?

In 2025 there were 834 applications for 161 posts, a competition ratio of 5.18. You can’t appeal your shortlisting score itself, only the process, so it pays to get the evidence right the first time.

Can I use AI to help write the templates?

No. The guidance says “Any evidence of plagiarism, including the use of AI in the templates will be treated as a matter of probity.” Write the templates yourself, and use templates from this year’s advert, since older versions are rejected.