Psychiatry HST Ireland: Interview Points & Calculator

Where these numbers come from

9 domains, worded as in the official guide
12 official sources, each dated

Method and sources

Your score adds up the option you pick in each domain, using the published rules shown on each step. "Could still add" uses only steps the guide allows before the deadline. No competition figures are shown for Irish HST. Last checked 30 October 2026.

CPsychI HST Recruitment page (July 2027 timeline). Applications commencing July 2027; accessed 30 Oct 2026
HST Interviews – July 2027 Intake: Guidance for Candidates (non-streamlining page copy). Titled 'July 2027 Intake'; uploaded July 2026; table headers read '2026'. Scoring identical to the July 2024 intake version.
HST Interviews – July 2027 Intake: Guidance for Candidates (streamlining page copy). Same text as the non-streamlining copy
Short-listing Scoring System for HST Category B – Non-Streamlining applicants. 'Updated November 2024'; linked from the July 2027 non-streamlining page
Form A (Streamlining Candidates), July 2027 intake. JULY 2027 INTAKE; last saved 24 Jul 2026
Form B (Non-Streamlining Candidates), July 2027 intake. JULY 2027 INTAKE; last saved 24 Jul 2026
Guidelines for completion of Form A (July 2027 intake). 'Updated July 2026'
Guidelines for completion of Form B (July 2027 intake). Title 'FOR JULY 2027 INTAKE'; footer 'Updated August 2024'
HST Recruitment data (places for July 2027; results to July 2026). 2027 version, uploaded July 2026
HST Streamlining Candidates page
HST Non-Streamlining Candidates page
HST Interviews – July 2024 Intake: Guidance for Candidates (earlier version, for comparison). July 2024 intake

The College of Psychiatrists of Ireland scores HST entry at a competency-based interview, out of 100 for clinical posts. The same scheme covers Adult Psychiatry & related specialties and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Of those 100 points, 35 come from your application form and evidence: Qualifications/Further Education 10, Research & Publications 15 and Teaching 10. The panel scores the other 65 in person in Dublin (General Training & Experience 30, Management/Leadership/Team Working 15, and Communication/Motivation/Career Planning 20). For the July 2027 intake, HST Recruitment opens on Friday 20 November 2026 and closes on Friday 8 January 2027. Interviews are on Thursday 11 February 2027 and results come out on Friday 26 February 2027. The College’s July 2027 guidance went up in July 2026, and its scoring is word for word the same as the July 2024 version. Because “Only information accompanied by supporting evidence will be awarded points at interview, particularly in the categories of Qualifications, Publications and Teaching”, whatever you want scored has to be evidenced when you submit.

Go to the Psychiatry HST (IE) calculator at the top of this page

Where Teach the Teacher counts for Psychiatry HST

Teaching is worth 10 points on the clinical scheme, split into five lines of 2. One of those lines is “Formal training in teaching/ medical education (e.g., relevant certificates or short courses with university or PGT body)”. We claim the Erudical Teach the Teacher course there for 2 points, and the panel decides. Be clear about the grey area. The line’s examples are certificates or short courses “with university or PGT body”, and Erudical is neither a university nor a postgraduate training body. The guidance doesn’t say whether other providers count, so the panel may or may not accept it. The course is a live online teaching day (“6 hours of live teaching with an expert”) plus a self-paced course of over 12 hours in 20 modules. The guidance asks for “certs of attendance / Abstracts etc.”, so upload the certificate with your application. It has to be in hand before you submit, by Friday 8 January 2027 at the latest. The course adds nothing if you already hold a teaching qualification that fills this line. It scores nothing at Category B shortlisting either, because that sheet has no teaching line. The same experience can still help at interview, since “Additional marks may also be awarded at the discretion of the interview panel in the Research & Publications and Teaching domains based on interview discussion”.

Points you can still add before 8 January 2027

The application closes on Friday 8 January 2027, and there’s no later evidence upload. Each item below has to be finished, with paperwork, by the time you submit. These are the form-scored points that can realistically still move in the ten weeks left.

Formal training in teaching (+2). Finish Teach the Teacher and upload the certificate of attendance. This is the claim described above, and the panel decides.
Examining (+2). “Experience in examining” is its own line. Ask the psychiatry department or clinical skills lead at your affiliated medical school whether they need examiners for an OSCE or clinical exam before you submit. Get a short letter confirming the date and your role.
Delivering or organising teaching (+2 if the line is empty). Organise a short teaching series for medical students, interns or BST colleagues. Keep the timetable and the feedback, and ask your tutor or programme lead for a letter. Form B asks for the “location of such teaching duties, target audience and what agency or educational partner or training programme such teaching was affiliated to”.
Education research (+2). If you evaluate that teaching, an abstract on it presented at a national or international meeting fits “Research publications/presentations relating to education/teaching”. The same talk may also score under Research & Publications (“Oral (National / Intl conference) = 2 points”). The guidance doesn’t rule out counting it in both, so list it in both and the panel decides.
An accepted abstract (+1 poster, +2 oral). Only national or international meetings count. If an abstract has already been accepted for a meeting before 8 January, present it and upload the programme page. Posters stop scoring at 4 and orals stop scoring after two.

Qualifications are effectively fixed by now: a diploma or degree only scores with the certificate. A paper scores only once it’s published, with full bibliographical details.

Rules in the CPsychI guidance that change a score

Only national and international presentations count. Form B says “Only a presentation at a National or International Meeting may be included here”. Each type is capped: “Poster = 1 point (to a max. of 4 points)” and “Oral (National / Intl conference) = 2 points (to a max. of 4 points)”, so a third oral adds nothing. PubMed papers score “3-6** points (**depending on 1st or non-1st author and the relevance / significance of the paper)”. The calculator counts each paper at the minimum, 3. Qualifications are a fixed list: “MICGP / MRCPI = 4 points”, a Bachelor’s or graduate-entry degree 2, a one-year diploma 1, a relevant higher diploma of at least two years 2, a Master’s 3, an MD 5 and a PhD 6, up to 10. MRCPsych isn’t on it. Adult and Child & Adolescent are separate schemes, and “you must make an entirely separate submission for each”. Streamlining BST3 trainees are “deemed automatically eligible (for non-lecturer posts)”, but rank at interview still decides whether and where they are placed. “Automatic eligibility does not guarantee a specific placement or programme.” Non-streamlining (Category B) applicants are first shortlisted on a separate 50-point sheet. That sheet covers clinical experience in psychiatry 20, physical health 10 and academic experience 20, where a talk or poster scores just 0.5. In the July 2026 round every eligible applicant was shortlisted. Ticking “Clinical & Lecturer posts” changes the totals to 135, with Research & Publications 25 and Teaching 35. The interview runs “approx. 5 minutes longer”, and the extra marks come from discussion rather than from published lines.

Worked example: a BST3 on 10 of 35

Picture a BST3 trainee on the CPsychI programme. They hold a one-year diploma and have two national posters, one national oral and one co-authored PubMed paper. They teach medical students weekly, with a letter from the tutor, but have never examined and have no teaching training. Their form-scored points are:

Qualifications/Further Education: one-year diploma, 1.
Research & Publications: two posters 2, one oral 2, one PubMed paper at the minimum 3, so 7.
Teaching: delivering teaching, 2.

That’s 10 of the 35 that come from the form. The other 65 are scored at interview. If they finish Teach the Teacher before submitting and the panel accepts it, Teaching rises by 2. An OSCE examiner slot before 8 January, confirmed by letter, adds 2 more. The new total is 14 of 35, a gain of 4. Competition is modest in Adult & related specialties: for July 2026, 36 applied and 34 were appointed, against 45 places for July 2027. Child & Adolescent is tighter, with 17 applicants for 12 places in 2026. Either way, the interview score sets your rank and your placements.

Psychiatry HST (IE) HST Recruitment; 'HST Interview Scoring – Domains of Competence' (competency-based interview). Shortlisting applies to Category B (non-streamlining) applicants only. points at a glance

July 2027 intake guidance (posted July 2026); scoring unchanged from the July 2024 intake Last checked 30 October 2026

HST interview score, clinical posts (Adult & related specialties and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, July 2027 intake)

Your score is the total of the domain scores, out of a maximum of 100.

Printed total: '(100 points)' for clinical (non-lecturer) posts; lecturer posts '(135 points)' with Research & Publications 25 and Teaching 35. 'Some marks are awarded based on your application form and supporting evidence provided at the time of application for the following domains of competence: - Qualifications & further education /10 points - Research & Publications / 15 points - Teaching / 10 points' 'Additional marks may also be awarded at the discretion of the interview panel in the Research & Publications and Teaching domains based on interview discussion in these domains of competence.' The other 65 points (General Training & Experience 30, Management 15, Communication 20) are scored at interview against descriptors that aren't published, so the calculator scores the 35 that come from your form and leaves the 65 to the panel. References: 'No score'. The same scheme applies to Adult & related specialties and to Child & Adolescent Psychiatry; they are separate submissions.

Psychiatry HST (IE) HST interview score, clinical posts (Adult & related specialties and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, July 2027 intake): every domain, what scores and the maximum
Domain	What scores (official wording)	Max
General Training & Experience	no fixed value Scored by the interview panel; no descriptors are published Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 30 points. Interview-scored out of 30. The guidance names the domain and its maximum only: 'The interview for Higher Specialist Training is a competency-based interview. Your presentation and performance on the day of interview will determine your final score.'	30
Qualifications / Further Education	4 points MICGP / MRCPI = 4 points 2 points Graduate Entry/ Bachelor’s degree = 2 points 1 point 1 year Diploma = 1 point 2 points Relevant Higher Diploma (min 2 years) = 2 points 3 points Masters degree = 3 points 5 points MD = 5 points 6 points PhD = 6 points Each item you can evidence adds its points, up to 10 points for the domain. Domain maximum 10. The guidance doesn't say whether qualifications add up, but the top single item (PhD 6) is below the domain maximum, so the calculator adds them and caps at 10. Each qualification counts once. MRCPsych isn't on the list.	10
Research & Publications	1 point each Poster = 1 point (to a max. of 4 points) 2 points each Oral (National / Intl conference) = 2 points (to a max. of 4 points) 2 points each Relevant Book Chapter (1st author / co-author) = 2 points 3 points each PubMed indexed journal article = 3-6 points (depending on 1st or non-1st author and the relevance / significance of the paper) Each item you can evidence adds its points, up to 15 points for the domain. Domain maximum 15 on the clinical (non-lecturer) scheme. Posters cap at 4 and orals cap at 4. 'Additional marks may also be awarded at the discretion of the interview panel in the Research & Publications and Teaching domains based on interview discussion in these domains of competence.'	15
Teaching	2 points Experience of delivering teaching and or organising courses/educational programmes /2 2 points Experience in examining /2 2 points Formal teaching position (e.g., a university recognised post) /2 2 points Formal training in teaching/ medical education (e.g., relevant certificates or short courses with university or PGT body) /2 2 points Research publications/presentations relating to education/teaching /2 Each item you can evidence adds its points, up to 10 points for the domain. Five lines, each /2, total 10 on the clinical scheme (lecturer posts: Teaching 35, breakdown not published). 'Additional marks may also be awarded at the discretion of the interview panel in the Research & Publications and Teaching domains based on interview discussion in these domains of competence.'	10
Management / Leadership / Team Working	no fixed value Scored by the interview panel; no descriptors are published Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 15 points. Interview-scored out of 15. The guidance names the domain and its maximum only: 'The interview for Higher Specialist Training is a competency-based interview. Your presentation and performance on the day of interview will determine your final score.'	15
Communication skills / Motivation / Career Planning	no fixed value Scored by the interview panel; no descriptors are published Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 20 points. Interview-scored out of 20. The guidance names the domain and its maximum only: 'The interview for Higher Specialist Training is a competency-based interview. Your presentation and performance on the day of interview will determine your final score.'	20
Total		100

HST interview score, clinical posts (Adult & related specialties and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, July 2027 intake): Dates for this round

20 November 2026 HST Recruitment opens source
8 January 2027 HST Recruitment closes (evidence goes in with the application) source 1 source 2 source 3
22 January 2027 Non-streamlining candidates told if shortlisted source
11 February 2027 HST interviews, in person, Dublin source
26 February 2027 HST interview results source

HST interview score, clinical posts (Adult & related specialties and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, July 2027 intake): What you can still add before 8 January 2027

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.

Research & Publications. Present an abstract that has already been accepted at a national or international meeting before you submit, and upload the abstract or the programme page. A poster adds 1 (up to 4 posters) and an oral adds 2 (up to 2 orals). A paper only counts once it is published and listed with full bibliographical details. Gets you to: Poster at a national or international meeting; Oral at a national or international conference. Evidence has to go in with the application, which closes on Friday 8 January 2027; there is no later upload. Most meetings close abstracts months ahead, so this only helps if an abstract is already accepted.
Teaching. Four of the five lines can still move before you submit. (1) Formal training: finish the Erudical Teach the Teacher course and have the certificate in hand before you submit; we claim it under 'Formal training in teaching/ medical education' and the panel decides. (2) Examining: ask the psychiatry department or clinical skills lead at your affiliated medical school for an examiner slot at an OSCE or clinical exam that runs before you submit, and get a confirming letter. (3) Delivering or organising teaching: set up a short series of sessions for medical students, interns or BST colleagues, keep the timetable and feedback, and get a letter from your tutor or the programme lead. (4) Education research: if you run an evaluation of that teaching, an accepted abstract on it presented at a national or international meeting fits 'Research publications/presentations relating to education/teaching'. A formal university post (line 3) usually takes longer to arrange. Gets you to: Formal training in teaching or medical education; Delivering teaching or organising courses/educational programmes; Experience in examining; Research publications or presentations about education or teaching. 'Some marks are awarded based on your application form and supporting evidence provided at the time of application for the following domains of competence: - Qualifications & further education /10 points - Research & Publications / 15 points - Teaching / 10 points' Applications close Friday 8 January 2027, and 'Only information accompanied by supporting evidence will be awarded points at interview, particularly in the categories of Qualifications, Publications and Teaching.' No earlier official limit exists, so allow time for the certificate or letter to reach you before you submit.

Category B (non-streamlining) shortlisting score, July 2027 intake

Your score is the total of the domain scores, out of a maximum of 50.

'Short-listing Scoring System for HST Category B – Non-Streamlining applicants (Maximum score [A-C] = 50)'. It decides who is invited to interview; the interview score (100) then ranks candidates. Streamlining (Category A) candidates are not shortlisted: they are 'deemed automatically eligible (for non-lecturer posts)'. Form B: 'Please note that Sections E (i), E (ii), F (ii), and G (Blue Headings below) will contribute to the shortlisting process'. In the July 2026 round every eligible applicant was shortlisted (Adult 36 of 36, CAP 17 of 17). Sheet footer: 'Updated November 2024'.

Psychiatry HST (IE) Category B (non-streamlining) shortlisting score, July 2027 intake: every domain, what scores and the maximum
Domain	What scores (official wording)	Max
A. Clinical experience in psychiatry	10 points Eligible for the Medical Council of Ireland’s Specialist Register for one of the specialties of psychiatry and seeking training in another specialty or sub-specialty of psychiatry. o 10 points 1 point each Experience, following completion of basic specialist training, as a clinical research fellow in psychiatry (must have been registered with a university for a higher degree). o 1 point per 6 months completed (max 6 points) 1 point each Experience, following completion of basic specialist training, as a clinical lecturer in psychiatry (must have held a contract with a university). o 1 point per 6 months completed (max 6 points) 1 point each Experience, following completion of basic specialist training, as a clinical psychiatrist. o 1 point per 6 months completed (max 4 points) Each item you can evidence adds its points, up to 20 points for the domain. Maximum 20. Count completed 6-month blocks only ('per 6 months completed').	20
B. Clinical experience in physical health	1 point each Experience as a specialist trainee in any clinical specialty other than psychiatry o 1 point per year (max 2 points) 8 points Membership of the Irish College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, or the Royal College of Physicians (or equivalent from other jurisdictions). o 8 points Each item you can evidence adds its points, up to 10 points for the domain. Maximum 10.	10
C. Academic experience	2 points each First-author publication in a journal listed in PubMed o 2 points / publication 1 point each Co-author publication in a journal listed in PubMed o 1 point / publication 0.5 points each Oral or poster presentation at national/international meeting o 0.5 each (max 2 points) 0.5 points each Other publication or complete audit cycle o 0.5 each (max 1 point) 12 points Higher Qualification o Medical or other relevant PhD 12 points 8 points other PhD 8 points 10 points Doctorate MD (Medicine) 10 points 1 point University graduate (other than in medicine) 1 point 2 points Masters graduate 2 points Each item you can evidence adds its points, up to 20 points for the domain. Maximum 20. The sheet doesn't say whether higher qualifications add together; the calculator adds them within the cap.	20
Total		50

Category B (non-streamlining) shortlisting score, July 2027 intake: Dates for this round

20 November 2026 HST Recruitment opens source
8 January 2027 HST Recruitment closes (evidence goes in with the application) source 1 source 2 source 3
22 January 2027 Non-streamlining candidates told if shortlisted source
11 February 2027 HST interviews, in person, Dublin source
26 February 2027 HST interview results source

Category B (non-streamlining) shortlisting score, July 2027 intake: What you can still add before 8 January 2027

C. Academic experience. Present an accepted abstract at a national or international meeting before you submit: 0.5 each, up to 2. Gets you to: Oral or poster at a national or international meeting. Applications close Friday 8 January 2027 and the form is what gets shortlisted.

Evidence traps

Everything you want scored has to be evidenced and uploaded with the application. There is no later upload, and the application closes on Friday 8 January 2027. Only information accompanied by supporting evidence will be awarded points at interview, particularly in the categories of Qualifications, Publications and Teaching. source 1 source 2 source 3
Only national or international presentations go on the form, and each type caps at 4 points: two orals or four posters fill it. Only a presentation at a National or International Meeting may be included here. | Poster = 1 point (to a max. of 4 points) | Oral (National / Intl conference) = 2 points (to a max. of 4 points) source 1 source 2
Adult & related specialties and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry are separate schemes. To be considered for both you send two complete submissions. If you wish to be considered for both Schemes [(1) the specialities of Adult Psychiatry and (2) Child and Adolescent Psychiatry], you must make an entirely separate submission for each. source
Streamlining gets you an interview and priority, not a placement: your interview rank still decides whether and where you are placed, and the guarantee covers clinical (non-lecturer) posts only. will be deemed automatically eligible (for non-lecturer posts) and will be guaranteed a place ahead of any others who apply for HST ... Those who are automatically eligible will be required to attend an interview to determine (i) if a place will be offered - this will be based on demand rather than eligibility and determined by rank at interview and (ii) if offered a place, the most appropriate clinical placements. Automatic eligibility does not guarantee a specific placement or programme. source
Teaching is five separate 2-point lines. Lots of bedside teaching fills only one of them; examining, teaching training, a formal post and education research are scored separately. Experience of delivering teaching and or organising courses/educational programmes /2 | Experience in examining /2 | Formal teaching position (e.g., a university recognised post) /2 | Formal training in teaching/ medical education (e.g., relevant certificates or short courses with university or PGT body) /2 | Research publications/presentations relating to education/teaching /2 source

Sources

CPsychI HST Recruitment page (July 2027 timeline), Applications commencing July 2027; accessed 30 Oct 2026
HST Interviews – July 2027 Intake: Guidance for Candidates (non-streamlining page copy), Titled 'July 2027 Intake'; uploaded July 2026; table headers read '2026'. Scoring identical to the July 2024 intake version.
HST Interviews – July 2027 Intake: Guidance for Candidates (streamlining page copy), Same text as the non-streamlining copy
Short-listing Scoring System for HST Category B – Non-Streamlining applicants, 'Updated November 2024'; linked from the July 2027 non-streamlining page
Form A (Streamlining Candidates), July 2027 intake, JULY 2027 INTAKE; last saved 24 Jul 2026
Form B (Non-Streamlining Candidates), July 2027 intake, JULY 2027 INTAKE; last saved 24 Jul 2026
Guidelines for completion of Form A (July 2027 intake), 'Updated July 2026'
Guidelines for completion of Form B (July 2027 intake), Title 'FOR JULY 2027 INTAKE'; footer 'Updated August 2024'
HST Recruitment data (places for July 2027; results to July 2026), 2027 version, uploaded July 2026
HST Streamlining Candidates page
HST Non-Streamlining Candidates page
HST Interviews – July 2024 Intake: Guidance for Candidates (earlier version, for comparison), July 2024 intake

For the scoring tables and the July 2027 dates on a single printable page, add your email and we’ll send you the PDF.

Email me the printable version

Psychiatry HST Ireland questions, answered

How many points is teaching worth for psychiatry HST in Ireland?

Teaching is worth 10 of 100 on clinical posts, in five lines of 2. They are: delivering teaching or organising courses, examining, a formal teaching post, formal training in teaching or medical education, and education research or presentations. On lecturer posts Teaching is worth 35 of 135, but the breakdown isn’t published.

Does a teach the teacher course count for CPsychI HST?

We claim it for 2 points under “Formal training in teaching/ medical education (e.g., relevant certificates or short courses with university or PGT body)”. Erudical isn’t a university or postgraduate training body, so the panel decides. Upload the certificate with your application.

Is Child and Adolescent Psychiatry HST scored differently from Adult?

No. The College publishes one interview guidance for both, with the same domains and points. They are separate competitions with separate places (45 Adult & related specialties and 12 Child & Adolescent for July 2027), so to be considered for both you apply twice.

When do psychiatry HST applications open for July 2027?

HST Recruitment opens on Friday 20 November 2026 and closes on Friday 8 January 2027. Non-streamlining candidates hear about shortlisting on Friday 22 January 2027. Interviews are in person in Dublin on Thursday 11 February 2027, and results come out on Friday 26 February 2027.

All Irish HST colleges and specialties

Psychiatry HST in Ireland: points calculator and scoring guide

Psychiatry HST (IE) points calculator