The IMT interview: stations, scoring and how to prepare

How the interview fits into IMT selection

IMT selection happens in two steps, and they use different scores.

• Shortlisting uses your self-assessment. Applicants are ranked on their self-assessment score out of 30 (after priority status), and the top scorers are invited to interview. In 2026, 3,754 candidates were fully assessed at interview. Score yours with the IMT application scoring calculator.
• Ranking uses the interview alone. In the official wording, “the interview alone will form all of the marks used for your total score”. Your self-assessment does not carry over.

So the self-assessment is a gate, and the interview is the competition. In 2026, 8,468 applications were made for 1,683 posts, a ratio of 5.03 (IMT recruitment previous years’ data).

The two stations

Both stations are online. You have a few minutes to read before each one, and each lasts 11 minutes. Two interviewers score each station, and a different pair runs the second station, so four people mark you in all.

Station 1: your application, suitability and ethics

• Application and suitability (6 minutes). This opens with a 2-minute presentation about your achievements, with no slides or screen sharing. You are stopped at 2 minutes. The interviewers then ask about your application and your commitment to a career in medicine. They see the “Evidence” section of your form and your employment history, but not routinely your self-assessment.
• Ethics, professionalism and governance (up to 5 minutes). A hypothetical scenario, followed by questions drawn from GMC Good Medical Practice.
• Communication. A separate mark for how you communicate across the whole station.

Station 2: clinical scenario and handover

• Clinical scenario (up to 10 minutes). You are given a clinical case and asked about investigations, diagnosis and management.
• Patient handover (1 minute). A concise handover of the patient you have just managed.
• Communication. Again, a separate mark across the station.

How the interview is scored

Each of the seven aspects is marked out of 5 by both interviewers. The two marks are added, then weighted.

Source: IMT recruitment “Interview scoring” page, read 31 October 2026.

Two things stand out. Communication is worth 32 of the 96 marks, a third of the total, as much as the clinical scenario, the handover and the ethics questions combined. And your application and achievements carry 16 marks, so the 2-minute presentation and the questions that follow it matter as much as either communication mark.

Each mark follows the same scale: 1 is poor and “not considered appointable”, 2 is an area for concern, 3 is satisfactory at F2 level, 4 is good (the level expected on completing F2), and 5 is excellent, at IMT level or above.

What makes you appointable

You must meet all three rules. Miss any one and your application ends for that round.

• No mark of 1/5 from any interviewer.
• No more than two marks of 2/5.
• A raw score (the 14 marks added up, before weighting) of 42 or more out of 70.

In 2026, 89% of candidates who were fully assessed were appointable. The average weighted score was 76.47 out of 96, and the median was 77.60. With most people appointable, your rank depends on the gap between “satisfactory” and “good” on each mark.

How to prepare

The official site says “it is not really possible to ‘revise’” for the interview, but it recommends knowing your application well. In practice that means:

• Script your 2-minute presentation. Pick your strongest achievements and say why they matter for a career in medicine. A national presentation, teaching you organised or a quality improvement project you led all give you something concrete to talk about.
• Know your form. The Station 1 interviewers read your Evidence answers and employment history, so expect questions on anything you wrote there.
• Practise handovers out loud. One minute is short. A structured handover (situation, background, assessment, plan) keeps you inside it.
• Read Good Medical Practice. The ethics questions come straight from it.
• Bring paper notes if you want them. You may bring your own notes, “only on paper and not on an electronic device”. Books are not allowed.
• Set up the room. You need photo ID (a passport where possible), a quiet, well-lit room where you are alone, and your camera and microphone on throughout. Qpercom has no background blur. Any AI tool, including live transcription, means disqualification.

When it happens

Applications close in November. Shortlisting and interview invitations follow in early January, and interviews run from mid-January to mid-February. Rankings and preferences follow in March, and first offers come out in early April for an August start. Exact dates change each year: check the IMT dates and posts page.

Before the interview: make sure you are shortlisted

None of this matters if your self-assessment falls short of the shortlisting line. The highest-scoring items are things you need to have finished before you apply.

• Check your score. The IMT application scoring calculator works out your self-assessment out of 30 and shows where you can still add points.
• Present nationally. A national oral presentation is one of the biggest single scores, and it also gives your 2-minute presentation something to talk about. NMERC is an online national conference for doctors and medical students, and submitting an abstract is free. See how to get a national presentation for IMT.
• Once you’re in IMT, every year ends with an ARCP. Our ARCP guide explains each outcome and the IMT decision aid.
• Other interview guides: CST · Radiology · Paediatrics · Ophthalmology · Anaesthetics.

Common questions

Does my self-assessment score count at interview?

No. It decides whether you are shortlisted. After that, your ranking comes from the interview alone.

How long is the IMT interview?

Two stations of 11 minutes each, about 30 minutes with the interviewers. Allow up to 2 hours in total, as registration and the ID check can start up to 30 minutes early.

Is the IMT interview online?

Yes. All IMT interviews are online, on Qpercom Recruit.

What score do I need to be appointable?

A raw score of 42 or more out of 70, with no mark of 1 and no more than two marks of 2.