Ireland · RCPI HST Clinical Microbiology · 2027 intake criteria

RCPI HST Clinical Microbiology: points estimator and scoring guide

RCPI 2027 intake shortlisting and interview criteria Last checked

Rate yourself on each of the five rows RCPI scores to estimate your score out of 20, and see what you can still add before the next window.

Next applications expected October 2027

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RCPI Clinical Microbiology HST points estimator

Answer one question for each scored domain. We add up your points with the published rules shown on each step, then 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.

Which are you applying for?
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.

Shortlisting (2027 intake). Your score is the total of the domain scores, out of a maximum of 20.

Maximum 2.5 pointsProfessional Qualifications/Education

Professional Qualifications/Education | Undergraduate performance, teaching awards, higher degrees e.g Masters or PhD in addition to Medical

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 2.5 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Undergraduate performance, teaching awards and higher degrees such as a Masters or PhD.

Watch out. Teaching awards are counted here, not in Teaching Experience.

Caps. RCPI publishes only the row maximum (2.5). The panel decides the mark; no bands or examples of scores are published.

Maximum 6 pointsPublication & Audit Experience

Publication & Audit Experience | Publications, specialty publications, presentations, posters, audit, commensurate with totality of experience.

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 6 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Publications, presentations, posters and audit, judged against how long you've been training.

Watch out. Judged "commensurate with totality of experience", so a longer CV is expected from a more senior applicant.

Caps. RCPI publishes only the row maximum (6). The panel decides the mark; no bands or examples of scores are published.

Maximum 6 pointsClinical Practice

Clinical Practice | Candidate shows evidence that present achievement and performance is commensurate with the totality of the period of training, eg experience in specialty, attendance at specialty clinics, etc

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 6 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Experience in microbiology and specialty clinics, in proportion to your training.

Watch out. Weighs as much as publications and audit (6 each).

Caps. RCPI publishes only the row maximum (6). The panel decides the mark; no bands or examples of scores are published.

Maximum 3 pointsLeadership & Management Experience

Leadership & Management Experience | Candidate demonstrates that they have held a leadership or management role e.g. Lead NCHD, hospital committee membership, etc. Experience is commensurate with totality of period of training.

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 3 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

A leadership or management role such as Lead NCHD or a hospital committee.

Watch out. "have held" means a role you've actually done, not one you're about to start.

Caps. RCPI publishes only the row maximum (3). The panel decides the mark; no bands or examples of scores are published.

Maximum 2.5 pointsTeaching Experience

Teaching Experience | Candidate demonstrates experience with teaching or higher qualification in teaching

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 2.5 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Experience with teaching, or a higher qualification in teaching.

Watch out. The row covers both teaching you've done and a teaching qualification; a course on its own is neither, so evidence teaching too.

Caps. RCPI publishes only the row maximum (2.5). The panel decides the mark; no bands or examples of scores are published.

Interview (2027 intake). Your score is the total of the domain scores, out of a maximum of 100.

Maximum 25 pointsEducation / CV / Experience to Date

Education / CV / Experience to Date | 25

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 25 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Your education, CV and experience so far.

Watch out. The biggest CV-based domain here (25); the course can be mentioned as education, but it isn't claimed as marks.

Caps. Interview domain worth 25. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.

Maximum 10 pointsLeadership & Management Experience

Leadership & Management Experience | 10

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

Leadership and management, discussed at interview.

Watch out. Have a concrete example ready.

Caps. Interview domain worth 10. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.

Maximum 30 pointsGeneral Suitability / Knowledge of Specialty

General Suitability / Knowledge of Specialty | 30

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 30 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Suitability for and knowledge of clinical microbiology.

Watch out. The largest domain (30): know the specialty, its laboratory side and current issues.

Caps. Interview domain worth 30. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.

Maximum 15 pointsResearch / Audit / Publications

Research / Audit / Publications | 15

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 15 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Research, audit and publications.

Watch out. Teaching isn't named in any interview domain for Microbiology.

Caps. Interview domain worth 15. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.

Maximum 20 pointsCommunications / Teamwork

Communications / Teamwork | 20

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 20 points. Pick the highest option you can evidence.

Communication and teamwork.

Watch out. A fifth of the marks are for how you work with others.

Caps. Interview domain worth 20. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.

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Where these numbers come from

  • 10 domains, worded as in the official guide
  • 2 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.

  1. RCPI Entry Guidance and Advice: HST Shortlisting and Interview Criteria & Specialty Entry Requirements. 2027 intake. The page says "Applications for our 2027 Higher Specialist Training (HST) programmes are now closed." Criteria are published as tables on the page, not as PDFs.
  2. RCPI HST Application Guidance and Frequently Asked Questions. 2027 intake ("Applications for our Higher Specialist Training (HST) programme will open 01 October 2026.")

RCPI shortlists HST Clinical Microbiology on five rows with a published total of 20: Professional Qualifications/Education 2.5, Publication & Audit Experience 6, Clinical Practice 6, Leadership & Management Experience 3 and Teaching Experience 2.5. Several rows are judged against your time in training (“commensurate with totality of experience”). RCPI publishes only the maximum for each row, so the panel decides each mark. The calculator at the top of this page is a self-estimate: you rate yourself against each row and it adds up your own estimate, not RCPI’s score. The interview is out of 100, in person, on 9 February 2027, and no interview domain names teaching. The 2027 window closed at 5pm on 29 October 2026.

Where Teach the Teacher counts for Clinical Microbiology

We claim the course on the Teaching Experience row, worth 2.5 of the 20, and the panel decides. The row reads “Candidate demonstrates experience with teaching or higher qualification in teaching”. The Erudical course is a live online day with “6 hours of live teaching with an expert”, plus a self-paced course of over 12 hours in 20 modules. It isn’t a postgraduate qualification or teaching you’ve delivered, so it counts best alongside teaching you do, such as antimicrobial stewardship sessions for interns or infection teaching for nurses. The 2027 window has closed, so it counts from the next window. Teaching doesn’t appear in the Microbiology interview domains, so the shortlisting row is the only place the course is claimed.

Rules in the Clinical Microbiology criteria that change a score

Publication & Audit Experience and Clinical Practice are worth 6 each, and both are judged “commensurate with totality of experience” or “the totality of the period of training”, so the same CV reads less well the more senior you are. Leadership asks for a role you “have held”, and its examples are Lead NCHD and hospital committees. Higher degrees “e.g Masters or PhD in addition to Medical” and teaching awards sit in Professional Qualifications/Education. Proof is needed for publications and presentations (“Verifiable proof will be required”), and nothing can be added after the close. The interview is Education / CV / Experience to Date 25, Leadership & Management Experience 10, General Suitability / Knowledge of Specialty 30, Research / Audit / Publications 15 and Communications / Teamwork 20. Places follow your interview rank.

Worked example: a medical SHO in BST year 2

Take an SHO with an MSc in infection, a co-authored paper on C. difficile, a regional poster, a closed-loop antimicrobial prescribing audit, a year as Lead NCHD and a stewardship teaching slot she runs for new interns each rotation. The MSc fits Professional Qualifications/Education, Lead NCHD is named in the leadership row, and the stewardship slot is teaching experience. RCPI publishes no marks within rows, so we can’t total it. A Teach the Teacher certificate adds teaching training to the stewardship sessions on a row worth 2.5 at most; the panel decides, from the next window.

RCPI Clinical Microbiology HST shortlisting points at a glance

RCPI 2027 intake shortlisting and interview criteria Last checked

Shortlisting (2027 intake)

Your score is the total of the domain scores, out of a maximum of 20.

Five rows, total 20 as published. Ranking: "Posts are allocated by the NSD(s) taking into account rank at interview and available places." Self-estimate (owner ruling 30 Oct 2026): RCPI publishes only the maximum for each row, so the calculator asks you to rate yourself on each row (none, some, good, strong) and adds up your own estimate. These steps are ours, not RCPI's; the panel scores the real marks.

RCPI Clinical Microbiology HST Shortlisting (2027 intake): every domain, what scores and the maximum
DomainWhat scores (official wording)Max
Professional Qualifications/Education
  • 0 points None yet
  • 1 point Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 1.5 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 2.5 points Strong (full marks for this row)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 2.5 points.

RCPI publishes only the row maximum (2.5). The panel decides the mark; no bands or examples of scores are published.

2.5
Publication & Audit Experience
  • 0 points None yet
  • 2 points Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 4 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 6 points Strong (full marks for this row)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 6 points.

RCPI publishes only the row maximum (6). The panel decides the mark; no bands or examples of scores are published.

6
Clinical Practice
  • 0 points None yet
  • 2 points Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 4 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 6 points Strong (full marks for this row)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 6 points.

RCPI publishes only the row maximum (6). The panel decides the mark; no bands or examples of scores are published.

6
Leadership & Management Experience
  • 0 points None yet
  • 1 point Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 2 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 3 points Strong (full marks for this row)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 3 points.

RCPI publishes only the row maximum (3). The panel decides the mark; no bands or examples of scores are published.

3
Teaching Experience
  • 0 points None yet
  • 1 point Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 1.5 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 2.5 points Strong (full marks for this row)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 2.5 points.

RCPI publishes only the row maximum (2.5). The panel decides the mark; no bands or examples of scores are published.

2.5
Total20

Shortlisting (2027 intake): Dates for this round

  • Applications opened (2027 intake) source
  • This round closed 29 Oct 2026 (2027 intake); nothing can be added to those applications source
  • Next applications open (2028 intake), expected early October 2027 expected source
  • Next applications close (2028 intake), expected late October 2027: what you claim must be done by then expected source

Shortlisting (2027 intake): What you can still add before 29 October 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.

  • Publication & Audit Experience. For the next intake: finish an audit cycle or QI project and present it, and submit papers early enough to be published or accepted before the window opens. Keep verifiable proof of each one.
  • Leadership & Management Experience. For the next intake: take on a formal role (rota, committee, QI or teaching lead) and get a dated letter confirming it.
  • Teaching Experience. For the next intake (window expected October 2027): complete the Erudical Teach the Teacher course (live day plus self-paced) and keep both certificates, and keep a dated log of teaching you deliver, with feedback where you can get it. Gets you to: Some (about a third of the marks).

Interview (2027 intake)

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

Five domains, total 100 as published. No interview domain names teaching. Self-estimate (owner ruling 30 Oct 2026): RCPI publishes only the maximum for each row, so the calculator asks you to rate yourself on each row (none, some, good, strong) and adds up your own estimate. These steps are ours, not RCPI's; the panel scores the real marks.

RCPI Clinical Microbiology HST Interview (2027 intake): every domain, what scores and the maximum
DomainWhat scores (official wording)Max
Education / CV / Experience to Date
  • 0 points None yet
  • 8.5 points Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 16.5 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 25 points Strong (full marks for this row)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 25 points.

Interview domain worth 25. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.

25
Leadership & Management Experience
  • 0 points None yet
  • 3.5 points Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 6.5 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 10 points Strong (full marks for this row)

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

Interview domain worth 10. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.

10
General Suitability / Knowledge of Specialty
  • 0 points None yet
  • 10 points Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 20 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 30 points Strong (full marks for this row)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 30 points.

Interview domain worth 30. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.

30
Research / Audit / Publications
  • 0 points None yet
  • 5 points Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 10 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 15 points Strong (full marks for this row)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 15 points.

Interview domain worth 15. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.

15
Communications / Teamwork
  • 0 points None yet
  • 6.5 points Some (about a third of the marks)
  • 13.5 points Good (about two thirds)
  • 20 points Strong (full marks for this row)

Scores the single best option you can evidence, up to 20 points.

Interview domain worth 20. RCPI publishes the category and its marks only; the interview panel scores it.

20
Total100

Interview (2027 intake): Dates for this round

  • This round closed 29 Oct 2026 (2027 intake); nothing can be added to those applications source
  • HST Clinical Microbiology interviews (in person) source
  • Next applications open (2028 intake), expected early October 2027 expected source
  • Next applications close (2028 intake), expected late October 2027: what you claim must be done by then expected source

Interview (2027 intake): What you can still add before 29 October 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.

  • Leadership & Management Experience. For the next intake: take on a formal role (rota, committee, QI or teaching lead) and get a dated letter confirming it.
  • Research / Audit / Publications. For the next intake: finish an audit cycle or QI project and present it, and submit papers early enough to be published or accepted before the window opens. Keep verifiable proof of each one.

Evidence traps

  • Nothing can be added after the close. A paper accepted or a talk given after 5pm on 29 October 2026 waits for the next window. No, the Admissions Team is not in a position to accept any documents or updates to applications following the close of applications. source
  • Publications, audit, clinical practice and leadership are all judged against your time in training, so the same CV scores less the more senior you are. Publications, specialty publications, presentations, posters, audit, commensurate with totality of experience. source
  • Teaching only scores at shortlisting (2.5 of 20); no interview domain names it. Research / Audit / Publications source
  • Every publication, presentation and research item needs proof uploaded with the application, and RCPI reviews only the documents it asks for. Verifiable proof will be required. Please follow the instructions on the application form. ... Please only upload the requested documents. Additional documents will not be reviewed. source
  • Whether an abstract scores is set per specialty by the application form, so read the form's instructions rather than assuming. This depends on the specialty. Please follow the instructions on the application form. source

Sources

For every row, the interview marks and the official dates on one printable page, add your email and we’ll send you the PDF.

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Clinical Microbiology HST questions, answered

How many points is teaching worth for RCPI HST Microbiology?

2.5 of the 20 shortlisting marks, for “Candidate demonstrates experience with teaching or higher qualification in teaching”. No interview domain names teaching.

How is HST Clinical Microbiology shortlisting scored in Ireland?

Professional Qualifications/Education 2.5, Publication & Audit Experience 6, Clinical Practice 6, Leadership & Management Experience 3 and Teaching Experience 2.5, total 20. Several rows are judged against your time in training.

When is the RCPI HST Microbiology interview for 2027?

In person on 9 February 2027. Applications closed at 5pm on 29 October 2026.

What is in the HST Clinical Microbiology interview?

Education / CV / Experience to Date 25, Leadership & Management Experience 10, General Suitability / Knowledge of Specialty 30, Research / Audit / Publications 15 and Communications / Teamwork 20, total 100.

Does a teach the teacher course count for HST Microbiology in Ireland?

We claim it on the Teaching Experience row (2.5), and the panel decides. It counts best beside teaching you’ve delivered, and it counts from the next window, not the 2027 one.

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