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Interview Frameworks
Optimise Cardio Round 2 Circuit
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Presenting an interview candidate
General management interview slide
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Online Interview over zoom
Interviewing for IMT
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ST4 interview scoring mark sheet
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Supporting you at Every Step of your

IMT & ST4 Medical Interview Preparation

Where to begin?

Start now

Our 2024 Statistics

13

Specialties Covered

100 +

Videos including mock Q&As

99 %+

Would recommend our course

74 %

Scored > 90% at interview

13

Specialties Covered

100 +

Videos including mock Q&As

99 %+

Would recommend our course

74 %

Scored > 90% at interview

From Application to Success

From application form clinics to personalised feedback from your full mock interview- our Speciality-specific programmes will support you at every step. O.I. is the largest network of specialty trainees from across the country brought together for the purpose of Specialty Interview preparations- join today!

Zoom interview course group

Peer-to-peer support

Our community of successful trainees guide you through your interview process. Get honest advice and feedback from dozens of your predecessors- not just on the Courses but through the OI ‘Communities’ afterwards too.

Flow chart of interview structured approach

Proven interview techniques

Everyone is different. We do not recommend a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to the Interview- it’s so transparent. By working with a diverse faculty and hundreds of applicants we help you identify your strengths (and weaknesses!) efficiently

Vignettes, videos and podcasts

Vignettes, videos and podcasts

We have vignettes for the common stations in your specialty. Clinical Knowledge update videos that focus on the interview-relevant facts. And podcasts and videos of strong and poor model answers with feedback. So you can read, listen or watch on your mobile or computer anytime.

Our IMT & ST4 Medical Interview Courses

When you sign up, you will receive details and prep materials for our famous Interview Course- with Interactive sessions just for your Specialty, an afternoon of mock circuits and personalised feedback to get you Interview ready. You also get immediate access to the hours of video, audio and written vignettes to start learning and practicing right now! And new for 2024/205, we have developed ‘OptimiseResearch’ to cover the Academic components expected of a high-performing trainees

11th Jan 2025

Internal Medical Training (IMT)

Led by Dr Justin Chong, Dr Sashi Ganesananthan, Dr Alexis Adam, Dr Tamara Aaron, Dr Yasmin Nikookam and more top-ranking IMTs

  • Live workshops and breakout sessions with strategies and examples of each station
  • Online videos, podcasts and vignette libraries
  • Full mock interviews with IMT Faculty w/ personalised feedback
  • Whatsapp groups for ongoing discussions and practice sessions
15th Feb 2025

Infectious Diseases ST3/4

Led by Dr Robert Gray & Dr Ronak Shah

  • Live workshops and ID breakout sessions with strategies and examples of each station
  • Online videos, podcasts and vignette libraries
  • Full mock interviews with ID SpR Faculty w/ personalised feedback
  • Whatsapp groups for ongoing discussions and practice sessions
  • Designed for ST3 and ST4 CIT interviews
8th Feb 2025

Haematology ST4

Led by Dr Priya Sriskandarajah

  • Live workshops and Haem breakout sessions with strategies and examples of each station
  • Online videos, podcasts and vignette libraries
  • Full mock interviews with Haem SpR Faculty w/ personalised feedback
  • Whatsapp groups for ongoing discussions and practice sessions
8th Feb 2025

Geriatric Medicine ST4

Led by Dr Joseph Hetherington

  • Live workshops and Geris breakout sessions with strategies and examples of each station
  • Online videos, podcasts and vignette libraries
  • Full mock interviews with Geris SpR Faculty w/ personalised feedback
  • Whatsapp groups for ongoing discussions and practice sessions
15th Feb 2025

Endocrinology ST4

Led by Dr Layla Thurston & Dr Marcus Martineau

  • Live workshops and Endo breakout sessions with strategies and examples of each station
  • Online videos, podcasts and vignette libraries
  • Full mock interviews with Endo SpR Faculty w/ personalised feedback
  • Whatsapp groups for ongoing discussions and practice sessions
8th Feb 2025

Dermatology ST4

Led by Dr Narin Shareef

  • Live workshops and Derm breakout sessions with strategies and examples of each station
  • Online videos, podcasts and vignette libraries
  • Full mock interviews with Derm SpR Faculty w/ personalised feedback
  • Whatsapp groups for ongoing discussions and practice sessions
8th Feb 2025

Rheumatology ST4

Led by Dr Samir Patel

  • Live workshops and Rheum breakout sessions with strategies and examples of each station
  • Online videos, podcasts and vignette libraries
  • Full mock interviews with Rheum SpR Faculty w/ personalised feedback
  • Whatsapp groups for ongoing discussions and practice sessions
15th Feb 2025

Neurology ST4

Led by Dr Charles Wade

  • Live workshops and Neuro breakout sessions with strategies and examples of each station
  • Online videos, podcasts and vignette libraries
  • Full mock interviews with Neuro SpR Faculty w/ personalised feedback
  • Whatsapp groups for ongoing discussions and practice sessions
8th Feb 2025

Renal Medicine ST4

Led by Dr Giada Azzopardi

  • Live workshops and Renal breakout sessions with strategies and examples of each station
  • Online videos, podcasts and vignette libraries
  • Full mock interviews with Renal SpR Faculty w/ personalised feedback
  • Whatsapp groups for ongoing discussions and practice sessions
15th Feb 2025

Gastroenterology ST4

Led by Dr Michael Colwill

  • Live workshops and Gastro breakout sessions with strategies and examples of each station
  • Online videos, podcasts and vignette libraries
  • Full mock interviews with Gastro SpR Faculty w/ personalised feedback
  • Whatsapp groups for ongoing discussions and practice sessions
15th Feb 2025

Respiratory Medicine ST4

Led by Dr Tom Mason

  • Live workshops and Resp breakout sessions with strategies and examples of each station
  • Online videos, podcasts and vignette libraries
  • Full mock interviews with Resp SpR Faculty w/ personalised feedback
  • Whatsapp groups for ongoing discussions and practice sessions
8th Feb 2025

Cardiology ST4 (Round 1 2025)

Led by Dr Balrik Kailey and Dr Nikhil Ahluwalia

  • Live workshops and Cardio breakout sessions with strategies and examples of each station
  • Online videos, podcasts and vignette libraries
  • Full mock interviews with Cardio SpR Faculty w/ personalised feedback
  • Whatsapp groups for ongoing discussions and practice sessions
8th Feb 2025

Oncology ST4

Led by Dr Shahin Ghezelayagh

  • Online podcasts, videos and vignettes
  • Complete recordings of the preparation course and specialty sessions
  • A 1:1 complete mock interview with our Oncology SpR Faculty
  • Whatsapp group to practice with IMT/SpR’s

Hear from your predecessors!

We love getting your feedback. Here are just a few of the successful applicants who have come through our Courses

Just to let you know I have landed my dream Neurology job in North Central East London (Queen’s square then Barts hospitals) and I ranked first in this round…Thank you so much for all your help, Optimise Interview was definitely the best investment I made!…Interviews have always been a struggle for me, so I am really thankful for all your help and if there is any other way to get involved to help future candidates, I would be super keen as well.

OptimiseNeuro 2023

Optimise Interviews was a vital resource for me in my preparation for my NTN interview. I utilised all the resources, including knowledge videos, sample cases and, most usefully, the teaching day with mock interviews. These helped me to build up confidence going into the interview and I found the WhatsApp group useful for direct contact to the course organisers and get advice from fellow interviewees. Thank you to all of Team Optimise for helping me to secure a Cardiology number – I am so grateful.

Cardio 2024 attendee- Rank: 1st

I think the course played a huge part in me getting my rank. Most useful were Rob’s overviews of microbiology (v informative) and the general interview advice videos from Balrik and Nikhil about interview techniques and condensing your answers. Id really recommend this resource for anyone doing specialty interviews – thanks again!

I.D. 2024 attendee- Rank: 2nd

I am extremely thankful to all of you for the guidance on approach to ST4 interviews.
I am happy to let you know I managed to secure both renal and rheumatology number and I have opted for Rheumatology:)

Thank you so much again.

Optimise Rheum and Renal 22

Just wanted to say thanks to the whole Optimise team after ranking top for my Neurology application. The info provided from the start (pre-application) through to pre-interview prep, including mock interviews, was super useful and really gave a great structure and focus to my preparation. […] I don’t think I would have achieved this outcome without the course to provide the baseline structure. Thank you!

Neuro 2024 attendee- Rank: 1st

Thank you so much to the Optimise team for organising a fantastic course with really helpful resources! The team provided excellent advice on the best strategies for interview preparation, structuring answers and scoring higher level points on the day. Will highly recommend!

IMT 2024 attendee. Score 80/80

Very useful course run by competent and up to date registrars with real-life experience of the interview.

Resp 2024 attendee- Rank: 4th

I wanted to share some good news, I feel slightly overwhelmed with emotion but i just wanted to let you guys know I got full marks and ranked 7th in the country for Cardiology. Honestly the help you and all the team on the course gave was really invaluable and I’m so grateful for all the advice you guys have given me and honestly don’t think I could have done it without you. 

OptimiseCardio 2023

Just to let you know I got full marks in my interview and ranked third nationally.

[…] is my top choice and […] so I’ll get a number there.

I wanted to thank you both again for the interview course […]. It made a huge difference and I greatly appreciate it

2021 Course Attendee

Hello let me update you , the endocrine interview result just comes out and I got the rank 15 out of 127, still awaiting the offers to be released. Thanks to Optimize interview for good advice and best practice that I have ever had for interview preparation.

OptimiseEndo 2023

Hi Team Optimise,

Wanted to let you know I got an offer for acute medicine in NW London and respiratory in KSS. The respiratory course definitely helped me in preparation for this. 

Thanks for organising this.

OptimiseResp 2023

I’m so glad I opted to take the Optimise course. Before, I felt like I really didn’t know what to expect from the IMT interview process, and it was invaluable in giving me a clear starting point for my revision and helping me to structure my preparation. I know I wouldn’t have done as well as I did without it. Thankyou!

IMT 2024 attendee- Score  79/80

I had applied for IMT last year as well but I was not successful. I thought I had prepared well for the interview but it did not go my way. While preparing for this year, I got to know about Optimise Interview Course. After I studied the material and attended the course, I felt very confident and very well prepared. I was confident that I would answer any question the examiners would ask me. This was possible only because of Optimise Team. Big thanks to the team.

IMT 2024 attendee- 75/80

I’ve been offered my first preference post.

Thank you to you, and the entire OI team for making this a reality for me.

Thank you so much . I literally owe my success to your team.

I got my first choice of West Yorkshire, as was very bound for to my son. 

OptimiseCardio 2023

Many thanks for the comprehensive interview course and has gone a long way in helping me secure a NTN. It is much appreciated

2021 Course Attendee

I am pleased to share with you that I have been successful in securing an NTN in South East Midlands , which was my first preference region.

I must say that the interview mock course you guys organised was very helpful for preparation and better understanding of the structure of the interview.

2021 Course Attendee

I am so incredibly thankful for all the invaluable help. I didn’t get a London job last year and after applying the tips you guys told us, especially for the clinical station I got full marks across all stations and ranked 2nd in the country! Coming to NW Thames!

Optimise Cardio 21

You guys are doing a fantastic job in polishing interview skills and giving the framework of how to answer each section, I would definitely recommend this interview course to my colleagues and it is worth every penny. Keep up the impressive work.

Optimise Cardio 22

Optimise interview is the best and possibly only resource needed to score highly in the Cardiology interview. Thanks to the whole team!

Cardio 2024 attendee- Rank: 2nd

I think this was a brilliant course! Compared to other resources which were essentially just question banks, this felt so much more in depth and personalised. Having the videos to work through during my own time followed by the mock really helped me get into that interview mindset. Thanks!

IMT 2024- Score 79/80

Any questions?

When should I start preparing for my ST4 or IMT interview?

I’ll break this into two components-

1. Knowledge and Experience and 2. Interview Technique

1. Knowledge and Experience: You’ve been working on this for many years. Whether explicitly or not, if you hold the Person Specification or Mark Scheme up against your CV, you’ll see you’ve probably ticked many of these boxes already- and you didn’t do that with your eyes closed. If you haven’t looked at your Person Specification, do it now. At our Application Form Preparation Webinar we go through what you can do to maximise your score from your achievements and what you can do from 3 months pre-interview.

2. Interview Technique: We put this question to our successful candidates from previous years (see the Tips and Tricks videos within your Package). Most candidates applying for ST4 said they actively started preparation for Interview in January. A small number started in February (using the Interview Course as their foundation). This means you should treat the Interview like an upcoming exam and devote the time that something like this deserves. This was repeatedly emphasised by our successful candidates. That means practicing with peers, preparing your answers and putting into practice all the technical skills you learnt at the Course. Put in the work to get the outcome you deserve! For trainees applying for IMT interview, the consensus was to start much earlier- from November, as soon as the Application Form was being drafted.

What is the Person Specification

This specialty specific document covers the eligibility criteria as well as the desirable characteristics for a Registrar in that Specialty (i.e. what you need to demonstrate in your interview).

You can read your individual Person Specification below (we strongly recommend you do so before your interview!) but to start with, we’ve highlighted some of essential aspects that are shared across the specialties- focusing on the desirable criteria:

Clinical knowledge & expertise:

This encompasses a deep understanding of diseases, medical conditions, treatment protocols, and evidence-based practice. It involves both theoretical knowledge and practical application in patient care.

Academic skills:

This might include abilities related to research, teaching, and continuous learning. It often involves skills in critical appraisal, understanding medical literature, and contributing to the scientific community through research and education.

Personal skills:

This is a broad category that usually includes interpersonal skills, professionalism, empathy, resilience, and the ability to work effectively within a team. It’s about how well a doctor interacts with patients, colleagues, and the wider healthcare system.

Communication Skills:

  • Demonstrates clarity in written/spoken communication, and capacity to adapt language to the situation, as appropriate
  • Able to build rapport, listen, persuade and negotiate

Management and Leadership Skills:

  • Evidence of involvement in management commensurate with experience
  • Demonstrates an understanding of NHS management and resources
  • Evidence of effective multi-disciplinary team working and leadership, supported by multi-source feedback or other workplace based assessments

Organisation and Planning:

  • Capacity to manage/prioritise time and information effectively
  • Capacity to prioritise own workload and organise ward rounds
  • Evidence of thoroughness (is well prepared, shows self-discipline/commitment, is punctual and meets deadlines)

Specialty Specific Person Specification links:

IMT

Cardiology ST4

Gastroenterology ST4

Renal ST4

Respiratory ST4

Dermatology ST3

Endocrinology ST4

Rheumatology ST4

Neurology ST4

Geriatrics ST4

Haematology ST4

Combined Infection Training ST3

Combined Infection Training ST4

Does my Study Budget cover this Interview Course?

For ST3/ST4 applicants:

We had many attendees do this last year. Both IMT3s and Fellows.

For IMT3s applying through HEE: Interview courses are ‘desirable’/’aspirational’ category and so you should follow the protocols in your Deanery. This can take time so please apply early as it needs to be submitted to your School before the Course date to be processed.

For Fellows: Most Hospitals have an education fund that is managed by your Training Director and many Fellows successfully applied for this. Don’t ask, don’t get!

For IMT applicants:

For FY2s applying through HEE: You are allowed one “Course aligned to career intentions for entry into relevant specialties”. The Course Code is FND0013. Again, please apply early for this as it must be submitted BEFORE the Course date. Click here for the full guidance.

For Fellows: Your Trust should have protected Funds to support your Study Leave needs. Speak to your Educational Supervisor and reference the HEE Foundation Course list above.

Can you prepare for an interview?

Unlike written exams, there is no single way to prepare for your ST4 interview. That’s abundantly clear when you hear the Interviews of the successful applicants from previous years- no two stories are the same. However, there are some common themes that suggest preparation was incredibly important to them.

If there are things you can do to improve your score by 1% that can jump you several places up the rankings to get your preferred job in your preferred Deanery. And so taking the time to really understand what’s expected of you and what to expect on interview day is the first step in ensuring you do meaningful preparation. Secondly, understanding which components of your CV are highest value and how to demonstrate them most effectively is crucial when you have 30 minutes to sell yourself. On the Course, we go through how to identify this for yourself and different strategies to ensure you score the points for it. Finally, practice, practice, practice- was the mantra of the highest ranking candidates we worked with, whether that’s with your Registrars, your Consultants, your friends- the more you practice the more prepared you will be to perform on the big day. If you come on the Course, we’ll go through dozens of practice stations in the Workshops and Mock Circuits and our Whatsapp groups are a great way to meet other trainees applying alongside you to buddy up with and practice after the Course using our online Vignettes.

How can I find out about the 2022/2023 application timeline and interview dates?

The timeline hasn’t been published yet. Take a look at the 2021/22 timeline below and we expect similar dates this year round. Except for the interview dates- these can vary significantly. They are usually released around February time and we review them on the Course so watch this space!

I think my application form was scored incorrectly is there anything I can do?

If you attended our Application Form Workshop we go through how to score yourself and do everything you can to avoid this situation. (Prevention is better than treatment!) But if this happens, there is an appeals process which we describe as there have been successful appeals in the past from our Candidates with their score revised- so don’t write it off!

Feel free to contact us if you’re in this situation and we’d be happy to discuss the process further with you.

I want to apply to multiple different specialties, is that allowed?

Yes it is and several candidates have done it before (with multiple offers as well!). However, you should think hard if it’s best for you as it is additional time and effort commitment that you are taking away from your initial application. You will need to be especially organised about this and essentially prepared two separate applications (a copy and paste job will not cut it!) and think especially about how you will demonstrate meaningful commitment to specialty. We make special arrangements for any individuals signing up to two Optimise Interview packages so please get in touch with us early if this applies to you.

What are the differences between the face-to-face interviews and virtual?

Not only is there a new station (the Med SpR station) but the running order, examiner set-up and techniques for virtual ST4 interviews differ from the old face-to-face, across the table interviews. We go through these in detail on the Course and help make

What is special about this Interview Course?
  1. 1. All our materials and content are entirely designed by SpRs currently in training posts in the NHS. (The IMT Course has been produced by IMTs and SpRs)
  2. 2. We have recently been through the Interview Process ourselves.
  3. 3. We are a diverse group of Trainees with different personalities. This is not a single person’s perspective and that means you are more likely to find a style and technique that plays to your strengths.
  4. 4. Our Specialty content and Specialty Course components are designed and run by Registrars from your Specialty.
  5. 5. We are multi-modality- you have the live Interview Course and Mock Circuit, you have the ‘Practice Communities’ for private Forum-style discussions with your peers, you have written vignettes for your specialty, you have videos and you have podcasts. So whether you’re commuting on the bus, driving home for Christmas or working on your laptop late into the night, we have materials suited to you.
  6. 6. We are dynamic- if you ask for us to produce content for a tough question you’ve thought of- we’ll make it!
  7. 7. We are growing- each year the highest scoring candidates come in to the Optimise Interviews Faculty and help produce more content and materials to help you learn from their experiences. We’re running out of space on our About Us page…and we love it!