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Plastic Surgery in practice: a scene from the specialty

Plastic Surgery ST3 · 2027 Interview

Plastic Surgery

The Plastic Surgery panel looks for clear explanations of treatment choices, evidence of developing technical skills and an honest sense of your own limits.

Your interview toolkit

Everything you need to prepare for your interview

£150

3 month access

Model answers for every scenario, with scoring points and audio of delivery.

Try for free

2027 Update:New Elective List (OSCE) and lateral thinking Structured Interview stations introduced in 2026

What to expect

Stations, timings and how you’re scored

Plastic Surgery restores form and function after cancer, trauma and burns. In 2026 the interview carried 80 per cent of the score. In 2025 NHS England recorded about 6.7 applications for each post.

The OSCE

10 minutes

Communication skills

5 minutes of reading first

Two of these, 5 minutes each:

  • Call the Boss
  • Elective ListNew in 2026
  • Consent

The 2026 OSCE named Call the Boss and the Elective List; NHS England's public page still lists consent and communication, so prepare all three.

44 OSCE scenarios included.

The Clinical Scenario

10 minutes

Clinical skills

Two cases you see for the first time in the room, with no reading beforehand. Our clinical scenarios cover hand trauma, skin cancer, burns and the compromised flap.

You assess and manage each one out loud, from first review to definitive plan, so show your reasoning as well as the answer.

61 clinical scenarios included.

The Structured Interview

10 minutes

Commitment to specialty

Two or three questions; the 2025 scoresheet marked audit, research, and teaching or management. Expect follow-up questions on each, so a prepared first line is not enough.

The panel is testing realistic insight into Plastic Surgery and the personal demands of a commitment to surgery.

83 interview scenarios included.

How the final rank is scored

2026 split, taken in any order; every station scored 0 to 5. The portfolio is scored before the interview.

  1. 30%

    The OSCE

  2. 25%

    Clinical Scenario

  3. 25%

    Structured Interview

  4. 20%

    Portfolio

From the person specification

  • "Ability to prioritise clinical need."

    Clinical skills

  • "Awareness of own limitations and when to ask for help"

    Coping with pressure and managing uncertainty

  • "Shows realistic insight into Plastic Surgery and the personal demands of a commitment to surgery."

    Commitment to specialty

NHS England, Plastic Surgery ST3 person specification, 2027.

Format, minutes and weightings: NHS England, Plastic Surgery ST3 recruitment, 2026.

How you’ll prepare

Interactive verbal practice, on any screen

Answer the interviewer out loud on your computer or tablet, then practise on your phone between shifts. One account works on your computer, tablet and phone.

  • Interactive learning

    Your interview is a spoken assessment, so your preparation should reflect this.

  • Real-time marking

    See your scores and where to improve.

  • Personalised feedback

    Your words, edited into a higher-scoring answer, with every change explained.

  • Timed mock interviews

    10 full mock interviews, timed like the real one, with a report at the end.

Your CV

Make everything you've done count

It's easy to forget your best examples on the day. Add your CV for personalised feedback: the audit, teaching or research you didn't mention, where it scores on the mark scheme, and anything your CV doesn't back up. We read it once and never store the file.

Questions

Common questions

Something else? Contact Us

Plastic Surgery

Your plan

Plastic Surgery ST3

Be ready for the Plastics interview

Practise all three stations out loud, then sit them as one timed interview.

Plans are paid once and do not renew. A plan covers one specialty, and you can try its first questions free.