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Healthcare Interview Prep

NHS INTERVIEW PREPARATION

NHS INTERVIEW GUIDE

GP Training Interview Questions: GP Selection, the MSRA and How to Prepare

How GP specialty training selection currently works, why there is no GPST interview in recent rounds, how to prepare for the MSRA professional dilemmas paper and the interview questions doctors meet for other GP-related posts.

Last updated 24 October 2026 · Created by a practising NHS doctor · Independent of the NHS

Quick answer

Is there an interview for GP training?

In recent UK rounds there has been no GP specialty training interview or selection centre. NHS England's Medical Hub states that GP ST1 applicants are offered posts based on MSRA performance. Prepare for both MSRA papers, especially professional dilemmas, and check the current GP National Recruitment Office guidance, as processes can change. Other GP-related posts, such as salaried GP roles, usually do involve interviews.

Key takeaways

  • No GPST selection centre in recent rounds.
  • Selection is based on MSRA performance.
  • Professional dilemmas tests judgement, not knowledge.
  • Salaried and primary care posts still interview.
  • Always check current official recruitment guidance.

In recent UK rounds there has been no GP specialty training (GPST) interview or selection centre. According to NHS England's Medical Hub, GP ST1 applicants are assessed through the Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA), and offers across the UK are based on MSRA performance, so your preparation should focus on that test rather than a panel.

Interview-style skills still matter, though. The MSRA professional dilemmas paper tests the same judgement a panel would probe, and doctors applying for salaried GP, retainer, locally employed or primary care posts usually do face a practice or trust interview. This guide covers both. Recruitment rules can change between rounds, so always check the current GP National Recruitment Office guidance on the Medical Hub before you apply.

 

In this guide

  • Is there an interview for GP training?
  • What is the MSRA professional dilemmas paper?
  • How do I prepare for MSRA professional dilemmas?
  • What questions are asked in GP-related job interviews?
  • Communication themes and a worked example
  • Common mistakes in GP training selection and interviews
  • How to prepare for GP training selection and GP job interviews

 

Is there an interview for GP training?

Not in recent rounds. The official GP ST1 recruitment page states that a face-to-face or virtual selection centre assessment will not take place, and that applicants are considered for appointment across the whole of the UK on the basis of their MSRA performance.

Older guides, forum posts and books often describe GP selection centres with simulated consultations and written exercises. That was true in the past, so be wary of outdated material. Formats have changed before and could change again, so treat the recruitment page for your own round as the final word.

  • Application: a single national application through the Oriel recruitment portal, assessed against the GP ST1 person specification.
  • Assessment: the MSRA, a computer-based test sat at a test centre, with a Professional Dilemmas paper and a Clinical Problem Solving paper.
  • Offers: based on MSRA performance across participating regions. The Medical Hub describes the timing, preferencing, offers and clearing for each round.
  • Academic routes: academic clinical fellowships in general practice are recruited separately and locally, and these may involve an interview.

 

What is the MSRA professional dilemmas paper?

The Professional Dilemmas paper is a situational judgement test. Official guidance says it is not a test of knowledge; it measures professional attributes such as integrity, coping with pressure, and empathy and sensitivity, and you answer as if you were a foundation year 2 doctor.

There are two question styles. In ranking questions you put a set of possible actions in order from most to least appropriate. In multiple choice questions you pick the three actions that together best resolve the situation. Scenarios may be set on a ward, in general practice or out of hours, but the setting is only context. The official pages explain how papers are scored and banded, and note that a very low band in either paper ends the application, so read them carefully rather than relying on second-hand summaries.

 

How do I prepare for MSRA professional dilemmas?

Start with the official MSRA practice paper on the Medical Hub, then build judgement rather than memorising answers. The principles below hold for most scenarios.

  • Patient safety comes first: an action that leaves a patient at risk is rarely the most appropriate, however convenient.
  • Act within your competence: as an F2 you deal with what is in front of you, and seek senior help when something is beyond you.
  • Address issues directly and early: speaking to a colleague privately usually comes before escalating, unless there is immediate risk.
  • Be honest: apologise and explain when things go wrong, and never alter records or cover for others.
  • Know the GMC's guidance: Good Medical Practice and related guidance on confidentiality, consent and raising concerns underpin many dilemmas.
  • Look after yourself and others: recognising stress, fatigue or illness in yourself or a colleague, and seeking support, is a professional duty.
  • Review your reasoning: after practice questions, focus on why an answer was keyed as it was, not just your score.

 

What questions are asked in GP-related job interviews?

Outside the national GPST process, many GP-related posts are filled by interview. A salaried GP post is usually interviewed by the practice partners and manager; GP retainer or retention posts, where available, often involve a conversation with the practice and the local scheme lead; and specialty doctor or locally employed posts in primary care, urgent care or community services usually use a trust panel. Practice questions you might meet include:

  • Why general practice, and why this practice or community?
  • How do you manage a full clinic when you are running late and a patient raises a new problem at the end?
  • Tell us about a time you shared uncertainty or a difficult diagnosis with a patient.
  • A patient demands antibiotics you do not think are indicated. How do you handle the consultation?
  • How would you respond if a receptionist told you a patient was abusive on the phone?
  • What would you do if you were concerned about a colleague's prescribing or behaviour?
  • How do you approach safeguarding concerns that come up in a routine appointment?
  • Describe an audit or quality improvement project and what changed as a result.
  • How do you work with pharmacists, nurses, paramedics and other roles in the primary care team?
  • How do you keep up to date and use clinical supervision or appraisal?
  • How do you manage your own workload and wellbeing over a long day of consultations?
  • What would you contribute to the practice beyond seeing patients?

 

Communication themes and a worked example

Communication questions are central in general practice because consultations are short and expectations vary widely. Panels look for shared decision making, safety netting, honesty and respect, not a script. This answer uses the STAR structure for a salaried or primary care post; adapt it to your own experience.

 

Example answer: managing a request you disagree with (primary care post)

Situation: During a GP placement, a woman booked in for a persistent cough and asked straight away for antibiotics, saying they always worked for her. Her history and examination did not suggest a bacterial infection.

Task: I needed to keep her safe, avoid unnecessary prescribing and make sure she still felt listened to.

Action: I asked what worried her most. She had a job interview that week and feared being unwell for it. I explained my findings in plain language, why I did not think antibiotics would help and what side effects they could bring. We agreed a plan for her symptoms, I gave clear safety netting advice on when to come back or seek urgent help, following the practice's approach, and I documented the discussion. I also mentioned it to my supervisor afterwards for feedback.

Result: She left without antibiotics but said she felt reassured. Reflecting on it, starting with her concerns rather than my answer changed the tone of the consultation, and I now explore ideas, concerns and expectations early in every appointment.

 

Common mistakes in GP training selection and interviews

  • Preparing for a GPST interview or selection centre that is not part of the current process.
  • Relying on old books or forum threads instead of the current Medical Hub guidance.
  • Treating professional dilemmas as common sense and doing no structured practice.
  • Escalating everything immediately in ranking questions, when talking to the person directly is often the better first step.
  • Neglecting the Clinical Problem Solving paper, which also counts.
  • In practice interviews, giving hospital-only examples with no link to community care, continuity or the wider primary care team.
  • Quoting guidelines or thresholds you are unsure of. State the principle and say you would follow local policy or seek advice.

 

How to prepare for GP training selection and GP job interviews

For GPST, plan structured MSRA revision over several weeks using the official practice paper, and practise both papers under timed conditions. For practice or trust interviews, prepare real examples from general practice placements, urgent care or community work.

  • Read the current GP ST1 recruitment guidance and the person specification for your round.
  • Ask GP trainees and trainers in your area how they prepared, and use your deanery or medical education team's resources.
  • Read the GMC's Good Medical Practice. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) publishes information on the MRCGP assessments taken during GP training, which helps you understand what training involves.
  • Build eight to ten STAR examples covering consultations, safeguarding, teamwork, mistakes, QI and wellbeing.
  • Practise spoken answers with a colleague or supervisor. Healthcare Interview Prep, an independent self-study site created by a practising NHS doctor, has question banks for medical and dental roles with written model answers, with the first 8 questions free; it does not run mock interviews or MSRA practice papers.

 

Frequently asked questions

Is there a GP training interview in 2026?

In recent rounds there has been no GPST interview or selection centre. NHS England's Medical Hub states that GP ST1 applicants are considered for appointment based on their MSRA performance, with no face-to-face or virtual selection centre. Processes can change between rounds, so check the current GP National Recruitment Office guidance on the Medical Hub for the round you are applying to before you start preparing.

What is a good MSRA score for GP training?

There is no single fixed number, because MSRA scores are standardised and the score needed for an offer depends on the round, the number of applicants and your region preferences. The Medical Hub publishes how scores are banded and may publish data from previous rounds, but past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Aim to perform as well as you can in both papers rather than targeting a particular figure.

How do I revise for MSRA professional dilemmas?

Start with the official MSRA practice paper on the Medical Hub, then practise ranking and multiple choice scenarios regularly. Answer as an F2 doctor, put patient safety first, act within your competence and be honest. Read the GMC's Good Medical Practice and related guidance. After each set of questions, review why actions were ranked as they were, because building judgement matters more than memorising answers.

What does the RCGP do in GP training?

The Royal College of General Practitioners is the professional membership body for GPs. It sets the curriculum and the MRCGP assessments that GP trainees complete during training. GP specialty training recruitment itself is run through the GP National Recruitment Office process described on NHS England's Medical Hub, so check recruitment questions there and training and exam questions with the RCGP.

What questions are asked at a salaried GP interview?

Salaried GP interviews are usually run by practice partners and the practice manager. Expect questions on why you want to join the practice, managing a busy clinic, difficult consultations, safeguarding, prescribing safety, working with the wider primary care team, quality improvement and what you would add to the practice. Prepare real examples using the STAR structure and learn about the practice's population and services.

 

Practice question banks for related NHS roles

 

Practise with NHS interview questions for your role

Each NHS role on this site has 40 original practice questions with full model answers. The first 8 are free to read, and the rest of a role's bank costs £4.99 with 12 months' access and no subscription.

 

More NHS interview guides

 

Healthcare Interview Prep is an independent NHS interview preparation website. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the NHS. Example questions and answers are original practice material, not official or leaked interview questions.

Healthcare Interview Prep: practice questions and model answers for 471 NHS roles across 11 sectors, created by a practising NHS doctor.

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