General preparation information, not official recruitment criteria. Confirm arrangements with the recruiting organisation and review professional reasoning with an experienced colleague. Practice scores do not predict recruitment outcomes.
Show informed commitment to plastic surgery
Reflect on what exposure to reconstructive, hand, burns or other plastic surgery work taught you about the specialty. Be specific about your role and supervision rather than implying independent experience you did not have.
Connect that experience to your development needs. Discuss breadth as well as areas of interest: an interview answer can explain why the specialty matters to you without claiming mastery of every service.
- Identify a real learning experience.
- Describe a remaining training need.
Prepare communication as a separate skill
Practise explaining an unfamiliar procedure or uncertainty in plain English for a simulated patient. Consider what they want to understand, how to avoid jargon and how to check understanding without assuming it.
Use a supervisor-reviewed topic, not an invented list of risks or a script copied from a model answer. Real consent discussions depend on the patient, procedure and applicable professional standards; this guide is a speaking exercise, not a consent resource.
- Explain one idea at a time.
- Leave room for questions and uncertainty.
- Review clinical details with an appropriate clinician.
Present structured evidence and adaptable reasoning
For research, audit and teaching, explain the aim, contribution, evidence and limitations. Prepare a follow-up about an obstacle or an outcome that was not sustained.
In clinical rehearsal, organise your explanation and acknowledge the information needed and your level of responsibility. Consult current specialty standards with a supervisor. Do not treat an online preparation article as an operative or emergency protocol.
- Distinguish participation from leadership.
- Support outcome claims with the measurement period.
- Revisit assumptions when the scenario changes.
Build a practice-and-review routine
Confirm the current interview arrangements in your invitation and official applicant information. The themes in this guide are preparation topics, not a forecast of the questions or an official marking scheme. Avoid relying on an old document for eligibility, evidence requirements or timings.
Answer one rehearsal question aloud, then review whether you answered the question, explained your own role and acknowledged uncertainty. Ask a supervisor or experienced colleague to check professional reasoning. Remove identifying patient and colleague details; never upload clinical records. Practice scores describe rehearsal only and do not predict recruitment outcomes.
- Read the current person specification and applicant guidance.
- Choose real examples and record the limits of the evidence.
- Practise a follow-up, not just the opening answer.
- Review with an experienced colleague before relying on the material.
Your next practice task
Record a plain-English explanation of a supervisor-reviewed topic, then separately summarise one real audit or teaching project. Compare clarity, contribution and uncertainty.
Questions to rehearse
- What experience shaped your understanding of reconstructive care?
- What would you change about your teaching or audit project?
- How would you check a simulated patient’s understanding of your explanation?
Original free rehearsal prompts, not official or recalled interview questions.
Sources and further reading
These sources support the broader preparation and professional context, not a universal scoring scheme. Check the latest official guidance for your own round and post; dated documents may have been superseded.