PrepSurgExcel in Surgery

Consultant

NHS Consultant Interview Question Bank & Course

169 consultant interview stations for every surgical speciality, each with a model opening answer, a structure to follow, expert advice and references checked against current NHS guidance.

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Included with enrolment

More than a question bank

Everything your enrolment includes.

Premium learning tools

Ask the tutor

Ask about any lesson and get a clear explanation with a short clinical example.

Live mock interviews

Get matched with another candidate and practise stations on a video call.

National study groups

Join candidates across the country to share tips and plan practice sessions.

Personal lesson notes

Write notes on each lesson and find them all again in your dashboard.

How your practice works

  1. Step 1

    Learn the stations

    Work through worked scenarios with model answers and previous interviewer tips.

  2. Step 2

    Practise live

    Join a national mock night or get matched on demand, with a built-in station timer.

  3. Step 3

    Get scored

    Your partner marks you on a five-area examiner sheet so you know exactly what to fix.

About this course

Consultant · All surgical specialties

NHS Consultant Interview Course and Question Bank

Built for surgeons, by surgeons. 169 interview stations across 11 core modules and 10 specialty overlays, each with a model opening answer, a structure to follow, expert advice and references checked against current NHS sources.

169interview stations
11core modules
10surgical specialty overlays
100%stations with a model answer
View course curriculumTry a sample station

Prepare for every question in your consultant interview

A surgical course, not a generic one

Consultant interviews test something different from training interviews. The panel already knows you can operate. They want to know whether you can lead a team, run a safe service, use data, handle governance and complaints, and help the Trust meet its targets. General interview courses cover the theory, but surgical panels ask surgical questions: about theatre productivity, national audits, the 62-day cancer standard, Never Events and your specialty's GIRFT report.

This course is written for surgeons. The 11 core modules cover the questions every surgical panel asks, and a specialty overlay for your own field adds the questions your specialty consultant and the Medical Director are most likely to ask, built on your specialty's national audits and reports.

Up to date for 2026

Every station has been checked against current sources, including the Leng review, the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026, the National Cancer Plan (February 2026), NHS league tables, the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework, NHS England's "Being fair" tool, and the latest NELA, NHFD, NJR, NVR, NLCA and NCEPOD reports. Panels notice candidates who quote last year's guidance.

More than a question bank

Everything your enrolment includes

Ask the tutor

Send questions about any station and get an answer from a surgical tutor.

Live mock interviews

Practise live with other consultant candidates on the course, when available, taking turns to ask and answer questions.

National study groups

Practise with other candidates preparing for consultant interviews.

Personal lesson notes

Add your own examples to every station and build your answer bank.

How every station is built

The same structure for all 169 stations, so you learn a method, not just answers

  1. The question. Worded the way consultant panels ask it.
  2. What the panel is testing. The criteria behind the question, so your answer hits them.
  3. Model opening answer. A first-person opening you can adapt, for every station.
  4. Structure your answer. A step-by-step framework that stops you rambling.
  5. Expert advice, interviewer tips and pitfalls. What lifts an answer from adequate to appointable, and what loses marks.
  6. Follow-up questions. How panels push you, and how to respond.
  7. Verified references. Current national guidance, audits and reports, with links to related core stations.

Try a sample station

Answer out loud first, then open the key points and the model answer

Core Module 4 · Service delivery

"Your cancer pathway is breaching 62 days. As the new consultant, what would you do?"
Key points
  • Know the standards: 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard and 62-day referral-to-treatment standard; nationally 71.2% within 62 days (July 2026).
  • Map the pathway with tracking data to find where patients wait.
  • Fix the front end: straight-to-test, protected diagnostic slots, one-stop clinics.
  • Protect treatment capacity and track every patient weekly.
  • Link to the National Cancer Plan (February 2026) and your specialty's GIRFT guidance.
Model opening answer

"I would start with our tracking data, because breaches are rarely caused by one problem. I would map each step from referral to treatment, find where patients wait longest, and work with the cancer manager, radiology and the MDT on targeted fixes, such as straight-to-test pathways, protected diagnostic slots and a weekly review of every patient on the list. I would measure progress against both the 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard and the 62-day standard."

Vascular overlay · Acute limb ischaemia

"The 2025 NCEPOD report found that half of patients with acute limb ischaemia experienced delays. What would you do in our network?"
Key points
  • NCEPOD Risking Life and Limb (November 2025): care good in 52.8%; 49.4% delayed; only 56 of 91 spokes had a pathway.
  • Six hours to save a limb: a written pathway in every spoke with direct transfer to the hub.
  • Recognition: education for emergency departments and primary care.
  • 24-hour hub capacity, and local data collection because there is no registry or specific code.
Model opening answer

"NCEPOD found that care was good in only around half of cases, and only 56 of 91 spoke hospitals had an acute limb ischaemia pathway. Its key message is that there are six hours to save a limb. I would check that every spoke in our network has a written pathway with direct transfer to the hub, train emergency and primary care staff to recognise the condition, and start collecting our own data, because there is no national registry."

What the interview involves

The Advisory Appointments Committee

Most NHS consultant posts are appointed through an Advisory Appointments Committee (AAC). Formats vary between Trusts, but a typical surgical consultant interview looks like this:

PanelUsually five to seven members, often including a lay chair, the Medical Director or another senior leader, a consultant in your specialty, and a Royal College representative.
LengthCommonly around 40 to 45 minutes, with questions shared between panel members.
PresentationMany Trusts ask for a short presentation on a set topic. Module 11 shows you how to plan and deliver it.
Before the dayPre-interview visits with panel members. The expert advice section explains how to use them well.

Always check the job description, person specification and candidate pack for your post, because formats differ between Trusts.

What makes this course different

Written for surgeonsEvery core station uses surgical examples: theatre lists, Never Events, M&M, national surgical audits, GIRFT and cancer pathways.
Your specialty coveredTen specialty overlays: General Surgery, Trauma and Orthopaedics, Urology, ENT, Vascular, Plastic Surgery, Cardiothoracic, Neurosurgery and Spinal, Paediatric Surgery, and OMFS.
A model answer for every stationNot just bullet points. A first-person opening you can adapt to your own experience.
Checked against 2025 to 2026 sourcesCurrent guidance, audit reports and NHS policy, with outdated guidance flagged as a common mistake.
Expert advice firstA start-here section on how AACs work, how panels score, values-based recruitment and pre-interview visits.
Practice, not just readingLive mock interviews, study groups and ask the tutor are included.

Who this course is for

  • Senior surgical registrars approaching CCT and applying for their first consultant post.
  • Post-CCT fellows returning to the NHS.
  • Specialty and specialist doctors applying for consultant posts through the GMC portfolio pathway.
  • Consultants moving to a new Trust or applying for a substantive post after a locum.

How to prepare with PrepSurg

  1. Start with the expert advice. Understand how the panel scores you.
  2. Work through the core modules. Add your own examples to your notes for each station.
  3. Add your specialty overlay. Learn your specialty's audits and reports, and look up the Trust's results.
  4. Practise out loud. Practise live with other candidates, when available, to sharpen your delivery.
  5. Refine before the day. Tailor your answers to the Trust using what you learned on your pre-interview visits.

Frequently asked questions

Is this course only for one specialty?

No. The core modules apply to every surgical specialty, and you get all 10 specialty overlays, so you can also use them if your post crosses specialties.

How are the model answers written?

Each station has a first-person model opening answer written by surgeons. It shows the level and structure panels expect. Adapt it with your own examples rather than learning it word for word.

How up to date is the content?

All stations were checked against current sources in October 2026. National audit figures change every year, and we update stations when new reports are published.

Does the course cover the presentation?

Yes. Module 11 covers how to plan, structure and deliver the presentation, together with opening and closing questions.

How do live mocks work?

When other consultant candidates are available, you are paired with them to practise live. You take turns as candidate and interviewer, using the stations in the course, and give each other feedback. Availability depends on how many candidates are preparing at the same time.

Who answers my questions in Ask the tutor?

A surgical tutor reviews your question and replies through the course platform.

Are my notes private?

Yes. Your lesson notes are visible only to you.

How long do I have access?

365 days from the date you enrol, including any updates published during that time.

See every station

Expert advice, 11 core modules and 10 specialty overlays, listed in full in the course curriculum.

View course curriculum

Course curriculum

22 topics · 22 lessons

01

How the Consultant Interview Works

1 lessons

Expert Advise
02

Leadership and Team Management

1 lessons

Module 1
03

Surgical Governance and Safety

1 lessons

Module 2
04

Outcomes and Audits

1 lessons

Module 3
05

Service Delivery and Capacity

1 lessons

Module 4
06

Improvement and Efficiency

1 lessons

Module 5
07

Multidisciplinary Working

1 lessons

Module 6
08

Ethnics and Consent

1 lessons

Module 7
09

Teaching and Training

1 lessons

Module 8
10

Research and Innovation

1 lessons

Module 9
11

NHS Context and Trust Strategy

1 lessons

Module 10
12

Opening, Closing and the Presentation

1 lessons

Module 11
13

General Surgery

1 lessons

Expert Advise
14

Trauma and Orthopaedics

1 lessons

Expert Advise
15

Urology

1 lessons

Expert Advise
16

ENT (Otolaryngology)

1 lessons

Expert Advise
17

Vascular Surgery

1 lessons

Expert Advise
18

Plastic Surgery

1 lessons

Expert Advise
19

Cardiothoracics

1 lessons

Expert advise
20

Neurosurgery

1 lessons

Expert Advise
21

Paediatric Surgery

1 lessons

Expert Advise
22

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

1 lessons

Expert Advise