Skip to content
The Interview Bank
Menu
InterviewsSpecialty TrainingNational specialty recruitment interviewsClinical Fellow & Trust GradeLocally employed and fellowship postsConsultantConsultant appointment preparationFree toolsPortfolio & readinessThe MSRA BankResourcesHow it worksSign inExplore interviews

CST · Evidence under questioning

CST portfolio station: verify and explain your work

For 2027, assessors review uploaded evidence and ask five-minute questions on the communication and safety domains. Prepare to explain your contribution, impact and what your documents demonstrate.

Last verified: 26 October 2026Parent guide: CST

Use the published 2026/27 portfolio indicators and upload instructions. The portfolio station also includes the prepared three-minute presentation and its two-minute follow-up.

ContentsHow to approach it

How to approach it

What a strong answer needs to show

Document first

Choose the highest truthful indicator backed by the exact required proof.

  • Upload the index sheet and one selected best achievement per domain according to the current instructions.
  • Check consultant registration numbers, actual dates, signatures and patient-data removal.
  • Bring a concise account of each claim, including lower-scoring or empty domains.

Explain your contribution

Prepare the communication and safety domain questions while keeping every uploaded claim accurate.

  • For QI, describe baseline, local presentation, intervention and remeasurement.
  • For teaching, identify the learning gap, programme objectives, delivery and feedback.
  • For research, presentations or patient resources, separate your actions from the wider team’s work.

Handle uncertainty honestly

The national guidance warns against exaggerated achievements.

  • If you only contributed to one cycle, say so and explain what you learned.
  • If an assessor challenges an indicator, describe the source document rather than arguing a score.
  • Finish with a concrete change to practice or training, not a generic claim of passion.

Original practice questions

Questions worth practising aloud

These are original preparation prompts written around published domains and entry-level expectations. They are not recalled interview questions.

  1. Walk us through one QI project's baseline, your intervention and the remeasurement; what was your own role?
  2. Why did you select this teaching evidence, and how did formal feedback change a later session?
  3. What changed for patients or colleagues because of the communication achievement you selected?
  4. Your strongest research output involved a team. Explain precisely what you contributed and how authorship was agreed.

Common mistakes

Where otherwise good answers lose clarity

  • Treating an index grade as a guaranteed score.
  • Double-counting a QI presentation in the communication domain.
  • Describing planned work as complete.
  • Giving an abstract STAR story that does not match the uploaded document.

Preparation plan

How to practise this deliberately

  • Audit each evidence item against the official current indicator.
  • Answer a five-minute challenge from someone who has only the uploaded document.
  • Use the portfolio builder to identify and close one verification gap.
  • Rehearse the communication and safety domain questions, including an honest account where evidence is limited.

Continue into practice

Practise the answer, not just the reading

Spoken CST practice is launching soon. At launch, choose a Question bank prompt, work on your answer and use structured feedback to improve it. Explore the practice experience while you prepare with these free questions.

Explore CST practice

Official source

Check the live recruitment guidance

Interview formats can change between cycles. This focused guide should be used alongside the official source below and the full CST guide.

Found this guide useful? Share it with a colleague.