Neurosurgery ST1 Interview Question Bank

The Medibuddy Neurosurgery ST1 Question Bank includes over 45 scenarios that closely mirror the real interview, each with a model answer written/edited by high-scoring candidates who sat the Neurosurgery ST1 interview in 2026.

However, knowing a strong answer isn't the same as delivering it well under pressure, which is why we provide:

Study Groups with candidates across the country
Unlimited Live Mocks with real people
Peer Feedback on your mocks from a wide range of candidates

10 years’ experience preparing doctors for interviews

Users of the Medibuddy Neurosurgery ST1 Revision Platform have secured some of the most competitive training jobs in recent rounds. Ask around, there's a good chance the trainees in the year above you used us too.

Always up to date

Did you know the interviews change every year? That's why we review and update every Question Bank on the platform twice a year, so you know you're always practising with scenarios based on the latest interview structure.

Network and practise real interview scenarios with other candidates

Question Bank

See every scenario, and how to answer it well

Over 45 scenarios across all four stations, including the telephone referral station, which tell you exactly how to respond to each question.

Study Groups

Connect with candidates across the country

Most people only ever practise with one or two friends. Study Groups connect you with candidates right across the country sitting the same Neurosurgery ST1 interview.

Live MocksBeta

Practise interview technique with different candidates

Arrange or get matched on demand with other candidates and run real scenarios out loud under interview conditions. Those who practise with the widest range of people tend to score the highest.

Peer FeedbackBeta

Reviewed by candidates across the platform

Submit your recorded mocks to candidates across the platform and get honest, varied feedback. Reviewing other people's mocks teaches you just as much.

The question bank, and other candidates to practise with, all in one platform.

What candidates say

Scored well, secured their post

A few of the candidates who prepared with us for the Neurosurgery ST1 interview.

Verified candidateInterviewed 2026

"The telephone referral scenarios were exactly what I needed. Having a structure ready meant I could take the referral calmly and still see the bigger picture."

Secured a post

Verified candidateInterviewed 2026

"Practising the clinical and management stations out loud with other candidates made a huge difference. I felt ready for the pressure on the day."

Ranked highly

Part 1 • See the questions

The Medibuddy 2027 Neurosurgery ST1 Question Bank

The interview has four stations, each lasting for around 15 minutes, so you have a limited window to deliver the high-scoring answers you need to do well. That means every point has to land, and knowing how to structure each answer is essential. That's why each of our 45+ scenarios comes with a model answer, written by candidates who scored highly in the 2026 Neurosurgery ST1 interview, so you know exactly how to approach every question the interviewers throw your way.

What's inside

What's included in the Neurosurgery ST1 Question Bank

There's nothing worse than getting to the interview and being handed a scenario you've never seen before. The panel draws on a wide range of clinical and professional topics across four stations, so the safest approach is to revise across all of them. We provide scenarios for every part of the interview, including the common cases and the more unusual ones that have come up before, so you don't get caught out.

Clinical Scenario

Realistic neurosurgical cases that test how you apply your clinical knowledge and reason through complex situations, each with a model answer so you stay safe and structured under pressure.

Management & Problem Solving

Scenarios on prioritising tasks, organising care and handling competing demands, with structured answers that show a clear, logical approach.

Motivation & Understanding of the Specialty

Questions on your commitment to neurosurgery and reflection on your experience, with model answers so you can explain why the specialty is right for you and evidence it well.

Telephone Referrals

Role-play referrals that mirror the station: take a structured history, interpret the investigations, reach a diagnosis and agree a safe management and transfer plan, each with a worked answer.

Updated for 2027

The telephone referral station is a more recent addition to the Neurosurgery ST1 interview. Our scenarios are built around it, so you can practise taking a structured referral and escalating safely under pressure.

Try it

Try an example Neurosurgery ST1 question

You are the neurosurgery ST1 on call. A registrar from a district general A&E department calls while your own registrar is scrubbed for a redo discectomy expected to take at least two hours.

The referral is an 85-year-old man who slipped and fell while hill-walking, hitting his head on a rock. He was initially GCS 14, then dropped to E1V2M4 in the emergency department and was intubated before scanning. He has left-sided weakness, pupils equal and reactive at size 3, and no other injury on the trauma scan. He was fully independent, active and driving before the fall.

Take the telephone referral, then discuss it with an available neurosurgical senior.

Question

How would you take this telephone referral?

Example answer

I would take a structured referral so nothing important is missed, and interpret the findings out loud as I go.

Patient details: full name, date of birth, NHS number, referring hospital and named consultant.
The referrer's name and role, and the reason for referral.
Past medical and surgical history, medications (specifically asking about anticoagulants and antiplatelets), and allergies.
Presenting complaint, examination findings and any trend, and the time he last ate.
Investigations: bloods, clotting and imaging, interpreting each and fitting it into my differential.

Once I have the full picture I would formulate a diagnosis and management plan and agree it with the referrer.

Question

What are the key findings, and what is your working diagnosis?

Example answer

The salient points are an 85-year-old man, previously fit, active and independent, with a witnessed head injury and a falling GCS (now E1V2M4, intubated), left-sided weakness, pupils size 3 and reactive, a normal INR and no other injury.

The CT shows a large right-sided acute subdural haematoma with more than 1.5 cm of midline shift.
Given the size of the bleed, the degree of shift and his GCS, this is a time-critical, life-threatening injury.
He is unlikely to survive without surgery, and it is not safe to wait for the clot to become chronic.

Question

What is your management plan?

Example answer

The key decision is whether he needs transfer to a neurosurgical centre, and how urgently.

He has an excellent physiological baseline, so it is appropriate to transfer, reassess and offer evacuation of the clot if suitable.
This warrants a blue-light transfer, which I would expect to arrive within around 30 minutes.
I would ask the referring team to keep stabilising him, speak to the family to explain the plan, and send him with his notes, medications and investigation results.
I would involve the bed managers at both sites to facilitate the transfer.

Question

Your registrar is scrubbed and the on-call consultant is reluctant to operate on older patients. How do you handle it?

Example answer

My registrar is unavailable, so the next appropriate person is the on-call consultant. I would present a succinct summary, describe the scan and give my proposed plan of craniotomy and evacuation of the clot, with or without craniectomy.

I would politely advocate for the patient: it is not appropriate to decline a referral on age alone, and he was hiking at the time of the fall with an excellent performance status.
I would acknowledge that elderly patients carry higher risks, including chest infection, DVT or PE, delirium and sodium disturbance, and that these must be weighed honestly.
I would argue he should at least be transferred for neurosurgical and anaesthetic assessment, and that the family's views should be sought.
I would agree clear next steps and logistics: assessment on arrival, an anaesthetic review, and whether a second theatre is opened or he follows the current case, recognising the consultant may need to come in.

That's one scenario. There are over 45 more.

Actively maintained

How we keep our Question Banks up to date

The Neurosurgery ST1 interview changes from year to year, and the biggest fear for any candidate is getting to interview day and realising you've revised with a question bank that's totally outdated.

That's why we review and update every Question Bank twice a year, so you know you're revising with scenarios that are likely to come up. We do this in April after the previous year's interviews, and again in the autumn when the new recruitment guidance is published.

Updated for 2027 interviews

3 clinical scenarios updated.

Updated for 2027 Interviews

Part 2 • Practise them live

The only interview resource where you can practise live with other candidates from across the country

Our Neurosurgery ST1 Question Bank tells you exactly how to answer real interview scenarios. But how you practise with them will determine how many marks you score. Simply reading answers off a screen won't prepare you for the intense scrutiny you'll face in the interview. And only practising with the same few colleagues or friends limits the amount of feedback you'll get. Medibuddy gives you unique access to Neurosurgery ST1 candidates across the country, so you can learn from a variety of perspectives and hear a far wider range of feedback than your own circle could ever give you.

Study Groups

When you prepare in isolation, you're relying on your own interpretation of the interview process, which is one of the quickest ways to get found out on the day. Study Groups connect you with other doctors across the country who are also applying to Neurosurgery ST1, so you can engage and network with people preparing for the same interview as you. Everyone brings different experience from different hospitals and deaneries, meaning you won't ever miss out on the key bits of information that could swing the interview in your favour.

Live MocksBeta

Candidates who don't take part in mocks often struggle to adapt to the pressure of the interview. Your knowledge might be correct, but without convincing delivery the interviewers will score you poorly. The best way to improve your delivery is to take part in as many live mocks as possible, which is why we haven't put a cap on how many you can do. We also know how difficult it can be to organise mocks with other people, so all you have to do is join the waiting room and we'll match you with a different Neurosurgery ST1 candidate each time. Take turns as both the interviewer and candidate on real Question Bank scenarios, so you can see exactly how other candidates perform in real time, while refining your own interview technique.

Peer FeedbackBeta

Preparing alone means you won't know how you're coming across during the interview. And preparing with the same few candidates means you'll miss opportunities to improve, which is why it's so important to get as many opinions as possible on your performance. With Medibuddy, you can record a mock and submit it for feedback from other candidates on the platform, so you receive a wider range of feedback and refine your answers with each person you practise with. Reviewing other people's mocks is just as valuable, as it shows you how strong candidates handle the same scenarios, which is one of the fastest ways to improve.

The interview

What to expect from the Neurosurgery ST1 interview

Neurosurgery is one of the most competitive specialties in the country. In 2025, 561 doctors applied for just 21 posts. That's nearly 27 applicants for every place. Your MSRA score also makes up a significant part of your shortlisting mark, so strong performance across both matters.

The interview is four stations, each lasting around 15 minutes.

Clinical