Prepare for the 2026 Allergy ST3 Interview with Structured, Specialty-Specific Practice Questions

Allergy ST3 Interview Questions are how you’ll be tested at one of the most competitive entry points in UK higher specialty training. This bank is built for doctors preparing for the 2026 joint Allergy and Immunology ST3 interview run through PHST, with comprehensive coverage of every station you’ll face. It’s written by high-scoring registrars who recently sat the interview.

“I was successful at interview and the scenarios were very similar to those on the Medibuddy website. The information on Medibuddy was really useful for interview preparation.”

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Updated for 2026

What to Expect from the Allergy ST3 Interview

Allergy ST3 is one of the smallest higher specialty training programmes in the UK, and its scarcity makes it sharply competitive. In 2025, NHS England recorded 29 applications for 3 posts, a ratio of 9.67:1, with the same three posts filled the previous year at 10.00:1. Demand has risen steadily from 5.25:1 in 2021 while post numbers have stayed in low single digits.

Recruitment is coordinated nationally through Physician Higher Specialty Training (PHST) and run jointly with Immunology ST3, reflecting the shared Allergy and Clinical Immunology curriculum introduced in August 2021. The interview is delivered online, with joining instructions issued via Oriel. It runs as a two-station panel, each station lasting 20 minutes, with the full sitting taking around 45 to 50 minutes including transitions. Each station is scored by its own pair of consultant assessors drawn from allergy and immunology; consistent with general UK ST3 practice, a lay representative may also be present to oversee process, though this is not separately confirmed for Allergy ST3.

PHST publishes the structure: the interview is built around four scored questions split across the two stations, each marked 1 to 5. Station 1 pairs a clinical scenario with an ethics, professionalism and governance question; Station 2 pairs a short research-paper presentation and discussion with a suitability and commitment question.

Station 1: Clinical Scenario and Ethics, Professionalism and Governance

Twenty minutes with one assessor pair, split into two ten-minute questions. The first is a clinical scenario: you are given a brief case to review, then discuss your assessment and management, mapped to the Allergy and Clinical Immunology curriculum (acute anaphylaxis, diagnostic workup in suspected food, drug and venom allergy, risk stratification, long-term management, and the interface with clinical immunology). The second is an ethics, professionalism and governance question, drawing on moral and legal principles and GMC Good Medical Practice: consent, capacity, patient safety, raising concerns and managing disagreement with colleagues. Each is scored 1 to 5.

Station 2: Research Presentation and Suitability and Commitment

Twenty minutes with a separate assessor pair, again two questions. The first is a three-minute presentation on an interesting research paper covering a recent development or finding relevant to allergy and/or clinical immunology, followed by a seven-minute discussion, so come ready to summarise a paper crisply and defend it under questioning. The second is a suitability and commitment to specialty question: why allergy and immunology, what you understand of the specialty’s scope and realities, and how your experience (taster posts, BSACI engagement, relevant clinical exposure, audit and QI) evidences that commitment. Both are scored 1 to 5.

What the Panel Is Looking For

The interview carries 80 of the 100 final marks, with the application and self-assessment score contributing the other 20, so interview-day performance is decisive. Appointability requires no scores of 1 out of 5, no more than two scores of 2 out of 5, and a raw interview score at or above the published threshold (24 in recent guidance; confirm the current figure in the PHST applicant handbook). Across the four questions the panel is testing clinical reasoning grounded in current allergy and immunology practice, sound ethical and professional judgement, the ability to present and discuss research credibly, and genuine, evidenced commitment to the specialty. Strong candidates score evenly across all four rather than relying on one.

The Medibuddy 2026 Allergy ST3 Interview Question Bank

We’ve built the question bank around the PHST Allergy and Clinical Immunology ST3 interview as it actually runs: two 20-minute stations and four scored questions (each marked 1 to 5), covering a clinical scenario, an ethics, professionalism and governance question, a research-paper presentation and discussion, and a suitability and commitment question, all mapped to the 2021 curriculum and Allergy ST3 person specification.

Coverage is comprehensive across every question type you can be asked on the day, with model answers and structured frameworks for each. The bank is written by high-scoring trainees and registrars who recently sat the PHST interview, and refreshed each year using feedback from the latest cohort so the content tracks how panels are actually marking.

What’s Included in the Allergy ST3 Interview Question Bank

How to Prepare for the Allergy ST3 Interview

Allergy ST3 is a small, high-stakes round. In 2025 the specialty saw 29 applications for 3 posts, a ratio of 9.67:1. With numbers that tight and only two stations to make your case, preparation quality is the variable you can actually control.

Understand the format before you start practising

Before you rehearse a single answer, get the structure straight. The interview is delivered online via Oriel as a two-station panel, each station 20 minutes long, each scored by its own pair of interviewers, with the full sitting running roughly 45 to 50 minutes including transitions. That matters because there is no warm-up: you walk into 20 minutes with one pair, then 20 minutes with a fresh pair who have not seen your earlier performance. Every station has to land on its own.

Focus on knowledge and delivery equally

Allergy ST3 panels are drawn from BSACI-affiliated consultants who know the curriculum well. They can tell quickly whether you understand anaphylaxis pathways, drug allergy workup, immunotherapy indications and paediatric versus adult allergy practice, or whether you are reciting headlines. Equally, technically correct answers delivered as a wall of unstructured detail score poorly. Pair your reading with deliberate practice on structure: signpost, prioritise, and finish cleanly inside the time. Knowledge wins you the content marks; delivery wins you the communication marks. You need both.

Build preparation around all four questions

Treat the four questions as four separate preparation tracks, mapped directly onto the published structure. For the clinical scenario, drill talking through assessment and management of anaphylaxis, food, drug and venom allergy, urticaria, asthma overlap and immunodeficiency referrals under questioning. For the ethics, professionalism and governance question, rehearse structured reasoning through GMC Good Medical Practice on consent, capacity, patient safety, raising concerns and disagreement. For the research presentation, choose a recent allergy or immunology paper now and practise a tight three-minute summary plus seven minutes of discussion. For suitability and commitment, prepare evidenced answers on why allergy and immunology, your understanding of the specialty, and your taster, audit, QI and BSACI experience. Practise moving between all four, because the live interview demands each in turn.

Practise under timed conditions

Twenty minutes goes faster than candidates expect, especially when interviewers probe follow-ups. Practise to a clock with a partner who interrupts and reframes. Aim to deliver a structured clinical answer in 3 to 4 minutes so that follow-up questioning has space to run. If you only ever practise in calm, uninterrupted conditions, the real station will feel unfamiliar, and unfamiliarity costs marks.

Start earlier than you think

For the 2026 round, interviews are centrally held on 12 February 2026. We recommend starting structured interview preparation around 8 to 10 weeks out, with the final 3 to 4 weeks given over to timed mock stations. Allergy is small enough that you will not find a large peer group sitting the same interview; build your practice circle early, ideally with an Immunology ST3 candidate, since the format is shared.

Practise with the question bank

The principles above only convert into marks through repetition against realistic questions. Our Allergy ST3 Interview Questions bank is built around the two-station, four-question PHST format and the 2026 person specification, so you can drill the clinical scenario, ethics and governance, your research presentation and suitability prompts in the structure you will actually meet on the day. Use it for timed runs, then review your answers against the model responses.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Allergy ST3 interview involve?

The Allergy ST3 interview is run nationally by PHST as an online multi-station panel, shared with Immunology ST3. You’ll face two stations of 20 minutes each, with the full interview taking around 45–50 minutes including transitions. Each station is scored by its own pair of consultant assessors drawn from allergy and immunology, working from the published person specification and curriculum.

How competitive is Allergy ST3?

Very competitive, despite the small numbers. NHS England recorded 29 applications for 3 posts in 2025, a ratio of 9.67:1, with all posts filled. In 2024 the figure was 30 applications for 3 posts (10.00:1). With only a handful of national posts each round, every mark at interview matters, and candidates often need to be flexible about geography.

What topics come up in the Allergy ST3 interview?

PHST publishes a four-question structure across the two stations. Expect a clinical scenario spanning anaphylaxis, drug allergy, food allergy and immunodeficiency; a dedicated ethics, professionalism and governance question; a three-minute presentation on a recent research paper followed by discussion; and a suitability and commitment question covering motivation, teaching, audit and research. Significant-event reflection is usually probed within the clinical or ethics question rather than as a standalone.

Does the question bank cover both Allergy ST3 stations?

Yes. Our bank is built around the PHST two-station, four-question structure used for Allergy and Immunology ST3, with practice material for the clinical scenario, the ethics, professionalism and governance question, the research-paper presentation, and the suitability and commitment question. Each reflects the 20-minute station timing and the 1 to 5 scoring scale used by panellists, so you practise pitching answers at the level the assessors are marking against.

When should I start preparing for Allergy ST3 interviews?

We recommend starting 8 to 10 weeks before your interview date. The NHS England schedule shows Allergy ST3 interviews held centrally in mid-February, so a November or December start gives you time to build clinical knowledge across the curriculum, rehearse station-length answers, and refine delivery without compressing everything into the final fortnight.

Start Preparing for the Allergy ST3 Interview

Most candidates prepare by reading broadly across allergy topics and hoping it translates on the day. Strong candidates prepare differently. They practise against the format the panel actually uses, refining how they structure answers across the clinical, ethics, research-presentation and suitability questions until delivery matches knowledge.