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Palliative Medicine ST4 • 2027 Interview

The 2027 Palliative Medicine ST4 Interview Revision Platform: Question Bank, Live Practice and Mocks with Other Candidates

The Medibuddy Palliative Medicine ST4 Question Bank includes over 40 scenarios that closely mirror the real interview, each with a model answer written/edited by high-scoring candidates who sat the Palliative Medicine ST4 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 Palliative Medicine ST4 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 40 scenarios across every 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 Palliative Medicine ST4 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.

Palliative Medicine ST4 Revision Platform • £144.99

Gain access to over 40 scenarios across every station, and collaborate with other candidates through Study Groups, Live Mocks and Peer Feedback.
Get instant access
What candidates say

Scored well, secured their post

A few of the candidates who prepared with us for the Palliative Medicine ST4 interview.

Verified candidateInterviewed 2026
"The communication and ethics scenarios were pitched exactly right. Having a structure ready meant I could handle a very difficult conversation calmly and with compassion."
Secured first-choice deanery
Verified candidateInterviewed 2026
"Practising the roleplays out loud with other candidates was the single most useful thing I did before the day."
Ranked highly
Part 1 • See the questions

The Medibuddy 2027 Palliative Medicine ST4 Question Bank

The interview has two stations, each lasting 15 minutes, so you only 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 40-plus scenarios comes with a model answer, written by candidates who scored highly in the 2026 Palliative Medicine ST4 interview, so you know exactly how to approach every question the interviewers throw your way.
What's inside

What's included in the Palliative Medicine ST4 Question Bank

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

Clinical Scenarios

Symptom control and end-of-life clinical scenarios where you play the registrar, each with a worked answer showing how to structure your response.

Communication & Roleplay

Roleplay and communication scenarios, from breaking difficult news to responding to distress, with worked answers showing how to stay clear, honest and compassionate.

Ethics & Professional Judgement

Realistic ethical and legal dilemmas, including requests to hasten death and questions about assisted dying, with structured model answers built on clear principles.

Commitment & Specialty Fit

Your chance to show your motivation for palliative medicine and why you're suited to ST4, with example questions and model answers.
Reflecting how palliative medicine is really assessed
So much of palliative medicine revolves around difficult conversations, meaning both your ethical approach and your communication are vital to scoring top marks. Our model answers are written with that in mind, alongside the clinical and commitment domains.
Try it

Try an example Palliative Medicine ST4 question

You are the palliative medicine ST4 registrar on an inpatient ward. Mr Greenwood, 54, has advanced oesophageal cancer with liver and lung metastases. He was admitted five days ago with poor symptom control and has been told there are no further disease-modifying options.

During your review he becomes tearful and says: 'I just want it to be over. Can't you give me something to end all this? I've looked it up, this is why assisted dying should be legal.'

This is a roleplay with a trained actor, marked on two axes: your ethical approach, and your communication and reflection.

How would you approach this?

Question
What are the key issues to identify in your preparation?
Example answer
His statement may mean several things: an expression of suffering and lost hope, a genuine enquiry about assisted dying, a wish to explore his fears, or a test of whether I will listen without flinching.
  • Assisted dying remains illegal in England and Wales, so I cannot comply with a request to hasten death, but I must not respond dismissively or defensively.
  • My ethical duties compete here: respect for his autonomy alongside non-maleficence and the law, and guidance is clear that I should explore the reasons behind the request first.
  • Potentially reversible drivers, such as undertreated pain or breathlessness, depression, fear of future suffering, loss of dignity or feeling a burden, all deserve assessment.
  • Palliative sedation for refractory symptoms is lawful and distinct from assisted dying, which may be important to explain. I would ensure privacy and consider involving the specialist nurse or psychology.
Question
How would you approach the conversation?
Example answer
I would not immediately correct him or explain the law.
  • First, sit down, ensure privacy and respond to the emotional weight, perhaps: "That tells me you are suffering a great deal right now."
  • Use open questions to understand what is driving the request: poorly controlled symptoms, fear of how he will die, feeling a burden, depression, or a principled view on autonomy.
  • Then address each concern directly: act immediately on any undertreated symptoms, explain proactively what we can offer including palliative sedation if symptoms become refractory, and acknowledge his views on assisted dying honestly while explaining gently that I cannot act to hasten his death under UK law.
  • I would not leave without agreeing a plan, arranging follow-up, and considering a referral to the palliative care psychologist.
Question
He insists: 'I want you to give me something to end it. Why can't you just do that?' How do you respond?
Example answer
I would meet it honestly rather than brush past it.
  • Acknowledge how much it takes to say that: "I hear you, and I am not going to brush past what you've just said. What I want to understand first is what is making things feel so unbearable right now."
  • When he tells me it is the unrelenting pain and his fear of drowning in his own lungs, I would commit to acting: "The pain needs to be better controlled, and I am going to sort that today, and I want to explain what we can do so you will not be left struggling."
Question
He asks why the law stops you, and says 'So I just have to suffer and wait?' How do you handle this?
Example answer
I would take his question seriously and be honest, while making a firm commitment to his care.
  • "You are raising something really important, and I do not dismiss it. The law in England and Wales does not allow me to act to end your life, and I have to be honest about that."
  • "What I can do, and what I will do, is make sure you are not in pain, not frightened and not alone, and make the time you have as good as it can be."
  • "That is exactly what I am here to prevent. Let's go through everything that is not right now and make a plan together, and if things ever feel completely unbearable, there are options including deeper sedation to keep you comfortable. You will not be abandoned."

That's one scenario. There are over 40 more.

Palliative Medicine ST4 Revision Platform • £144.99

Includes every scenario in the Question Bank, and access to Study Groups, Live Mocks with other candidates and Peer Feedback.
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Actively maintained

How we keep our Question Banks up to date

The Palliative Medicine ST4 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.

For 2027, this process kept the Question Bank aligned with the current two-station PHST format, across the clinical, communication, ethical and commitment domains, so you always practise with the format the panel is using now.
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 Palliative Medicine ST4 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 Palliative Medicine ST4 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 Palliative Medicine ST4, 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 Palliative Medicine ST4 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 Palliative Medicine ST4 interview

Palliative medicine is a competitive specialty, recruited nationally through Physician Higher Specialty Training.

Each of the two interview stations lasts 15 minutes and includes two questions, scored by separate pairs of interviewers.

Domain

Clinical Judgement

Symptom control and end-of-life scenarios assessing your clinical judgement and safe, structured management as the registrar.
Domain

Communication

Structured communication and roleplay tasks, often with a trained actor, testing how clearly and compassionately you communicate in difficult conversations.
Domain

Ethics & Professional Judgement

Ethical and legal dilemmas, including requests to hasten death and questions about assisted dying. Explain your reasoning, refer to relevant guidance, and respond with honesty and compassion.
Domain

Commitment & Specialty Fit

You’ll be asked about your motivation for palliative medicine and why you’re suited to ST4. Go beyond listing achievements and show how your experience demonstrates your commitment.

How the interview is scored

The domains are marked against the Palliative Medicine ST4 person specification, with communication scored alongside your ethical approach. Our model answers are structured against those criteria, so you know exactly what a strong, well-organised answer looks like.
Get ready

How to prepare for the Palliative Medicine ST4 interview

Start with the Question Bank

Work through over 40 scenarios across every station, each with a worked answer from a candidate who scored well in the 2026 interview. Start by reading how a strong answer is formed, then think about how you'd deliver it.

Talk the hard ones through in Study Groups

Study Groups are your biggest opportunity to network and connect with other candidates sitting the same interview as you. Everyone on the platform is in the same boat, so don't be scared to get involved and ask questions. Someone in your study group might just help you work through a scenario you've been struggling with.

Rehearse out loud in Live Mocks

Live mocks are where you begin to put everything you've learned into practice, and we know from experience that those who practise with a wide range of candidates usually do the best. Organise mocks with people from one of your study groups, or get matched with a random Palliative Medicine ST4 candidate, then take turns as interviewer and candidate using real scenarios until answering out loud under pressure feels normal.

Get reviewed with Peer Feedback before the day

Once you've recorded a mock, you can have other community members review it. This lets you see how you come across to other people, and gives you time to refine your delivery as you revise, rather than being caught out on the day. Reviewing other people's mocks is just as crucial, as you see how other candidates navigate the same scenarios.
Questions

Frequently asked questions

What does the Palliative Medicine ST4 interview involve?
A two-station format with four questions overall, scored by separate pairs of interviewers across clinical, communication, ethical, and commitment domains.
How competitive is the Palliative Medicine ST4 interview?
Palliative medicine is a competitive specialty, and strong candidates are frequently separated by small margins at interview, which is why a structured, well-rehearsed approach matters.
Who writes the model answers?
High-scoring candidates who sat the Palliative Medicine ST4 interview in 2026, so the answers reflect what came up and what scored this year.
Can I practise with other candidates?
Yes. Every Revision Platform purchase gives you the opportunity to connect with other candidates through Study Groups, Live Mocks and Peer Feedback.
How do the Live Mocks work?
All you have to do is join the waiting room, and we match you with another Palliative Medicine ST4 candidate. You then take turns as interviewer and candidate on real Question Bank scenarios, so you gain experience answering out loud to a real person before you ever sit in front of the panel.
What are Study Groups and how do they help?
Study Groups are community forums for doctors across the country preparing for the same Palliative Medicine ST4 interview. You can ask questions, share what you're struggling with, and compare how you'd approach a scenario.
Can I get feedback on my interview performance?
Yes. After you've recorded a mock, you can ask other members to review it, so you can see which part of your answer needs fine-tuning.
How do you keep the Palliative Medicine ST4 Question Bank up to date?
We review and update it twice a year: in April after that year's interviews, and again in the autumn when the new recruitment guidance is published, so you always practise with the current format.
How long do I get access for?
Access runs for 12 months from the purchase date.

Start preparing for the Palliative Medicine ST4 interview

The Revision Platform gives you over 40 scenarios to practise and refine with other candidates through Study Groups, Live Mocks and Peer Feedback.

Palliative Medicine ST4 Revision Platform • £144.99

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