We're working to update this & make sure it's correct for 2025/26 - bear with us!
Core Surgical Training (CST) is one of the most competitive core training programmes out there, and your CST portfolio self-assessment score in 2025 could make the difference between getting your perfect CST job or needing to take another year to develop your portfolio.
Following 2020 changes to immigration rules, which allowed the inclusion of International Medical Graduates (IMGs) in round 1 of recruitment, the race to get a Core Surgical Training post has never been more ruthless.
You have until December 2025 to eke out the last of your CST portfolio interview assessment points – too late for some sections, but plenty of time for others! In this guide to the CST self-assessment scoring 2025, we’ll go through the rules and where you can maximise your points, as well as some tips to get the most out of your portfolio.
Hints and Tips by Mr Aashish Ahluwalia
Ash is an Orthopaedic Registrar based in London. He achieved a maximum score in self-assessment and portfolio at both CST and ST3 levels and will be giving you guidance as we go through the CST portfolio scoring.
Ash is also the founder of The London Course, providing surgical interview and exam courses for trainees. If you want an extra boost to make sure you land your dream job, sign up for his fantastic CST interview course, which will also help you to maximise your portfolio self-assessment score. Feel free to get in contact with him at [email protected].
Key Documents
- CST Application Self-Assessment Scoring 2025
- CST Person Specification 2025/26
- MSRA Applicant Guide 2025
CST Recruitment Timeline
| Stage | Date / Time |
|---|---|
| Applications open | Thursday 23rd October 2025 at 10am |
| Applications close | Thursday 20th November 2025 at 4pm |
| MSRA Exam | Between Tuesday 6th January and Monday 19th January 2026 |
| Interview Invites | Friday 13th February 2026 (subject to change) |
| Evidence Upload | Between Monday 16th February and Thursday 26th February 2026 |
| Preferencing | Dates to be confirmed |
| Interviews | Between Monday 2nd March and Wednesday 11th March 2026 |
| Initial Offers out | By Tuesday 24th March 2026 by 5pm |
| Hold Deadline | 1pm on Thursday 2nd April 2026 |
| Upgrade Deadline | 4pm on Wednesday 8th April 2026 |
| Post start date | Wednesday 5th August 2026 |
Portfolio Scoring 2025
The latest changed, as detailed on the HEE site, is that self-assessment will no longer happen, and instead will be replaced with a scoring system based on a portfolio station at interview.
If you're invited for an interview, you'll be asked to upload evidence for the 5 domains below, assigning a letter from A to E to each to see how many "points" you should get at interview for each domain.
The interviewers will look at your evidence during the interview, and accept or change this scoring based on their interpretation.
Here's a few points to keep in mind:
- You can only claim after starting your first degree - nothing from before university counts.
- You can only use one achievement per domain. A QIP that you have published or presented can therefore only be used in one of those two categories.
- Make sure you don't upload any patient identifiable data, including thank you cards or minutes from a departmental meeting - this could be grounds for a 0 score or GMC referral.
- You don't need to upload your entire logbook, just the consolidation report signed by your supervisor.
Recognised surgical specialities include:
- Plastics
- Neurosurgery
- Vascular
- ENT
- Cardiothoracics
- Urology
- Maxfax
- General surgery
- Orthopaedics
- Paediatric surgery
Maximum CST Portfolio Score
We don't yet have an idea of the maximum CST portfolio score, nor do we have any statistics, as now this will move to an A - E letter system during the interview.
| Section | Maximum Score |
| Operative Experience | A |
| Surgical Experience | A |
| Quality Improvement - Project | A |
| Quality Improvement - Presentation | A |
| Presentations and Publications | A |
| Teaching Experience | A |
| Total | AAAAAAA?? |
For all these achievements, you must have evidence of completion to score points, as well as an index sheet. Entries without an index sheet, or without evidence, will be marked as 0.
Ash's Tips
A point is a point.
Don’t get bogged down in lengthy projects when a quality improvement project can get you the same number of points. Keep the CST applicant checklist on your phone and see if you work towards scoring a point every day.
Early preparation is the best way to maximise your points and means you can focus on interview technique in the run-up to the CST interview.
Changes in 2025/26
Portfolio scoring changed significantly for the 2025 start date, but it seems not much has changed for 2026.
Instead of a points-based self-assessment on application, portfolio will be assessed on a letter (A to E) basis as an interview station. You will still need to self-assess if you're shortlisted for interview, but this will only be verified during the interview itself.
Intensive Care Medicine (ITU) as a Specialty
From this recruitment window onward, Intensive Care (ITU) will no longer be recognised as a surgical specialty for portfolio scoring purposes.
Foundation Placements and Surgical Experience
Similarly, foundation placements will no longer count as examples of surgical experience.
This temporary allowance was originally introduced during the pandemic, when many applicants were unable to complete undergraduate electives or taster weeks. As training opportunities have now normalised, points will only be awarded for dedicated electives or taster placements in surgical specialties.
Quality Improvement (QI) and Audit Projects
For this recruitment window, panels will be looking for evidence that your QI or audit project was presented within the department or setting it was designed to improve.
In other words, if your audit assessed a department’s compliance with a standard, the first cycle should have been presented locally, as this forms part of the change and feedback process.
Future Updates (2027 Onwards)
From the 2027 recruitment round, the CST portfolio domains are expected to align with the GMC’s Good Medical Practice framework.
This will be a cosmetic reorganisation rather than a structural overhaul, combining some of the existing domains under three core themes: Knowledge and Skills, Safety and Culture, and Communication.
In practice, this means that evidence related to teaching, presentations, and communication with patients or colleagues will likely be merged into a single domain, while surgical experience and audit/QI will sit under the others.
Operative Experience
Gaining operative experience during your foundation years can be difficult, especially if you don’t have a surgical placement. This is an area of the application which might involve getting to theatre on zero days, annual leave, or during an FY3 year.
Involvement in a surgical case is defined as assisting or taking part in supervised trainer scrubbed procedures. It does not include cases which you only observed without scrubbing in.
Here are the scoring categories for this section:
- A – Involved in 40+ cases
- B – Involved in 30-39 cases
- C – Involved in 20-29 cases
- D – Involved in 11-19 cases
- E - Involved in <10 cases, or have no evidence
To provide evidence for this section, you must upload a consolidation report – a summary of which cases you have been involved in - via the eLogbook format. You do not need to upload your entire logbook, just a consolidation report.
A consolidation report must be evidenced for each speciality, including the following details:
- Summary sheet from this report
- Numbers of procedures & date ranges
This must be verified by a consultant, with their:
- Signature
- Full name
- GMC number (or equivalent in country of registration)
- Date of verification
You cannot report involvement in an operation if you have only observed - you must have some direct involvement.
Ash's Tips
There are no additional points for 40 cases or 300 cases. As much as we enjoy going to theatre, keep this in mind. For your CST applications, added exposure to theatre DOES NOT compensate for points that are missed on the rest of your application.
Attending theatres can be daunting in the earlier Foundation Years. Find a CST, registrar, or consultant that you feel comfortable with, and attend theatre with them. Be sure to introduce yourself to the theatre team, and make sure you know the basics of surgical gowning.
Get to theatre early and try to find out what cases are going to be operated on. The more you know about theatre and the operations (even if it’s the first time you’ve set foot in an operating theatre) the more comfortable you will feel.
Be prepared to be asked questions on anatomy and DO NOT be scared to get questions wrong. Be efficient with your clinical responsibilities, find someone who can hold your bleep and then just go.
My last tip, know where the changing rooms are and invest in a pair of scrub shoes (not Crocs with holes in them, you’ll thank me after your first arthroscopy). You will eventually need them every day, so it will be worth it!
Surgical Experience
Ideally, every candidate for CST will have managed to get a 3+ month placement in a surgical speciality prior to application. However - that's not always possible.
Thankfully, you can gain the same amount of application points by undertaking a surgical elective. If you plan during your foundation years, you can also take advantage of the 5 days offered for “taster days”.
Here are the scoring categories for this section:
- A - Any of the below
- Surgical taster week - min 5 days total.
- Surgical elective - min 4 weeks.
- Surgical placement during foundation or equivalent training - min 12 weeks. (Being removed in 2025/26 - this is the last year to use this!)
- B – None of the above
Surgical placements which are accepted include:
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- ENT Surgery
- General Surgery
- ITU (being removed in 2025/26 - this is the last year to use this!)
- Neurosurgery
- Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Paediatric Surgery
- Plastic Surgery
- Urology
- Vascular Surgery
- Guidance on Specialty Tasters for Foundation Trainees
These experiences must have already been completed on application.
To provide evidence for this section, you must upload a letter on the trust's official letterheaded paper signed by the education supervisor, with details including:
- The surgical department and hospital
- Dates undertaken
- Evidence that you have had learning opportunities or experience (such as attendance at theatre lists or surgical clinics)
- Name of supervisor and their professional registration (e.g. GMC number)
Ash's Tips
Most CST applicants will have done their elective in medical school. The key is to get some form of proof that it was surgical-based when you receive your elective certification. Even if it was a mixed elective, see if you can get some proof of this.
If you haven’t completed a surgical elective, plan early to ensure that one of your placements in Foundation Training is surgically themed. This may require swapping with a colleague and will require early preparation and organisation.
Taster weeks are immensely useful, and you should plan this early. Find a department that you’d like to work in, even if it is in your own hospital, and fill in the necessary documentation and study leave forms early.
If you are interested in a niche in a subspecialty (Robotic Orthopaedic or Urological surgery/Paediatric Cancers) then contact the relevant department at a local hospital. These departments tend to have administrative staff who arrange observerships and will be able to guide you through the process.
Quality Improvement and Clinical Audit
The quality improvement section is a fantastic way to gain some easy points. Compared to other sections, such as degrees and operative experience, you can gain maximum points in this section while only spending a few hours more than is expected for mandatory QIP requirements.
When planning your quality improvement project, it’s important to keep in mind the amount of time you have before submitting your application in late November. If the application closes in 6 months’ time and you’re aiming for max points, you need to make sure you can complete 2 full cycles AND present it to a local meeting before it comes time to hit submit. If you need to get a project together quick-sharp, check out our 5 timesaving tips for your quality improvement project.
This can seem daunting, but if you pick the right subject you can get through 2 cycles, make an improvement, and have something interesting to talk about at the interview. For more information about how to perform a fantastic quality improvement project, see our ultimate guide on quality improvement projects, or for a few quick tips to make sure you complete a quick and efficient QIP.
This section is split into two categories - involvement and presenting. Here are the scoring categories for this section:
Subdomain 1: Involvement in QIP/Audit
- A – Lead, get involved in all aspects of a surgical-themed QI project or audit which demonstrated change.*
- B – Lead, get involved in all aspects of a non-surgical themed QI project or audit which demonstrated change.*
- C – Contribute through multiple cycles of QI project or audit which has demonstrated change.
- D – Involved in a QI project or audit.
- E – None of the above
*To demonstrate change in an audit or QI project, 2 or more cycles should have taken place to provide evidence for a difference in outcomes after an intervention was made.
To provide evidence for this section, you should upload:
- The project presentation or a written summary, which includes the scope and impact of the project.
- A signed letter from the supervising consultant – including:
- Name
- GMC number
- Date
- Confirmation that the project met the requirements you have claimed for.
Subdomain 2: Presenting the QIP/Audit
If you have been a contributor to the QIP/Audit and gained at a C so far, you can also score for personally presenting the project (as either oral or poster presentation):
- A - Presented both cycles of data or presented the intervention and change aspects at a meeting
- B - Presented one cycle of the QIP/Audit at a meeting
- C - Did not present.
What does a meeting mean? We're assuming that this can be a local departmental meeting, given "regional/national" aren't specified, and it has asked for a GMC number. However, this hasn't been clarified by PGMDE: self-assess at your own risk.
To provide evidence for this section, you should upload:
- A letter of acceptance from the meeting including:
- The project title
- The presenting author (you)
- The date
- The name and organiser of the meeting
OR
- A copy of the meeting programme which includes:
- The project
- The presenting author (you).
Ash's Tips
The wording couldn’t be clearer and when embarking on the QIP, make sure you tick every box. Surgical, lead, implemented change, presented. These are all parts of the QIP and should be mentioned in the certificate you receive for performing this.
The hardest part is always starting.
Speak to seniors, as everyone needs QIPs and they will have an idea of what is required for the department. Also speak to the audit team of the hospital, who may give you an idea of what has already been done. Sometimes, a previously completed audit can be worked on and will save you a lot of the early legwork that is required.
Get it done, get it closed, and get it presented as an FY1 or the very start of your FY2. Don’t let these be the points you don’t score.
Presentations and Publications
This is a category which you need to plan ahead for. Journals and conferences can be slow to review, accept, or publish your work, with it sometimes taking a year or more.
If you'd like to gain maximum points with a publication and you’re not an academic trainee or research fellow, writing as a first author for original research will be difficult. Instead, publications such as a review of a condition might be easier to obtain. Reach out to an academic consultant within your trust or deanery to find opportunities to get publications. These consultants are often busy but appreciate keen and motivated doctors who are willing to put in the work, and might be able to point you in the right direction.
If you’ve managed to complete multiple quality improvement projects, you can use two separate projects to claim in both this and the Quality Improvement domains, without risking losing any points. It’s worth submitting an abstract to national conferences. Acceptance rates are high for poster presentations, and a good project could win you an oral presentation, particularly at smaller or trainee-oriented conferences.
If in doubt, ask a senior for advice or approach an academic consultant to ask whether they have any cases you could write up or present a poster for. Many academic consultants are busy enough to have a backlog of interesting cases or subjects for review and would be happy to guide you through the process if you reach out.
Here are the scoring categories for this section:
- A - One of:
- Top prize for an oral presentation at a national or international medical meeting organised by an accredited institution*º after being invited to do so.
- First author of a PubMed-cited publication not including case reports and editorial letters.
B - One of:
- Oral presentation at a national or international medical meeting organised by an accredited institution*º after being invited to do so.
- First author of PubMed-cited case report or editorial letter.
- Author of a book chapter related to medicine (not self-published).
C - Below:
- First author of a poster or "oral poster presentation" presented at an international or national medical meeting organised by an accredited institution*º after being invited to do so.
D - One of:
- Oral presentation at a regional medical meeting.
- Cited collaborative author of a PubMed-cited publication†
- E - None of the above
- * This does not include "oral poster presentations", in which you give a very short oral explanation of your poster.
† Cited collaborative authors are members of a research collaborative publication who have been acknowledged in the manuscript under a collaborative group name but do not appear in the author list on the title page.
º What counts as an accredited institution? This isn't immediately clear from the documentation, however further up when discussing "accredited conferences" in the surgical conference section, it says:
Accredited by one of the UK Royal Colleges of Surgeons, an international/national surgical organisation or regional deanery will be accepted. Alternatively, any surgical themed conference with evidence of CPD accreditation will also be accepted. Non-accredited or undergraduate medical school society organised conferences will not be accepted.
We assume that this would also serve as the definition of an "accredited institution", but this is only an assumption.
Source: CST Self Assessment Guidance
You can only claim points for oral presentations if you personally delivered them.
First authorship is defined by meeting the ICJME criteria for authorship, and are cited/listed first on the title page (or as co-author)
For all presentations, you must personally or virtually attend, and you must have been selected to present your work – if you have paid a fee to present your poster or project, it will not count.
Your publication can score points if it is published, in press or if you have evidence that the PubMed catalogued journal has accepted your work for publication without amendments. Cited collaborative authors must have their work published, not in press.
A medical meeting is defined as an audience of healthcare professionals attending away from their normal place of work for CPD purposes. These can be virtual or face-to-face. This includes conferences, symposiums, and other similar events.
You cannot claim in this category for a presentation that you have already claimed in the QI/audit (presentation points) section for the same project.
To provide evidence for this section, you should upload:
Oral and poster presentations - National or International
- A letter of acceptance or copy of the event programme which demonstrates that your poster or presentation is taking place, including the name of you or the first author, the organisation of the meeting, and the date of the meeting.
- A copy of your presentation or poster including the title, first author, and your name.
- A certificate of attendance at the meeting.
- A copy of the prize certificate or signed letter from the organising who awarded you the prize (Prizes only)
Oral and poster presentations - Regional
- A letter from an educational supervisor which includes the information in the national/international category above
First or co-authored publications - published
- Copy of the article (pdf or scanned) including PubMed ID
- Letter of acceptance (without alteration) by a PubMed catalogued journal including:
- Your name as first or co-author
- Title of your article
- Name of the journal
- Date of acceptance
First or co-authored publications - in press
Letter of acceptance (without alteration) by a PubMed catalogued journal including:
- Your name as first or co-author
- Title of your article
- Name of the journal
- Date of acceptance
- Statement confirming PubMed status of journal
Cited collaborative author publications
A copy of the published article including:
- Title of the article
- Name of the journal
- PubMed ID
OR
- The page where collaborative authors are cited
Book Chapter
Sections of the book including:
- The front and back cover which includes the title, publishing house, and ISBN number
- The contents page showing the chapter and your name as the author
Ash's Tips
Presentations
Niche subspecialty conferences are harder to present at than generic conferences. For example, an abstract submitted to the ASiT or Doctor’s Academy conference, at this stage of training, will have a higher chance of being accepted than the British Association for Surgery of the Knee.
If your QIP ends up being selected for an oral national presentation, then try and complete another QIP so that you can achieve maximum points in both sections. Maximise your points.
On that note, there are also QIP sections in the larger conferences which may be more suited for the work you have produced. In terms of getting involved in research, please see below.
Publications
Don’t do the hard work to not get the points.
First author, PubMed, and not case reports. Don’t fall into the trap of committing time to a project that won’t get you the above points. Make sure if you’re putting in the work for a publication, that you are the first author, and it will be submitted to a PubMed-indexed journal.
Speak to the senior authors and establish these parameters early. Getting involved in projects always seems to be the most daunting task. Speak to seniors. Some will have no interest in research, others will publish weekly.
The key is to not take on too many projects and meet the deadlines for the ones you have. Not only does this increase the chances of your work making it to publication but builds up a level of trust which means you’re likely to be involved in more projects.
A randomised controlled trial that takes 4 years to publish will get you the same number of points as an educational review publication that can take a week to write. So, pick your projects wisely and pick your journal wisely. These points are worth their weight in gold.
Teaching Experience
Even if you have no interest in a future in medical education, there are many opportunities to bolster your application through regular teaching sessions. This can include your peers, medical students, and other healthcare professionals.
To get maximum points in this section, you need to put on and teach in a minimum of 4 teaching sessions. There is no requirement to do this alone, so long as you can provide evidence that you were involved in designing and organising the teaching programme.
If you work with other trainees, you can all get points for application, and it will be easier to create a teaching programme that blows away an interview panel.
Plan for this by approaching your hospital's undergraduate department, and offering to organise a regional teaching programme. You can also ask your educational supervisor for local opportunities. Enquire as to whether there are any opportunities for you to run a series of teaching sessions for students, or to organise a new lunchtime educational meeting. If you are interested in teaching as a career and are able to take a year out, you can also consider a teaching fellow post to help you get full points here.
If you’re struggling for opportunities to do this during working hours, consider putting on a series of evening virtual webinars for students – even once per month during a 4-month placement will get you the points! Consider delivering group tutorials, clinical skills tutoring, or exam preparation seminars for medical students.
Here is the scoring for this domain:
- A – Worked with local educators to design and organise a face-to-face teaching programme and delivered 4+ sessions personally.
- B – Worked with local educators to design and organise an online teaching programme delivered 4+ sessions personally.
- C – Worked with local educators to design and organise a teaching programme and delivered less than 4 sessions personally.
D - One of:
- Provided regular teaching (4+ occasions/year).
- Undertaken educational activity based on learning to teach, such as an online or in-person teach the teacher course.
- E – None of the above
Formal feedback is essential - without it, you will score 0 points. This can be in the form of participant feedback forms (including scores and number of participants who gave feedback) or formal feedback from a senior observer (such as a portfolio form signed by a registrar or consultant). You do not need to submit the feedback as evidence, but it must be reviewed and verified by a consultant.
To provide evidence for this section, you should upload:
- Letter from a consultant which includes:
- Confirmation that you designed and organised teaching
- Their name and GMC number
- The dates of the activity
AND
- Letter from a consultant with confirmation that you were involved in teaching, which includes:
- Their name and GMC number
- The dates of the activity
- Confirmation that you were involved in teaching
- Confirmation that evidence of formal feedback has been reviewed and found acceptable
- OR
- Anonymised evidence of formal feedback, including participant surveys or ISCP assessment.
Ash's Tips
These are very achievable points and can be done in your non-surgical placements. If a teaching programme for medical students is already set up, speak to the organiser and ensure that you design and organise at least 4 of the sessions.
Print out your own feedback forms and make sure they are filled in. The feedback forms should comprise of “yes/no” questions or “1-5” rankings. This will make it easier for you to collate into a graph and put it in your portfolio, should it be required further down the line. It is also easier to get a consultant to verify it.
If a teaching programme isn’t set up, then speak to the consultant in your department who leads undergraduate teaching (there always is one). Take the reins here and ask to organise the sessions for your entire placement. This can all be done within working hours and requires YOU to take the lead here. Keep in continuous contact with the consultant as their documentation is what will be required.
Training in Teaching
This section has been removed! However, you can still get points for a teach the teacher course in the above category.
