This is the email that you should be aiming for. The above screenshot was kindly sent in by one of our excellent candidates from our 2017/18 courses and interview prep cycle.
As you can see the top score for 2017/18 was 306.52. It is important to remember that the self-assessment questions together with the nature of the interview process means that it is highly unlikely that anyone will score full marks (337) and the above score represents excellence across all of the stations and self-assessment questions. Below you will find our top 3 tips to maximise your chances of breaking the 300 score at the ST3 trauma and orthopaedic surgery interviews.
1. Get Started Early
It is no secret from our data collected over the last 5 years that the highest scoring candidates tend to come on the courses prior to the Christmas break (many join us again after Christmas too) and get started early. We recommend ensuring that your portfolio is organised and you are up-to-date with the latest interview information by 1st January so that you can concentrate on revising anatomy, clinical and technical skills and practising your delivery and communication skills in the New Year.
2. Sell Yourself
At our award-winning interview courses and through our online CV review service we know that you have some fantastic achievements on your CV and in your portfolio. What really stands out at our mock interview courses is how few people actually emphasise how excellent they are. We recommend describing excellence by referencing feedback and specific achievements rather than simply saying that you thing you are great which can come across as arrogant.
3. Practise, Practise, Practise
Ask colleagues to test you in work, treat every trauma meeting like the clinical station and actively attend clinics to observe and optimise your communication skills (especially if you use our comm skills templates). Our mock interview course is popular not just because of the content but also because it recreates the stress and emotion of the real interviews as closely as possible while exposing candidates to the maximum number of scenarios possible.
To maximise your chances of coming top in the country and if you would like to hear from and be taught by the highest ranking candidates from previous years' interviews (including the recipient of the above email) be sure to sign-up to our ST3 trauma and orthopaedic interview courses and online preparation.