The ST3 T&O evidence upload is the Qpercom window in which you upload proof for each of the 13 self-assessment questions, so that validators can confirm the 34 marks you claimed before you are interviewed.
The 2027 window is not yet published. In 2026 it ran from 5 to 14 January 2026 with validation on 27 and 28 January, and the 2027 scoring system published in August 2026 already fixes what counts as evidence.
Reviewed and updated 10 September 2026. Every evidence rule below comes from the 2027 Self-Assessment Scoring System (final edit 11 August 2026) published by NHS England North East and Yorkshire, and every date carries its year.
Key takeaways
- The ST3 T&O self-assessment is worth 34 of 234 marks in 2027, or 15%, split 16 Career Motivation, Learning and Development, 16 Academic and 2 Organisation and Planning.
- In 2026 the evidence upload ran 5 to 14 January 2026 and validation took place on 27 and 28 January; the 2027 dates await the T&O handbook.
- Validators adjust any score the evidence does not support, and the 2027 scoring system says the two marks for organisation of evidence cannot be appealed.
- Ten to 36 months of T&O experience scores the maximum 8; 60 months or more scores 1, and unaccounted months to July 2027 are assumed to be T&O.
- Publications count only with a PMID in a journal indexed in both PubMed and Web of Science; Cureus, abstracts, case reports, chapters and letters are excluded.
- Neck of femur operations need consultant-validated logbook consolidation sheets with name, signature and GMC number; 18 or more scores 4.
When is the ST3 T&O evidence upload window in 2027?
The 2027 ST3 T&O evidence upload window is not yet published. It sits between the application deadline and the interview, and in 2026 it opened three weeks after applications closed.
| Stage | 2026 (T&O actual) | 2027 position on 10 September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Applications close | 4pm, Tue 16 December 2025 | National Round 2 close 4pm, Thu 10 December 2026; T&O date not yet published |
| Evidence upload (Qpercom) | 5 to 14 January 2026 | Not yet published |
| Self-assessment validation | 27 and 28 January 2026 | Not yet published |
| Interviews | Tue 24 to Fri 27 March 2026 | National window Mon 11 January to Fri 9 April 2027; T&O days not yet published |
| Initial offers | By 5pm, Tue 14 April 2026 | By 5pm, Tue 13 April 2027 (national Round 2) |
In practice that means the evidence must be ready before Christmas, because a ten-day window in early January leaves no time to chase a consultant signature. Ortho Interview's 38-article knowledge library covers the clinical side of the same weeks.
How many marks is the ST3 T&O self-assessment worth in 2027?
The ST3 T&O self-assessment is worth 34 of the 234 marks in 2027, or 15%, and it is the only part of the score fixed before the interview begins.
The 2027 scoring matrix splits the 34 marks as 16 for Career Motivation, Learning and Development, 16 for Academic and 2 for Organisation and Planning.
The Commitment to Specialty station adds a further 50 marks on the same career and academic domains, and the panel does not see your documents, so everything must also be said aloud.
Ortho Interview (orthointerview.com) publishes the 13 questions and their bands free on its self-assessment page, and its 121 portfolio questions across 15 scenarios rehearse the spoken half.
What do you upload for each of the 13 self-assessment questions?
You upload one specific document type per question, set out in the 2027 scoring system, and the table below gives the top-scoring band beside the evidence that proves it.
| Question | Top band (score) | Evidence the 2027 scoring system asks for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Employment summary | Unscored | One summary page to end July 2027: graduation, foundation, every post with dates, LTFT, periods out of employment. No contracts. |
| 2. Months in T&O posts | 10 to 36 months (8) | Training post evidence, or the contract front page with dates for non-training posts. A month is 30 days. |
| 3. Complementary specialties | 4+ months in two listed specialties (2) | Training post evidence or contract front page with dates. |
| 4. Neck of femur operations | 18 or more STS/STU (4) | Consultant-validated logbook consolidation sheets with name, signature and GMC number. |
| 5. Validated NOF PBAs | 6 or more at level 2+ (1) | ISCP PBAs validated by a consultant or recognised ISCP trainer. Upload exactly six. |
| 6. First-author publications | Two with PMID (4) | PMID, title, authors, journal and date; first two evidenced only. |
| 7. Other publications | Two with PMID (2) | PMID and details, or one validated NIHR Associate PI letter. |
| 8. National presentations | Two podium by you (4) | Certificate of delivery or acceptance and display, plus attendance certificate. |
| 9. Audit, QIP or collaborative | Two projects (2) | Validated certificate or letter from the audit lead; outcomes on a single slide. |
| 10. Higher degree | PhD or MD (2) | Degree certificate; overseas degrees need an equivalence letter and transcript. |
| 11. Leadership and management | National elected or appointed role, 6+ months (3) | Signed letter from the recognised body, or consultant-signed documentation with GMC number. |
| 12. Teaching | Formal substantive teaching role (3) | Redacted feedback, programme evidence or contract; role within the last five years and 6+ months. |
| 13. Organisation of evidence | Well organised (2) | Scored by the reviewer on the upload itself. Cannot be appealed. |
The 2027 matrix records the self-assessment ceiling as 34: 16 for Career Motivation, Learning and Development, 16 for Academic and 2 for Organisation and Planning.
What counts as a publication for the ST3 T&O self-assessment?
A publication counts for the ST3 T&O self-assessment only with a PMID in a journal indexed in both PubMed and Web of Science, which excludes Cureus.
A first-author publication is one of your best two PubMed-indexed papers since starting medical school, excluding abstracts, case reports, book chapters, letters and technical tips.
Collaborative group names do not make you first author. For Question 7, a collaborative paper needs evidence of a significant role in design, analysis or writing, and one validated NIHR Associate PI letter counts as one other-author publication.
Only the first two papers evidenced under each question are considered, so lead with the strongest two rather than uploading everything.
How do you evidence neck of femur operative experience?
Neck of femur experience is evidenced with consultant-validated logbook consolidation sheets, each carrying the validating consultant's name, signature and GMC number.
The 2027 scoring system counts wholly completed operations performed supervised-trainer-scrubbed or unscrubbed at the time of application: 6 to 17 scores 2 and 18 or more scores 4.
Question 5 adds 1 mark for six or more ISCP PBAs at level 2 or above for wholly completed NOF operations. Registrar trainers without a CCT are not accepted, and you upload exactly six.
How do you evidence presentations, audits, leadership and teaching?
Presentations, audits, leadership and teaching are each evidenced by a certificate or signed letter, never by a programme, agenda or slide deck.
For Question 8, a podium presentation delivered by you scores 2 and a poster, poster walk or co-author delivery scores 1, best two counted, and each project counts once however many meetings it reached.
For Question 9, a closed-loop audit against a published standard or a QIP with recognised methodology needs a validated letter from the audit lead, active involvement in both cycles, and outcomes on a single slide.
For Question 11, a national role such as BOTA or ASiT scores 3 only with a signed letter from the body and six months in post. For Question 12, ATLS instructor and training-the-trainer courses do not count.
How does validation work, and can you appeal?
Validation is a review of your uploaded evidence by assessors on Qpercom, who adjust any claimed score the documents do not support; in 2026 it took place on 27 and 28 January.
According to the 2027 scoring system, the two marks for organisation of evidence cannot be appealed. The handbook describes how a validated score is communicated and queried, so read the 2027 edition for the mechanism and its deadline.
Prospective statements about ceasing employment are not considered, and unaccounted periods to end July 2027 are assumed to be T&O employment, which can push Question 2 into the 37-month band that scores 4 rather than 8.
The national recruitment helpdesk for ST3 T&O is england.torec.yh@nhs.net, and the deanery page carries the handbook and the scoring system.
What loses marks at ST3 T&O validation?
Marks are lost at validation when the document does not match the rule, not when the achievement is weak. The 2027 scoring system names these traps.
- Uploading employment contracts instead of the single employment summary page for Question 1.
- A meeting agenda or the full slide deck for an audit, instead of the audit lead's validated letter and one results slide.
- PBAs signed by a registrar trainer without a CCT, or more than the six requested.
- A Cureus paper, an abstract or a case report claimed under Question 6 or 7.
- The same project claimed twice under Question 8 because it was presented at two meetings.
- Consultant letters without a GMC number for leadership or teaching roles.
- Illegible, rotated or unordered files, which forfeit the two Question 13 marks with no appeal.
How should you organise the upload to score the two organisation marks?
Organise the upload with a summary page first for each domain, then legible, correctly orientated documents in the order the questions run, because that is what the reviewer scores under Question 13.
- Write the one-page employment summary first; it frames every other claim.
- Label each file with its question number and the band claimed.
- Redact patient identifiers and delegate names in feedback before uploading.
- Check every signature page shows a name, a signature and a GMC number.
- Upload only what the question asks for: six PBAs, two papers, two presentations, one slide.
Ortho Interview's 2027 self-assessment breakdown walks every band, and its voice mock interview rehearses the Commitment to Specialty answers that turn the same evidence into station marks.
What should you check when the 2027 ST3 T&O handbook publishes?
Check three things the week the 2027 handbook publishes, because the scoring system fixed the evidence rules but not the calendar.
- The upload window, which in 2026 was 5 to 14 January, and whether late uploads are accepted at all.
- The validation dates and the process for querying a validated score, which in 2026 followed on 27 and 28 January.
- Any change to the 13 questions between the August 2026 scoring system and the handbook's own appendix.
The application overview carries the process as it stands, and orthointerview.com will update this checklist the week the handbook lands.