Obstetrics and Gynaecology ST1 recruitment 2027: MSRA, interview bypass and key dates

Overview

O&G ST1 is a national, run-through recruitment route across the UK. For this specialty, the MSRA can lead to three different outcomes: exclusion from the process, an interview invitation if rank and capacity allow, or an interview bypass for very high performance. That makes its selection pathway different from specialties that use the MSRA only as a shortlisting test. The National O&G Recruitment Office's overview and 2027 timetable govern the process.

These are the recruitment office's Round 1 dates, not a personal assessment appointment. NHS England plans January and February MSRA windows for 2027 Round 1, but February is reserved for applicants to GP and/or Core Psychiatry only. An O&G applicant should follow the allocation and booking notice in Oriel; do not assume access to a later sitting. Central MSRA sitting notice.

Use the O&G ST1 2027 person specification as the full checklist. It requires an acceptable medical qualification, UK work eligibility, full GMC registration at application and a licence when the post starts, plus recent evidence of Foundation competence. Its specialty experience limit is 24 months whole-time equivalent in O&G by the advertised post start date, excluding Foundation modules. Experience outside the UK still counts. Check your own posts against the specification rather than relying on a simple calendar-month count.

The O&G application guidance explains the evidence routes. If you need a Certificate of Readiness to Enter Specialty Training, that specialty page says only the 2027 CREST form is accepted for this route and sets its signatory and supervision requirements. Read it before uploading a form used for another application. The 2027 medical-training prioritisation guidance also applies at interview and offer stages; priority status is separate from the MSRA score and from meeting eligibility criteria.

The MSRA is mandatory for longlisted O&G applicants. The recruitment office's MSRA guidance describes three routes:

1. Applicants below the required level are shortlisted out.
2. Very high scorers in both papers can bypass interview and be considered for an offer on their MSRA result. The current O&G applying page describes this group as the top 75 highest-scoring applicants.
3. Other applicants who pass are ranked for interview, subject to interview capacity.

For the standard interview route, the same guidance says MSRA is 33.3% of the final score. This does not describe the bypass route, for which the office says offers are based on MSRA alone. The top-75 figure describes a rank group, not a numerical MSRA mark. A 2027 numerical pass mark and bypass score have not been published on the current specialty MSRA page. That page also says the bypass score is derived from previous recruitment data, without explaining how it works alongside the top-75 description; check the 2027 Oriel guidance for any clarification. Do not plan around a historical score or assume that a given result guarantees an interview or region.

If you are invited, the recruitment office describes an online, two-station interview with clinical prioritisation, ethical and governance questions, and structured questions. The interview page labels the format subject to change, so check the invitation for your exact arrangements. Prepare concise examples showing clinical judgement, teamwork, teaching, quality improvement and commitment to O&G. The person specification lists relevant achievements, but no separate scored portfolio upload was identified in the current O&G Round 1 guidance checked for this draft. TO BE CONFIRMED if the Oriel advert adds an evidence requirement.

Appointment depends on the applicable bypass or interview route, appointability, ranking, preferences, available posts and 2027 prioritisation. Neither a prior-year score nor an MSRA rank alone can promise an offer.

Use the NHS England MSRA format guide and official practice paper first. Practise Clinical Problem Solving and Professional Dilemmas separately, review why you missed an answer, then move to mixed timed sessions. Clinical breadth matters alongside the professional decisions used in a busy O&G team. Keep interview preparation moving in parallel because a non-bypass applicant may receive a short invitation-to-interview interval once dates are published.

For further practice, explore PassTheMSRA's free SJT teaching, QBank demo, free practice account and optional membership plans. The Ultimate MSRA 2027 Guide covers the common assessment; this page explains the O&G selection route.

2027 O&G timetable · 2027 person specification · O&G applying guidance · O&G MSRA guidance · O&G interviews · Oriel.