Entry to ophthalmology training in Australia and New Zealand uses an asynchronous recorded video interview alongside referee reports and the application: each question appears on screen, a timer runs, and you record your answer to camera, which ophthalmologists score later against the selection criteria. There is no panel in the room and no second attempt. Candidate reports are fewer than for the large programmes, so this guide is built from the published selection criteria and the format, and it says where it is inferring.
How the format works
A link and a window to complete the interview. Each question is shown, usually with a short reading time, then a fixed answer time, commonly two or three minutes. Most platforms do not allow re recording. The questions are the same for every candidate and map to the selection criteria. Scoring is done later from the recordings, by assessors who see each answer in isolation.
Why it is different
No probes, so every part of the question must be covered without prompting. No reactions, so you cannot tell whether you have said enough. No recovery, because each recording is scored alone. The format rewards preparation and structure more than any panel does, and it penalises the candidate who relies on a conversation to find their way.
The questions
Commitment and experience:
- Why ophthalmology, and what have you done to demonstrate your commitment to it?
- Tell us about your experience in ophthalmology, including clinical attachments, research and surgical exposure.
- What do you know about the RANZCO training programme, its examinations and the rotation requirements, including rural terms?
- What makes you suited to a microsurgical specialty, and how have you developed your manual skills?
- What will you find hardest about ophthalmology training?
Communication and ethics:
- Explain to a patient that their vision loss from macular degeneration is permanent.
- A patient is angry that their cataract surgery has been delayed again.
- A patient with visual fields below the driving standard insists they must keep driving.
- How would you improve eye care access for Aboriginal and remote communities?
Clinical, at junior registrar level:
- Sudden painless loss of vision in one eye.
- A red, painful eye with nausea and a fixed mid dilated pupil.
- A chemical injury to the eye.
- A patient with diabetes who has not had an eye check in five years.
- A child with a white pupil reflex in a photograph.
Structuring a recorded answer
Signpost, cover the parts, one specific, close. Open by restating the question and naming the parts you will cover. Give the principle or the structured approach. Give one specific example, or for a scenario the steps in order: for the chemical injury, irrigation immediately and for a long time, the pH checked, the history of the agent, the examination after irrigation, and the referral; for the acute angle closure, the recognition, the pressure, the treatment to lower it, and the urgent ophthalmology involvement. Close with a sentence that answers the question. Stop when finished, even with time left.
Commitment with evidence
Ophthalmology is among the most competitive programmes, and the assessors want years of evidence: clinical attachments, time in theatre, research with the output, a course in microsurgical skills, the examination studied for, a relationship with the specialty. Say what each taught you. Be honest about what you lack and what you are doing about it.
Delivery to camera
Camera at eye level, light in front of you, plain background, look at the lens. Normal pace; nerves accelerate people. Test the equipment and the connection, and do it somewhere you will not be interrupted. One card with the structure below the camera is fine.
The driving conversation
The patient who insists on driving tests your knowledge of the visual standards and the law, your obligations, and your communication. Explain the standard and why it exists, the patient's responsibility to notify the licensing authority, your own obligations in your state, the alternatives, and that you would document the advice. Respect the patient's distress about losing their licence.
Practising
Record yourself answering each likely question against the same time limits, then watch the recordings. Fix the three common faults: looking away, speaking too fast, finishing early. Do at least ten recorded practices with questions you have not seen. The format can be an advantage if you prepare every answer fully, because no panel will interrupt you.