Australian surgical SET interview: 2026 dates, format and scoring

When to apply

• SET applications open in January and close in February through the college, with specialty specific requirements including referee reports and, for some specialties, a situational judgement test.
• Eligibility requirements must be met before the application closes.

When interviews run

• Interviews run in April and May depending on the specialty, with offers in June.

The format

• General surgery: five rotating stations of ten minutes with two minutes reading time, two panel members each, three clinical and two non technical, two questions plus probing per station.
• Other specialties run their own structured panels or MMIs.

Who is on the panel

• Two surgeons per station with an optional observer.

How it is scored

• Each station scored independently against the RACS competencies; combined with the CV score and structured referee reports to rank candidates.
• About one in four or five applicants is selected.

What to prepare

• The clinical stems: obstruction, biliary sepsis, trauma, the deteriorating post operative patient, appendicitis in pregnancy.
• The non technical scenarios: the shouting surgeon, the dehiscence, consent, refusal, cultural safety.
• The two minute reading time routine and a signposted opening.
• The RACS competencies by name.

Practise the australian surgical set interview