Teaching and research: Specialty Training Interview Questions

Teaching you have done and research you have been involved in, with honesty about both. At core level assessors expect some teaching and little research.

Updated 26 October 2026

How to answer

One teaching example with evidence it worked. Describe research honestly, including what you learned from the process. Have a view on how you will prepare for college exams alongside full time work.

Frameworks: STARR for teaching examples

  • STAR Situation in a sentence, Task: what you had to do, Action: what you did in the first person, Result: the outcome with a number where there is one. Add Reflection for STARR. Full guide →
  1. Asked in most interviewsUsually asked by the clinical director or clinical leadSTARR

    Tell us about teaching you have done and what you learned from it.

    What you taught, to whom, how you planned it, how you knew it worked and what feedback you got. One example in depth beats a list. Say what you would do differently next time.

  2. Often askedUsually asked by the consultant colleague in the specialtySTARR

    What research or publications have you been involved in?

    Honest and specific: your role, the question, what it found, and what you learned about the process. If you have none, say what you have done instead and why research matters to the specialty.

  3. Often askedUsually asked by the clinical director or clinical leadSTARR

    Which is more important for a trainee, teaching or research? Why?

    There is no right answer; the panel wants reasoning. Both matter to patients, teaching changes practice sooner and research changes it further. Say which you are drawn to and why, with an example, and acknowledge the other.

  4. Often askedUsually asked by the consultant colleague in the specialtySTARR

    How do you plan to prepare for your college exams alongside full time work?

    A realistic plan: a timetable, study leave, a course, a study group, the exam's structure, and protecting rest. Say how you have managed exams alongside work before. Avoid implying it will be easy.

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