Recruitment into GP Training ST1 starting in 2027
GP Training is the largest specialty training programme by far, with over 4000 places available each year.
There's no interview or portfolio. Selection is based entirely on your performance on the Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA).
In this guide we'll cover everything you need to know, from the programme itself, longlisting criteria and even past MSRA scores that we've obtained from NHS England. Let's get started.
Estimated, based on patterns observed in previous years
The next recruitment cycle for GP Training ST1 is expected to be Round 3. This will be recruiting for programmes starting in February 2027.
There has been some speculation about whether there will be a Round 3 recruitment cycle this year. At least for ACCS/Core Anaesthetics CT1, another programme that traditionally recruits in round 3, it has been confirmed that there will be.
Following this a new recruitment year will begin, starting with Round 1, for programmes starting in August 2027.
IMPORTANT - Dates for both of these rounds have not yet been formally released. We have estimated the dates below from patterns observed in previous recruitment years. This will be updated once dates are officially released.
Round 3 Programmes Starting Feb 2027 | Round 1 Programmes Starting Aug 2027 | ||
| Applications Open | 28th July 2026 | 22nd October 2026 | |
| Applications Close | 14th August 2026 | 19th November 2026 | |
Book MSRA via Pearson Vue | 21st August 2026 | 14th December 2026 | |
MSRA Window | 3-10th September 2026 | 5-15th January 2027 | |
| Results Released | By 8th October 2026 | By 16th March 2027 |
The dates above are our estimates. Leave your email and we'll let you know the moment the official Round 3 and Round 1 dates are confirmed.
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GP Training is a 3 year programme with 12-18 months spent in hospital based placements and 18-24 months spent in GP placements.
During training you will be expected to complete the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT), the Simulated Consultation Assessment as well as Workplace Based Assessments (WPBA).
Successful completion of the programme and the above three components will lead to your being awarded the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP), allowing you to practice independently as a GP.
Like most specialities, applicants for GP Training ST1 have grown rapidly, tripling over the past 5 years. Meanwhile the number of available posts has remained static, leading to a sharp rise in competition ratios.
Longlisting is the process of checking if you meet the essential eligibility criteria for GP Training.
Candidates who pass longlisting will be invited to sit the Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA) which is used to decide who is offered a training place (direct selection).
This process is straight forward for most applicants, as long as you have completed the Foundation Programme within 3.5 years of the post's start date, have GMC registration and a right to work in the U.K. If you have not completed the Foundation Programme within 3.5 years, or ever, then you will need to prove that you have equivalent Foundation Competencies.
If you have not completed the Foundation Programme within 3.5 years of the expected start date for the GP Training post, then you will need to show that you have equivalent competencies. There are generally four routes where this applies:
If you are in a WAST programme, you'll need a fully completed and signed Certificate of Readiness to Enter Specialty Training (CREST) by the start date of the post. Nothing further is needed at the application stage.
If you're in an approved training post (CT/ST/LAT or equivalent) holding a National Training Number (NTN) or Deanery Reference Number (DRN), your Foundation competences are taken as having been assessed when you entered that post. You don't need to evidence them again, no matter when they were signed off, and you don't upload an FPCC or CREST. Just enter your NTN or DRN where asked.
If you held an NTN or DRN but voluntarily resigned before completing, you can instead provide Annual Review of Competency Progression (ARCP) documentation showing satisfactory progress before you left. This only works if you're reapplying to the same specialty you were training in. You'll also need to submit a 'Support for Reapplication to a Specialty Training Programme' form, downloadable from the supporting documents page.
If none of these fit you, you'll need to submit a CREST signed by a consultant who has supervised you for at least 3 continuous months (whole time equivalent) within the 3.5 years before the start date, uploaded as a single scanned document. CREST applicants are also expected to have at least 24 months of experience in appropriate posts (U.K. or overseas) since their primary medical qualification, roughly a 12-month pre-registration/internship/FY1 post plus 12 months in approved posts. You won't have to evidence this at application, but you may be asked for it later.
It is important to note that most candidates are assumed to meet the essential criteria and that some of the formal checks are not done until after the shortlisting process has started. As such it is important to make sure you are definitely eligible, otherwise you run the risk of being removed when you are much further into the recruitment process.
Direct Selection is the process of deciding who gets a training place, this is selected based solely on your MSRA score.
The MSRA consists of two papers:
Consisting of 86 clinical questions testing your medical knowledge.
Consisting of 50 situational judgement test questions, where you will be tested on your Empathy & Sensitivity, ability to Work under Pressure and Professional Integrity.
They are sat together in a single sitting, you can learn more about the MSRA in our complete guide, including practice papers and our top revision tips.
The top ~4000 scoring applicants, on the MSRA, will be offered a training place.
Once you have been sent an offer, you will have 48 hours to action it. You can do one of three things:
On accepting an offer you have secured your training place for GP Training. You will automatically be withdrawn from any other specialty training programme applications you have submitted.
You can also choose to opt-in for upgrades. If you do, you may still be offered jobs that you ranked higher than the one you have accepted.
When holding you are reserving the job offer, without committing yet to accepting or declining it. This option is intended for people who have applied for multiple specialities as it allows you to wait to see what's happening with your other applications before deciding what to do with your current offer.
You can also choose to opt-in for upgrades. If you do, you may still be offered jobs that you ranked higher than the one you have put on hold.
On declining an offer you will be completely withdrawn from the process of applying for GP Training. Your offer will propagate down to the next highest ranked candidate whose own offer is on hold and who ranked the job you were offered above their own. You can proceed with other specialty training programmes.
How competitive is GP Training?
More than it used to be. GP is comfortably the largest specialty training programme in the country, with over 4,000 posts on offer each year. That said, applicant numbers have roughly tripled over the past 5 years while the number of posts has barely moved, and that's pushed the competition ratio up sharply. It also varies enormously by region, with London consistently the most competitive place to train. You can see how applicant numbers have grown in the chart above.
Is there an interview or portfolio for GP Training?
No. Like a handful of other specialties, GP has no interview and no portfolio to submit. Your place is decided entirely on your performance in the Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA), which makes preparing for it the most important thing you can do.
What MSRA score do I need to get into GP Training?
There is a fixed cut-off score of 186 for each paper of the MSRA that you need to get in order to qualify for a training place. In practice most candidates score well above this. As such the minimum score you need to get an offer is always much higher and moves every round depending on how many people apply and how many posts are available. As a rough guide, the top ~4,000 scoring applicants are offered a place somewhere. Where exactly you can train is a separate question, because posts are allocated by national rank against your regional preferences, so the score needed to land a post in a competitive region like London is higher than in less sought-after areas. You can explore the full historical score distributions in the chart above.
What does the MSRA involve?
It's made up of two papers, sat back to back in a single sitting. The first, Clinical Problem Solving, has 86 questions testing your clinical knowledge. The second, Professional Dilemmas, has 50 situational judgement questions assessing your empathy and sensitivity, your ability to work under pressure, and your professional integrity. We cover the whole thing, with practice papers and our top revision tips, in our complete MSRA guide.
How is GP Training structured?
It's a 3-year programme split between hospital posts and GP placements, usually somewhere around 12 to 18 months in hospital and 18 to 24 months in general practice. Alongside the clinical work you'll need to pass three assessments: the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT), the Simulated Consultation Assessment (SCA), and your Workplace Based Assessments (WPBA). Get through all three and you're awarded Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP), which lets you practise independently as a GP.
Can I still apply if I finished the Foundation Programme more than 3.5 years ago?
Yes, but you'll need to show you have equivalent Foundation competencies. For most people that means a Certificate of Readiness to Enter Specialty Training (CREST), signed by a consultant who has supervised you for at least 3 continuous months (whole time equivalent) within the 3.5 years before the post starts. There are separate routes if you're on a WAST programme, currently in a training post with an NTN or DRN, or reapplying after resigning from GP training. We go through each of these in the longlisting section above, but always check the official applicant guide for the exact requirements for your situation.
Can previous experience count towards my training, or shorten it?
Possibly. You can apply to have relevant previous experience contribute to your GP programme, up to a maximum of 12 months, though 6 months is the amount that's usually agreed. If you want this considered you'll need to flag it on your application form, and any reduction is granted at the discretion of the local NHS England office or deanery rather than the national recruitment office. It's worth saying this is about credit towards a programme you've been accepted onto, it doesn't change the application or selection process itself.
Can I carry over an MSRA score from a previous round or another specialty?
Sometimes. If you've got a valid GP score from a previous successful application, you can carry it over to another round by selecting that option on your re-application form, as long as it's within the same 12-month recruitment cycle (so an August score can carry to the following February or August). If you sat the MSRA for a different specialty, you can only transfer that score to GP if you took it in Round 1 of that recruitment year, a Round 3 score from another specialty can't be carried across. Either way you have to request it on the form at the time of applying, late requests aren't accepted.
Can I take the MSRA from outside the UK?
Yes. The MSRA runs in Pearson VUE test centres around the world over several consecutive days, so you don't need to be in the UK to sit it. Capacity at each centre is limited, so you may have to travel to your nearest centre with availability. A small number of sanctioned countries are excluded, and remote testing from home is only granted in exceptional, extenuating circumstances, decided case by case. Either way, you'll need full GMC registration and a licence to practise in place before your start date, even if you've temporarily relinquished your licence at the point of applying.
How do I choose where I train, and is any region more competitive?
Once you're in the running, you preference the regions and posts you'd be willing to train in through Oriel, and posts are then allocated in national rank order against everyone's preferences. Some regions are much more competitive than others, with London consistently the toughest. A useful quirk of the system is that you can amend your preferences right up to the upgrade deadline in each round, even after you've been offered and accepted a post. Combined with the Hold option on offers, this is the main mechanism the process gives couples, or those with family commitments, to try to end up in the same part of the country. It's worth only preferencing programmes you'd be happy to work in though, because inter-deanery transfers later on are rare and granted only in exceptional circumstances.
What's the difference between Accept, Hold and Decline on an offer?
You have 48 hours to action an offer. Accept secures your place and automatically withdraws you from your other specialty applications (you can still opt in for upgrades if you'd take a higher preference). Hold reserves the offer while you wait to hear back from other applications, without committing either way. Decline withdraws you from the GP process entirely and passes your offer down to the next eligible candidate. If you're applying to more than one specialty, Hold is usually the option that buys you the most room to manoeuvre.
Can I reapply if I decline or withdraw?
Yes, and there's no limit on the number of times you can apply for GP Training. You can only submit one application per round, but if you withdraw an application, or decline or hand back an offer before you've started the programme, it won't count against you, each round is assessed on its own merits. The one exception worth knowing about is the exams: if you exhaust all four attempts at the AKT or SCA, you're no longer eligible, and it's worth speaking to the RCGP about your options at that point.
Will there be a Round 3 for GP Training in 2026-27?
It's expected, though not yet officially confirmed. Round 3 has traditionally been the cycle GP recruits into for February start dates, and Round 3 has already been confirmed for ACCS/Core Anaesthetics, another programme that recruits at the same time. The official dates haven't been released yet, so the timeline near the top of this guide is our best estimate based on patterns from previous years. We'll update it the moment the real dates are published.
