General Mock 4 – updated for 2026
Candidate Instructions
This is your General Interview, which will follow straight on from your Clinical Interview.
Examiner Instructions
This mock contains more questions than you will be able to go through in a 15-minute interview. This is reflective of the real interview where interviewers are given an option of a few questions they can ask the candidates in the 15-minute time frame.
You should choose a range of questions over the course of the 15 minutes that will enable you to assess the candidate on the following four domains:
- Professional behaviour and communication
- Commitment to specialty
- Team working
- Global rating
It is your duty to keep track of time so that you are able to ask a reasonable spread of questions that allow the candidate the opportunity to score points in all four domains. Aim to spend about 5 minutes on each of the three assessed domains.
You can only ask the questions verbatim, as they are written. You may repeat the question if the candidate seeks clarification.
Professional Behaviour & Communication
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Click the tab above to reveal questions.
What top three achievements are you most proud of in your career to date?
Have you undertaken any special study modules or taster weeks in anaesthesia?
Can you tell me about a time when you were involved in a critical incident?
What do you think the role of the anaesthetist is in audit or quality improvement?
1.What top three achievements are you most proud of in your career to date?
Prompt: Which of these achievements do you think best equips you for a career in anaesthesia?
2. Have you undertaken any special study modules or taster weeks in anaesthesia?
Prompt What were your main learning points in your study module/ taster week?
3. Can you tell me about a time when you were involved in a critical incident?
Prompt: Has this led to any change in your practice?
4. What do you think the role of the anaesthetist is in audit or quality improvement?
Prompt: Any suitable prompt
Answer Frameworks
Click each tab to reveal the answer frameworks.
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What top three achievements are you most proud of in your career to date?
– This question is very similar to other opening questions that ask you to detail your career to date. Do not be thrown by the slight change in style of question.
– You will be expected to have a longer answer for this question (approximately 2 minutes, uninterrupted without prompts). You have complete control to steer the interviewers in any direction you wish, so be sure to have a robust answer for this question to talk about as many of your 5 ‘CV highlights’ as possible. (See ‘An Approach to the General Interview’)
– Because this questions asks specifically for your top three achievements, your answer should be structured in that way instead of walking your interview through a chronology of your career.
– An example of a good opening line that signposts your answer: ‘The top three things I would like to highlight about my career so far are prizes I have won since medical school, a teaching programme I helped run in my FY1 year, and my experience with anaesthesia through taster weeks and as part of my FY3 year.’
– Know your CV, sell yourself and be confident in emphasising your ‘CV highlights’!
Have you undertaken any special study modules or taster weeks in anaesthesia?
– Talk about any experience you have had related to anaesthesia (or intensive care, if you do not have any experience in anaesthesia).
– You should describe what you learnt, how it has made you want to pursue a career in anaesthesia, and what else you want to gain from anaesthetic training.
– Even if you have not formally undertaken an anaesthetic taster week or special study module, you should be able to describe previous interactions you have had with anaesthetists, what you learnt and why you are applying to become an anaesthetist.
– If you have a fair amount of experience in anaesthesia, you should definitely sell yourself here. Talk about any procedures you have experience in or that you are competent in (eg. arterial lines, ultrasound-guided cannulation, central lines, inserting supraglottic airway devices, bag-mask ventilation, intubation etc.)
– Talk about any positive feedback you have received from anaesthetists.
Can you tell me about a time when you were involved in a critical incident?
– A critical incident could be a near miss, a never event, or simply an incident involving a critically unwell patient who required immediate acute management (eg. major haemorrhage).
– As with any question that asks you for an example of an incident, spend no more than 1 minute describing the situation and the rest of your answer focusing on what you did, how you felt, how your role was important, what you learnt from it, and your interactions with the team involved. This is about you!
What do you think the role of the anaesthetist is in audit or quality improvement?
– Anaesthetists interact with most specialties across a hospital and therefore are best placed to communicate within and lead a multi-disciplinary team. They are also best placed to lead trust-wide quality improvement projects due to their presence in most departments in a hospital.
– Acknowledge that anaesthetists play an important role in leading and participating in audits and quality improvement.
– Talk about an audit or QI project you have been involved in, what you did, why it was important and what you learnt from it.
Commitment to Specialty
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Why do you think you would make a good anaesthetist?
What are some of the non-technical skills anaesthetists should possess?
- Why do you think you would make a good anaesthetist?
Prompt: Are there any weaknesses you will need to work on to be a good anaesthetists?
- What are some of the non-technical skills anaesthetists should possess?
Prompt: How can non-technical skills be taught and learnt?
Answer Frameworks
Click each tab to reveal the answer frameworks.
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Why do you think you would make a good anaesthetist?
– This question is designed to find out if you know what anaesthetists do and what makes them good at their job. This is a broad question and there are many ways to formulate an answer.
– The most straightforward structure is to list three attributes you have that are important in anaesthesia, with relevant examples for each attribute. For example, ‘I think I would make a good anaesthetist because I am good with procedures, work well under pressure, and have effective communication skills…’
– Another structure is one that classifies your answers before listing your attributes. For example, ‘A good anaesthetist has mastery of clinical and non-clinical skills. I think I would make a good anaesthetists because I have aptitude in both these domains. Specifically, I am good with procedures, work well under pressure, and have effective communication skills…’
– It matters less what attributes you choose to highlight. What matters is that each attribute is followed by a succinct piece of evidence. For example, ‘I am good with procedures… In my taster week, I was taught how to perform ultrasound guided cannulation by one of the consultants and was given feedback that they were impressed with how quickly I picked up that skill. I realise that I have good hand-eye coordination and have since been able to use this skill on the wards with patients who have difficult vascular access.’
What are some of the non-technical skills anaesthetists should possess?
– Non-technical skills include teamworking, communication, leadership, organisation, logistics, planning, situational awareness etc.
– As with other questions that ask you for attributes that you think you possess, you should choose a maximum of three and back each up with examples.
– There are formal and informal ways of learning non-technical skills. Formal simulation courses exist with a focus on developing non-technical skills. Informally, these skills are learnt through day-to-day clinical experience, senior mentorship and personal reflection.
Team Working
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Who do you think should lead a cardiac arrest and why?
Have you ever had to lead a high-pressure situation and how did you deal with it?
- Who do you think should lead a cardiac arrest and why?
Prompt: Any suitable prompt.
- Have you ever had to lead a high-pressure situation and how did you deal with it?
Prompt: Can you explain what made the situation feel highly pressured?
Answer Frameworks
Click each tab to reveal the answer frameworks.
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Who do you think should lead a cardiac arrest and why?
– There is no one right answer to this question. In some situations, the responsibility to lead a cardiac arrest falls to the most senior person attending (eg. Medical or ED registrar). However, this is not always true. For example, medical consultants may be present in cardiac arrests but do not lead the arrest itself.
– A cardiac arrest may also be appropriately led by the doctor who was first to the scene (often a foundation doctor or SHO) as they may have a better understanding of the situation and thus be best placed to lead the whole team. This minimises the risk of misinformation or information loss through multiple handovers in an acute situation.
– Whoever leads the situation must be ALS certified, be clear that they are leading the arrest, stand back from the patient, communicate to all team members clearly and delegate tasks appropriately.
– Leading a cardiac arrest does not necessarily mean that they would have to be the most knowledgeable person in the room. Rather, they should be able to draw on everyone’s knowledge and skills in the room to deliver the best care for their patient. The best leaders often ask their team members for their ideas!
Have you ever had to lead a high-pressure situation and how did you deal with it?
– High-pressure situations are not confined to acutely unwell patients or cardiac arrests. You may also have had to take the lead on a high-pressure family discussion, project, teaching programme or interaction and conflict with colleagues.
– You should aim to spend no more than 30 seconds on describing the pressure of your situation and the rest of your answer on how you overcame the pressure. Reflect on how the pressure made you feel or react.
– Your interviewers will be keen to her about what tools you use to deal with stepping up to leading under pressure. Some tools to deal with leading high-pressure situations include asking for appropriate help, going back to basics (eg. ABCDE with an acutely unwell patient; information-seeking instead of blame in a conflict), communicating clearly, drawing on the rest of your team’s talent and skill to overcome a problem, and being open to suggestions from other team members.
Examiner Feedback
| Professional Behaviour & Comms | Commitment to Specialty | Team Working | Global rating |
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Scoring system:
1 = unsatisfactory
2 = weak
3 = typical
4 = very good
5 = outstanding
See a guide to the scoring matrix section of this question bank.
Feedback Prompts
1. What domains did the candidate give very good or outstanding answers for?
2. What domains do you think the candidate could work on?
3. Please provide feedback on the candidate’s style of interview. Consider their eye contact, body language, pace and clarity of speech. Do they have any tics, habits, or quirks that do not come across well in their interview?
Don’t be afraid to give honest feedback!
It can be tempting to give generic positive feedback to your partner, e.g. ‘that was really good, I wouldn’t change anything’ . Both of you will benefit from constructive criticism. Think of any way your partner may be able to improve. Reciprocal constructive feedback is the key.