GP training is a three-year programme (ST1-ST3) combining hospital rotations and GP placements — the pathway to independent general practice and one of the most flexible post-CCT career structures in medicine.
Entry Requirements
GMC registration with a licence to practise. Foundation competencies (or equivalent for non-training-grade applicants). Selection via MSRA (Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment) — your MSRA score determines your national ranking and deanery allocation. No portfolio submission or interview — selection is entirely MSRA-based.
Application Timeline
MSRA typically sits in January. Offers released March-April. Training starts August. The entire selection cycle runs within a 7-month window. Begin MSRA preparation 2-3 months before the exam. iatroX provides free MSRA practice questions covering both the Professional Dilemmas and Clinical Problem Solving papers.
The Training Programme
ST1. Hospital rotations — typically two 6-month posts from: paediatrics, psychiatry, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, elderly medicine, palliative care. These build the breadth of clinical experience that generalist practice requires. ST2. Mixed — usually includes a GP placement alongside hospital posts. Begin MRCGP AKT preparation. ST3. Primarily GP placement — working as a GP under supervision. SCA (Simulated Consultation Assessment) typically sat during ST3. Building toward independent practice.
Exams During Training
MRCGP AKT (Applied Knowledge Test). 200 SBAs covering clinical medicine (~80%), evidence-based practice and statistics (~10%), and organisational/professional topics (~10%). Typically sat in ST2. iatroX provides free adaptive AKT questions. MRCGP SCA. Video consultations with simulated patients. Tests clinical skills, communication, and management. Typically sat in ST3. Both must be passed for CCT.
Post-CCT Career Options
Salaried GP (employed, predictable income, limited autonomy). GP partner (higher earnings, practice ownership, business management responsibility). Locum GP (maximum flexibility, variable income). Portfolio career (combining clinical sessions with teaching, research, leadership, or extended role work). GP offers the most flexible post-CCT career structure of any UK medical specialty.