Core Revision
MSRA for Anaesthetics: 15% of the score, 100% of the shortlist
Anaesthetics has used the MSRA for longer than most people realise — since the 2021 intake — and it uses it in a distinctive way: the exam carries only 15% of your total selection score, yet it is the sole shortlisting filter that decides who gets one of the limited interview slots. With 6,770 applications for 539 posts in 2025, most applicants’ campaigns ended at the MSRA. Checked against the official lead-recruiter applicant guidance (ANRO, West Midlands) and NHS England pages on 29 August 2026.
How anaesthetics uses your MSRA score
| Element | How it worked (2026 entry) |
|---|---|
| Shortlisting | MSRA used “to determine invitation to online interview where the number of eligible applicants exceeds interview capacity” — in practice, the decisive filter |
| Weighting | MSRA 15% of total selection score — Professional Dilemmas 7.5% + Clinical Problem Solving 7.5% — with the interview at 85% |
| Cut-off | No official cut-off score exists; applicants not shortlisted become “Shortlist Reserve” and can be called up |
| Interview | Two 15-minute online stations, scored out of 100; minimum 60/100 to be appointable |
| Score reuse | Not permitted — a fresh sitting is required each recruitment round |
Sitting the MSRA? See where you stand.
Try twenty original MSRA questions, ten Professional Dilemmas and ten Clinical Problem Solving, marked on the near-miss principle NHS England describes. Free, no card and the first five are open to all.
The read for candidates: the interview decides the final order, but the MSRA decides who is interviewed at all. With thousands more applicants than interview slots in recent cycles, “only 15%” is the most misleading framing in anaesthetics recruitment — treat the MSRA as the exam that gets you a seat at the table.
The exam itself
One computer-based sitting, 170 minutes, two papers, identical for every specialty that uses it:
| Paper | Time | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Dilemmas (sat first) | 95 min | 50 situational judgement questions — ranking and multiple-choice |
| Clinical Problem Solving | 75 min | 86 questions across the breadth of general clinical practice |
There is no anaesthetics in it. The CPS paper is generalist foundation-level medicine, and both MSRA components are weighted equally in your 15% — so a strong PD paper is worth exactly as much as a strong clinical paper here.
Which window you sit
In the 2026 cycle the January window (6–19 January) covered every MSRA specialty, with February reserved for GP and Core Psychiatry applicants. Anaesthetics applicants sit in January.
Dates for 2027 entry
The Round 1 timetable for August 2027 entry is now published: advert 21 October, applications 22 October (10am) to 19 November 2026 (4pm), MSRA invitations 14 December 2026, MSRA window 5–20 January 2027, interviews 23 February to 19 March 2027, initial offers 6 April 2027, hold deadline 9 April (9am) and upgrade deadline 14 April (4pm). Our MSRA 2027 dates tracker is updated the day the new timetable publishes.
A note on competition
The 2025 ratio (12.6 applicants per post) pre-dates the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act, in force since March 2026: NHS England reported that effective competition roughly halved in the 2026 round, with 98% of posts going to priority applicants, and for 2027 prioritisation will apply at both the shortlisting and offer stages. The shortlisting mechanics above still hold either way — your MSRA rank within your pool is what earns the interview.
How to prepare
- 500 original Professional Dilemmas scenarios across the three competencies the paper tests — remember PD is a full half of your MSRA weighting here
- 1,700+ Clinical Problem Solving questions across the CPS topic areas (a core written for the MSRA, the rest Foundation-level clinical questions shared with our AKT bank)
- Full timed mocks of both papers, built to the real timings
- Guideline-linked explanations on every question
Explore the MSRA question bank · Plans & pricing
Prefer to start free? Our open Ethics, Law & Safeguarding guide covers the professional-practice ground the PD paper leans on — no account needed.
Frequently asked questions
What MSRA score do I need for an anaesthetics interview?
Officially, none exists — the guidance states there is no cut-off score, and shortlisting bites only when applicants exceed interview capacity. In practice recent fields have far exceeded capacity, so the effective bar is set by the strength of each year’s cohort. Applicants who miss it join a Shortlist Reserve rather than being rejected outright.
Can I reuse an MSRA score from an earlier round?
No. The applicant guidance is explicit that scores do not carry over between rounds — you sit the exam fresh in the round you apply in.
Is the MSRA really only 15% of my score?
Yes — and that 15% is also the only thing standing between you and the 85% interview. Both statements are true; plan accordingly.
Related
- The MSRA question bank
- MSRA 2027: dates, format and what is confirmed
- January vs February sitting: who sits when
- MSRA for Emergency Medicine
- MSRA for Core Surgical Training
Checked 29 August 2026 against the official CT1 Anaesthetics applicant guidance (ANRO/NHS England, Round 1 August 2026) and NHS England 2025 competition-ratio data. Selection processes change between cycles — always verify against the current applicant guidance for your cycle before relying on any figure here.
