Histopathology Training Self-Assessment scoring guidance for applicants

Read guidance on self-assessment scoring for applicants.

The 2024 Histopathology ST1 national selection self-assessment and evidence verification scoring process is described in detail below. Please ensure that you have read the following page in full prior to submitting your application. This page should be read in conjunction with the guidance on the Histopathology pages.

General information

This page will provide details of the domains, marking range and points available in the self-assessment and evidence verification stages of the 2024 Histopathology ST1 recruitment process.

Self-assessment score

At time of application, you will be required to complete a self-assessment score based on your own achievements in various domains. This is mandatory and you will be unable to submit your application without completing this. Please ensure that you answer each question correctly to the best of your knowledge. You must ensure that all questions answered within the ‘self-assessment’ are accurate at the time of submission.

When determining which response to select you should not select an answer based on qualifications not yet given, courses not yet taken. All achievements should be completed at time of application, unless the specific scoring section below indicates otherwise.

The self-assessment score cannot be changed at any stage between application and interview. Once you have submitted your application, you will no longer be able to amend the ‘self-assessment’ section of your application. Therefore, you should check it thoroughly before you submit your application.

The self-assessment information you provide on Oriel will be scored electronically according to the scoring system outlined below.

The self-assessment score will be used to shortlist if received eligible applications exceed interview capacity. The verified evidence score is then used to determine which applicants are invited to interview.

Evidence

You will be required to provide evidence via the evidence upload portal for each declaration of achievement made in the self-assessment in your application. This must be uploaded during the upload window of 24 November to 15 December 2023. Further guidance on how to upload your evidence will follow in due course.

Evidence to support your self-assessment score can only be accepted via the dedicated upload portal. Evidence provided by any other means will not be accepted.

Each achievement can only be used to score points once in your self-assessment. One achievement cannot be used to score points in multiple domains.

If evidence for a domain is not uploaded to the portal before the deadline of 15 December 2023, then the evidence verification panel will award a score of 0 for that domain.

Please note that it is at your sole discretion as to which response you select in the self-assessment. Under no circumstances will the recruitment office will be able to advise you which option to choose.

Verification process

All shortlisted applicants will proceed to the portfolio verification stage where assessors will appraise the evidence uploaded to confirm whether the self-assessed point score in each domain is valid.

Any instance of you trying to gain an unfair advantage by over-claiming scores for and/or exaggerating their achievements will be taken extremely seriously. This could lead to an application either being marked down, removed from the recruitment process, or, in more serious cases, could be reported as a probity matter to the General Medical Council (GMC).

Please bear in mind the GMC's Good Medical Practice guidelines on probity including "You must always be honest about your experience, qualifications and position, particularly when applying for posts." (GMC Good Practice).

Guidance for permissible evidence/achievements

When determining which point score to select in each domain you should not select an answer based on qualifications not yet given, courses not yet taken.

All achievements should be completed at time of application.

A specific achievement can only be used to score points in 1 domain only.  Please ensure that the achievement used is applied to the domain where the highest points can be awarded. Assessors will only verify the first item of evidence uploaded, as they will assume that this is the evidence most likely to score points for an applicant.

If you have more than 1 achievement within a single domain then you should select the one which would give you the highest score, and this should be the only achievement you upload.

If no evidence is uploaded in a single domain on the portal at submission, then the evidence verification panel will award a score of 0 for that domain.

Once you have submitted your application, you will no longer be able to amend the ‘self-assessment’ section of your application. Therefore, you should carefully check you have assigned the most appropriate score for each domain and that the required evidence is uploaded before you submit your application.

Patient Identifiable Data (PID)

No uploaded evidence should identify patients. This includes, for example, thank-you cards/letters from patients’ families. Hospital numbers are also an example of patient identifiable data. If you wish to include these in your uploaded evidence, please ensure that they have been anonymised.

Instances where patient identifiable data is found in an applicant’s evidence may be reported to the GMC and further action may be taken.

Other examples of inappropriate evidence would include identifiable minutes from a departmental meeting (for example used to demonstrate a local meeting) - these should be properly redacted.

For more information on PID, please refer to the GMC’s confidentiality guidance.

Summary of changes for 2024

Scotland and Wales presentations can now be classed as National presentations.

2024 Histopathology Training Self-Assessment Scoring Guide

The tables below outline how many points each achievement can score. You must provide suitable evidence of all your achievements in order to be awarded points and this evidence must be uploaded to the Evidence Verification Portal.