The Internal Medicine Training (IMT) self-assessment for 2027 is scored out of 30 across six evidence domains: postgraduate degrees, presentations and posters, publications, teaching experience, training in teaching, and quality improvement. In 2026 it carried 5 extra points for applying only to the joint IMT/ACCS-IM vacancy, making 35; the IMT recruitment office has confirmed those 5 are removed for 2027.
The score decides shortlisting only. The interview alone decides your rank.
Reviewed and updated 11 September 2026. Every date, score and price below carries the year it belongs to, and the 2027 IMT pages are due from the Physician Specialty Recruitment Office in autumn 2026.
Key takeaways
- The IMT self-assessment maximum is 30 points for 2027; the 2026 total was 35 because of 5 IMT-only points that are now removed.
- The confirmed 2027 changes: publications fall from a maximum of 8 to 6, presentations and posters rise from 6 to 8, and abstracts and letters can no longer be claimed as PubMed-cited other publications.
- The other four domains are unchanged from 2026: degrees 4/3/1, teaching 5/3/1, training in teaching 3/1, quality improvement 4/3/1.
- Every claim needs documentation, and the office verifies claims through randomised audits and where concerns arise.
- Self-assessment points shortlist you and never contribute to the ranking; the interview's weighted score out of 96 does that.
- Intercalated degrees cannot be scored anywhere, and incomplete qualifications cannot be claimed, except publications in press.
How many points is the IMT self-assessment worth in 2027?
The IMT self-assessment is worth a maximum of 30 points in 2027. According to the IMT recruitment office's 2027 update, the 5 points for applying only to the joint IMT/ACCS-IM vacancy are removed, so shortlisting is "comprised entirely from self-assessment".
The IMT self-assessment is the scored section of the Oriel application in which you pick one option per domain, higher options scoring more, and every option must be evidenced on request.
In 2026 the six domains also summed to 30, and the 5 bonus points took the total to 35. The domain maxima move for 2027, but the sum of the six stays at 30.
What changed in the IMT self-assessment for 2027?
Three things changed for 2027, all confirmed by the IMT recruitment office in its "IMT 2027" news notice. The rest of the matrix is described as "largely unchanged".
- Publications: the maximum drops from 8 points to 6, with the lower tiers moving 6 to 5, 5 to 4 and 3 to 2. The 1-point option is unchanged.
- Presentations and posters: the maximum rises from 6 to 8, with the lower tiers moving 4 to 6 and 3 to 4. The 2-point options are unchanged.
- Abstracts and letters can no longer be claimed under the PubMed-cited other publication options. Abstracts can be claimed for the lowest option, provided they were not from a presentation or poster claimed in that domain.
Read the direction of travel. Evidence you present and discuss is worth more in 2027, and evidence you merely list is worth less.
The full IMT self-assessment points matrix
The table below lists every domain and every option with its 2026 value, as published on the IMT recruitment office's application-scoring page, and the confirmed 2027 value where the office has announced a change.
| Domain | Option | 2026 points | 2027 points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate degrees and qualifications | PhD or MD by research | 4 | 4 (unchanged) |
| Postgraduate degrees and qualifications | Masters level degree (MSc, MA, MRes and similar) | 3 | 3 (unchanged) |
| Postgraduate degrees and qualifications | Other relevant postgraduate diploma or certificate (1 to 10 months) | 1 | 1 (unchanged) |
| Postgraduate degrees and qualifications | None of the above | 0 | 0 |
| Presentations and posters | Oral presentation, first or second author, national or international meeting | 6 | 8 (confirmed) |
| Presentations and posters | Poster, first or second author, national or international meeting | 4 | 6 (confirmed) |
| Presentations and posters | Oral presentation, first or second author, regional meeting | 3 | 4 (confirmed) |
| Presentations and posters | Oral presentation, first or second author, local meeting | 2 | 2 (unchanged) |
| Presentations and posters | Poster, first or second author, regional or local meeting | 2 | 2 (unchanged) |
| Presentations and posters | None of the above | 0 | 0 |
| Publications | First, joint-first or corresponding author of one or more PubMed-cited original research papers | 8 | 6 (confirmed) |
| Publications | Co-author of PubMed-cited original research | 6 | 5 (confirmed) |
| Publications | Author of multiple PubMed-cited other publications | 5 | 4 (confirmed) |
| Publications | Medicine-related book chapter | 5 | 4 (confirmed: the office states 5 becomes 4) |
| Publications | Author of one PubMed-cited other publication | 3 | 2 (confirmed) |
| Publications | One or more abstracts or non peer-reviewed articles | 1 | 1 (unchanged; abstracts only if not claimed as a presentation) |
| Publications | None of the above | 0 | 0 |
| Teaching experience | Organised a teaching programme with regular teaching over 3 or more months and formal feedback | 5 | 5 (unchanged) |
| Teaching experience | Regular teaching in a defined programme over 3 or more months with formal feedback | 3 | 3 (unchanged) |
| Teaching experience | Occasional teaching, 3 or more sessions, with formal feedback | 1 | 1 (unchanged) |
| Teaching experience | None of the above | 0 | 0 |
| Training in teaching | Higher qualification in teaching (PGCert or PGDip, 60 or more credits) | 3 | 3 (unchanged) |
| Training in teaching | Training below PGCert level (6 or more hours, synchronous) | 1 | 1 (unchanged) |
| Training in teaching | No training | 0 | 0 |
| Quality improvement | All stages of two QI or audit cycles | 4 | 4 (unchanged) |
| Quality improvement | Some stages of two cycles, or all stages of a single cycle | 3 | 3 (unchanged) |
| Quality improvement | Some stages of a single cycle | 1 | 1 (unchanged) |
| Quality improvement | None of the above | 0 | 0 |
| Commitment (unique to IMT/ACCS-IM) | Applied only to the joint IMT/ACCS-IM vacancy in Round 1 | 5 | Removed (confirmed) |
| Maximum | 35 (30 + 5) | 30 |
The 2027 column follows the office's tier-by-tier statement. The 2027 application-scoring page itself is due in autumn 2026, and it wins over this table if the two ever differ.
How many points is a first-author paper worth in the IMT self-assessment?
A first-author, joint-first-author or corresponding-author PubMed-cited original research paper is worth 6 points in the IMT self-assessment for 2027, down from 8 in 2026. Co-authorship of original research is worth 5, down from 6.
In practice, one first-author paper still outscores anything else in the domain, but a national oral presentation now earns 8, two points more than the paper.
That said, you claim one option per domain. If you have both a paper and a book chapter, claim the paper; the chapter cannot be added on top.
How are presentations and posters scored for IMT?
Presentations and posters are scored from 2 to 8 points for 2027: 8 for a national or international oral presentation, 6 for a national or international poster, 4 for a regional oral, and 2 for a local oral or any regional or local poster.
The IMT recruitment office scores only first or second authors, and the meeting's level, not its size, sets the tier. A national society's annual conference counts as national; a hospital grand round is local.
However, an abstract from that same presentation cannot then be claimed under publications. The 2027 notice closes that double claim explicitly.
How are postgraduate degrees scored, and why can't intercalated degrees be claimed?
Postgraduate degrees score 4 for a PhD or research MD, 3 for a Masters, and 1 for another relevant postgraduate diploma or certificate of 1 to 10 months. Intercalated degrees cannot be scored in any section.
The IMT recruitment office states that claims must be accurate at submission and that incomplete qualifications cannot be included. A Masters you finish in December 2026 cannot be claimed on 19 November 2026.
A PGCert in medical education belongs in the training-in-teaching domain, not here.
How many points does teaching earn in the IMT self-assessment?
Teaching experience earns up to 5 points: 5 for organising a programme with regular teaching over three or more months and formal feedback, 3 for regular teaching in a defined programme, and 1 for three or more occasional sessions with feedback.
Training in teaching is a separate domain worth up to 3: 3 for a PGCert or PGDip of 60 or more credits, 1 for at least six hours of synchronous training below that level.
Formal feedback is the evidence the office looks for in both tiers, so keep the feedback forms, not only the timetable.
How is quality improvement scored for IMT?
Quality improvement scores 4 points for completing all stages of two cycles, 3 for some stages of two cycles or all stages of one, and 1 for some stages of a single cycle.
A completed audit cycle is one that measures practice against a standard, changes something, and re-measures. Two full cycles with a supervisor's letter is the 4-point claim.
In practice, most F2 applicants sit on 3 points here. The extra point for a second closed loop is one of the cheaper ones on the matrix.
What evidence do you need, and what is the randomised audit?
You need documentation for every self-assessment claim. The IMT recruitment office states that "you must have access to documentation proving every claim", and that evidence may be requested through randomised audits or where concerns arise.
The office's interview-preparation page adds that over-claiming or exaggerating achievements can lead to disqualification or GMC reporting. Claim what a certificate or a letter can prove.
Keep a single folder: degree certificates, conference programmes naming you, PubMed IDs, teaching feedback, audit registration and completion letters.
Does the self-assessment score affect your IMT interview ranking?
No. The self-assessment score shortlists you and plays no part in the ranking. The IMT recruitment office's scoring page ranks appointable candidates on the weighted interview score out of 96 alone.
So a 30-point applicant and an 18-point applicant start the interview level. The application and achievements domain of Station 1 is where your portfolio earns interview marks, weighted 1.6, and that is a conversation, not a form.
The internalmedicineinterview bank's portfolio scenarios, 6 scenarios and 24 questions within its 361, rehearse exactly that conversation, with AI-marked spoken practice at £97 to the interview week.
Which points are worth chasing before 19 November 2026?
Before 19 November 2026, the points worth chasing are a regional or national presentation of work you already have, a second audit loop, and formal feedback for teaching you already deliver.
- A poster accepted at a national meeting moves you from 2 to 6 in the presentations domain for 2027.
- Closing a second audit cycle moves you from 3 to 4.
- Collecting formal feedback on three sessions moves you from 0 to 1 in teaching.
- Six hours of synchronous teaching training moves you from 0 to 1 in training in teaching.
Then stop. Once shortlisted, only the interview counts, and the IMT interview 2027 guide on internalmedicineinterview explains how the 96 marks are built.