Your GP training timeline

Your first year of GP training is all about building strong foundations. In ST1, you’ll usually rotate through hospital specialties such as paediatrics, psychiatry, or emergency medicine. These placements give you broader clinical exposure and help you develop transferable skills that will strengthen your future GP work. Depending on where you train you may spend some time in GP placements in ST1. It’s a time of adjustment - getting used to the systems, meeting your Clinical and Educational Supervisors, and beginning your Training Portfolio entries and assessments. Expect to attend regular teaching sessions, complete initial Workplace Based Assessment (WPBA) and start reflecting on your learning and experiences. It’s a busy but exciting year of discovery.

In your second year, you would have begun to settle into clinical practice and will shift focus to expanding your skills either in a GP surgery or hospital or community-based post (or both, depending on your rotation). You’ll continue to build your Training Portfolio and may sit your first exam—the AKT—during this year. You’ll also continue attending deanery teaching sessions and having regular reviews with your Educational Supervisor to track your progress. The majority of GP registrars recommend attempting your AKT in ST2 rather than delaying it to ST3 which can sometimes be overwhelming.

Your final year is typically spent entirely in a GP practice, where you’ll take on more responsibility and run your own clinics under the supervision of a GP trainer. This year focuses on honing your consultation skills, clinical decision-making, and time management. You’ll complete your remaining assessments and take the SCA exam. By the end of ST3, you’ll be preparing for your final ARCP, and—if all goes well—you’ll be awarded your CCT, allowing you to join the GP Register and practise as a fully qualified GP.

Although GP training officially ends at ST3, if you are a training via the academic route, you would have an additional year of training (ST4) as your time in ST3 and ST4 is split between academic and clinical work. Individuals on the academic route will have an academic supervisor to guide them.

You may choose to expand your skills after the award of your Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT). Many newly qualified GPs choose to continue their development through Fellowships. These roles typically combine part-time clinical work with non-clinical experience in areas like leadership, medical education, digital health, research, or tackling health inequalities. Fellowships are an excellent way to build a portfolio career, explore special interests, and ease the transition into independent practice. Most are supported by NHS England, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), or local training hubs and are often open to GPs within the first five years post-CCT.

For more information about the GP training programme and what's required, please refer to the GP Specialty Training webpage.