Exponentially increasing competition is exposing flaws in the current system of selection for specialty training

Competition to get into specialty training is increasingly exponentially, exposing issues with the current selection process. Flaws include biases in portfolio scoring matrices against those at financial disadvantage, incentivising application to multiple specialties, employing solely non-clinical criteria for selection for interview, and inappropriate use of the multi-specialty recruitment assessment. Increasing competition puts greater emphasis on these components in selection, with many potential negative ramifications. Efforts must now be made to address the flaws highlighted. We propose that this starts with incorporating clinical measures, such as multi-source feedback and clinical self-development activities, in portfolio scoring. However, an increased number of available training posts is what is ultimately needed to reduce the intense competition for jobs, take pressure off the current system, and allow its flaws to be addressed.