Dr Hnieno ran between 80 and 100 mock interviews for histopathology ST1 applicants last year. We put the four courses applicants ask about most side by side on price, mock interviews, live teaching, content, platform and reviews.
By the Smart-Le team with Dr Hnieno · · Prices checked 3 November 2026
£70 for 4 months. The cheapest course by almost £20. Medibuddy has already put its price up this year and splits its course into smaller packages to upsell.
£80, one-to-one, with detailed verbal and written feedback. Medset charges £329, so Smart-Le gives you four for the price of one.
This matters more than it sounds. Imagine you have had your first mock, received your feedback and reflected on it, and now you want to practise again and put that written feedback into action. With Smart-Le, you simply book another slot at a time that suits you. And you are interviewed by people who have done this year after year. They know what works: they have coached candidates into the top 10 in multiple years, back to back.
With other courses, even when you can get a mock interview, they are often all on the same day, or so expensive that they price you out of a second one.
One of the things candidates enjoyed most last year was the live teaching. Registrars who have been through the process ran webinars covering the full histopathology interview, from image interpretation to case studies and autopsy reports.
These webinars were designed to stretch and challenge. They pushed people to think about how to approach each question and how to structure their answers. Candidates found them incredibly interactive, and many said they were the most useful part of their revision. All of that is part of your package, and nobody else offers anything similar. It is why so many successful candidates reach out to us afterwards wanting to get involved: they saw the benefit and want to give it to the next cohort.
The largest histopathology-specific course. Each year we add new content to reflect changes in the interview, and we get top scorers to review it. It is why top scorers choose us every time.
5.0 from 69 reviews. Every single one five stars.
Histopathology ST1 is competitive, with roughly nine applicants for every training post. That makes it tempting to buy everything. You don't need to. You need three things: content written for histopathology, live teaching that builds your understanding over time, and realistic mock interviews with feedback that tells you exactly what to fix. Smart-Le is the only course that gives you all three, and it costs less than any of the alternatives.
Recorded for the last recruitment cycle. Prices have changed since, so use the table below for current prices.
| Smart-Le | Medset | Medibuddy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course price | £70 for 4 months | £89 | £89.99 (£147.99 bundle) |
| Mock interview | £80, one-to-one | £329 (£349 with course) | £250 live day |
| Mock feedback | Detailed verbal and written | Not specified | Faculty on the live day, otherwise peers |
| Live teaching | Interactive webinars across several weeks, recorded | None | One day |
| Written material | Every station, audio model answers, RCPath datasets | 100+ questions | 70+ scenarios |
| Reviewed by top scorers | Yes, last year's high-scoring ST1s | Written by one registrar | Multi-specialty provider |
| Reviews | 5.0 from 69 reviews | 4.7 from 143 reviews | Two testimonials |
Sources: Smart-Le, Smart-Le mock interviews and reviews, Medset, Medibuddy. Checked 3 November 2026.
This is where the gap is widest. A Smart-Le mock interview is one-to-one, recreates both stations and costs £80. Medset charges £329 for one mock, and its website does not say what the feedback includes. Medibuddy's mocks are mainly with other candidates, with faculty mocks only on its £250 live day.
Price is only half of it. Smart-Le interviewers are histopathologists who know the interview inside out, and every candidate gets detailed verbal feedback on the day and written feedback afterwards, so you leave knowing exactly what to change.
"The mock interviews with Dr Ahmad were so incredibly useful and the feedback given was detailed, helpful and the advice given was realistic." Zoya Shaikh
"I wanted to thank you for your excellent mock interview sessions. I successfully got a NTN last year with a rank of 15." Kok Hoong
"I genuinely think that Smart-Le is the only resource you need. I cannot recommend it enough." Zara
There is a reason successful candidates reach out to us so often: last year we coached a significant proportion of those in the top 20.
One-day crash courses cram everything into a few hours, then you are on your own. Smart-Le runs interactive live webinars across several weeks of the application cycle, each one led by current histopathology trainees and focused on a different part of the interview. You can ask questions, test your answers and build your knowledge step by step. Every session is recorded, so you never miss out.
"What I particularly liked were the interactive webinars conducted by current trainees. There were different topics covered, each in quite detail, and helped me grasp key points for the interview." Soumya
Smart-Le covers every station: image interpretation, autopsy and case studies, clinical knowledge scenarios, clinical error and audit, and teamwork. The course has almost doubled in size since last year, uses RCPath datasets throughout, and has been reviewed and updated by ST1s who scored highly in the last round. Audio model answers mean you can revise on the move.
The alternatives are thinner. Medset's course is written by a single registrar. Medibuddy prepares candidates for many specialties, and last cycle its clinical scenarios leaned towards generic lumps, masses and imaging rather than what histopathologists actually do.
"The materials were thorough and reflective of the interview. I also signed up for a mock interview which was incredibly useful with personalised feedback." Sophie Earle
The Smart-Le platform is clean and fast. Your dashboard shows your to-do list and progress, mock interviews are booked from a built-in calendar, and every topic follows the same simple format: read the question, form your answer, then reveal the model answer and compare. Audio answers sit alongside the written ones, so you can learn the way that suits you.
Smart-Le has 69 reviews, every one of them five stars. Medset has a 4.7 rating and Medibuddy shows two histopathology testimonials.
"Thanks to Smart-Le I managed to get my top ranked job. I would highly recommend the mock interviews and online course, as they had similar questions to the real interview." Josh O
"The resources, webinar and mock interview helped me achieve a good ranking and I was able to get my top choice of job." Rhona
For less than the price of one competitor course, Smart-Le gives you the most complete histopathology content, weeks of live interactive teaching and a one-to-one mock interview with feedback that tells you exactly what to fix.
For a station-by-station breakdown of the interview itself, read our guide to getting into histopathology training.
Smart-Le. It is the cheapest course (£70 for 4 months), has the largest bank of histopathology-specific content, runs interactive live webinars across several weeks, and offers one-to-one mock interviews with detailed verbal and written feedback for £80. It is rated 5.0 from 69 reviews.
As of 3 November 2026, a one-to-one Smart-Le mock interview costs £80. Medset charges £329 for a mock interview, or £349 with its online course. Medibuddy's live one-day course with mocks costs £250.
Smart-Le, at £70 for 4 months. Medset's online course is £89 and Medibuddy's Revision Platform is £89.99.
Yes. Smart-Le runs interactive live webinars led by current histopathology trainees across several weeks of the application cycle, and records them so you can catch up if you miss one.
Most successful candidates start structured preparation two to three months before the interview, which for the 2027 round means November or December.