Neurosurgery
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (selection administered by the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia)
Competition
Very high
Qualification
FRACS (Neurosurgery)
Training duration
Minimum 5 years full-time-equivalent SET (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Neurosurgical Training); hard maximum of 9 calendar years to complete
Applications
Single NATIONAL round administered by the NSA under delegation from RACS — not state-by-state. Recurring annual pattern: RACS registration 6–30 January → Neurosurgery Anatomy Examination late February → applications open early March, close ~23 March (12 noon AEDT) → referee/multi-source-feedback and portfolio scoring April–June → interviews early July → offers early July. Check nsa.org.au for the current round.
Selection format
NSA publishes a fully numeric selection matrix — one of the most transparent among the surgical specialties. Five weighted tools sum to 100: Neurosurgery Anatomy Examination 30%, semi-structured interview 30% (~1 hour, 4 themed panels scored out of 24), multi-source feedback report 20% (7+ referees), structured CV 10% (scored out of 12), and portfolio assessment 10%. Each tool has a published minimum standard that must be cleared to progress.
When to apply
No hard PGY cut-off, but RACS states PGY3 is the earliest realistic application point. Neurosurgery-specific gates: general (unconditional) registration, a GSSE pass, "Introduction to Operating with Respect", a pass of at least 70% in the NSA Neurosurgery Anatomy Examination, and a minimum 24 weeks full-time-equivalent of dedicated neurosurgical experience in the 3 years before applying.
Competition
One of the most competitive specialties in Australia. In the most recent completed round, 49 applicants competed for 17 places; successful appointments have run only 8–17 per year across the last six intakes. Substantial pre-vocational neurosurgical experience is expected before an application is competitive.
Selection criteria
Clinical experience
Rotations, logbooks, procedures, and exposure
- Clinical — minimum 24 weeks full-time-equivalent of dedicated neurosurgical rotation in the 3 years before application, in a nominated Home Region
Rural & regional
Rural, regional, and remote experience
Nothing captured yet — verify with RACS / NSA.
First Nations
Selection points and pathways for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Māori applicants
- First Nations — Neurosurgery is one of the nine RACS surgical specialties in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander surgical trainee selection initiative (set-aside posts for AIDA-eligible applicants)
Academic
Exams, qualifications, courses, and teaching
- Neurosurgery Anatomy Examination — score at least 70% (60 MCQs, 100 minutes) before applying; a pass/fail gate that is also worth 30% of the final selection score
- Courses — EMST and CCrISP are compulsory during training (EMST before or during Intermediate Neurosurgical Training), not selection prerequisites
Publications & research
Papers, impact factor, audits, and QI
- Research — publications, presentations, and postgraduate qualifications are each separately scored within the structured CV; a first-author publication strengthens a competitive application
Extracurricular
Leadership and roles beyond clinical work
Nothing captured yet — verify with RACS / NSA.
Distinction
Prizes, awards, and academic standing
Nothing captured yet — verify with RACS / NSA.
Eligibility & application
Prerequisites, referees, interviews, and fees
- Eligibility — pass the Generic Surgical Sciences Examination (GSSE) by the close of applications; general (unconditional) AHPRA or MCNZ registration; Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency
- Structured CV — scored out of 12 points (10% weight): surgical and intensive-care experience, rural or regional origin, publications (max 2), postgraduate qualifications (max 3), and presentations (max 1); minimum 6 of 12 to proceed
- Multi-source feedback report — at least 7 valid referees (two or more consultant neurosurgeons plus nursing, emergency/intensive-care/anaesthetics, junior doctors, and allied health); 20% weight
- Portfolio assessment — a SET Board holistic review combining the feedback report, a structured two-consultant reference interview, and the application; 10% weight
- Semi-structured interview — about 1 hour across 4 themed panels, scored out of 24; 30% weight
- Fees — AUD $450 non-refundable selection application fee, plus a separate AUD $563 Neurosurgery Anatomy Examination fee
Entry tips
Sourced from Australian medical community discussion. Always verify with RACS / NSA.
Recent updates
Verified against nsa.org.au and surgeons.org.au: neurosurgery SET is a single national round run by the NSA under RACS delegation, with a fully numeric 100-point matrix — Anatomy Examination 30%, semi-structured interview 30%, multi-source feedback 20%, structured CV 10%, portfolio 10% — each with its own minimum standard. Most recent completed round: 49 applicants for 17 places. Selection application fee AUD $450; Anatomy Examination fee AUD $563.
NSA completed a selection-reform consultation (57 submissions) adopted for the 2027 intake: the former Reference Report tool was restructured into a multi-source feedback report (20%) plus a portfolio assessment (10%), consultant telephone interviews were reduced from three to two, and the "other surgical experience" CV category was broadened.
The Neurosurgery Anatomy Examination became a PRE-application eligibility gate (sat before applications open) from the 2025 intake, rather than sat during selection — NSA noted a resulting drop in applicant numbers. Advance notice in the regulations: from the 2028 intake Bachelor Honours degrees no longer score CV points, and from the 2029 intake only the single highest-scoring postgraduate qualification is counted.
Indicative only. Check the RACS / NSA website for current information.
Official resources
RACS Neurosurgery SET
RACS neurosurgery specialty page — offer numbers and links to NSA selection
RACS Generic Eligibility for Selection
RACS-wide prerequisites — registration, GSSE, Operating with Respect
NSA Selection Regulations
Neurosurgical Society of Australasia — the authoritative selection rulebook and scoring matrix
NSA SET Curriculum
Training structure, duration, and mandatory courses
Medical Board — Specialist Registration
MBA specialist registration pathways
State workforce data
Queensland Health’s medi-nav is the only state health department currently publishing the workforce and selection figures this section shows. We have not verified equivalent data for Northern Territory yet — the selection criteria and requirements above apply Australia-wide regardless of state. See the Queensland figures.
Community discussions
Recent discussion about Neurosurgery training from Australian doctors.
Search r/ausdocs and r/doctorsofaustraliaRequirements, windows, and criteria change annually. Verify with Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (selection administered by the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia) (RACS / NSA) before making career decisions. Report an error on this page.