Apply to NHS for a graduate or professional job? Look no further than this complete guide to accelerate your NHS online assessment practice.
This article provides a complete candidate recruitment, assessment, and preparation guide for anyone applying for Graduate Management Training Scheme (GMTS) and other graduate programs at NHS.
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If you are aiming to apply for the NHS Graduate Scheme or other graduate programs at NHS, our text below is the best place to start.
Not sure if you should practice to prepare for the NHS assessments? According to research, 60-80% of candidates are rejected based on their aptitude tests results. It is proven that practice increases your chances of getting hired.
A recent study found that candidates who do not practise assessments, tend to fail at the first hurdle of psychometric assessments (54%-84%). This study looked at the Top 100 global employers. Bradley et al (2019)
A recent study found that candidates who do not practise assessments, tend to fail at the first hurdle of psychometric assessments (54%-84%). This study looked at the Top 100 global employers.
How to prepare for the NHS Graduate Scheme application process?
NHS conducts online psychometric tests administered by Cappfinity. Practice aptitude tests including numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning tests to improve your chances of passing the assessment.
Practice for NHS Graduate Scheme work-based scenarios assessment by recording mock interviews of yourself and answering typical interview questions and Situational Judgment Test questions under timed conditions.
Our video interview practice platform offers pre-set competency and industry-specific questions, replicating the experience you would encounter on employer interview platforms such as Hirevue, Pymetrics, and Sonru. Record your responses and review them to improve your interview technique, time management, and choice of words.
Repeat the process as needed until you feel confident and content with your performance.
NHS uses a variety of competitive exercises during the Virtual Assessment centre to find the right candidates for the scheme. These activities can include:
Hone your written and verbal communication skills. Research online, prepare, and practice as many role-play exercises with your friends or family as possible.
Be aware that not many reach this stage due to the fierce competition.
Continue reading to get answers for the following questions:
Looking into assessments with NHS GMTS, simply use your fingertips to click on the table below to practice assessments relevant to your assessment process!
Practice online assessment questions with us when you apply to the NHS to improve your results and obtain scores that go beyond your expectations.
Before we dive further into the NHS Graduate Scheme, let’s learn more about the NHS.
The National Health Service (NHS) stands as the publicly-funded healthcare system of the United Kingdom (UK). As one of the largest employers in the world with a wide array of roles across various specialties, with a workforce exceeding 1.4 million individuals.
The NHS offers various career opportunities for graduates and professionals, often attracting thousands of applications each year.
What is the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme?
Dating back to 1956, the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme (GMTS) has been instrumental in shaping future healthcare leaders. During three years of training, you will be facing challenges and opportunities to develop specialist areas to become a future leader.
Here are the areas in which the NHS GMTS provides training to the successful candidates:
To boost your chances of getting hired in the NHS through this programme, you must demonstrate the five fundamental values during your application and NHS assessment centre:
Now that you know the key facts about the NHS and its graduate scheme, you are ready to jump into the NHS GMTS application process and assessments.
What is the NHS Graduate Scheme application process?
What is the NHS online application form?
The applications for the NHS Graduate Scheme open each year and close by November of the previous year. If you have missed this year’s application, you can register your interest and the NHS will contact you when it is time to apply. The next applications are set to open in September.
The NHS GMTS has a common application form that requires you to fill in your personal information, academic accomplishments, and work experience details. Before you apply, you should also ensure you meet the entry requirements for the graduate schemes.
Here are the entry requirements for NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme:
NHS Application tip: Apart from these requirements, candidates should also possess a strong aptitude for comprehending, analysing, and articulating complex concepts, data, and statistics.
Before filling the application form, you can take the NHS Specialism Selector quiz, which is specifically crafted to assist individuals in determining the most suitable specialisation by inquiring about their interests and work preferences.
Additionally, you will be asked motivational questions regarding the reasons behind your application, such as why you are interested in working within the NHS.
NHS Application tip: Take advantage of this opportunity to highlight important qualities that make you a strong candidate, such as your passion for enhancing services through innovation and your ability to collaborate within a team to accomplish strategic goals.
Once you have completed your online NHS application, you will be invited to take some online NHS aptitude tests. Keep reading to find out more about these assessments.
What are the NHS online assessments?
Once your application is successful, you will receive an invitation to take a blended assessment called Captivate as part of the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme online assessments.
The NHS Captivate assessment is created and managed by Cappfinity and can include:
This blended assessment is designed to assess your important strengths and personality traits, and you must complete them within 10 days of receiving the invitation. To proceed to the next test, you need to meet the minimum requirements for each test.
Good to know: The Cappfinity tests used by the NHS are adaptive, meaning that the difficulty level of the questions increases or decreases based on your performance during the assessment.
Want to know what kinds of NHS aptitude tests are included in the NHS online assessment process and how to prepare for them? Let’s find out!
What is the NHS Verbal Reasoning Test?
For the NHS verbal reasoning test questions, you need to show that you understand and use language effectively. These questions will assess basic skills like grammar, spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary. There is no time limit, but it’s important to work quickly and accurately to achieve a good score.
The purpose of this section is to ensure that you have the necessary verbal reasoning skills to communicate clearly and effectively in different work scenarios.
NHS verbal reasoning test tip: You will also encounter more challenging questions about communication styles, tone, interpretation, and the ability to identify inferences and conclusions.
Ready to practice? Take a look at the following verbal reasoning practice question designed by our experts.
NHS-style Verbal Reasoning Test Question Example
Think you got it right? Check the answer at the bottom of the page.
Practice a FREE verbal reasoning test with us, or take a look at the following verbal reasoning practice question designed by our experts.
6 Expert Tips to Pass the NHS Verbal Reasoning Test
Here are 6 tips that will help you ace your NHS verbal reasoning test questions:
Discover more tips on how you can prepare for the NHS verbal reasoning test, with this quick video:
As well as verbal reasoning questions, NHS also assesses your numerical reasoning skills in this blended Captivate test. Let’s check out more details below.
What is the NHS Numerical Reasoning Test?
The NHS numerical reasoning test questions assess your skills in analysing, interpreting, and drawing logical conclusions from data. During the test, you will encounter a series of questions that present numerical information in various forms such as tables, charts, or graphs.
There is no time limit for these tests, but your accuracy and speed will both contribute to your final report for your NHS recruiters.
NHS numerical reasoning test tip: The questions may require you to choose a response from multiple choices, arrange responses in the correct order, or input a single answer by performing calculations.
Top 4 Tips to Ace the NHS Numerical Reasoning Test
Here are four tips to help you prepare for the NHS numerical reasoning test questions:
Bonus NHS numerical reasoning test tip: consistent practice and familiarising yourself with the test format are key to improving your performance in numerical reasoning tests.
If you need more help with NHS numerical reasoning test, don’t forget to check out our bite-sized video about 5 things you must do before your numerical reasoning test:
Practice your numerical reasoning skills with a FREE numerical reasoning test or attempt the below numerical reasoning example question designed by our experts.
NHS-style Numerical Reasoning Test Question Example
Got the answer? Check the answer at the bottom of the page.
We’ve covered the numerical and verbal reasoning tests. Now it’s time to explore the NHS situational judgement test aspect of the blended NHS assessment tests.
What is the NHS Situational Judgement Test?
For the NHS Situational Judgement test questions, you will encounter hypothetical scenarios that resemble situations commonly faced by NHS management trainees. These scenarios will require teamwork, communication, and decision-making. These situational questions aim to identify candidates who align with the core values of the NHS.
For each scenario, you will be provided with multiple-choice options and asked to rank them based on their appropriateness, from the most suitable response to the least suitable.
NHS Situational Judgement test tip: These test questions serve as a good measure of your cultural compatibility with the NHS, so it is important to be honest in your responses.
Watch this quick video to learn more about the NHS situational judgement test format.
4 Top Tips to Ace the NHS Situational Judgement Test
Here are four tips to help you prepare for situational judgement tests:
Below is a sneak peak of an example SJT question designed by our expert team to help give you an idea of the type of questions you will come across in your NHS online assessment.
NHS-style Situational Judgement Question Example
Now you are ready to tackle some SJT questions. For NHS situational judgement test practice, sign up for our Situational Judgment Test Package today to practice real questions and access live test reports and progress charts.
Keep on reading to know what other tests are included in the NHS GMTS online assessment.
What is the NHS Critical Reasoning Test?
The NHS critical reasoning test questions measure your critical thinking ability through your decision-making and problem-solving skills. Each question will be based on a passage of text, from which you’ll need to identify assumptions made, or determine whether or not a given conclusion logically follows the passage.
NHS critical reasoning test tip: As with all tests, practice is the key to success. Continue practising the tests until you feel confident in consistently identifying approximately 90% of the correct answers.
Looking for ways to improve your speed for the NHS critical reasoning test? Here is a quick video for you to watch:
Get the Practice Essentials for your NHS critical thinking tests with our Capp-style practice critical reasoning tests and fast-track your preparation with worked solutions and progress tracking.
We have covered all of the NHS aptitude tests except the NHS Personality Test. Let’s discover what you can expect in the NHS personality questionnaire.
What is the NHS Personality Profiler?
The NHS personality test questions provide the recruiter with additional insights into your personal and professional motivations. It is designed to explore various aspects of your personality, including your driving forces and working preferences. It is presented in a questionnaire format.
NHS personality test tip: Similar to the situational judgement test, there are certain traits that indicate you would be a strong candidate for the NHS Personality Test. However, it is crucial to remain authentic to yourself.
4 Important Tips to Ace the NHS Personality Test
Looking for some insight into preparing for the personality test? Check out these 4 tips to help you stand out:
Bonus NHS Personality test tip: Remember, the purpose of this test is to assess your genuine traits and characteristics to see if you are a good fit for the NHS. It is also useful for you to see if they are a good fit for you.
Discover more about the NHS personality test with this byte-sized video.
Register for GF’s Work Personality Package designed by our organisational psychologists and gain first-hand insights into your own work personality and preferences.
NHS-style Personality Questionnaire Question Example
Now that you know about NHS online assessment, we can move on to the next stage, that is, the NHS Grad Scheme work-based scenarios.
What is NHS Simulate Assessment?
The NHS Graduate Scheme Simulate Assessment or Work-Based Scenarios is the second stage assessment and takes up to an hour to complete. It is a blend of recorded video responses and e-tray exercises to assess how you will behave and make decisions in a real work environment.
You may be asked general and competency-based questions at this stage. Be careful as some of these questions may have time limits.
Good To know: Before you begin the NHS simulation assessment, you will be provided with a practice question to help warm up for the real assessment.
How to ace the NHS Graduate Scheme Simulate Assessment
The NHS suggests that candidates should prepare for the simulate assessment by familiarising themselves with the Healthcare Leadership Model. This model includes nine behaviour dimensions that make up the desired leadership style for all employees:
NHS Work Based Scenarios Assessment tip: Take the time to learn about each dimension of the Healthcare Leadership Model and think about how it applies to the role you have applied for. Try to find real-life examples from your experiences where you have demonstrated these principles in action.
Here are 4 tips to excel in your NHS Simulate assessment:
Once you’ve aced the work-based scenarios, you will receive a feedback report and will be invited to the final stage of the NHS GMTS application process: the NHS Virtual Assessment Centre.
What is the NHS assessment centre?
During the NHS half-day virtual assessment, candidates will be required to participate in a variety of strengths-based exercises at the NHS virtual assessment centre. You will have the opportunity to interact with other graduates and NHS staff members.
Here are the most common activities you will be asked to do in the NHS Assessment Centre:
This stage provides the assessors with an opportunity to observe the candidates in action and assess their potential performance if given the opportunity. Regardless of the outcome, a feedback report is provided to all candidates.
Check out this quick video to know why virtual assessment centres are becoming increasingly common for employers such as the NHS:
Let’s start with exploring Psychometric tests conducted during the NHS virtual assessment centre stage:
You may have to participate in a series of NHS psychometric tests for the NHS graduate scheme assessment centre stage. These tests may encompass various types, such as numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, logical reasoning, situational judgement, and personality assessments.
To know more about these tests and how to pass them, go to the NHS online assessment section.
During the NHS group exercise, You will be encouraged to collaborate within a small team to complete a designated task. Here, you will be assessed on your communication and collaboration abilities. It is crucial to actively engage in the exercise and promote participation among your team.
NHS Assessment Centre tip: A vital aspect of this group exercise is understanding when to express personal opinions and when to allow others to share their own ideas.
Here are 4 tips to help you ace the NHS group exercise:
Take a breather and check out our expert video for more details on how to ace your NHS group exercise below:
In the NHS role play exercise, you will engage in a given scenario and be evaluated based on your ability to handle pressure and think quickly on your feet.
NHS Role-play Exercise tip: Similar to the simulate assessment, consider the Healthcare Leadership Model when approaching the scenario.
4 Key Tips to Pass the NHS Role-play Exercise
NHS Health Analysis applicants will undergo an additional written assessment that provides them with an opportunity to showcase their analytical skills and experience. Ensure to read your invitation carefully to understand what is required.
Good to know: For better preparation for NHS GMTS assessment centre exercises, sign up with GF today and increase your chances of success.
If you have followed our highly valuable tips, you can expect to receive an offer from the NHS for the GMTS. Congratulations!
Before you leave to smash your application…
Wondering if there are other NHS graduate programmes? Of course! Keep on reading to find out more about these exciting programmes.
Graduate programmes come in different types, depending on what you want to pursue. Some are designed to fast-track your entry into specific clinical roles, while others provide structured training for management positions. Here are some of the programmes:
Certain clinical professions, like nursing and the allied health professions, offer accelerated or shortened courses. These programs allow graduates to complete their training in two years instead of the usual three or four. The universities may grant accreditation for prior experiential learning (APEL), enabling this shorter duration.
Here are some of the clinical fields where these accelerated courses are available:
The NHS Graduate Digital, Data and Technology Scheme is a fast track program for IM&T graduates interested in a career in health informatics and technology. It offers a two-year development pathway to gain valuable experience in various areas such as information systems, analysis, IT project management, and more. The scheme provides continuous professional development endorsed by the Institute of Leadership and offers mentoring support.
What are the eligibility requirements and how to apply?
The program is open to those with STEM or psychology backgrounds or relevant work experience. Recruitment takes place quarterly, and candidates can apply through the scheme’s website.
Shortlisted applicants will attend an assessment centre or participate in a virtual assessment.
The NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP) offers science and engineering graduates the opportunity to train for senior healthcare science roles. The program covers various specialisations, including:
How long is the training programme?
The STP lasts for three years and involves workplace-based training and obtaining a master’s degree. Upon completion, graduates are eligible to apply for clinical scientist positions.
What are the entry requirements?
The entry requirements include a 1st or 2.1 undergraduate honours degree in a relevant subject, with consideration given to higher degrees and research experience.
The Public Health Specialty Registrar Training Program, as the name suggests, offers training in public health. The program typically lasts for five years, with one year dedicated to an academic course and four years of on-the-job training.
Individuals with a medical degree can apply. Non-medical applicants must have a good first degree or higher degree along with relevant work experience.
The selection process includes written tests and a face-to-face assessment.
Physician associates play a supportive role in assisting doctors with patient diagnosis and management. They work directly with patients in various settings, such as GP surgeries or hospitals. Most physician associates work in general practice, acute medicine, or emergency medicine.
What are the eligibility requirements for the programme?
Entry requirements typically include a bioscience-related degree, although registered healthcare professionals can also apply.
Training lasts around two years and involves both classroom and clinical components. Further career progression opportunities exist in specialisations, management, research, or teaching.
There are plenty of NHS Graduate Programmes to choose from, but that’s not all. The NHS also offers many apprenticeships.
NHS apprenticeships provide an opportunity to earn, learn, and contribute to the healthcare sector. Apprenticeships can take 1-5 years to complete and are available for anyone over the age of 16. They involve practical work experience, spending time at a training centre or college, and enhancing skills, including English and maths.
Entry requirements vary based on the employer and the specific apprenticeship. There is a wide range of apprenticeship options, such as business administration, dental nursing, healthcare science, nursing, and more. After completing an apprenticeship, you may be offered a permanent job or choose to pursue further studies or university.
Keep checking the NHS Careers website regularly so you don’t miss any opportunity!
Curious to know more about the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme? Keep reading as we ask some of the most burning questions about the NHS GMTS.
The NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme is highly competitive. The applications for the scheme far exceed the positions available. Their average acceptance rate is around 3%.
The NHS Management Scheme program lasts generally for 2 years, but Finance Trainees in the GMTS program will require an additional six months, making the total duration 2.5 years, to accommodate the necessary studies for related qualifications.
As part of the NHS GMTS, you will receive a minimum starting salary of £27,702 on commencement. Additionally, you may be eligible for the NHS High Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) based on the location of your placement.
Upon completion of the GMTS, the average salary is £40,000. As you progress in your career, potential future earnings can reach up to £90,000 as a Director and surpass £100,000 as an NHS Chief Executive.
No, there is no maximum age limitation for individuals applying to the NHS GMTS.
Practice and Register with GF to get your job with NHS first time
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Answers to Questions:
Verbal reasoning question: B
Numerical reasoning question: C
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