Apply

Application form
Complete by 31 October 2023 23.59. This takes approximately 40 mins and if everything looks good, we’ll invite you to stage 1 of the assessment process, which you can start straight away. 

Stage 1 Online assessment
The strengths-based online assessment will take you approximately 40 mins to complete – although it’s not time limited. This will help you learn more about the work you’d be doing on the Scheme.

Stage 1 must be completed by 10 November 23.59, so the earlier you apply, the more time you’ll have to complete the rest of your assessments. If you are successful, you’ll be invited to the next stage. All candidates will receive a feedback report. 

Stage 2 Work-based scenarios
You can take this assessment as soon as you’ve been notified of success at stage 1. This stage will include video responses, giving you a great opportunity to show us more about you as an individual. Stage 2 will take approximately 60 mins to complete.  Some of the video-based questions will be timed, but don’t worry – you’ll have plenty of time to prepare before recording your answers.  You’ll even have an opportunity to practice with an unscored question first.

Stage 2 must be completed by 17 November 23.59. All candidates will receive a feedback report at this stage.  Successful candidates will be invited to the Virtual Assessment Centre (VAC). 

VACs will start in January 2024 and run until the end of February 2024.

Stage 3 Virtual Assessment Centre (VAC)
During this half-day VAC, we’ll ask you to complete several engaging strengths-based exercises.  You’ll meet the NHS team and other candidates. As with the earlier online assessments, you’ll be encouraged to just be yourself and enjoy the experience.  We’ll provide a feedback report after this stage, regardless of the outcome.

VAC outcome
Following your VAC, we’ll contact you with one of three possible outcomes:
1. Successful at VAC – an immediate offer will be made
2. On the reserve list – we’ll get in touch again if a place on the Scheme becomes available
3. Unsuccessful at VAC

Allocation
This is our process of matching candidates who have been offered a place on the Scheme to available placements.  This is not part of the assessment, the VAC is the final assessment stage for candidates. During allocation, we consider the assessment scores and preferences of hundreds of successful candidates – and compare these with the placement roles offered by NHS employers.​

Offer and onboarding
Candidates who have passed their VAC and been successfully matched with a placement are offered a place on the Scheme.  We’ll contact you to begin pre-employment checks and onboarding – so you’re ready to join the Scheme at our Welcome Event in Leeds in early-September 2024.

If you’re considering applying, or wondering if you’re a good fit for the Scheme, we recommend you visit our Preparation Hub. It’s an excellent opportunity to learn more about your own values and learning styles, while exploring our assessment process.

The Preparation Hub includes information and practice exercises for each stage of the assessment process. The questions are similar to those you’ll be asked in our assessments.

There is no requirement to work through the exercises in the Preparation Hub. However, it’s a useful tool as you prepare for the assessments and we encourage you to use it. It’s a great way to check that your equipment and internet connection will work well with our assessment platform too.

NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme Preparation Hub

Assessment platform (Cappfinity) FAQs including technical information and device requirements                                                                                                                 

Reasonable adjustment
Disclosure is a very personal decision, but we think it’s really important to let us know if you need any reasonable adjustment during the selection process.  We respect your privacy and don’t insist on you sharing details you want to keep private.  We just need enough information to confirm what adjustments need to be put in place.  We will also ask if the medical condition is something our VAC team need to be aware of, to provide the right support.

Fair assessment
All assessors are fully trained, including in recognising and avoiding unconscious bias, to ensure a fair and inclusive experience for all candidates.