NHS INTERVIEW GUIDE

Mock Healthcare Interview: Where to Get One and How to Run Your Own

Why mock interviews work, where to find one for free or paid, and a complete do-it-yourself mock NHS interview kit you can run with a friend or colleague.

Last updated 24 October 2026 · Created by a practising NHS doctor · Independent of the NHS

Quick answer

Where can I book a mock healthcare interview in London?

In London or anywhere in the UK, ask your current manager or practice educator, your university careers service, a union rep or an experienced colleague for a mock interview. Paid coaches are another option. You can also run your own with a friend, realistic practice questions and a simple scoring sheet covering structure, specific examples, patient focus, escalation and reflection.

Key takeaways

Ask your manager, practice educator or careers service first.
Unions, professional bodies and colleagues can often help.
A DIY mock with a friend works well if it copies the real day.
Score answers on structure, example, patient focus, escalation and reflection.
Do two or three mocks, including one by video.

You can get a mock healthcare interview in London, or anywhere, by asking your current manager or practice educator, your university careers service, a union rep, an experienced colleague or a paid coach. If none of those are available, you can run a very good mock interview yourself with a friend, a set of realistic questions and a simple scoring sheet.

This guide explains why mock interviews work, where to find one, and gives you a complete do-it-yourself kit: how to set it up, a 30-minute running order, 10 practice questions, a scoring sheet, how to give feedback and how to do it all by video. The questions are practice material, not questions taken from any real interview.

In this guide

Why do mock interviews work?
Where can I book a mock healthcare interview in London?
What should a mock healthcare interview include?
How do you run a mock NHS interview yourself?
A 30-minute mock interview running order
10 practice questions for a mock healthcare interview
A simple scoring sheet for your mock interview
How to give and use feedback
Doing a mock interview online by video
Using a question bank for your mock interview

Why do mock interviews work?

Mock interviews work because they make you say your answers out loud, under a little pressure, to someone who is listening critically. Most candidates know what they want to say. What lets them down is rambling, forgetting the result, or never mentioning the patient.

A mock exposes those habits while there is still time to fix them, and makes the real panel feel familiar.

Timing: you find out whether a two-minute answer is really five minutes.
Gaps: you discover the themes you have no example for, such as safeguarding.

Where can I book a mock healthcare interview in London?

In London, and anywhere else in the UK, the best mock interviews often come from people you already know: your manager, practice educator, university careers team, union rep or a trusted colleague. Paid coaches are another option, and you can also run your own using the kit below.

The same routes work wherever you live, and many can be done by video.

Your current manager or practice educator: many are happy to run a short practice interview, especially for internal promotions, preceptorship posts or newly qualified staff. Ask early and offer to fit around their diary.
University careers services: students and recent graduates can often book practice interviews or interview advice. Check what your university offers to alumni.
Trust learning and development teams: some trusts run interview skills sessions for staff. Ask your education team or check your intranet.
Union reps and professional bodies: organisations such as the RCN, Unison, the BMA and royal colleges often publish career and interview resources, and local reps may help members prepare. Check what your membership includes.
Colleagues, mentors and peers: someone who has sat on interview panels, or recently got the job you want, is ideal.
Paid coaches: useful if you want independent, detailed feedback. Ask what experience they have of NHS interviews in your profession before you book.
Running your own: with a friend, a question bank and the scoring sheet below, you can practise as often as you like for free.

What should a mock healthcare interview include?

A good mock healthcare interview should copy the real thing as closely as possible: a short welcome, a mix of motivation, values, scenario and competency questions, your own questions at the end, and honest feedback against clear criteria.

Before you start, read the job advert, job description and person specification. The panel will build questions around the essential criteria, so your mock should too. If the invitation mentions a presentation, test or task, include a practice version of that as well.

Motivation and values: why this role, and how you show the NHS or trust values.
Scenarios and competencies: what you would do in a realistic situation, and real examples of teamwork, prioritisation or learning from a mistake.
Feedback: scored against the same criteria every time so you can track progress.

How do you run a mock NHS interview yourself?

To run a mock NHS interview yourself, ask a friend or colleague to act as the panel, give them a set of questions and a scoring sheet in advance, and treat it like the real day: dress the part, sit at a table and keep to time.

Someone who works in healthcare is ideal, but anyone honest can help.

Brief your panel: share the person specification, the questions and the scoring sheet a day before.
Do not share the questions with yourself: let the panel choose the order so you practise thinking on your feet.
Repeat it: one mock helps, but two or three a few days apart help more.

A 30-minute mock interview running order

This running order fits most Band 2 to Band 7 interviews and leaves time for feedback.

0 to 2 minutes: welcome, introductions and a brief outline, just as a real panel would.
2 to 5 minutes: an opening question such as tell us about yourself.
5 to 20 minutes: five or six questions from the list below, mixing types.
20 to 22 minutes: your questions for the panel.
22 to 30 minutes: feedback, starting with the scoring sheet and ending with two or three things to change.

10 practice questions for a mock healthcare interview

Use these as a starting set and swap in questions that fit your profession and band. They are typical practice themes, not real interview questions.

Motivation: Why have you applied for this role, and why with us?
Motivation: What do you know about our service and the people we care for?
Values: Tell us about a time you showed compassion when it was difficult.
Values: Which NHS value matters most to you, and how do you show it at work?
Scenario: A patient or service user tells you they are unhappy with their care. What do you do?
Scenario: You see a colleague doing something you think is unsafe. How do you respond?
Scenario: You are worried someone in your care may be at risk of harm. What steps do you take?
Competency: Describe a time you had too much to do. How did you prioritise?
Competency: Tell us about a mistake you made and what you learned.
Competency: Give an example of working with another team to improve an outcome.

A simple scoring sheet for your mock interview

Give your interviewer this sheet and ask them to score each answer from 1 (weak) to 4 (strong) on each point, with a short note. Scoring makes feedback specific rather than just saying it went well.

Structure: was the answer clear, with a beginning, middle and end, such as situation, action, result and reflection?
Specific example: did the candidate describe a real situation and what they personally did, rather than what 'we' usually do?
Patient focus: was the patient, service user or customer at the centre of the answer?
Escalation and safety: did they recognise their limits, follow policy and say who they would involve?
Reflection: did they explain what they learned or would do differently?

How to give and use feedback

Good feedback is specific, balanced and leads to action. Ask your interviewer to start with what worked, then name the one or two changes that would most improve the score.

Afterwards, rewrite weak answers in note form, not as a script, practise them out loud, and ask your next panel to watch for the same points.

Example feedback after a prioritisation question

Your example was real, and telling your senior early scored well for escalation.

Two things to change. You spent about a minute describing the ward before getting to what you did, so cut that to two sentences. And you finished on the result but did not say what you learned, so add one line of reflection at the end.

Doing a mock interview online by video

Many NHS interviews are now held by video, so practising online is worth doing even if your real interview is in person. Use the same platform your interview will use if you know it, and test your camera, microphone and connection beforehand.

Light your face from the front and use a plain background.
Put the camera at eye level and look at it when you speak, not at your own image.
Agree a backup, such as a phone call, if the connection drops.

Using a question bank for your mock interview

Your mock is only as good as its questions. For ready-made practice questions, Healthcare Interview Prep has 40 original questions with full model answers for each of 214 NHS roles, and the first 8 for every role are free to read. The full bank for a role is £2.99, one-off, with 12 months' access.

Give your interviewer the questions and let them use the model answers as a guide to what a strong answer covers. Healthcare Interview Prep is a self-study resource and does not run mock interviews or coaching, so you will still need a friend, colleague or coach to play the panel.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a free mock NHS interview?

Often, yes. Many people get a free practice interview from their line manager, practice educator, university careers service or an experienced colleague. Some unions and professional bodies offer interview support or resources to members, so check what your membership includes. You can also run your own for free with a friend, a list of practice questions and a simple scoring sheet.

How many mock interviews should I do before an NHS interview?

There is no fixed number, but two or three spread over a week or two is a good aim for most people. The first shows your habits, the second checks whether you have fixed them, and a third builds confidence. Leave a few days between them so you have time to rework weak answers and practise them out loud.

Who should be the interviewer in a mock interview?

Ideally someone who has sat on NHS interview panels, such as a manager, senior colleague or practice educator. If that is not possible, a friend or family member can still help, as long as they will be honest and use a scoring sheet. Two interviewers works well, with one asking questions and the other taking notes.

Should I record my mock interview?

Yes, if your interviewer agrees. Watching or listening back shows habits that are hard to notice in the moment, such as filler words, rushing, poor eye contact or answers that run too long. Keep the recording private, review it once with the scoring sheet in hand, and pick two or three specific things to improve before your next practice.

How long before my interview should I do a mock?

Try to do your first mock about a week before the interview, so there is time to act on the feedback and practise again. A short final run-through a day or two before can help with confidence. Avoid leaving it to the night before, when there is little time to change anything and it may only add to nerves.

Practise with NHS interview questions for your role

Each NHS role on this site has 40 original practice questions with full model answers. The first 8 are free to read, and the rest of a role's bank costs £2.99 with 12 months' access and no subscription.

More NHS interview guides

Healthcare Interview Prep is an independent NHS interview preparation website. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the NHS. Example questions and answers are original practice material, not official or leaked interview questions.

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