NHS INTERVIEW GUIDE

NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme Interview and Assessment Centre Guide

How the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme selection process usually works, what assessors look for at each stage, example questions, a worked strengths answer and a preparation plan.

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

Quick answer

How do I pass the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme assessment centre and interview?

Prepare for a strengths and values based process: an online assessment, recorded video scenarios, then a virtual assessment centre with an interview, group task, data or written exercise and a presentation. Show leadership potential, patient focus, collaboration and clear thinking. Practise each format aloud, prepare honest STAR examples and check the current official candidate guidance, as stages change between intakes.

Key takeaways

Stages usually run online assessment, video scenarios, assessment centre.
Assessors score strengths and NHS values, not your degree subject.
Keep patients at the centre of every recommendation.
In group tasks, include others and adapt to new information.
Check the official scheme guidance for this year's format.

To pass the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme (GMTS) assessment centre and interview, prepare for a strengths and values based process: an online assessment, recorded video responses to work scenarios, then a virtual assessment centre with exercises such as an interview, group task, written or data exercise and presentation. Assessors are judging your leadership potential, motivation for the NHS and how you think about patients, data and people, not your degree subject. Practise each format, prepare real examples and read the current applicant guidance closely.

This guide covers the stages, specialisms, what assessors look for, practice questions, a worked answer, common mistakes and a preparation plan. The GMTS is based in England and its process can change between intakes, so check the official scheme website and your candidate emails for the current format. Example questions here are original practice material, not real assessment questions.

In this guide

What is the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme?
What are the GMTS specialisms?
What are the stages of the NHS graduate scheme selection process?
What happens at the GMTS assessment centre?
What do GMTS assessors look for?
What questions are asked in the NHS graduate scheme interview?
How do you answer GMTS strengths and values questions?
Common mistakes at the GMTS assessment centre
How should I prepare for the NHS graduate scheme assessment centre?

What is the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme?

The GMTS is a national NHS graduate leadership programme that combines paid work placements in NHS organisations with a funded postgraduate qualification. Trainees rotate through placements designed to build them into future NHS managers and leaders.

Published information has typically described a scheme of around two years, sometimes longer for certain specialisms such as finance, with eligibility based on a degree at a stated minimum classification from any subject. Read the current eligibility criteria before you apply, as details change.

What are the GMTS specialisms?

You apply to one specialism, and the assessment centre often tests general leadership potential, with some exercises flavoured by the specialism. The list has varied between intakes, so check which are open this year.

General management: operational and service management, often in hospitals, community and commissioning settings.
Finance: financial management alongside a professional accountancy qualification route.
Human resources or people: workforce, recruitment, employee relations and organisational development.
Digital or health informatics: data, digital systems and technology that support patient care.
Other specialisms in some years: such as policy and strategy, health analysis, or engineering and estates management.

What are the stages of the NHS graduate scheme selection process?

Recent intakes have used an online strengths based assessment, recorded video scenarios, then a virtual assessment centre and placement matching. Confirm the details in the current candidate information.

1. Online application and assessment: eligibility questions, then a strengths or situational judgement style assessment asking how you would respond to realistic workplace situations. Some years have included reasoning or numerical elements.
2. Video scenarios: you record answers to work based scenarios, usually with short preparation time and a fixed answer time. There is often an unscored practice question first.
3. Virtual assessment centre: a half day or similar session with several exercises, which may include a one to one interview, a group discussion, a written or data analysis task and a presentation or briefing.
4. Outcome and placement matching: successful candidates are matched to available placements. Some candidates may be placed on a reserve list.

What happens at the GMTS assessment centre?

Expect several short exercises, each scored against set strengths and NHS values. The mix changes between years.

Interview: motivation questions (why the NHS, why this scheme, why this specialism) plus strengths and experience questions.
Group exercise: a small group weighs up options using information such as costs, patient feedback or public benefit, sometimes with new information added partway through to see how you adapt.
Written or data exercise: you interpret charts, survey results or a short brief, identify trends and suggest improvements in writing.
Presentation or briefing: you prepare and deliver a short recommendation to a senior stakeholder, then answer challenge questions.

What do GMTS assessors look for?

Assessors want to see leadership potential and NHS values in action: how you think, how you treat people and whether you keep patients at the centre.

Patient and public focus: linking decisions back to patient experience, safety and fair access.
Values: respect, compassion, honesty and working together, shown through behaviour, not stated.
Analytical thinking: using evidence, spotting trends and stating assumptions.
Collaboration: including quieter voices, building on others' ideas and disagreeing constructively.
Resilience and adaptability: staying calm when information changes.
Self awareness: reflecting honestly on what went well and what you would change.

What questions are asked in the NHS graduate scheme interview?

Expect a mix of motivation, strengths and values questions, with some scenario prompts. Here are 12 original practice questions to rehearse aloud.

Why do you want to join the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme?
Why have you chosen this specialism?
What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the NHS right now?
What does good leadership in a health service look like to you?
What do you enjoy doing, and what energises you at work or study?
Tell us about a time you brought people together to achieve something.
Describe a time you used information or data to change someone's mind.
Tell us about a time you received difficult feedback. What did you do with it?
What does compassion mean to you in a management role?
A senior manager asks you to deliver a change that staff strongly oppose. How would you approach it?
How do you stay effective when you have several competing deadlines?
How would you make sure patients' voices are heard in a service decision?

How do you answer GMTS strengths and values questions?

Use a clear structure such as STAR (situation, task, action, result), keep the focus on what you personally did, and finish with what you learned and how it links to NHS management. Strengths questions also reward genuine enthusiasm, so say what you enjoyed and why.

Examples can come from part time jobs, volunteering, societies, caring responsibilities, sport or study.

Example answer: "Tell us about a time you used data to improve something for other people"

Situation: While working part time at a busy community pharmacy counter, I noticed that customers collecting prescriptions often waited a long time at certain points in the day and some left frustrated.

Task: I was not a manager, but I wanted to understand the problem and suggest something practical to my supervisor.

Action: With my supervisor's agreement, I kept a simple tally of arrivals and waiting times over two weeks. The pattern showed clear peaks shortly after nearby surgeries closed their morning lists. I shared a one page summary with the team, asked colleagues what they thought was causing the delays and listened to concerns about extra workload. Together we agreed to prepare repeat prescriptions earlier ahead of the peaks and to move one colleague to the counter at those times.

Result: The team felt queues became shorter and calmer, and my supervisor kept the rota change. I learned that data starts a conversation but people make the change happen. I really enjoyed turning a frustration into a fix, which is a big reason I am drawn to general management in the NHS, where small process changes can make a real difference for patients.

Common mistakes at the GMTS assessment centre

Most candidates fall short on behaviour and preparation, not knowledge.

Dominating or disappearing in the group task: both score poorly. Contribute, summarise and invite others in.
Ignoring new information: refusing to revisit a decision when the brief changes looks inflexible.
Forgetting patients: recommendations that focus only on cost or targets miss the point.
Generic motivation: "I want to give back" without specifics about the scheme, the specialism and the NHS today.
Saying "we" throughout: assessors need to hear your own actions.
Poor video technique: rambling, reading a script or not using the preparation time to plan a structure.

How should I prepare for the NHS graduate scheme assessment centre?

Give yourself around four weeks, and practise each format out loud rather than only reading about it.

Week 1, research: read the official scheme website, candidate guidance and the NHS values. Follow current NHS news.
Week 2, examples: build eight to ten STAR stories covering teamwork, influencing, using data, resilience, a mistake, feedback and helping others.
Week 3, formats: practise timed video answers on your phone, analyse a few charts and write short recommendations, and prepare a five minute briefing.
Week 4, rehearsal: run full practice sessions with friends, a mentor or your university careers service, and test your space and connection for the virtual day.
Extra practice: written question banks such as Healthcare Interview Prep, which covers 471 NHS roles with model answers, can help you rehearse values and leadership questions. It is a self study resource, not a coaching or mock assessment service.

Frequently asked questions

How hard is it to get onto the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme?

The GMTS is known to be competitive, with many more applicants than places in most years. Focus on what you control: understanding each stage, practising video answers and assessment centre tasks, and preparing honest examples that show leadership potential and NHS values. Check the official scheme website for current information about places, regions and eligibility, as these can change between intakes.

Do I need a business or healthcare degree for the NHS graduate scheme?

Usually not. The scheme has typically accepted graduates from any subject who meet a minimum degree classification, and the selection process focuses on leadership potential rather than what you studied. Some specialisms, such as finance or digital, may value relevant interest or skills, so read the specialism descriptions carefully. Always confirm the current eligibility criteria, including degree requirements, on the official scheme website before applying.

How do I prepare for the GMTS video interview?

Practise recording answers to work based scenarios on your phone or laptop with a timer, using a short preparation window to plan a simple structure. Look at the camera, speak clearly and keep to the point. Explain what you would do, why, and how it affects patients and colleagues. Use any unscored practice question offered to check your sound, lighting and framing before your scored answers begin.

What should I say in the GMTS group exercise?

Aim to move the group forward rather than win the argument. Suggest a way to organise the time, refer to the evidence in the brief, invite quieter members to contribute and summarise where the group has reached. If new information arrives, show you can reconsider calmly. Keep patients, staff and value for public money in view, and help the group reach a clear, reasoned decision within the time.

Can I reapply to the NHS graduate scheme if I am unsuccessful?

Many candidates do reapply in a later intake, and the feedback reports often given at each stage can show where to improve. Use that feedback to target weaker areas, such as group work, data interpretation or interview structure, and gather fresh experience in the meantime through work, volunteering or study. Check the current rules on reapplying and any timing limits in the official candidate guidance.

Practice question banks for related NHS roles

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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.

Healthcare Interview Prep: practice questions and model answers for 471 NHS roles across 11 sectors, created by a practising NHS doctor.