NHS INTERVIEW GUIDE

Values-Based Interview Questions: How a VBI Works and How to Answer

How the values-based interview format works in NHS recruitment, how answers are scored, the question styles to expect and how to answer a values dilemma.

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

Quick answer

What is a values-based interview and how do you answer the questions?

A values-based interview (VBI) is a structured interview that explores why you behave as you do. Panels ask about real situations and dilemmas, probe your reasons and score answers against the organisation's values using positive and negative indicators. Answer with a specific STAR example, explain the reasoning behind each action, show you kept the person at the centre and escalated safety issues, and finish with what you learned.

Key takeaways

A VBI scores your reasons, not just your actions.
Expect follow-up probes such as "why?" and "what did you learn?".
Prepare real dilemmas where two good things conflicted.
Read the organisation's own values before the interview.
Examples from outside healthcare are often welcome.

A values-based interview (VBI) is a structured interview that explores why you act the way you do, not just what you can do. Panels ask about real situations and dilemmas, then probe your reasons, and score your answers against the organisation's values using agreed positive and negative indicators.

This guide covers the format itself: how a VBI differs from a competency interview, how it is scored, the question styles and how to handle a values dilemma. For the six NHS Constitution values explained one by one, see our separate NHS values guide.

In this guide

What is a values-based interview?
How is a values-based interview different from a competency interview?
Where are values-based interviews used in the NHS?
How do panels score a values-based interview?
What kind of questions are asked in a values-based interview?
Values-based interview practice questions
How do you answer a values-based interview question?
Worked STAR example: a values dilemma
Common mistakes in a values-based interview
How to prepare for a values-based interview

What is a values-based interview?

A values-based interview is a structured interview where every question is linked to a set of values, and the panel is trying to understand the motives behind your behaviour. It sits within values-based recruitment, an approach promoted across the NHS in England by Health Education England, now part of NHS England.

In a typical VBI each candidate is asked the same core questions, usually a small number, and the interviewer follows each one with probing questions such as "Why did you choose to do that?" or "What did you learn about yourself?". It can be the whole interview or one part of a longer process.

How is a values-based interview different from a competency interview?

A competency interview mainly asks whether you can do something; a values-based interview asks why you do it and what that says about you. Both often use "tell me about a time" questions, so they can sound alike, but the follow-up questions and the scoring focus are different.

Focus: competency questions test skills such as prioritising or communicating. Values questions test motives, beliefs and how you treat people.
Probing: in a VBI expect more "why" and "how did that feel" follow-ups, and fewer questions about technical detail.
What scores well: a competency answer scores on what you achieved. A values answer also scores on your reasoning, your awareness of other people and your reflection.
Dilemmas: VBIs often include situations where two good things conflict, such as speed versus dignity, or loyalty to a colleague versus patient safety.

Where are values-based interviews used in the NHS?

Values-based interviewing is used widely across NHS recruitment and in selection for many NHS-funded health courses, but the exact format varies by organisation.

Nursing and midwifery: many trusts use values questions for registered, healthcare assistant and nursing associate posts.
Ambulance services: values and behaviour questions are common for roles such as call handlers, emergency care assistants and paramedics.
Apprenticeships: because applicants may have little work experience, values questions give them a fair chance to draw on school, caring or volunteering examples.
University health courses: many universities use values-based interviews for nursing, midwifery, paramedic science and allied health degrees.

How do panels score a values-based interview?

Panels usually score each answer against a rating scale, using a list of positive indicators (behaviours that show the value) and negative indicators (behaviours that suggest it is missing). The indicators are agreed before the interview and linked to the person specification and the organisation's values.

Positive indicators often include: putting the person at the centre, honesty, speaking up, asking for help, respecting other views, kindness under pressure and genuine reflection.
Negative indicators often include: blaming others, ignoring a risk, acting outside your role, dismissing a patient's or colleague's feelings, or showing no learning.

What kind of questions are asked in a values-based interview?

Past behaviour: "Tell me about a time when..." You describe a real event.
Values tested: "Describe a time your values were challenged." The panel wants tension, not an easy story.
Situational dilemmas: "What would you do if...?" You talk through a hypothetical, weighing two competing priorities.
Probes: "Why?", "What else could you have done?", "How did the other person feel?" These are where much of the scoring happens.

Values-based interview practice questions

These are original practice questions written to show typical VBI styles. They are not real or leaked questions, and the wording you hear will differ.

Tell me about a time your personal values were tested at work, placement or volunteering.
Describe a time you went out of your way for someone when nobody was watching.
Tell us about a time you disagreed with how a colleague was treating someone. What did you do?
What would you do if a senior colleague asked you to cut a corner to save time?
Describe a situation where you had to balance being kind with being honest.
Tell me about a time you treated someone fairly when it would have been easier not to.
What would you do if a patient asked you to keep something secret that could put them at risk?
Tell me about a time you put someone else's needs ahead of finishing your own task.
What would you do if you saw a friend at work breaking a policy?

How do you answer a values-based interview question?

Use the STAR structure (situation, task, action, result) and make the reasons behind your actions explicit, because the "why" is what a VBI scores. Add a short "because" to each action and end with what you learned.

For a dilemma, name both sides honestly before saying what you did. Panels want to see that you noticed the tension, kept the person at the centre, stayed within your role and escalated safety concerns. For hypotheticals, talk through your thinking and say you would follow local policy.

Worked STAR example: a values dilemma

The answer below responds to the practice question "Tell me about a time your values were tested." It is written from the point of view of a healthcare assistant and is an example to learn from, not a script.

Example answer: loyalty to a colleague versus patient dignity

Situation: I was working a night shift on a care of older people ward with a colleague I got on really well with. One patient, a lady with dementia, kept calling out and getting up, and at around 3am my colleague said loudly in front of her, "She's doing it on purpose, just ignore her."

Task: I felt two pulls. I valued my colleague and did not want to embarrass her, but the patient was frightened and being spoken about as if she was not there. I needed to look after the patient first and then deal with what I had heard.

Action: I went to the patient straight away, sat with her and spoke calmly. I found out she needed the toilet and helped her. Later, when it was quiet, I spoke to my colleague privately rather than in front of anyone, because I wanted it to be a conversation, not an accusation. I said I knew she was exhausted, but that I was worried how the comment came across. Because I was not sure the patient's needs were being met, I also mentioned the calling out to the nurse in charge so her care plan could be reviewed.

Result: The nurse in charge arranged a review. My colleague thanked me a few days later. I learned that being kind to a colleague does not mean staying quiet, and that raising something early and respectfully usually protects everyone, including the patient.

Common mistakes in a values-based interview

Describing values instead of behaviour. Saying what you believe without a real example scores poorly.
Picking a story with no tension. For "values tested" questions, an easy situation misses the point.
Skipping the "why". The reasoning is often what the panel is scoring.
Making others the villain. Criticising colleagues can count against you. Show fairness to everyone in the story.
Leaving out escalation. If safety or safeguarding is involved, say who you told.

How to prepare for a values-based interview

Start by reading the job advert, the person specification and the organisation's own values, as these shape the indicators the panel will use.

Collect six to eight stories from work, placements, caring, volunteering or other jobs, including at least two genuine dilemmas.
Map each story to the values it shows. One good story can often cover two or three values.
Practise the probes: ask yourself "why?" and "what would you do differently?" for every story.
Rehearse aloud with a friend, mentor, practice educator or line manager. University and trust careers services, and unions such as the RCN or Unison, may also offer interview advice, and NHS Jobs has general guidance.
Use written practice material if it helps. Healthcare Interview Prep is a self-study resource with role-specific practice questions and model answers built around the NHS values. It does not offer live coaching or mock interviews, so pair it with spoken practice.

Frequently asked questions

What does VBI stand for in an NHS interview?

VBI stands for values-based interview. It is a structured interview where questions are linked to the organisation's values and the panel probes the reasons behind your behaviour. It may be the whole interview or one part of it. Check your invitation letter or ask the recruitment team which format you will face.

Is a values-based interview harder than a normal interview?

Not necessarily, but it feels different. There are usually fewer technical questions and more follow-up questions about why you acted as you did, which can feel personal. Preparing real stories, including a couple of genuine dilemmas, and practising saying why you acted as you did, helps a lot. Honest, specific answers tend to score better than polished but general ones.

Can I use examples from outside healthcare in a values-based interview?

Yes. Values show up everywhere, so examples from retail, hospitality, school, caring for a relative or volunteering can work well, especially for apprenticeships, support roles and university applications. Choose a story where you dealt with a real person, made a choice for a good reason and can explain what you learned. Then link it briefly to how you would act in the new role.

How many questions are in a values-based interview?

It varies. Some trusts describe a short VBI of only a few core questions, each followed by several probing questions, while longer interviews may include values questions alongside clinical or technical ones. The number of follow-ups means even a handful of questions can fill the time. Your invitation may give an idea of length, and you can ask if it does not.

Is there a right answer to a values-based interview question?

Usually there is no single right answer, but there are stronger and weaker ones. Panels score against indicators such as putting the person first, honesty, fairness, speaking up and reflection. A strong answer shows those behaviours through a real example and explains your reasoning. Answers that blame others, ignore risks or show no learning tend to score lower, whatever the outcome.

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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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