NHS Interview Questions and Answers: 30 Common Questions
What questions are asked in an NHS interview?
Most NHS interviews mix motivation questions, values questions, competency (past experience) questions and role-specific scenarios. Every panel writes its own questions, so practise the themes, not word-for-word answers.
30 common questions by theme
Motivation
Tell us about yourself.
Why do you want to work for the NHS?
Why this role and this trust?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Why should we appoint you?
Values and behaviours 6. What does compassion mean to you? 7. Give an example of respecting a patient's dignity. 8. How do you make sure everyone is treated fairly? 9. Tell us about a time you improved something. 10. What does "working together for patients" mean in practice?
Teamwork and communication 11. Describe a time you worked in a team. 12. Tell us about a disagreement with a colleague. 13. How do you communicate with someone who is upset? 14. How do you handle feedback? 15. Describe a time you supported a colleague.
Safety and professionalism 16. What would you do if you made a mistake? 17. What would you do if you saw unsafe practice? 18. How do you maintain confidentiality? 19. What does safeguarding mean to you? 20. How do you keep your knowledge up to date?
Pressure and prioritising 21. How do you cope with pressure? 22. How do you prioritise a busy workload? 23. Describe a time you had to adapt quickly. 24. What would you do if you were running late on a task? 25. How do you look after your own wellbeing?
Closing 26. What are your strengths? 27. What is your weakness? 28. What do you know about our trust? 29. Do you have any questions for us? 30. Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
Model answers to the most common ones
These are original examples. Use your own experience.
Tell us about yourself
"I am a final-year student nurse. On placement I worked in medicine and community, which taught me to think about the whole person. I am calm, organised and keen to learn, and I would like to build my career in your trust."
Why do you want to work for the NHS?
Link a personal reason to one NHS value with an example. See our full post on why you want to work for the NHS.
What would you do if you made a mistake?
"I would make sure the person was safe, tell my supervisor straight away, report it through the incident system and be open with the patient in line with the duty of candour. Then I would reflect on what to change."
What would you do if you saw unsafe practice?
"I would act to protect anyone at risk, then raise it with the nurse in charge or my manager and use the trust's raising concerns process."
How do you cope with pressure?
Use a real example. Name the pressure, the practical steps you took, and the outcome.
Do you have any questions for us?
Yes. Ask about induction, supervision and development. See questions to ask at the end of an NHS interview.
Quick facts
Many NHS employers use values-based questions based on the NHS Constitution.
Competency questions work best with the STAR method (situation, task, action, result).
Interview format varies. Your invitation should say what to expect.
Healthcare Interview Prep is independent of the NHS.
This is general interview preparation, not clinical or professional advice.
Practise with real role questions
There is no generic bank covering every NHS role. The closest to general nursing and clinical questions is the Adult Nursing bank. Each bank has 40 original practice questions with full model answers. The first 8 are free to read. The full bank is £4.99, one-off, with 12 months' access and no subscription. Browse the site for the bank that matches your role.
Related guides:
Frequently asked questions
Are these the actual NHS interview questions?
No. They are common themes. Every panel writes its own questions.
How should I prepare?
Read the person specification, prepare one example for each criterion and practise out loud.
How long should answers be?
About two minutes for most questions.
Healthcare Interview Prep is independent of the NHS and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the NHS. This guide cannot promise any interview result.
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