Public Health Specialist Assessment - Tests PrepPack (2026)

Our Public Health Specialist PrepPack is built around the three papers of the Public Health Assessment Centre, so you can practise each one under realistic test conditions.

• 30 Critical Thinking (Watson-Glaser) Prep Materials:
  • Work through the five skills the paper measures, one at a time
  • Find your starting point with 1 diagnostic simulation
  • Learn each skill step by step with 6 study guides, including an overall guide plus one for each of the five skills tested
  • Practise each skill with 21 section-specific practice tests, including 6 Inferences, 3 Assumptions, 5 Deduction, 4 Interpretation, and 3 Arguments
  • Test yourself on the whole paper with 2 full Watson Glaser tests

• 32 Numerical Reasoning (RANRA) Prep Materials:
  • Get comfortable working with numerical data under time pressure
  • Learn the approach with a RANRA study guide, 6 additional numerical study guides, and 7 video tutorials with numerical tips and techniques from test-prep experts
  • Sit the whole paper with 3 full RANRA simulations
  • Target your weak spots with 15 additional numerical practice drills

• 8 Situational Judgement (SJT) Prep Materials:
  • Practise judging workplace scenarios against the clock
  • Learn the format step by step with a public health-specific SJT study guide
  • Sit 2 full-length SJT tests with realistic Public Health Registrar scenarios
  • Keep practising with 5 extra SJT practice materials

Every question comes with an explanation and your progress is tracked, so you can practise, check and improve before assessment day.

The Faculty of Public Health is the standard-setting body for specialists in this field. Recruitment for the Public Health specialty training is done through the Public Health National Recruitment Office or the PHNRO.

There are several eligibility requirements you must meet before you can even start the Public Health recruitment process. Additionally, to receive a place on the programme, you must provide a high-quality Public Health application.

There are Public Health training programmes available across the country, with two application routes, namely the medical route for doctors, and the non-medical route for applicants without a medical degree. Dentists, and doctors who choose it, also apply through the non-medical route. Applicants appointed through the non-medical route train towards registration with the UK Public Health Register.

The Public Health Registrar (ST1) hiring process consists of several stages:

1. Online application
2. Assessment tests
3. Selection centre (a virtual NHS interview)

Each of these stages is explained in more detail below.

In order to start the Public Health Specialists recruitment process, you'll need to submit one national application online through Oriel, the UK-wide recruitment portal. Paper applications are not accepted. While you'll be able to register on Oriel before applications open, the timings of the recruitment process are strict and you won't be able to access the form until the actual application window opens. 

In the past, applicants had to submit a scored application form, but this is no longer the case. Your eligibility is assessed solely from the information and evidence you submit by the closing date, and all eligible applicants go on to the assessment centre. Read the Public Health ST1 person specification before you apply since it sets out the eligibility and selection criteria, which are strictly applied.

If you apply through the medical route, you must demonstrate foundation competence from within 3.5 years before the training post starts, for example, with a Foundation Programme Certificate of Completion or a Certificate of Readiness to Enter Specialty Training (CREST).

If you apply through the non-medical route, you need an eligible qualification and at least 48 months’ work experience, including 24 months at Agenda for Change Band 6 or equivalent in work relevant to population health practice.

Here are some handy tips to help you with your initial application:

• Complete a new application in full as information from previous applications will not not reused
• Give a complete employment history, including all gaps
• Declare any ongoing fitness-to-practise proceedings, investigations, restrictions, or conditions
• Declare any reasonable adjustments required and upload the supporting evidence by the closing date
• Check names, dates, qualification details, grades, registrations, and claimed experience carefully

The submitted application is final.

Nothing received after the closing date will be accepted, and the recruitment team will not ask for missing evidence, so ensure that you submit your application in full.

If your application meets the eligibility requirements, you'll be invited to sit three tests at a Pearson Professional Examinations testing centre as part of your selection process.

This assessment centre stage is a computer-based assessment of three separately timed papers, aimed at measuring your numerical reasoning, critical thinking, and situational judgement abilities.

Test centres are available across the UK and globally, but if you need to visit an overseas centre, this should be declared in your initial application.

All eligible applicants receive an email from Pearson with instructions on creating an account and booking an appointment, and you will need to bring current identification in the same name as your booking, such as a passport or photocard driving licence.

Below are the three NHS tests you may need to take:

• Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal
• RANRA (Rust Advanced Numerical Reasoning Appraisal)
• Situational Judgement Test (public health-specific SJT)

Each of these tests is explained in more detail below.

With three tests measuring three different skills, a good way to feel ready on the day is to practise each one under realistic test conditions. And that's exactly what our expert-designed PrepPack gives you!

If you pass all three assessment centre papers and rank highly enough, you'll be invited to the selection centre, the final assessment stage of the process. It takes the form of a virtual digital interview, in which a range of different assessors build a balanced view of your abilities.

Here is how NHS England currently describes the interview:

• You'll be asked six questions, each lasting six minutes
• The questions are split across three stations, with two questions and two assessors at each
• You'll be moved straight on to the next question when the six minutes are up
• Two of the questions include some preparation time, with the information sent to you the day before

Your appointment also includes ID checks and a briefing, so allow up to 60 minutes in total.

While these details are correct at time of publishing, NHS England may update them before the interviews take place, so please check its latest guidance.

Each question assesses specific essential criteria from the person specification, so think about how examples from your own experience show that you meet them. Anything outside those criteria is not scored, and you must reach a minimum total score to be considered for an offer.

Once your interview is over, the process moves from assessment to allocation. Your selection centre outcome is communicated through Oriel, and your interview scoresheets, with your scores and any written feedback, follow within seven working days of the initial offers deadline.

Before offers are made, you'll be asked to rank all the available posts. Applicants are ranked by selection centre score, and offers are made in rank order against your preferences until the posts are filled, so being appointable does not guarantee an offer.

Offers arrive through Oriel, so keep checking it and your registered email address.

If you're waiting for a higher preference, you can hold an offer. Every offer is made at ST1 and is conditional on satisfactory pre-employment checks.

Preparing in stages helps: The assessment centre tests three very different papers, and the selection centre then assesses you against the person specification.

Here are some practical places to start:

• Use the free official material: NHS England publishes sample questions, and a Pearson tutorial helps you get used to the controls and screen layout.
• Read every set of instructions: Each paper is marked slightly differently, so check the instructions at the start of every section.
• Prepare your examples: Think about how examples from your own experience show that you meet the person specification, and organise them using the STAR method.
• Try a mock interview: Taking part in one ahead of the selection day can help prepare you for the real thing.

Working through these in order means fewer surprises on the day.

When you're ready for more practice, our Public Health Specialist PrepPack brings together practice tests, drills, study guides, and video tutorials for all three papers in one place.

Founded in 1992, JobTestPrep has over thirty years of experience helping candidates navigate competitive recruitment processes, including thousands applying for the NHS and the Public Health Assessment Centre. We offer over 220 expert-developed preparation courses, regularly updated to reflect the latest test formats, and have supported over a million job-seekers worldwide. In addition to our professionally designed PrepPacks, we also offer advanced AI-powered tools like our CV Analyser, Interview Prep platform, and our latest Adaptive Learning system. Together, these resources help candidates across the UK and globally strengthen their applications, improve their performance, and achieve outstanding results.