SmartST
‹ Back to specialtiesST1–ST5

Public Health

Run-through · ~5 yrs to CCT

Recruited by NHS England — East Midlands (Public Health National Recruitment Office), for the Faculty of Public Health

How Public Health selection works
Public Health (ST1) does not use the MSRA, and is the UK’s only specialty open to non-medical applicants as well as doctors. After an eligibility check, everyone sits the Public Health Assessment Centre — a critical-thinking paper (Watson-Glaser), a numerical-reasoning paper (RANRA) and a situational-judgement test. You must pass all three; passers are then ranked by their assessment score and the top scorers are invited to a virtual Selection Centre. The Selection Centre alone sets your final rank — the Assessment Centre is a gate only and is not carried into it.

Provisional — 2026/27 dates are based on last cycle's pattern. NHS England publishes confirmed dates around October 2026.

1
Apply2,710(100%)
22 Oct – 19 Nov 2026
2
Sit the Assessment Centre
Three computer-based papers in one ~190-minute sitting — Watson-Glaser critical thinking, RANRA numerical reasoning and an SJT. You must pass all three: miss the minimum in any one and you do not progress.
5–6 Jan 2027
3
Ranking

Everyone who passes the minimum standard is ranked by their Assessment Centre score, and the top scorers are invited to the Selection Centre. The Assessment Centre is a gate and a ranking tool only — it is not carried into your final rank.

Assessment Centre100%
4
Selection Centre—not publishedtop ranked applicants invited to the Selection Centre
2–4 Mar 2027
5
Ranking

Your final rank is your Selection Centre score alone — the Assessment Centre is not included.

Selection Centre100%
6
Offer Released95(3.5%)top ranked applicants offered posts
by 30 Mar 2027
7
Post starts
Aug 2027
Sources