Prepare for the 2024 NHS Healthcare Assistant Numeracy Literacy Tests
Are you applying to the NHS as a healthcare assistant? Find out what is involved in the recruitment process and how to prepare for your numeracy test, literacy test, and interview with JobTestPrep.
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NHS Healthcare Assistants Tests
Applying to an NHS healthcare assistant position can be challenging. Aside from the application form, you must sit both a numeracy and a literacy test (sometimes referred to as a maths and an English test), as well as take part in an interview. Knowing what to expect on these three assessments will help you succeed and get the job.
NHS Healthcare Assistant Online Tests
TThe NHS literacy and numeracy aptitude tests examine your maths and verbal abilities. Both are administered online. Each test must be completed in 30 minutes, which creates pressure to answer all the questions in the time available.
You will face questions relating to the medical field, regarding different time formats (12- and 24-hour clocks), and on how to spell specific words, as well as other topics.
NHS Healthcare Numeracy Test
Your mental arithmetic skills are assessed during the numeracy test, so you cannot use a calculator. When answering the questions, you must be able to uitilise the basic maths functions: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
NHS Healthcare Literacy Test
The literacy test is an examination of your English language skills. The questions focus on spelling, punctuation, and reading, as well as basic comprehension.
NHS Healthcare Assistant Interview
The second part of NHS healthcare assistant recruitment is the interview. Assessors are looking to get to know you and to determine how well you fit the role.
They are also interested in seeing how familiar you are with the position and what the job entails.
NHS Healthcare Assistant Interview Questions
✔ How can you save the NHS money in your role?
✔ What do you know about the role of a healthcare assistant?
✔ What are the values and objectives of this job?
✔ What can you do to maintain the dignity of your patients?
As the interview is the last stage before potentially receiving a job offer, being fully prepared is a must. Review the job description and do some advanced research to ensure you are ready.
Also check out our interview preparation service for help excelling on your interview.
NHS Healthcare - Sample Questions From Our PrepPack™
NHS Healthcare - Sample Question #1
Six slices of the cake below are about to be eaten. What fraction describes this amount?
* Write your answer as a simplified fraction.
The correct answer is: 3/5
As you can see, the cake is divided into 10 slices, so each slice is 1/10. Therefore, all the slices together are ten tenths. If six out of the ten slices are eaten, that means six tenths are eaten.
Thus, the fraction of cake eaten is: 6/10. Simplifying that fraction (both nominator and denominator) by 2, gives you: 3/5.
NHS Healthcare - Sample Question #2
Ronni put the fresh cupcakes she baked in the tray. Each cupcake's diameter is 2cm. How many cupcakes can Ronni fit in the tray?
* Write number only (no units, commas etc.)
The correct answer is: 70
The tray's sizes are: 14cm in length and 20cm width.
Each cupcake's diameter is 2cm, which means that in the tray's length Ronni can fit 14 ÷ 2 = 7 cupcakes
and in the tray's width Ronni can fit 20 ÷ 2 = 10 cupcakes.
Altogether, Ronni can fit 7 X 10 = 70 cupcakes in the tray.
Another way of solving the question is to first calculate the tray's area.
The tray is a rectangle, with a length of 14cm and a width of 20cm.
Since a rectangle's formula of area is: length x width, then the tray's area is: 14cm x 20cm = 280cm2
Since each cupcake's diameter is 2cm, that means 2cm in lengt and 2cm in width, and hence, 2 X 2 = 4cm2 in a rectangular surface area.
Therefore, the number of cupcakes that can fit in the tray is: 280 ÷ 4 = 70 cupcakes.
NHS Healthcare - Sample Question #3
Mr. Kaplan decided to give each of his grandchildren a few pounds in relation to their age:
Both his ten-year-old grandsons got £10 each. His three six-year-old granddaughters got £6 each and his four two-year-old grandchildren (boys and girls) got £2 each.
How much money, in total, did Mr. Kaplan give his grandchildren?
* Write number only (no units, commas etc.)
The correct answer is: 46
Mr. Kaplan's two ten-year-old grandsons received £10 each, or 2 x 10 = £20 both
Mr. Kaplan's three six-year-old granddaughters received £6 each, or 3 x 6 = £18 all three
Mr. Kaplan's four two-year-old grandchildren received £2 each, or 4 x 2 = £8 all four
Therefore, Mr. Kaplan's grandchildren received a total sum of: £20 + £18 + £8 = £46
* This can also be written in one long equation:
[(2 x 10) + (3 x 6) + (4 x 2)] = £46
Prepare for NHS Tests with JobTestPrep
JobTestPrep's practice resources will help you polish your maths abilities and review your English skills in preparation for the NHS numeracy and literacy tests.
Our PrepPack™ is specifically designed to help you prepare for these exams, as well as the interview, thus ensuring your fulfill your goal of becoming an NHS healthcare assistant.
The pack includes maths and English practice tests, study guides, video tutorials, and detailed answer explanations for every question.
Becoming a healthcare assistant with the NHS is a rewarding career choice for those up to the challenge. If you think you’ve got what it takes, improve your chances of getting hired by preparing with JobTestPrep today.