Public Health Specialist Assessment - Tests PrepPack (2025)
Last Updated: February 2025
If you are applying to become a Public Health Specialist, you know how important passing the public health assessment centre is to become a public health registrar. Taking three difficult Pearson VUE tests (RANRA, Watson-Glaser Test and Public Health Situational Judgement Test) is a major challenge, and we fully understand your apprehension.
We know that the entry requirements and time limits on each of the three tests are strict, and trying to prepare accurately for the recruitment and selection process can be confusing.
To quell your fears, we have developed a preparation pack mirroring real test conditions for a full practice before going to the Public Health Assessment Centre.
Our Public Health Assessment PrepPack includes:
- Accurate practice tests that cover every segment. This includes a full public health-oriented SJT and a precise simulation test for the whole exam.
- In-depth step-by-step explanations to understand and master every problem.
- Dedicated study guides that give you full comprehension of every subject.
Public Health Specialist Tests
- Full Public Health Specialist Test Simulation:
- 2 Full-Length Public Health SJT Tests
- Expert Public Health Study Guide
- 3 RANRA-Style Practice Tests
- 2 Watson Glaser Tests
- 300+ Questions & Drills
- Video Tutorials & Study Guides
- Real-Time Score Analysis
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About the Public Health Specialist Recruitment and Selection Process
The faculty for 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, receiving a place on the programme, you must provide a high-quality Public Health application at each stage of the process.
There are Public Health training programmes available across the country and two main routes in—clinical routes for medical professionals and an alternative route for Public Health professionals. The two courses are the same once you are in the programme.
The Public Health Registrar (ST1) hiring process consists of several stages:
- Online application
- Assessment tests
- Selection centre:
- NHS interview
- NHS written test
- NHS group exercise
Applications for the programme open in November. The NHS form asks for your qualifications, experience, and evidence of how you fit the criteria in the person specification for the programme. You should be familiar with relevant concepts and issues in health protection and the policy arena.
Questions on the application may include:
- How do your skills and attributes demonstrate you as a suitable candidate for a higher career in this field?
- What efforts have you made recently to further your knowledge of this specialty? What have you learned from this and how do you feel it has developed your suitability for this particular specialty?
- Give an example of a time you found it difficult to understand the concerns of a patient or caregiver. What impact did this have and what feedback did you receive as a result?
- Describe a time when you needed to communicate with people who had differing levels of understanding about the situation. What strategies did you use to adapt and how did you know your approach was successful or not?
- Describe a recent experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team where a challenging clinical situation was apparent. What approach did you take in this situation and how did your behaviour enable the team to overcome the situation?
If your application form meets the necessary requirements, you (alongside other successful applicants) will be invited to sit three tests at a Pearson VUE assessment centre as part of your selection process.
Assessment centres are available across the UK and in five European cities. The tests conducted at a Public Health assessment centre are aimed at measuring your numerical reasoning, critical thinking, and situational judgement abilities.
Below are the three NHS tests you may need to take:
Public Health Specialists Online Prep
Our Public Health Specialist Preparation Pack includes everything you need to succeed in all three tests:
Comprehensive Practice Tests
Realistic simulations of the RANRA, Watson-Glaser, and SJT exams.
Expert Study Guides
Step-by-step instructions and strategies to master every question type.
Video Tutorials
Learn tips and techniques from test-prep experts.
Available for only £49, you can ensure the high score you deserve and unlock your potential.
Situational Judgement Test
The NHS SJT was designed especially for Public Health Specialty Training, to assess candidates to determine whether they possess the required personal and professional skills. This test is mainly focused on the non-academic, personal and professional competencies needed in Public Health practice.
The SJT measures your judgement in response to situations that you may come across in the workplace. You are given a set of hypothetical scenarios and asked to make judgements against possible responses. The SJT contains a total of 50 questions that must be answered in 100 minutes.
There are two parts to the test:
You have been assigned to work on a new project with a big client expecting you to counsel him on restructuring his business, given some new changes in tax regulations. To do so, the client expects you to gather information from a dozen locations across the United States. You are part of a central control team based in New York State and are in charge of supervising the quality of data collected by the assembly team and analyzing the data. You find that some of the team members are struggling to collect all the data and are complaining that they don't understand why you are asking them to collect some of it. You are confident that all the data must be collected to produce a high-quality report.
What would you do in this situation?
Please rank the responses below on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being what you are most likely to do and 5 being what you are least likely to do. Each ranking can only be used once.
Response #1: Contact their managers and ask them to speak with the problematic team members for you to get all the information you need.
Response #2: Agree with the complaints, as the assembly team members are on site and probably have gained more understanding on what is important to the project and what is of less relevance.
Response #3: Organize a web conference with all the members of the assembly team and clarify the importance of the data you are asking them to collect and why you are asking them to do so.
Response #4: Work with the information you have. Most team members have sent you all the data, so you can produce a good report, even with the missing data.
Response #5: Send an email to all the team members, emphasizing and explaining the importance of the task and the relevance of the data
Primary competencies: Team Building; Resilience/determination; Persuasion, motivation and negotiation skills
Secondary competencies: Effective communication; Independence
The correct ranking is:
#1 - 3
#2 - 5
#3 - 1
#4 - 4
#5 - 2
Explanation: You are in charge of supervising the quality of data collected, and for this reason, you are expected to portray leadership skills. You are specifically expected to take action that will result in a cooperative and highly functioning team to retrieve the information needed to produce a high-quality report.
Let's consider each response separately:
Response #1: This response demonstrates determination, as you take measures that will enable you to obtain all the information needed to produce a high- quality report. Although turning to their managers for help is not necessarily a negative response choice, it indicates a lack of independence and an inability to persuade and motivate the team
Response #2: This response exhibits poor leadership skills as you doubt yourself and accept the team's complaints. If you are confident in the necessity of this data (as stated in the passage) then you should be able to convey the importance of the data to the rest of the team and persuade them to cooperate. This is a negative response choice.
Response #3: This is a positive response choice. Notice that the team isn’t complaining about the irrelevancy of the information. They are 'complaining that they don't understand' why they must collect this data. By explaining to them why this data is so important, you are targeting the problem. You portray good leadership skills—you take an active stance, you target the problem, and you use your persuasion and motivation skills to influence the team.
Response #4: This is a passive response. You compromise the quality of the report over dealing with the problematic team members. This is a negative response choice
Response #5: This is a positive response, as you emphasize the importance of collecting the data and its relevance. This action will most likely result in a cooperative and highly functioning team.
The two positive responses are three and five, as both exhibit good team building, determination and persuasion, motivation and negotiation skills. In both responses, you act independently to achieve the desired results. Response three is slightly better due to the means of communication utilized, as a web conference with all the members is likely to be more engaging than an email and is likely to guarantee that all the employees received the information.
The two negative response choices are two and four, as both fail to reflect leadership skills. However, response two is slightly worse than response four, as it portrays you as a weak leader who goes against his judgement, while response four portrays you as an avoidant leader.
Response one is ranked lower than three and five, as it lacks independence and negotiation skills. It is, however, ranked higher than two and four, as it exhibits determination to retrieve the necessary data to produce a high-quality report.
The Public Health Selection Centre
The NHS assessment centre is a half-day session consisting of several exercises. These exercises test you against all the requirements listed in the person specification. This selection centre is held in Loughborough for all candidates.
There are three main exercises held at this assessment centre:
- Interview
- Written test
- Group exercise
The NHS advises that you be aware of the following at the start of your application. These may also be useful for the selection centre:
- What are your top six skills?
- What are your work values?
- What type of work do you prefer?
- What sort of environment do you want to work in?
- What is your career plan now and for the next five years?
FAQs
The Public Health Specialist Test is a series of assessments used in the UK to evaluate candidates for public health specialty training. It includes three challenging tests: RANRA (Rust Advanced Numerical Reasoning Appraisal), the Watson-Glaser Test (for critical thinking), and the Public Health Situational Judgement Test (SJT). These tests are vital for gaining entry into the Public Health Specialty Training Programme.
This guide is for anyone applying to become a Public Health Specialist, including individuals from medical and non-medical backgrounds. It is also suitable for healthcare professionals such as doctors, dentists (interested in dental public health), and those pursuing a non-medical route into public health practice.
Our preparation pack provides accurate practice tests that simulate the actual exam conditions. We include detailed explanations for every answer, helping you understand complex public health issues and the skills necessary to pass the assessments. The pack covers all major segments, including health protection, health improvement, and public health practice, preparing you thoroughly for the recruitment and selection process.
Passing the Public Health Specialist Test is crucial for entry into public health specialty training, which leads to becoming a public health registrar. Success in these tests is often a key requirement for registration with the UK Public Health Register (UKPHR) and pursuing a career in delivering health policies, managing staff, and addressing health challenges in communities.
Yes, our guide is designed for both medical degree holders and non-medical applicants. It addresses the diverse knowledge needed for public health specialists, ensuring all applicants have the tools they need to succeed, regardless of their background.
Our comprehensive preparation pack is designed to help you succeed. If you're not satisfied, we offer a money-back guarantee.
