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NHS pre-screening questions: how to answer them honestly

By the Health Job Scout team · 3 min read · Fact-checked 22 October 2026

Many NHS applications open with a handful of yes or no questions before you reach the main form. Do you hold an ALS certificate? Have you got NHS work experience? Have you passed a particular exam? They look quick. They aren't, because the answers can decide whether a person reads the rest, and whether you reach shortlisting against the essential criteria.

It's tempting to tick yes and sort it out later. Don't.

Read the exact wording of NHS screening questions

Small differences matter a lot.

• "NHS work experience" and "NHS experience" are not the same question. In our reading, the first suggests paid work in an NHS organisation, and the second is looser. A clinical attachment is observation, not employment, so it fits the looser wording at best. See clinical attachments and NHS experience for more. If the employer's meaning isn't clear, ask them.
• "ALS" and "ALS or equivalent" are different questions too. The second leaves room for another course, but the employer decides what counts.
• Exam questions mean passed. If the question asks whether you have passed a part of an exam, planning to sit it doesn't count. More in exam questions on applications. The same goes for results you are waiting for.

What if the honest answer is no?

An honest no might end this application. That is better than a yes that fails later. Many forms have a free-text box. Use it to explain what you do hold or what you've done instead. If there is no way to explain, write to the contact on the advert before you submit.

Honesty on NHS applications: the GMC and the Fraud Act 2006

Good medical practice (2024) says doctors must be honest and trustworthy in their professional written communication, make sensible checks that what they tell people is correct, and not hold back relevant facts on purpose. The GMC files honesty and integrity under trust and professionalism. Our post on why honesty matters on NHS applications goes into more depth. An application full of ticked boxes is information you are signing for.

The NHS Counter Fraud Authority lists claiming qualifications, skills or experience you don't have, to get a job, as NHS staff fraud, and people have been convicted of fraud by false representation for it. Employers are pointed to the NHS Employment Check Standards, and the cases the Authority has published involved false qualifications, false references and false identity documents.

A simple routine before you submit

• Read each question twice.
• Match your answer to a certificate, letter or document you could show today.
• If a word is unclear, ask the contact on the advert and keep the reply.
• Keep a copy of the answers you gave. It helps at interview and in pre-employment checks.

Careful answers also help you pick the right jobs. If you are filtered out of one, you'll know which gap to close for the next.

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