Public Health ST1 2027: dates and timeline

Last updated 9 October 2026

Every date below comes from NHS England or Pearson VUE, linked at the bottom of the page. Anything not yet confirmed is marked as such.

Applications for the 2027 Public Health ST1 round open on Oriel at 10am on Thursday 22 October 2026 and close at 4pm on Thursday 19 November. Public health normally recruits once a year, with the round opening each autumn, so missing this window usually means waiting until autumn 2027. Shortlisted applicants then sit the assessment centre on 5 or 6 January 2027, which leaves about seven weeks between the closing date and the tests. One of those weeks is Christmas.

The 2027 timeline at a glance

Applications: 22 October to 19 November 2026

You apply through Oriel, the national recruitment portal. The deadline is 4pm, not midnight, so don't plan to submit in the evening. Check your eligibility against the 2027 Public Health ST1 person specification before you start, particularly if you're applying through the non-medical route, because the evidence you need differs from the medical route. For 2027, non-medical applicants no longer submit a 200-word relevance statement.

Booking the assessment centre

NHS England expects booking to open by Wednesday 16 December 2026. You book a slot through your Pearson VUE account, choosing a test centre and one of the two days. For the 2026 round, places were allocated first come, first served, alternative dates were not provided, and the last booking date was 2 January, so the whole booking window ran over Christmas.

Book on the day it opens. Popular centres fill up, and a long journey on the morning of a three-hour test is a handicap you don't need. If you cancel, do it at least 24 hours before your appointment, because Pearson VUE charges for no-shows and late cancellations. Candidates whose only adjustment is extra time or pause-the-clock can book their own slot online. For other adjustments, Pearson VUE books the slot for you.

The assessment centre: 5 and 6 January 2027

You sit three papers on a computer at a Pearson VUE test centre. Each paper is timed separately, with an on-screen countdown.

Question counts are from Pearson VUE's page for the 2026 round. Expect the same for 2027, but check once Pearson VUE updates it.

A few details catch people out. The RANRA starts straight after the Watson-Glaser, with no pause. Calculators, paper and other stationery aren't allowed (you get a wipeable board), so the numerical paper is mental arithmetic plus whatever you can scribble. If your break runs past five minutes, the extra comes off your SJT time. With 25% extra time the session runs to 232.5 minutes, and with 50% it is 285.

This isn't the MSRA. NHS England is explicit that sitting the MSRA doesn't count towards public health recruitment, and the papers are different.

What the dates mean for your preparation

From the day applications open to the first test day is about ten and a half weeks. If you wait until you've submitted your application to start revising, you're down to seven, and Christmas takes a good chunk of those.

The Watson-Glaser and RANRA reward familiarity more than anything. The question styles are odd the first time you meet them and much less odd the twentieth time, so short regular sessions beat a cram the week before. The SJT is the longest paper and carries public health context that general SJT practice won't give you, so leave the most time for it.

A sensible split: get your Oriel application in during the first two weeks of the window, then spend the rest of November on timed Watson-Glaser and RANRA practice. December is for the SJT and full mock sessions under the real timings, with the last few days before 5 January kept light.

We have a guide to each paper: Watson-Glaser, RANRA and the SJT, each with free practice questions.

After the assessment centre

Results come out in February 2027. The exact date isn't confirmed yet, but for the 2026 round Pearson VUE gave the week starting 9 February. Those who score well enough are invited to a virtual selection event in March, dates still to be confirmed. Initial offers go out by 5pm on Tuesday 6 April 2027 in merit order, so the highest-ranked candidates get first preference of post until all are filled. Training starts in August.

The number of posts changes each year: 95 in the 2025 round, 106 in 2024 and 124 in 2023, according to NHS England's competition ratio figures. The number for 2027 hasn't been published yet.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• NHS England Medical Hub: Public Health recruitment timelines
• NHS England Medical Hub: Public Health assessment centre
• NHS England Medical Hub: Public Health ST1 person specification 2027
• NHS England Medical Hub: Public Health competition ratios
• Pearson VUE: Public Health National Recruitment Office tests