Applying for Scientist Trainee Programme 2020

Applications are open now!! Excited and nervous!

Does anyone know how the application is assessed... is the invite to interview mostly based on your responses to the questions and obviously meeting the requirements of the tests?

I understand they interview in the ratio of 1:3 but wanted to know if the employment history and volunteering have any impact or if it is looked at. I ask this because squeezing a lot of experiences is extremely difficult in 250 words.

It is totally based on your written application. Passing the parametric tests is simply a way for the application number to be reduced by a third, so if you are in the bottom third of performers then nobody will read your application. If you're in the top third then it will be read by someone relevant in the field you've applied to, and i believe it is marked out of 60 (however i do not know the exact marking scheme). Then the top performers are invited to interview (3 people for every 1 post) and if you're just below this threshold then you are put on the interview reserve list, in which case you need to be prepared that you may get a last minute invite to interview if someone pulls out of theirs.

I am currently filling the application but nowhere do I see a section where we specify the specialty we want to choose (ie genomics, microbiology or medical physics). Or do we chose the specialty only after having submitted the application and survived the selection tests?

Hey,
how is everyone practising for the aptitude tests? I am finding the ones on trytalentq.com really hard, mostly due to the time restrictions. Is the real test going to be in the same format and difficulty level? And does anyone know of any other websites to practise?

Also, shout out to any current clinical pharmacology trainees - I have a lot of questions on what the training is going to be like, give me a shout if you can answer a couple of questions!!

Thanks xx

There should be a preferences section/tab on the oriel application, was on mine

Thanks very much, you’re right indeed. If you don’t mind me a last question, I noticed there is also a page “evidence of selection criteria” but there doesn’t seem to be anything there. I see a message “please leave this page blank”. Do you see the same? We can just submit without putting anything in that section?

Are the aptitude tests used for application scoring or is it just pass/fail?

It's scoring, you need to score in the top 2/3 for your application to be even considered