1Course record · London
King's College London
Does King's College London test before interview? No. It says it uses no short-listing test.
Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience
The record
Before you apply
What you must meet to apply, in the course’s own words.
Right to work and fee status
All applicants applying for NHS-funded places on this Programme must also have:
Home Fee Status. Please note that in order to qualify for ‘home fees’ status, applicants usually must have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands for the full three year period before the first day of the first academic year of the course (1 October 2026).
The right to work without restriction for the duration of the three-year training programme (until 30 September 2029) – applicants with visa restrictions (e.g. student visas) will not normally be eligible.
Applications made via Clearing House for NHS-funded places by those with international fees status will not be accepted.
Source: Clearing House entry requirements, updated ; checked .
Our note: KCL’s entry tab, updated 7 September 2026, gives the dates of the course starting in 2026: residence for three years before 1 October 2026, and the right to work until 30 September 2029. It does not give the dates for 2027 entry.
GBC when you apply
We are unable to consider:
Applicants still completing their undergraduate or conversion degrees
Applicants without GBC status
Source: Clearing House entry requirements, updated ; checked .
DegreeOur summary: A lower second (2:2): Not considered.
We are unable to consider:
Applicants with a 2.2 or lower grade at undergraduate level
All applicants must have:
2:1 or 1st class level degree in Psychology, recognised by the BPS for GBC.
or have a recognised "conversion" degree, with a 2:1 or 1st class level in both your undergraduate degree and your conversion degree.
Source: Clearing House entry requirements, updated ; checked .
ExperienceOur summary: 12 months minimum.
We are unable to consider:
Applicants without the equivalent of at least twelve months’ full time equivalent (FTE) relevant experience in a clinical or clinically relevant research capacity at the time of their application
Candidates must have spent a minimum of 6 months in one of their roles.
Source: Clearing House entry requirements, updated ; checked .
Research
Applicants must have experience of conducting and disseminating research following their undergraduate degree, alongside a sound understanding of basic research methods.
Source: Clearing House entry requirements, updated ; checked .
English language
We are unable to consider:
Applicants who do not meet the King’s College London Postgraduate English language requirements at Band B.
Source: Clearing House entry requirements, updated ; checked .
Earlier NHS-funded training
We are unable to consider:
Applicants who have started training on an NHS-funded training programme after the 1 April 2022 until 2 years after the award for the training is recommended by a qualifying examination board. Please note that the rule applies to any individual who starts and subsequently completes, withdraws or fails to complete the qualifying requirements of a training programme.
Source: Clearing House entry requirements, updated ; checked .
Suitability statements
At the very least, the clinical experience referee must be a mental health professional who has supervised a candidate's work in a clinical or research environment.
The following Suitability Statements/References will not be considered as appropriate and will lead to an unsuccessful application if provided:
Suitability Statements/References written by family members
Suitability Statements/References by people who have not supervised you in a clinical or academic environment
Suitability Statements/References written by parents or carers of clients
Suitability Statements/References not provided in the Clearing House format (Please note: A number of healthcare organisations have a policy of providing standardised references for all employees and will not provide personal references; please check if this is their policy before you apply).
Source: Clearing House entry requirements, updated ; checked .
Other
We are unable to consider:
Applicants who do not complete the application section "Please list any publications/dissemination resulting from your work" - they will be screened out during shortlisting
Source: Clearing House entry requirements, updated ; checked .
Not mentioned on these pages: driving licence, getting to placements and other study.
Pages read: Clearing House entry requirements, updated ; Clearing House selection procedure, updated ; King's College London course page; all checked .
Before interview
No test
The course says: “There are no assessment tests or formal presentations.” Candidates are ranked on application scores alone, with roughly three interviewed per place.
Source: Clearing House, checked .
At interview
A panel interview.
When“one face-to-face interview between 18th-20th May 2027”
Source: Clearing House, updated ; checked .
One face-to-face interview of approximately 30 to 40 minutes with a panel of three from the Programme Selection Sub-Committee, each panel including an Expert by Experience. Interviews are scheduled for 18 to 20 May 2027 and are in person only.
Source: Clearing House, checked .
What your form is rated on
In the past, the process has had the following steps:
- Screen out applicants who do not meet minimum entry criteria (GBC, Home Fees Status, Right to work in UK, Incomplete Application/Missing References, English Language Requirements, minimum undergraduate degree grade of 2:1).
- Rank all remaining candidates based on academic achievement.
The rest of the passage
- Exclude candidates who do not have at least twelve months full time equivalent (FTE) relevant experience in a clinical or clinically relevant research capacity.
- Exclude candidates who do not have research experience.
- Remove from application pack the pages with name and details regarding which grades they obtained and distribute anonymised applications to clinical psychologists who score the applications using a standardised template to reduce individual biases.
- Each application is scored blindly by two members of the panel.
- Candidates are ranked based on scores achieved in step 2 and step 6, with the top candidates for each panel offered an interview, with a further 10 candidates per panel placed on the reserve list for interview. We interview approximately 3 candidates for each available place.
Source: Clearing House, checked .
Dates for 2027 entry
- Applications close
- 18 November 2026, 1:00 pm
- Interviews
- “one face-to-face interview between 18th-20th May 2027”
Sources: Clearing House, checked ; Clearing House, checked .
Prepare for this course
- Practise interview questionsUses a panel interview. On lived experience and co-production, its record mentions “each panel including an Expert by Experience”.
Our own questions, on the themes courses name.
- Practise situational judgementThis course has not named filmed scenarios or values-based questions at interview, which the SJT practice rehearses.
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If you have applied here
What King's College London says about feedback
Please note that due to the high numbers of applicants, the Programme does not give individual feedback to applicants who are not interviewed, however more detailed written individualised feedback will be provided to all unsuccessful candidates to improve applicants’ understanding of some of the factors influencing their unsuccessful application. Feedback is offered to all candidates who are interviewed by telephone.
Source: Clearing House, selection procedure, updated ; checked .
Applying again: feedback from each course
This site is not affiliated with King's College London.
Sources
- clearing-house.org.uk: selection procedureUpdated 21 September 2026; checked 24 September 2026.
- clearing-house.org.uk: which courses use a short-listing testUpdated 7 September 2026; checked 16 October 2026.