Our shortlisting procedure

Shortlisting test window

Applications arrive by: 31st January 2025

Testing window opens: 10th February 2025, 10:00AM

Testing window closes: 24th February 2025, 23:59PM

Student at computer

How do we shortlist?

All candidates with Graduate Basis for Chartered Membership and the minimum English language and residency requirements will be invited to take part in our screening procedure.

As a programme, we strive for fairness and recognise that inequities in society can confer an advantage in selection processes to some people and cause disadvantages to others. In response, Lancaster is one of a number of programmes that uses an online ability test to uncouple educational history and potential for training. If you have applied to one or more of the other programmes that utilise this approach, you will only be asked to do the test once. Your results will then be shared with the programmes you have applied to. If you have a disability which requires reasonable adjustments to our process, please contact us as soon as possible following the application so we can put this in place.

Identifying potential

Our selection process values potential for training rather than knowledge and skills from prior work experiences, such as voluntary positions, that may not be available to everyone.

We look for evidence of resilience, warmth, empathy, problem-solving, and other key competencies with the specific knowledge and skills developed during training.

Training is academically and professionally demanding following a selection process refined to inclusively identify people who can embrace the challenge of training and meet their potential as future clinical psychologists.

Practising the shortlisting test

Practising the tests beforehand can help ensure that all applicants, regardless of background, can demonstrate their ability.

Please visit the SHL website to complete their practice tests - you only need to do the Deductive reasoning test (Mobile-Enabled, Interactive) for the Lancaster programme. SHL practice tests are only examples of the type of questions you will be given and do not indicate the difficulty level of your actual test. A wide variety of practice tests from other sources are available online, many of which are free of charge.

Important: You can complete a full online test by registering to do a practice but you can only complete this once. However, you can register under a new email address to do this again as often as you wish. Practice questions are also provided in the live test for you to familiarise yourself with the style of questions and how to interact with the test. It is very important you take the opportunity to do these practice questions before trying to complete the test itself.

This is not a maths or English test - it looks at how you reason. Use the practice questions to help you to understand the way in which the questions work. You can use tools such as writing notes or using a calculator during the tests if they help you but you may not need to. Everyone offered a place will have to resit the tests in person to verify their results.

Visit the SHL Test website

This is adaptive testing so the questions get harder if you keep getting them correct!

As a result, all candidates find the test extremely challenging regardless of how well they do and all candidates are likely to get questions wrong. Although our approach encourages applicants with a wide range of abilities, our standards for entry remain very high and require applicants to demonstrate doctoral-level standards.

How the shortlisting works

Candidates will be invited via an email from SHL to take the online test at a time and place convenient to them. Candidates must complete the test during the screening window noted above using the invitation link. Candidates who do not receive an email on the day the window opens should contact the programme urgently to resolve the issue.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to reschedule the screening test due to any individual circumstances. However, we provide a large window which is sufficient to allow for flexibility in when candidates choose to complete the test. Please note that we cannot provide technical support outside of office hours. Candidates should leave sufficient time to allow them to deal with any difficulties that may arise.

The test will take approximately 30 minutes to complete (including time to read instructions etc). There is a standard time limit of 18 minutes for the deductive test which has 12 items.

The statistical model for the testing system is available online in the technical manual - please do not ask us to supply this to you as we cannot do so. The model uses a combination of work rate (number of questions answered), hit rate (number answered correctly), and question level (altered dynamically for each question based on your performance on the previous questions so far) which is combined with a comparison group at a particular ability level to produce a population percentile for your performance. Concepts such as punitive marking are not relevant to the statistical modelling which is used in this form of dynamic ability testing.

The test is intended to put significant time pressure on candidates and everyone will find it hard to finish in the time provided. Not completing all questions within the time limit or getting questions wrong is not indicative of a poor performance. This is just an aspect of the testing process which is intended to identify the limit of a candidates ability in an particular area.

We will invite candidates with the top scores to our interview events later in the year. If you are an applicant with a disability, please contact the programme as soon as possible stating the nature of your disability, how this may impact your participation in the screening and selection day, and any specific support you may feel you need. Please supply any educational psychologists report or disability-related documentation that may be appropriate. You can email us via dclinpsyadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk or phone us for an informal chat on: 01524 592691.

The programme monitors the professional behaviour of all applicants throughout the application process and uses this information in making shortlisting decisions when required.

Candidates who attend our interview events following the screening are required to take the tests again under supervision in order to verify their performance. Candidates who cannot successfully verify their screening scores may be withdrawn at this point.

Using the test system

Tab Content: Log in to SHL

The email you receive from SHL is a generic email which all candidates receive although the link in it is unique. It contains expected times required to complete tests. These are not your individual test time limits. Click on the link in the email to get to the SHL login page.

When you first use the link from the invitation email you may need to register to use the system. If you have used SHL to complete tests previously you may already have an account. You can reset your password if required in order to login if this is the case. Just follow the instructions on the appropriate tab.

SHL sign in screenshot

Tab Content: Starting a test

When you are logged in and have agreed to any terms and conditions, you will see the following screen. You can click on the blue Start buttons to begin any test when you are ready. You can do them in any order you prefer. You are also given the opportunity to complete practise questions after clicking on a start button. Don't worry about clicking on the start button - it doesn't mean you have to complete the live test by doing so. See the practise questions tab for more information.

SHL start test screenshot‌

You should have a pen and paper on hand when doing the tests. You can use any pointing device such as a touchpad - you don't specifically need a mouse.

The expected time shown on this screen is set by SHL and does not vary regardless of any extra time you have been awarded due to a disability. The actual assessment time you have been allocated appears on the page - the time limit shown will already have been increased from the standard timings described above if you have declared a disability.

Tab Content: Accessibility

If you have a disability which will affect your performance on the screening test, you should contact us as soon as possible before the screening window. Extra time is available (usually 20%) for candidates who require additional support although we will look at individual circumstances to ensure that no applicant is unfairly disadvantaged. If you have a report from an educational psychologist with a recommendation for reasonable adjustments, please supply this.

The test system provides a function to change the colours of the display and supports zooming using the standard browser controls (use CTRL + / -).

Screenshot of the accessibility options page in the SHL system

Tab Content: Practise questions

If you click on the start button for a test, you will be able to access practise questions. This does not oblige you to complete the live test at this time. Read through the instruction pages and you will be given the option to go back to the previous page, start the practise questions or start the live assessment.

Start practise questions screenshot

To exit the practise questions without completing them, click on the exit button in the top right. You will be able to come back and do them again when you are ready and leaving at this point will not affect your live assessment.

Exit practise test screenshot

About the deductive test

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Our policy on technical issues during screening

A generous window is provided in which to complete the test so that technical issues can be identified and resolved without causing undue anxiety and stress. We expect candidates to complete the test as soon as they are able. While we make every effort to resolve issues, delay may mean candidates are not able to complete the screening. If in our opinion, a significant issue caused by ourselves or our testing partner has impacted on a candidate then we reserve the right to review the status of the application. However, we will not routinely extend any deadline due to technical issues.

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