Probation Review: How to Prepare, Example Questions and What Happens Next

A probation review decides whether your job is confirmed. Here is how probation works in the UK, your rights and notice during it, how to prepare, example questions and self-review answers, and what to do if it is extended or you don't pass.

By Tony Musso on Wed Oct 21 2026

A probation review is the meeting near the end of your probation period where your manager decides whether to confirm you in the job. For most people it is a formality with a happy ending, but it goes much better if you prepare. This guide explains how probation works in the UK, what your rights are, how to get ready for the review, the questions you are likely to be asked, example self-review answers and what happens if your probation is extended or you don't pass.

What is a probation period?

A probation period is a trial period at the start of a new job, when you and your employer find out whether the role is working. It is set by your contract, not by law. There is no statutory length for probation in the UK, so your contract, offer letter or staff handbook should say how long it lasts, how it will be reviewed, whether it can be extended and what notice applies during it. Many employers use three or six months, but always check your own terms.

Your rights during probation

Being on probation does not mean you have no rights. From your first day you are entitled to, for example:

• at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage for your age
• paid holiday, which builds up from the start
• a written statement of your main terms of employment, on or before your first day
• protection from discrimination
• a safe place to work

Some contractual extras, such as enhanced sick pay or certain benefits, may only start once you pass probation. Your contract should say if so.

Notice during probation

Notice periods during probation are usually shorter than after it, and they are set by your contract. But there is a legal floor: once you have worked for your employer continuously for one month, the statutory minimum notice they must give you is one week. A contract can give you more notice than that, but not less.

Unfair dismissal

At the moment, most employees need two years' continuous service before they can bring an ordinary unfair dismissal claim. That qualifying period is due to fall to six months from 1 January 2027. Separately, some reasons for dismissal are automatically unfair whatever your length of service, such as dismissal because of pregnancy, whistleblowing or asking for a legal right like the minimum wage, and protection from discrimination applies from day one.

What happens at a probation review

Most employers hold a formal meeting with your line manager, sometimes with someone from HR, in the last few weeks of probation. Many also hold shorter check-ins along the way, often monthly.

The review usually looks at:

• Your work against the objectives you were set, or against the job description if none were set.
• Quality and accuracy of your work.
• Conduct, timekeeping and attendance.
• Working relationships with your team, other departments and customers.
• Training you have completed, including anything mandatory.
• What happens next: objectives for the coming months and any support you need.

There are normally three outcomes: you pass and your job is confirmed, your probation is extended, or your employment ends. Whatever the outcome, ask for it in writing.

How to prepare for your probation review

1. Read your contract and probation policy. Check the length, how the review works, whether probation can be extended and what notice applies.
2. Revisit your objectives. If you were never given any, ask your manager now what success looks like. If you wrote a 30 60 90 day plan when you started, go back to it and note what you have delivered.
3. Gather evidence. Keep a simple list of what you have achieved, with specifics: tasks you now handle on your own, problems you solved, positive feedback from colleagues or customers, training completed and any figures your role is measured on.
4. Be honest about what needs work. Reviews go better when you name your development areas before your manager does, along with what you are doing about them. A short personal development plan is an easy way to show this.
5. Deal with anything raised earlier. If a check-in flagged a concern, show what you have changed since.
6. Prepare your own questions, and think about the support you would like next.

Example probation review questions

Your manager may ask some of these, or send you a self-review form with similar questions beforehand:

1. How do you feel you have settled in?
2. What has gone well so far?
3. What have you found most challenging?
4. Which of your objectives have you met, and how?
5. Is there anything you have not been able to do yet, and why?
6. How are you getting on with the team and the people you work with?
7. What training have you completed, and what else would help you?
8. What would you do differently if you started again?
9. What do you want to achieve in the next six months?
10. Is there anything we could do to support you better?

Self-review examples

If you are asked to complete a self-review, keep each answer short and specific. Here are examples for common questions, from a customer service adviser three months in.

What has gone well? "I completed all my mandatory training in the first month and have been handling calls and emails on my own since week six. My quality scores have been above the team target for the last two months. In my second month I noticed that customers were often calling back about delivery dates, so I suggested a short line in our confirmation email. The team now uses it, and my manager says repeat calls on that topic have dropped."

What have you found challenging? "Complex billing queries still take me longer than the team average. I have been shadowing a senior adviser for an hour a week and keeping notes on the common cases, and my handling time is improving."

What do you want to achieve next? "I want to bring my handling time on billing queries in line with the team target, and in the longer term I'd like to train as a buddy for new starters."

What support would help? "More time with the billing team, and feedback on a few of my recorded calls each month."

The same pattern works in any job: what you have done, the evidence, what you are improving and how.

Questions to ask your manager

• "What would you like me to focus on over the next few months?"
• "Is there anything you'd like me to do differently?"
• "How will my performance be reviewed from here? Will I move onto the normal appraisal cycle?"
• "Are there training or development opportunities I can start working towards?"

If your contract says pay or benefits change after probation, check that this is happening. If you think you have earned a pay review, our pay rise letter and guide on how to ask for a pay rise can help you make the case.

If your probation is extended

An extension is not a failure. It usually means your employer wants more time to see improvement, and it gives you a clear chance to show it. Your contract or probation policy should say whether probation can be extended and for how long. If yours is extended, ask for:

• the specific reasons, in writing
• clear, measurable targets
• the support you will get, such as training, more supervision or regular check-ins
• the date of the next review

Then treat it as a short project. Agree a plan, track your progress weekly and ask for feedback before the final review rather than waiting for it.

If you don't pass probation

If your employer decides not to confirm you, they can usually end your employment with the notice set out in your contract, which must be at least the statutory minimum of one week once you have worked there for a month. Some employers pay you for the notice period instead of asking you to work it.

What to do:

• Ask for the reasons in writing, and keep notes of the meeting.
• Check whether there is an appeal. Many probation policies include one.
• Get advice if you think the reason is unlawful, for example discrimination, pregnancy, whistleblowing or because you asserted a legal right. Acas and Citizens Advice give free advice. Time limits for employment tribunal claims are short, and you normally have to contact Acas for early conciliation first.
• Raise concerns formally if you were treated unfairly during your employment. Our grievance letter template shows how to put it in writing.

Not passing probation happens to many people, and it is often about fit rather than ability. When you apply for your next job, keep the explanation brief and honest, and focus on what you learned and why the next role suits you better.

Once you have passed

Get your confirmation in writing, agree objectives for the next six to twelve months and keep the evidence habit going. It will make your first appraisal far easier.

Name your strengths before you write your self-review. Career Strengths identifies what you naturally do best and gives you the words to talk about it.

Take Career Strengths

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