Why the wait varies
Santander says responses are reviewed within seven days on its general UK application-process page.
Timings for a specific vacancy may differ, so use any date in your application messages.
What to do while you wait
You can prepare examples for the next stage while waiting for a response.
- Write out three examples per published value you can talk to.
- Keep practising the sections you scored lowest on.
- Check your spam folder weekly — assessment platform emails are frequently filtered.
What affects your wait
Two things drive the timeline: whether the role is recruiting on a rolling basis or against a fixed window, and how many stages sit between you and a decision. Rolling roles tend to move faster but close without warning once the intake is filled; windowed roles move in batches and reply after the window shuts.
Because of that, the same assessment can produce a reply in days for one candidate and weeks for another in the same year. We deliberately do not quote an average here — the figures worth having are the ones in the invitation email and on the vacancy page you applied through.
Automated progression emails can also land in spam or promotions folders. If you have applied, whitelist the recruitment sender and check those folders before assuming a rejection.
How to follow up well
Wait until any date you were given has passed, then send one short message with your name, the role and location, your application reference and the stage you are waiting on. One clear follow-up is professional; repeated chasing is not, and it will not move you up a batch.
If you are holding another offer with a deadline, say so plainly and give the date. Recruiters can sometimes prioritise a review when there is a real constraint, but only if they know about it.
Keep applying elsewhere while you wait. Treating one application as a stopping point is the most common way candidates lose a cycle they could have won.