Q: Why don’t we have a 100% success rate?

The main reason is that we can’t control the quality of the other nominations being judged alongside yours.

 
If, for example, there are several eminent surgeons being considered for a particular round, and you happen to be an eminent surgeon also being considered at the same time, you may not make the cut. Unfortunately, we can’t control the competition.
 
Having said that, the Cabinet Office will often carry over a strong nomination to the next list if they think it may well make the grade next time around.

We are aiming for a 3 in 4 success rate over the next 12 months (75%) and eventually 95%. Nobody’s perfect after all!