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In order to appear on Robot Wars, all unseeded prospective competitors had to go through a screening process known as the the qualifiers. In the qualifiers, roboteers demonstrated their robots to the Robot Wars staff. The staff would choose their favourite robots from all the ones they saw, and those that they liked would be granted admission to Robot Wars.

The qualifiers were not done the same way in every series. In the earlier series, the qualifiers would test robots on control, since their first task if they qualified would be to run the gauntlet. After the gauntlet and trial were abolished, the focus of the qualifiers was shifted towards battling.

Battle were held in a different arena than the one seen on television. This arena was small and compact, making it easier to transport, and did not feature hazards like the pit, floor flipper, or the house robots. Because there was no adequate separation zone between the arena and spectators, it was not safe to flip robots over the barrier, and several roboteers were specifically told not to do so.

Series 4
In the Series 4 qualifiers, robots battled each other one-on-one. In most cases, the winner received admission into the Fourth Wars, however some, like an erly incarnation of Dantomkia were turned down in spite of winning.

Series 5
In Series 5, the qualifiers done as a live show in front of an audience to promote the upcoming season of Robot Wars. The well-known host Craig Charles served as MC, and house robots were used during qualifier battles. Some seeded robots participated in qualifier battles, although they qualified regardless of the outcome. Conversely, unseeded robots were not guaranteed qualification even if they won their battles.

Most battles were one-on-one, but there was the occasional "rumble" in which up to six robots, including the house robots, battled in a free-for-all melee.