Understanding the Situational Judgement Test in the UCAT: Your Complete Guide
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Written By Team MedView
Reviewed By Thomas Nicolson (Currently studying Doctor of Medicine - MD at the University of Queensland)
Situational Judgement Tests are an essential part of succeeding in a professional medical setting, and demonstrate your capacity to make suitable choices based on real-world circumstances.
This guide provides invaluable information about mastering this UCAT assessment with conviction so you can stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons.
We’ll cover the structure and objectives, the importance in medical fields and how best to prepare for the SJT — as well as any potential challenges that may arise during tests, plus tips on analysing results afterwards. With this knowledge, it will be easier than ever before to thrive when taking SJTs!
Key takeaways
- Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) measure a candidate’s professional aptitude and judgement to identify suitability for a role.
- Preparation for SJT success involves understanding the test format, practising sample questions, developing relevant skills such as decision-making and communication, managing time effectively and avoiding personal bias when handling ethical dilemmas.
- Recommended resources include books on SJTs with practice questions, online platforms providing free tests and solutions plus access to practice tests.
Understanding Situational Judgement Tests
Situational Judgement Tests play a pivotal role in the evaluation of various job roles, specifically medical and dental positions.
Situational Judgement Tests measure one’s non-academic capabilities and behaviours by assessing their ability to make decisions based on real world scenarios. By evaluating an applicant’s judgement skills, employers are able to gain understanding about their professional expertise as well as potential for success in that specific field or role. This is why the SJT is used as part of the UCAT.
So what is considered a good score when it comes to SJTs? How should you prepare beforehand? And how exactly does this test work structurally speaking? Let's dive in!
What are Situational Judgement Tests?
Situational tests, also known as SJTs (Situational Judgement Tests), are designed to measure your non-academic abilities and behaviours such as decision making, communication ability and teamwork. Typically, an exam of this nature will provide you with multiple workplace situations along with a range of possible responses or actions for each one.
You then must assess the suitability of every option given by ordering them from most appropriate down to least suitable — showing understanding into what qualities employers value highly, alongside being able to make wise judgements under trying circumstances.
Results gathered from these exams offer invaluable knowledge regarding an individual's skills of professionalism, integrity through compassion and patient-centred care as well as their safety commitment.
Exploring the Situational Judgement Test in the UCAT
The SJT is the final of 5 sections in the UCAT — the exam structure is as follows:
- Verbal Reasoning
- Decision Making
- Quantitive Reasoning
- Abstract Reasoning
- Situational Judgement
The UCAT SJT is designed to measure your capacity to understand real world situations and identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them.
The questions in the UCAT SJT don't require medical or procedural knowledge. Instead, it aims to assess core competencies like integrity, perspective taking, team involvement, resilience and adaptability.
UCAT Situational Judgement questions
Within the UCAT, you are presented with a set of hypothetical scenarios that are based in a clinical setting or take place during educational training for a medical career. Some scenarios can have up to 6 questions associated with it and may ask you to rate the importance or the appropriateness of a series of statements in response to each scenario.
You'll be given 4 options but you can only select 1 response. Other Situational Judgement questions might ask you to choose the least and most appropriate action to take in response to the scenario.
UCAT SJT scoring
The Situational Judgement Test includes 69 questions and a 26-minute test time as well as 1-minute worth of instruction reading time. Full marks are awarded for a question if your response matches the correct answer. Partial marks are awarded if your response is close to the correct answer and there is no negative marking for wrong answers.
Each section of the UCAT, including the SJT, is scored on a scale of 300 to 900, although the total cognitive section score is derived from the sum of your individual scaled scores from the first 4 sections, ranging from 1200 to 3600.
Not only is the SJT not included in the final score but many universities don't tend to take SJT scores into consideration within the admissions process, instead preferring to test this skill in the university interview process.
Despite this, the SJT is still a necessary part of the UCAT.
What is considered a good score in the Situational Judgement Test?
While the SJT doesn't form part of your UCAT score and is scored separately, you still want to do your best in this test. In the past, the SJT was separated into 4 quartiles, called bands, with a top 25% score in 2022 around 630-640.
To be in line with the other subtests, you want to be aiming for slightly better than the top 10%. As a result, you want to aim for a score of 670 and above.
Preparing for Situational Judgement Tests: Strategies and tips
To be successful on SJTs, adequate preparation is required. This includes getting to know the structure of the test and training with sample problems so that you can tackle it confidently.
Remember: repeated practice equates to improved results in exams like these — being acquainted with question styles or scenarios beforehand increases your chances of acing them once they arise during testing!
Understanding the test format
Having an understanding of the format and types of questions asked in the SJT is key to properly preparing. Usually, you’ll come across a scenario set within a workplace environment followed by some potential actions or reactions that could be taken — it’s your job to judge how suitable each answer is.
The good news is there are only so many possible scenarios that can exist in the SJT — especially for medical-based scenarios. This means there is a lot of overlap in questions and passages, which allows you to learn how the section if marked.
A common part of the SJT that people struggle with is choosing between 2 answers — usually between A and B or C and D. The best way to differentiate these is to have a good repertoire of questions you have completed in the past, and use critical thinking to determine some similarities between questions to ultimately find an answer.
Practicing with sample questions
As we mentioned above, it's important to have exposure to a number of SJT questions in your UCAT preparation and practice tests and questions are the best way to do this.
Being exposed to varied scenarios and possible solutions allows you to become more efficient at selecting the most suitable responses and grasping the principles that are being assessed.
This is why we created MedView Spark — our learning platform has over 4,500 practice questions as well as practice exams you can work through to become exam-ready.
Alongside practice questions and exams, we create a personalised study plan for you and include progress tracking, which are both developed by current med students. Plus, our interface is designed to mimic the UCAT experience, right down to the keyboard shortcuts and calculator, so there are no surprises and it'll help you feel comfortable for the real deal.
This is sure to help you succeed!
Change your mindset
Another strategy is to change your mindset for questions. Try not to think about yourself but rather think about the person marking those questions.
Think about how a university professor or teacher would think about patient confidentiality, bullying, academic misconduct or alcoholism in the workplace compared to yourself — there may be some differences. And remember to make sure you avoid your own personal biases when answering questions like this.
Common challenges and pitfalls in the Situational Judgement Test
Having an understanding of the potential difficulties and problems associated with SJTs will help equip you for success. Let's look at some of the common pitfalls and how to avoid them.
Missing relevant nuances
One common pitfalls involves students seeing similar questions to those they have previously completed and not identifying any relevant nuances that may separate them.
For example, in a medical question, the role of a senior doctor versus a medical student differ significantly, which may completely change the answer of an otherwise identical scenario.
Similarly, the setting may completely change the outcome of a question. The same question undertaken in a hospital versus a university classroom may also change the answer, as would whether the situation is in someone’s personal versus professional lives.
Time management
Efficiently completing the UCAT SJT requires the practice of good time management. Given you have to answer 69 questions within 26 minutes, this leaves you with just 22 seconds per question.
A common pitfall is spending too long on a single problem, so try to remain strict on how much time you devote to each question.
Dedicating quality time to practice Situational Judgement tests and taking mock exams under timed conditions can help you sharpen your time management skills and become more adept at working quickly. Jump on to the MedView Spark platform and get practising!
Avoiding personal bias
It is vital to remain impartial and not let personal opinions, knowledge or experiences interfere with your answers in the SJT. Instead, focus on picking the most fitting answer that follows agreed-upon standards of professionalism while avoiding an illogical option.
Use the skills you have developed in practising for Verbal Reasoning, which is only retrieving information from the passage in front of you. If you find yourself significantly drawing from personal experience or a similar situation that you have been in, consider what your bias here might be, and use that to formulate an answer.
If you'd like more guidance on preparing for the UCAT, this is what MedView does best. We understand that the process of the UCAT as well as applying to medical schools is not only complex and confusing but it’s more competitive than ever before!
Handling ethical dilemmas
When faced with ethical dilemmas, responding appropriately is key to succeeding in the SJT. As such, it’s important to think about the values and principles that shape professional behaviour, like patient autonomy and confidentiality.
By taking these into account when answering the questions provided, you can make wise decisions while displaying your capacity to manage ethically demanding situations in a workplace setting.
This involves reflecting on relevant moral concepts before offering an appropriate response regarding the quandaries at hand — no one definitive answer may always be available but determining what’s best should still result from thoughtful reflection and sound judgement all around.
Stay ahead in UCAT prep! Get the latest updates, key dates, and insider tips—delivered monthly to your inbox. Sign up for ON THE PULSE with MedView, our monthly newsletter, and your UCAT digest!
Frequently asked questions
What is the Situational Judgement approach?
Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) involve providing applicants with a work-related scenario which they must identify how to handle and answer in relation to the job for which they are applying. Their level of ability will be tested as the SJT requires knowledge about said role.
In the UCAT, the SJT measures your capacity to understand real world situations and to identify critical factors and appropriate behaviour in dealing with them.
How is the UCAT Situational Judgement Test scored?
Like the 4 previous sections of the UCAT, the SJT is scored on a scale of 300 to 900. But, it's important to note that the total cognitive score is derived from the sum of your individual scaled scores from the first 4 sections, ranging from 1200 to 3600.
This means that the Situational Judgement Test is scored separately.
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The UCAT
The UCAT, or the University Clinical Aptitude Test is the medical school admission test required for many universities in Australia and New Zealand. The UCAT is designed to assess applicants for the aptitude, attitudes and beliefs required of a doctor. In order to defeat the UCAT - we should understand what it is. First off, it’s a two hour computer based exam. There are 5 separately timed subtests - Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Situational Judgement. In this blog we break down each of the sections and offer guidance on how to prepare for this important exam.
Verbal Reasoning
Verbal Reasoning is meant to assess your ability to read something and draw appropriate conclusions. You can see why this would be important to a doctor - you’re part of a multidisciplinary team and will have to communicate effectively. In addition, doctors have to keep current with new research and draw reasonable conclusions from published findings. Decision making involves 11 text excerpts with 4 questions each, meaning this section has 44 questions in 21 minutes - that means an average of 29 seconds per question. That doesn’t even take reading the stem into account!
Decision Making
Decision Making is essentially data interpretation from graphs, tables, text and charts. You don’t need to have background knowledge on any subject, because part of what they’re testing is your ability to understand new information. Can you think of a time a doctor might have to do the same? This section has 29 questions in 31 minutes - an average of 64 seconds per question. Compare the timing of section to verbal reasoning, it’s more than double. Consider the length of time per question as an indication of how much the test writers want you to analyse.
Quantitative Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning is a straightforward mathematics section - there are nine scenarios each with four questions. You’ll have access to an on screen calculator - which is functional but pretty clunky! You’ll have to strike a balance between using mental maths to be quick, and keeping your wits about you, and staying accurate. This section has 36 questions in 24 minutes - an average of 40 seconds per question. It’s not a lot of time to question your maths abilities!
Abstract Reasoning
Abstract Reasoning is used to evaluate your ability to locate patterns and understand logic, separate from your language abilities. If you’ve seen the guides online with pictures asking you to find a pattern - that’s abstract reasoning. This section is sometimes hard for students to grasp, because it’s such a different set of skills. It’s also probably the biggest struggle with time management. This section has 55 questions in 13 minutes - that’s only 14 seconds per question. Don’t even think about going into this section unprepared!
Situational Judgement
Situational Judgement assesses your judgement and character in different situations - the situations are usually clinical or education based. Either situations you’ve likely been in, or a situation you could be involved in future. Then you’ll have to evaluate the appropriateness, importance or consequences of the situation. It’s one way for universities to evaluate the characteristics that are important for future doctors! Situational Judgement has 69 questions in 26 minutes - an average of 25 seconds per question.
With so much to do - how can I set myself up for success?
Prepare
This sounds like a no brainer, but preparation is the most important thing you can do if you want to succeed on the UCAT. Going over questions is one thing but the most effective thing you can do is to practice under exam conditions. That means doing computer based exams - so when you get to test day, you know what to expect. Luckily MedView has a bank of questions.
Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Time is a precious resource when you’re preparing for medical school admissions - you have to continue doing well in your studies, prepare yourself for an interview, and master a new exam. There’s not infinite time - so you have to learn how to study smarter, not just harder. So many students waste their time by continuing to drill skills that they’ve already mastered. It’s important to identify the weak points that need more TLC.
Learn Skills
Each type of question requires a specific psychometric approach to understand and answer so quickly. Skills and strategies to identify the problem and solve the challenging question are essential for success. MedView has a range of 1:1 tutoring, group workshops, practice exams and questions alongside our spiral learning curriculum to help students develop the skills necessary to succeed in time conditions. Our UCAT students are 5x more likely to receive an interview offer.
Sitting full-length practice exams under simulated conditions is the most effective preparation for developing UCAT skills. As this will familiarise yourself with the extreme time pressures, as well as allowing you to practise concentrating on psychometric skills for two hours. It is also important to practice using the computer-based platform that will be used when you sit UCAT as well.
Seek Help
Find friends that have taken the test before and ask for their experience. Better yet, schedule a free Academic Assessment with MedView today! When you start your journey as a MedView student, you are allocated an Education Coordinator who has experience helping hundreds of students get into med school. They’ll help you stay on track with your goals, offer you support, and help you succeed on your path to medical school.
Next Steps
The UCAT is an important exam that is key to medical school admission for undergraduates. We recommend starting your UCAT preparation early and integrating it into your study load to give yourself the best opportunity to succeed. If you’d like to learn more about the UCAT or how to get into Medical School, check out our free eBooks and blogs!
- What is the UCAT?
- How Universities use your UCAT Results
- A Quick Guide to Australia Medicine eBook
- A Quick Guide to New Zealand Medicine eBook
- How to Prepare for the UCAT
- What UCAT scores will get me into med?
MedView offers a range of UCAT preparation courses as well as personalised 1:1 tutoring with our expert team. If you would like to know more about the UCAT and how MedView can help, get in touch today.
What can you do before the year starts?
Before the year starts, it is vital that you understand that the journey to becoming a doctor is a long and arduous process. Medicine is a life-long commitment whose pathway extends beyond the 6 years of study. It includes a progression from a house officer to a registrar, and application onto training schemes if you opt for the surgical pathway.
The vast majority of people who apply for medicine, do not have a clear picture of what they want to do in the future. This uncertainty is not something to worry about now – you have plenty of time to figure out exactly what you want to do. There is something in medicine for everyone. If you are still uncertain about the medical pathway beyond the 6 years of study, I would recommend doing further research.
Another thing you can do over the summer break is to identify your motivation to become a doctor. If it’s for the money, you may not be in the correct profession - it will be at least 10-12 years until you start earning the big bucks that all doctors are known for! If you have an inherent nature to help people and seek to make our society healthier, then you are on the right track.
Once your head is in the right place, enjoy your summer! The year will belong, and you will have to make social sacrifices to make your studies a priority. Make the most of the time you have by seeing friends and family, as you will inevitably see less of them throughout the year. You are likely to experience burnout sometime during the year, so optimising your rest now is important.
The single most effective way to distance yourself from your competitors is to start early and hard. After you have rested throughout December and into the new year, it is time to get started and get ahead. The Flying Start Course offered by MedView was my ticket to success. It is a highly intensive programme starting in late January that covers the first 6 weeks of content for the three core papers in the first semester. The advantages of this course are numerous:
- The most valuable aspect of Flying Start is the content covered. As the first semester contains 3 out of the 4 core papers, it is so important to get a good start. An early lapse within the first few weeks can completely derail your entire year. Being exposed to similar content ahead of time builds your confidence and gives you the opportunity to begin learning before others.
- There is a radically different teaching style from high school to university. Flying Start emulates the style you are accustomed to, while simultaneously teaching university material. This eases your transition and places students into a more comfortable and familiar environment.
- You can meet other motivated people. You may have heard the horror stories of people sabotaging each other, taking their notes and hiding their bags. While these are mostly exaggerated, there will still be those who resort to other measures to gain an advantage. The people doing Flying Start will be motivated just like you, and eager to get ahead. Working together and building these strong relationships before the year starts means that you have a better support group in place. I have met several bright individuals who were passionate and together, we were able to navigate the difficult year and succeed as a group!
MedView believes in a holistic approach to medical school admissions, meaning we surround the student with a team of experts to help develop their candidacy and skills in all three major pillars in their journey to medical school, and now it’s even more accessible with the MedView Hub App!
Over the last decade there’s been a mass adoption of smartphones and a shift in the way people behave online and communicate. Australians are spending more time online, often using multiple screens, and consuming vast amounts of content each day. And it’s only going up!
Recent figures show that almost eight out of ten Australians use social media, and 87% of them use their mobile phones to access it. Fifty-nine percent of Australians access social media everyday or most days, and over a third of people check social media more than five times per day.
We often go online to chat with friends and family, share photos, or be entertained by cat videos. But the very same platforms we use to socialise can also be used to gather knowledge that we can apply in our offline lives. One of the areas where users can reap the benefits is online communities. MedView prides themselves on finding the best tutor, strategist or consultant for each student whether they be in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom and having an online community platform allows even more core benefits for our students in a shorter amount of time. Now students can access over 320 tutors, strategists and consultants and get answers to their Synapse questions, interact in exclusive workshops, and most importantly make friends. The meaningful relationships with other members of the community increases knowledge and collective wisdom.
The MedView Hub App is our own online community platform for students, parents, tutors, and alumni to create a network of opportunities to participate in smart, focused conversation on specific medical school admissions topics (unlike the Instagram and Facebook chatter).
Over the last decade there’s been a mass adoption of smartphones and a shift in the way people behave online and communicate. Australians are spending more time online, often using multiple screens, and consuming vast amounts of content each day. And it’s only going up!
Recent figures show that almost eight out of ten Australians use social media, and 87% of them use their mobile phones to access it. Fifty-nine percent of Australians access social media everyday or most days, and over a third of people check social media more than five times per day.
We often go online to chat with friends and family, share photos, or be entertained by cat videos. But the very same platforms we use to socialise can also be used to gather knowledge that we can apply in our offline lives. One of the areas where users can reap the benefits is online communities. MedView prides themselves on finding the best tutor, strategist or consultant for each student whether they be in Australia, New Zealand or the United Kingdom and having an online community platform allows even more core benefits for our students in a shorter amount of time. Now students can access over 320 tutors, strategists and consultants and get answers to their Synapse questions, interact in exclusive workshops, and most importantly make friends. The meaningful relationships with other members of the community increases knowledge and collective wisdom.
The MedView Hub App is our own online community platform for students, parents, tutors, and alumni to create a network of opportunities to participate in smart, focused conversation on specific medical school admissions topics (unlike the Instagram and Facebook chatter).
Find out more and begin your journey to medical school by speaking with a MedView Academic Advisor for free today!
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