UCAT SJT practice questions
SJT asks three things: how appropriate an action is, how important a consideration is, and which of three actions is most and least appropriate. Judge each exactly as written: safety and honesty first, then staying within your role. Try one of each below.
During a group assessment, a dental student discovers that a shared slide contains a patient photograph with an identifying label. The presentation has not started. The colleague who prepared the slide is absent, and the tutor is available. The label can be removed, but the group has not checked whether permission was given to use the photograph.
How appropriate is the following action?
Pause use of the slide and ask the tutor to clarify permission before it is shown.
Worked answers
1. How appropriate is the following action? Pause use of the slide and ask the tutor to clarify permission before it is shown.
Answer: A: A very appropriate thing to do
- This prevents an uncertain use of the photograph.
- It obtains appropriate guidance without making an accusation.
2. How important to take into account are the following considerations when deciding how to respond to the situation? The list contains names and medical details.
Answer: A: Very important
- Identifiable information is exposed to the public.
- Protecting confidentiality is central to the response.
3. Which is the most appropriate action and which is the least appropriate action?
Answer: Most appropriate: Take the list straight to the receptionist, say where it was found and ask them to tell the team it belongs to. Least appropriate: Ask the receptionist to find the list's owner, leaving it on the chair while they make enquiries.
- A: It removes the list from view at once and uses a free member of staff to alert the responsible team.
- B: It hides the details and reaches staff, but waits for a busy nurse when someone else is free.
- C: It seeks the owner but leaves confidential details on view in a public room.
Ready for the whole test? Sit the full free UCAT mock: 184 questions, marked by subtest.
Three question types
| Type | You judge | The four options |
|---|---|---|
| Appropriateness | One action someone could take | Very appropriate to very inappropriate |
| Importance | One fact to weigh when deciding what to do | Very important to not important at all |
| Most and least | Three actions side by side | Pick the most and the least appropriate |
Appropriate is about the action. Important is about a fact: would it change what a sensible person does next?
What scores well
- Patient safety and confidentiality come first.
- Act within your role. Bring in the right senior person.
- Deal with the problem directly and honestly, without blame.
- An action can be right but not ideal: it helps, yet waits too long or asks a busy person when someone else is free.
Near misses still score
An answer one step from the key earns part of the mark. So pick the closest option, never leave one blank.
What your result means: UCAT SJT bands