Importance Questions
Decide how much a factor should influence the response.
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SJT overview
Choose safe, honest and proportionate professional responses.
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SJT tests professional judgement — not personality. Judge the action described, not the intention behind it, and apply a small set of principles consistently across unfamiliar scenarios.
69questions
26 mintotal time
~23 secper question
Partial creditavailable
The principles — in priority order
Most scenarios involve a conflict between these. Work down the list:
Safety first
Immediate serious risk to a patient or the public overrides everything else.
Honesty
Correct errors, preserve accurate records, do not conceal or mislead.
Autonomy & confidentiality
Respect informed choices; share only what is necessary and to whom.
Timing
1
Choose the half first — appropriate or inappropriate, important or not — then pick strength.
2
Judge the action described, not a better version you imagine.
3
Do not invent motives, diagnoses or consequences.
4
Escalation is not always best — match the response to the level of risk.
Traps to know
Question types
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Question formats
Appropriateness Questions
Judge the quality of one proposed response.
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Most & Least Appropriate
Choose the best and worst action from three plausible options — you must select both.
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Professional themes
Safety & Escalation
Act at the right speed and through the right route when someone may be at risk.
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Honesty & Accurate Records
Correct mistakes transparently and communicate truthfully, even when it is uncomfortable.
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Consent, Autonomy & Confidentiality
Respect informed choice and share only what is necessary with those who need it.
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Communication & Compassion
Listen before deciding, adapt how you communicate, and stay honest even when it feels uncomfortable.
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Teamwork & Colleague Concerns
Support colleagues constructively without covering for unsafe or unacceptable behaviour.
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Competence & Supervision
Work within your abilities, ask for help when uncertain, and check that those you delegate to can do the task safely.
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Professional Boundaries & Fairness
Maintain appropriate professional relationships and act without favouritism or conflicts of interest.
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Health, Wellbeing & Fitness to Practise
Recognise when health may affect safe performance and respond without ignoring the risk or treating illness as misconduct.
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GMC guidance for medical students
Keep the official professional guidance nearby while you study SJT themes such as safety, honesty, confidentiality and raising concerns.
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