- Questions
- 69
- Time
- 26 minutes
- Per question
- About 23 seconds
- Score
- 300 to 900, reported separately
What it tests
Whether you can understand a real situation, pick out what matters in it, and recognise appropriate behaviour. The scenarios are set in clinical placements and in study, and each has several questions. The qualities being assessed are integrity, seeing things from another person's point of view, working in a team, resilience and adaptability. You need no medical knowledge.
The kinds of question
How appropriate is this response?
You rate one possible action on a four-point scale:
- A very appropriate thing to do
- Appropriate, but not ideal
- Inappropriate, but not awful
- A very inappropriate thing to do
How important is this consideration?
You rate one factor, from very important to not important at all, in deciding what to do.
Most and least appropriate
You are given three possible actions and choose the most appropriate and the least appropriate of them.
How it is marked
You earn full marks for matching the best answer and part marks for an answer close to it. Choosing "appropriate, but not ideal" when the best answer is "very appropriate" is close. An answer on the opposite side of the line is not.
That gives a practical rule when you are unsure: decide first whether the action is on the appropriate side or the inappropriate side. Getting the side right is worth more than agonising over the degree.
A worked example
Original example: scenario
Mei is a first-year dental student working on a group assignment that is due tomorrow morning. Reading the final draft, she notices that another member of the group, Arjun, has copied two paragraphs from a published article without acknowledging it.
Question 1
How appropriate is it for Mei to tell Arjun privately what she has noticed, and ask him to rewrite or reference the paragraphs before the assignment is handed in?
Answer: A very appropriate thing to do
It deals with the problem directly, at the lowest level that can fix it, in time, and gives Arjun the chance to put it right himself.
Question 2
How appropriate is it for Mei to hand the assignment in as it is, since the copied section was not her part?
Answer: A very inappropriate thing to do
Mei knows the work contains plagiarism and the assignment carries her name. Staying silent is dishonest and leaves the whole group exposed.
Question 3
How important is it for Mei to take into account that every member of the group is responsible for the work submitted?
Answer: Very important
It is the reason the problem is hers to act on, and not only Arjun's.
The principles behind the answers
- Patient safety comes first. If someone could be harmed, acting promptly outranks politeness, hierarchy and convenience.
- Be honest. Covering up, bending the truth or staying quiet about a mistake is on the wrong side of the line, even with kind motives.
- Work within your competence. A student does not diagnose, advise on treatment or carry out a task they have not been trained for. They find the right person.
- Raise it with the person first, where it is safe to. A quiet word usually comes before going to a supervisor, unless the matter is serious or urgent.
- Keep confidences. Patient information is discussed only with those who need it, and never in corridors or online.
- Take responsibility. Leaving a problem for someone else to find is rarely appropriate.
- Treat people with respect. Patients, colleagues and fellow students, including the ones who are in the wrong.
How to approach it
- Judge each response on its own. An action can be very appropriate without being the only thing that should be done. Do not mark it down for what it leaves out.
- Answer as the person in the scenario. What is right for a consultant may be overstepping for a student.
- Answer what should be done, not what you think most people would do.
- Keep moving. Read the scenario once, carefully, then answer its questions at a steady pace. There is no time to reread.
Does Situational Judgement count?
It depends on the university. Several, including UNSW, Newcastle and New England, Tasmania and Western Australia, say they do not use it. Others use it as a tie-breaker, as a threshold, or as part of the result. Unless you are certain none of your choices use it, prepare for it. See each university.
Official sources
Dates, fees and entry rules change every year. Always confirm them on the official page before you act on them.