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All final year medical students take the situational judgment test (SJT) as part of their application to the foundation programme. The official line from the UK Foundation Programme Office is that you don't need to revise for the SJT, but half of your application rests on your score so many medical students do not leave taking the test to chance.
Since the introduction of the SJT in 2013, the marketplace has been flooded with resources claiming to help students do well. Having recently taken the SJT and gained a training place at the deanery of my choice, I know the importance of preparing for the exam. You need to know what questions to expect and how to answer them. With the help of some of my fellow final year students, I have reviewed the pros and cons of some of the most popular revision aids.
| Resource | Number of questions | Quality of questions | Quality of feedback | Price | Value for money* | Portability† | Overall score |
| 250 SJT questions | 250 | ** | * | £19.99 | ** | *** | ** |
| Get Ahead | 150 | ***** | **** | £19.99 | **** | *** | **** |
| Oxford Assess and Progress | 260 | *** | *** | £19.99 | *** | **** | *** |
| SJT at a Glance | 50 | *** | *** | £25.99 | * | * | ** |
| BMJ OnExamination | 127 | **** | **** | £15 | *** | ***** | **** |
| Pastest Online | 200 | *** | *** | £10 | *** | ***** | *** |
*Value for money does not take into account resale value.
†High score assumes user has a smart phone.
Books
250 SJTs (Situational Judgement Test questions) for Foundation Year entry by Gail Allsopp, Lydia Campbell, and Oliver Picard. Published by ISC Medical, 2012, ISBN 978-1905812165, £19.99, 484 pages
This book contains 250 scenarios that cover all of the areas you may be tested on. The questions are representative of those you might face in the exam, and the rationales that explain the order of the answers are detailed and informative. Use this book with caution, however. Some of the rationales differ from those given in the official practice paper. I also found that this book contradicts itself with the ranking of responses. Some responses are ranked favourably in one question, but in others they are ranked negatively. This book is useful for getting into the mindset of how the questions will be structured, and it...