There is a set test period during which the SJT must be completed, visit the important dates section when available.
How to access the SJT
All applicants need to access the STP situational judgement test by going to the Pearson website.
In the time between the application closing date and the SJT window opening, applicants who have not previously undertaken the SJT will receive emails from Pearson, the SJT provider, containing:
- a link to the Pearson website
- individual login credentials
- test instructions
Usernames and passwords may be provided in 2 separate emails that will be sent to the email address provided on the STP application. Applicants should ensure they can access this email account and check junk folders.
If the login information still hasn’t been received by 1 working day before the SJT opens:
- check inbox of the email address stated on the STP application form
- check junk/spam folders
- request details by going to the Pearson website and selecting ‘forgot my username’. Complete the fields, then select ‘forgot my password’. Select the option ‘first name, last name and email address’ and complete the requested information.
For applicants who have previously undertaken the SJT, your previous login details will remain the same. If you are unable to access these, you can request these details by going to the Pearson website and selecting ‘forgot my username’. Complete the fields, then select ‘forgot my password’. Select the option ‘first name, last name and email address’ and complete the requested information.
What is the SJT?
A SJT is a measurement method designed to assess judgement in work-relevant situations. The STP SJT has been developed by researchers from the Work Psychology Group (WPG), in collaboration with those working across healthcare science roles. It maps closely to the person specification for an STP trainee and explores values, behaviours, and professionalism, measuring target attributes including:
Empathy and compassion
- Seeks to recognise and understand emotions, motivations and behaviours from the patient/colleague perspective.
- Considers situations from viewpoint of patients/colleagues, demonstrating an understanding of others’ situations and circumstances.
- Acknowledges and explores the patient’s wants and needs.
Professional integrity
- Open and honest with others, treating others with respect.
- Takes responsibility for own actions and is willing to admit mistakes.
- Conducts oneself in accordance with ethical standards.
- Demonstrates a commitment to act in the patient’s best interests.
- Recognises the limitations of own knowledge, seeking advice where appropriate.
Team collaboration
- Capability and willingness to work effectively in partnership with others.
- Demonstrates a collaborative approach, respecting others’ views.
- Offers support and advice, sharing tasks appropriately.
- Demonstrates an understanding of own and others’ roles within the team and consults with others where appropriate.
Adaptability
- Remains calm when faced with stressful or changing situations.
- Identifies when support is needed in times of difficulty or pressure and actively draws upon support.
- Understands and manages own emotions (even in times of disagreement when needed), employing effective coping strategies when dealing with difficult or stressful situations.
- Accepts and manages uncertainty and change and responds flexibly.
- Capable of modifying behaviour to adapt to a specific situation.
The questions are developed to provide insight into how well an individual is suited to the role of a trainee clinical scientist. SJTs are frequently used for recruitment purposes and research has shown that SJTs have significant validity in predicting job performance. During the assessment, applicants are presented with a set of hypothetical scenarios that they may encounter at work and are asked to make judgements about possible responses on a scale from 1 = Very Appropriate to 5 = Very Inappropriate. Responses are then scored against a pre-determined answer key.
The SJT is strictly confidential and made available to applicants solely for the purpose of assessment. Applicants are prohibited from disclosing, publishing, reproducing, or transmitting any part of the exam in any form. All applicants will be required to accept the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and terms of use prior to completing the SJT. If declined, the STP application cannot progress.
Time limit for the SJT
Applicants will have 50 minutes to complete the test. The timer will start with the first question and will be visible on the screen during the test.
If an applicant requires a reasonable adjustment (e.g. additional time) to enable completion of the SJT, this must have been indicated on the application form alongside evidence to support the request. Details can be found in the STP applicant guidance. Applicants must wait for confirmation of any adjustment before starting the SJT.
Structure of the SJT
During the SJT, applicants will be presented with 25 hypothetical scenarios, relevant to someone working in healthcare science. For each scenario, there will be between 4 and 8 response options which applicants will need to rate in terms of their appropriateness, using this scale:
1 = Very Appropriate
An option is a very appropriate thing to do in response to the scenario and aligns exactly with what is expected of a trainee scientist.
2 = Somewhat Appropriate
An option is a somewhat appropriate thing to do in response to the scenario. It is somewhat aligned with what is expected of a trainee scientist.
3 = Neither Appropriate Nor Inappropriate
An option is neither appropriate nor inappropriate if the option does not oppose or align with what is expected of a trainee scientist.
4 = Somewhat Inappropriate
An option is a somewhat inappropriate thing to do in response to the scenario. It is somewhat opposed to what is expected of a trainee scientist.
5 = Very Inappropriate
An option is a very inappropriate thing to do in response to the scenario and directly opposes what is expected of a trainee scientist.
Instructions for completing the SJT
Applicants should consider their answers from the viewpoint of being the trainee scientist and what they should do in the given scenario, rather than what they may be likely to do, given the circumstances.
Each response should be considered independently from the other responses presented within the scenario. For example, a response does not need to resolve all aspects of the scenario to be ‘1 = Very Appropriate’.
Within a single scenario, each rating can be used more than once or not at all. For example, all responses within a scenario can be given the same rating of ‘1= Very Appropriate’ if they feel that this is the correct rating for each response.
You may sometimes feel that you would like more information before answering but please give your best answer based on the information provided in the scenario.
The response options provided within a scenario are not intended to represent all possible options, so the response you think would be the most appropriate in that particular situation may not present. Applicants are required to make a judgement about the options that are provided.
For example, if the wrong lab result is provided to a patient, there are a number of steps that should be taken, including checking the patient is OK and re-assessing the patient’s treatment plan. The response ‘ask the patient if they are OK’, should still be judged as appropriate. It should not be judged as if this is the only action that was taken.
It may be that some options are appropriate in the short term (i.e. immediately addressing wrongdoing) and some options are appropriate in the long term (i.e. discussing the implications of the wrongdoing after the event). Please consider the appropriateness of a response option irrelevant of the timeframe.
Marks are given based on how close an answer is to the correct answer. There is no negative marking; you should therefore attempt all the questions.
The questions used have been through a thorough review process and the correct answer keys have been determined using a panel of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from the National School of Healthcare Science, who are able to provide insight into how a Trainee Scientist should be responding in these situations.
Format of the SJT
The vertical line dividing the scenario from the response options can be adjusted. Click on the vertical line and drag to your preferred position.
The ‘Flag for Review’ option will flag items you may wish to return to later on in the test.
Some terms are marked with an asterisk (*). Definitions are available for these terms by clicking on ‘Glossary’ in the bottom left corner of the page when you are taking the test.
An error message will appear if you click ‘Next’ and have not viewed the full page. To ensure you have seen all the content, you will need to scroll to the bottom of each page to be able to proceed.
The size of the text on screen can be increased at any time by pressing the CTRL and + buttons. You can decrease it again by pressing the CTRL and – buttons. You can reset the text size to default by pressing CTRL and 0.
The ‘Colour Scheme’ drop down box in the top right corner will allow you to change the colour display settings of the test. You can change this on the opening pages ahead of commencing the test. Changing the colour scheme will result in a blanket change of the screen colours and will remove the shading that appears for the alternate options in the default colour scheme. You can change the colour scheme throughout the test.
Technological requirements and restrictions
The computer system you use for this test must meet these minimum requirements.
Internet browsers
Edge, Firefox, Safari and Chrome current version.
Mobile devices
iOS and Android mobile devices are not supported.
Network connection
Pearson strongly recommends using a wired network rather than a wireless network, since a wired network provides better exam delivery performance.
Internet connection
Broadband (DSL, cable, or LAN/WLAN). 1 Mbps up/down minimum. Dial-up Internet connections are not supported.
Browser settings
Internet cookies must be enabled. Ensure any security software will not block the execution of JavaScript.
Technical restrictions
The SJT provider, Pearson, is a US-based business, and as such is not allowed to do business in OFAC-sanctioned countries, which include:
- Belarus
- Cuba
- Donetsk/Luhansk (Donbas) regions of Ukraine
- Iran
- North Korea
- Russia
- Sudan
- Syrian Arab Republic (Syria)
- The Sevastopol/Crimea region of Ukraine
A full list is available via the Pearson website. If an applicant’s IP address is from a sanctioned country, the applicant will be unable to take the SJT. A full list of sanctions, programmes and country information can be found here.
If you are currently residing in one of the sanctioned countries, please contact england.hcsapplicants@nhs.net for further information.
What if something goes technically wrong during the SJT?
The applicant is responsible for checking the above requirements are met. We recommend that all applicants read the guidance and FAQ’s available on the Pearson website both prior to starting the SJT and in the event of any technical issues.
Please visit the Pearson website for technical requirements, trouble-shooting advice and contact details for technical support.
Preparation for the SJT
Applicants will have access to a sample test prior to completing the actual assessment. This will be available through the Pearson website.
It is advised that applicants use this to familiarise themselves with the test format, navigation and question types. This will include the desired response options for the sample questions and a rationale to explain why that is the correct rating.
We are aware of unofficial and unauthorised advice and resources that applicants may find online and elsewhere, much of which can be entirely inaccurate. Applicants who use such resources do so at the risk of being misled. Official guidance for the STP SJT including sample questions is only available on the NSHCS website and Pearson platform.
What happens after completing the SJT?
You will not receive email confirmation when you complete your SJT. Make sure you have logged out of your account after completing the test. When you next log on to your Pearson account, select ‘Exam History’ from the menu. Within this section, against the exam, it should state ‘Delivery Successful’. This confirms the test has been submitted.
The ‘Delivery Successful’ confirmation can occasionally take some time to appear. If it does not appear straight away, please wait and check again. Please allow at least 1 hour for this to show before contacting for support.
The score or exam result will not be shown. You will know if you have scored enough for the next stage when longlisting outcomes are released. Please note that it will not show as completed in your Oriel account.
Scoring of the SJT will take place once the test window closes, this will take some time to process. All outcomes will be released on Oriel once processed and by the deadline for longlist release.
For applications successfully longlisted, the application status displayed in Oriel will show as ‘longlisted’.
For applications that have not scored sufficiently on the SJT the application status will show as ‘longlist unsuccessful’ meaning the application will not progress any further.