What You Did, Not What You Saw
MMIMediumAnswer the question
What You Did, Not What You Saw
Don't tell me what you saw - tell me what you actually did during your work experience.
What's the most independent thing you were asked to do?
Did you ever refuse something out of scope?
What did the staff trust you with by the end?
Speak it out loud and we'll type it for you (free), or type your own notes — then mark yourself below.
- Reflect, don’t report: what you saw → what it taught you → how it shapes you.
- Tell stories with STARR: Situation, Task, Action, Result, Reflection.
What strong answers doReveal the benchmark
Hidden so they don't bias your answer. Score yourself first, then reveal them to compare.
- Avoid passive language ('I observed', 'I watched'). Tutors want action verbs.
- Even if your scope was limited, name concrete tasks: tidying, escorting patients, helping with mealtimes, presenting on a topic.
- Acknowledge limits honestly - 'I was asked to take an observation set and I declined because I wasn't trained' is a strong answer.
A worked example: how a strong answer is built
A structure to adapt, not a script to memorise — examiners spot recited answers instantly.
Answer in active verbs about things you personally did, however small: "[what you were actually asked to do]" — tidying, restocking, escorting patients, taking a meal order, running a session, presenting on a topic, chasing a form. The examiner has asked this question precisely because most candidates default to "I observed", and the point of the station is to see whether you can be specific and honest under a direct challenge.
Be accurate about scope. A school-age or pre-clinical placement legitimately involves very little hands-on care, and pretending otherwise is more damaging than a modest answer. Saying that you were offered a task and declined it because you were not trained to do it is a strong answer, not a weak one — it demonstrates you understand where competence ends.
Then draw the lesson from the limits themselves: what it is like to be the least useful person in a busy room, how you made yourself useful anyway, and what that taught you about how teams absorb someone new.
Framework: Action verbs → honest scope → what the limits taught you
Mark yourself
Score each skill against the rubric, then add a line of evidence. Scale:
Realism
0/3Honest about role limits
Reflection
0/3Distinguishes action from observation
Communication
0/3Precise
Integrity
0/3Aware of scope of practice