Band 1
Strong alignment with the Good Medical Practice code. Indistinguishable from current trainees on professional judgement.
UCAT-ANZ · July sitting
UCAT-ANZSituational Judgement
SJT helps decide which New Zealand medical schools shortlist you. Band 1 vs Band 4 is the difference between an interview and exclusion - and most students underprepare for it.
27 min
Section time
~66
Questions
Band 1-4
Banded scoring
Separate
Not in the /2700
01 · What it tests
What UCAT-ANZ Situational Judgement actually tests
SJT is the only UCAT-ANZ section that doesn’t test cognitive ability - it tests whether your professional instincts align with New Zealand’s. You’re shown 60+ scenarios involving doctors, students, colleagues, patients and ethical conflicts, and asked to rate the appropriateness of proposed responses (or pick the most/least appropriate from a list). Your answers are aggregated into one of four bands - Band 1 (top 25%), Band 2, Band 3, Band 4 (bottom 25%). The SJT band is reported separately and is not added to the /2700 cognitive total.
The framing matters because New Zealand medical schools use SJT differently. Most treat the band as a threshold - Band 4 is typically excluded, Band 3 reviewed individually, Band 1-2 accepted. Some schools weight the band into a composite alongside academic record and the cognitive subtests. If you’re aiming at the most competitive programmes, Band 4 is application-killing. Most students should aim for Band 1 or 2 to keep all options open.
The good news: SJT is the section most amenable to short-burst tutoring because the “rules” are well-defined. Read the Medical Council of New Zealand’s Good Medical Practice code once (it’s free online) and practise 200+ scenarios over 2 weeks, and most students move from Band 3 to Band 1. The 4 pillars of medical ethics - autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice - paired with the code’s professionalism principles cover ~90% of correct SJT reasoning.
02 · Banding
The banding system explained
SJT scores are converted into bands, reported separately from the /2700 cognitive total. Knowing how your target schools use the band helps you target what “safe” means for your application.
Band 2
Generally appropriate but with a few notable lapses. Most schools accept Band 2 without question.
Band 3
Some appropriate responses but multiple substantial differences from the code. Many schools review Band 3 candidates individually.
Band 4
Substantial differences from the Good Medical Practice code. Most New Zealand schools exclude Band 4 from consideration.
How schools use the band: most New Zealand schools exclude Band 4 outright, review Band 3 individually, and accept Band 1-2. A handful fold the band into a composite alongside academic record and the cognitive subtests. Always check the current admissions criteria for each school - thresholds and weightings update yearly.
03 · Ethics
The 4 pillars of medical ethics
Most SJT scenarios reduce to identifying which of the 4 pillars is at stake. Master these and your answers shift towards code alignment automatically.
Autonomy
A patient's right to make their own decisions about their care, even if those decisions go against medical advice. Includes consent, refusal of treatment, and Gillick / mature-minor competence in younger patients.
Example: A Jehovah's Witness refuses a life-saving blood transfusion. Autonomy says: respect their decision (with appropriate documentation and ethics consultation).
Beneficence
The duty to act in the patient's best interest - to do good. Often in tension with autonomy.
Example: Recommending a treatment with substantial benefit but real risk. Beneficence says: explain clearly, recommend, and respect the autonomous decision that follows.
Non-maleficence
The duty to do no harm - first, do no harm. Includes avoiding unnecessary treatment, escalating safety concerns, and reporting unsafe practice.
Example: Witnessing a colleague making a clinical error. Non-maleficence requires you to act - patient safety overrides professional courtesy.
Justice
Fair distribution of healthcare resources; treating like cases alike; avoiding discrimination.
Example: Allocating an organ transplant. Justice requires the decision be based on clinical need, not patient characteristics like wealth or social status.
04 · Good Medical Practice
Good Medical Practice (MCNZ) - the highlights
Read the full Medical Council of New Zealand code at mcnz.org.nz - it’s free. Below: the principles SJT tests most.
Patient safety always trumps hierarchy
If you see something unsafe, report it - to a senior colleague, to your supervisor, to the medical director if necessary. Hierarchy is no defence for inaction.
Honesty and integrity are non-negotiable
Be open with patients, colleagues and regulators. Cover-ups, even minor ones, are unprofessional. Acknowledge mistakes promptly - the open-disclosure standard expects it.
Respect for colleagues, but not at the expense of safety
Treat colleagues with respect - but if patient safety is at risk, raise concerns through correct channels rather than ignoring them out of professional courtesy.
Continuing competence is your responsibility
Doctors are responsible for their own professional development. Acknowledging your limits and seeking help is professional, not weak.
Confidentiality has limits
You must protect patient information - except when disclosure is legally required (suspected abuse, public-health risk, mandatory reporting, court order) or is in the patient's vital interest.
Probity covers personal conduct
Doctors' professional reputation extends to behaviour outside work - social media, financial conduct, criminal matters. Misconduct outside work can affect your registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand.
05 · Strategy
Top 6 strategies for the UCAT-ANZ SJT
01
Read the Good Medical Practice code once
The Medical Council of New Zealand's Good Medical Practice code is free online and concise. After reading once, your gut answers shift to align with its expectations - without conscious thought.
02
Default to escalation, never silence
If a scenario involves a colleague's mistake, a patient-safety concern, or an ethical conflict - escalating to a senior is almost always "Appropriate". Doing nothing is almost always "Inappropriate".
03
Distinguish patient and personal concerns
Patient-safety concerns must be reported. Personal-conduct concerns (e.g. a colleague's rudeness) should be addressed first informally and only escalated if they impact patient care.
04
Don't over-rate Very Appropriate
Rating multiple actions as "Very Appropriate" when only one truly is hurts your accuracy. Most scenarios have one clearly best action and the others are gradients of less-good. Practise discrimination.
05
Practise 20+ scenarios per day for 2 weeks
The shift from intuition to code-aligned judgement takes about 200-300 practice scenarios. This two-week sprint typically lifts students from Band 3 to Band 1.
06
On MCQ "most appropriate", eliminate first
Eliminate the 2 clearly wrong options, then choose between the remaining 2. The trap is usually one option that's "almost right" but goes one step further than the code would.
06 · Scenarios
Interactive scenarios - rate each action
Real SJT-style scenarios. Rate each proposed action on a 4-point scale. Check against the code-aligned answer.
Scenario 1Patient safety
ScenarioYou are a 4th-year medical student on a ward placement. You see a junior doctor about to administer a clearly incorrect dose of medication to a patient (twice the prescribed amount). The junior doesn’t notice the error.
1Tell the doctor immediately, in front of the patient.
2Quietly take the doctor aside and explain the discrepancy you noticed.
3Wait until after the round to mention it.
4Report the doctor straight to the Director of Medical Services.
Scenario 2Honesty / boundaries
ScenarioA friend at university asks you to look at their grandmother’s rash and give an opinion. They send you a photo. You’re a 3rd-year medical student.
1Tell your friend you cannot give medical advice and recommend they see a GP.
2Look at the photo and offer your best guess of what it might be.
3Suggest they call Healthline (0800 611 116) if it looks serious to your friend.
4Forward the photo to a GP friend for their opinion.
Scenario 3Teamwork / personal conduct
ScenarioA peer in your tutorial group consistently arrives unprepared, contributes little, and the rest of the group is starting to resent it. The peer’s behaviour doesn’t affect any patient - only group dynamics.
1Speak to your peer privately about how their behaviour affects the group.
2Report the peer to the tutor without speaking to them first.
3Discuss the peer's behaviour with other group members behind their back.
4Wait to see if the peer improves on their own.
07 · MCQ
MCQ-style examples
Most appropriate / least appropriate single-best-answer examples.
Example 1Most appropriate
A patient asks you, a medical student, what their procedure result was. You know the result is positive but the consultant has not yet finalised the report. What is the most appropriate action?
(C) is honest, helpful, and stays within scope. (A) breaches your role - students don’t deliver clinical results. (B) is dishonest. (D) is dismissive. The Good Medical Practice code values honesty and helpfulness within professional limits.
Example 2Least appropriate
You overhear a colleague making racially insensitive comments about a patient in the staff room. Which response is LEAST appropriate?
(C) is the least appropriate - silence enables ongoing misconduct and undermines patient dignity. The Good Medical Practice code explicitly requires doctors to challenge discriminatory behaviour. (A), (B), and (D) are all reasonable steps; the question asks for the worst of the four.
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200+ SJT scenarios with code-aligned feedback, 4-pillar frameworks and Band 1 progress tracking - in your pocket. Free download.
08 · Self-assessment
Are you SJT-ready?
0 / 10 complete
0%
Pitfalls
Common UCAT-ANZ SJT mistakes
✕Skipping the Good Medical Practice code (published by the Medical Council of New Zealand)
✕Answering with common sense instead of code alignment
✕Hiding mistakes instead of escalating or open-disclosing
✕Treating personal conduct as a safety issue
✕Treating safety concerns as personal conduct
✕Over-rating "Very Appropriate" actions
✕Practising fewer than 100 scenarios pre-test
✕Neglecting SJT because it's the last section
✕Failing to address issues directly with the person involved
✕Ignoring or hiding from confidentiality conflicts
✕Forgetting New Zealand’s mandatory-reporting obligations
✕Answering quickly without reading the full scenario
09 · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
SJT is reported separately from the /2700 cognitive total, as one of four bands (Band 1 = best, Band 4 = worst). Both New Zealand medical schools use the band as part of selection - Band 4 is often excluded; Band 1-2 is the goal.
It tests whether your judgement aligns with the Medical Council of New Zealand's Good Medical Practice code and the principles of medical professionalism.
Read the Good Medical Practice code, then practise 20+ scenarios per day for 2 weeks. The shift from common-sense to code-aligned answers takes 1-2 weeks of deliberate practice.
Autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice. SJT scenarios almost always invoke at least one.
When patient safety is at risk, yes. For non-safety personal-conduct issues, address informally first and escalate only if it impacts patient care.
Both Auckland and Otago use UCAT-ANZ and both consider the SJT band, but they apply it differently. Otago typically gates on the band (lower bands are screened out), while Auckland folds it into its weighted ranking alongside the cognitive subtests and academic record. Check each school’s current criteria.
Most students who do 4 hours of focused SJT tutoring move from Band 3 to Band 1 within 2 weeks.
Very Appropriate = precisely what the Good Medical Practice code would recommend. Appropriate = acceptable but slightly suboptimal. Most scenarios have one Very Appropriate option and 1-2 Appropriate ones.
Recommended resources
Keep going
Get into Medical School NZ
The full New Zealand pathway - the Auckland-vs-Otago selection routes, how each school weights UCAT-ANZ and the SJT band, and how to build a competitive application.
Get the guide →Personalised Revision Plan
Custom UCAT-ANZ study schedule that includes dedicated SJT scenario blocks for the final 2 weeks before the July sitting.
Build your plan →UCAT-ANZ 1-to-1 Tutoring
Targeted SJT practice with current top-1% scorers using Good Medical Practice frameworks. Most students hit Band 1 within 2 weeks.
See tutoring →UCAT-ANZ guide - main page
Back to the UCAT-ANZ hub for the full subtest breakdown, July sitting window, scoring and school cut-offs.
Back to UCAT-ANZ guide →Want a tutor for the UCAT-ANZ SJT?
Scenario-based SJT practice using the Good Medical Practice code. Most students hit Band 1 within 2 weeks of structured prep.