UCAT Situational Judgement
Question types, bands and how schools use them
The UCAT Situational Judgement Test (SJT) gives you 69 questions in 26 minutes on scenarios set in clinical work or medical and dental training, and needs no medical knowledge. You rate responses or choose the most and least appropriate action, and get a band from 1 (highest) to 4. In the 2026 UCAT, 15% of candidates reached Band 1 and 11% got Band 4. Several medical and dental schools turn down Band 4.
- Questions and time
- 69 questions in 26 minutes
- Your result
- Band 1 (highest) to Band 4
- Band 1 in the 2026 UCAT
- 15% of 42,359 candidates
- Band 4 in the 2026 UCAT
- 11% of candidates
- Medical knowledge needed
- None
Photo: Chrysi Chrysochou · CC BY-SA 3.0 · cropped
Photo: Clem Rutter, Rochester, Kent (www.clemrutter.net) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Photo: Tadeusz Hare · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo: Paul the Archivist / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
What the UCAT Situational Judgement Test measures
The Situational Judgement Test, or SJT, is one of the four subtests of the UCAT (University Clinical Aptitude Test), the admissions test used by the UK medical and dental schools in the UCAT Consortium. It shows you scenarios set in a clinical setting or in medical or dental training, then asks you to judge possible responses. You do not need any medical knowledge.
UCAT says the SJT measures your capacity to understand real-world situations and to identify the critical factors and the appropriate behaviour in dealing with them. It names five attributes the test assesses: integrity, perspective taking, team involvement, resilience and adaptability. Tests like this are also used widely to select doctors and dentists for training after they qualify.
Your SJT result is reported as a band rather than a scaled score. It comes separately from your total of 900 to 2700 for the three cognitive subtests, and each medical and dental school decides for itself how to use it.
| Questions | 69, in sets of up to six questions per scenario |
|---|---|
| Time | 26 minutes, after a timed instruction section of 1 minute 30 seconds |
| Time per question | About 23 seconds on average, including reading |
| Scenarios | Hypothetical situations in a clinical setting or in training for a medical or dental career |
| Medical knowledge | None needed |
| What it assesses | Integrity, perspective taking, team involvement, resilience and adaptability |
| Question types | Rating (how appropriate or how important) and ranking (the most and least appropriate of three actions) |
| Marking | Full marks for the correct answer, partial marks for a close one, no negative marking |
| Result | Band 1 (highest) to Band 4, reported alongside your 900 to 2700 cognitive total |
| Sitting it in 2027? | UCAT will publish registration and booking instructions for UCAT 2027 in March 2027. This guide describes the 2026 format, so check for changes then. |
The principles UCAT's own tutorial tells you to apply
Patient safety comes first
In clinical scenarios, the tutorial says the overriding consideration is always the patient's wellbeing and safety. The GMC's Good medical practice adds that you must act promptly if patient safety or dignity may be seriously compromised.
Honesty, almost without exception
The tutorial warns that dishonest or misleading answers will almost certainly be inappropriate. That includes hiding a mistake: Good medical practice says you must be open and honest with patients if things go wrong.
Listen and respect
Listen to and respect the concerns and opinions of colleagues, patients and family members. Treat people with respect and sensitivity, and never be dismissive.
Know your limits
Recognise the limits of what you can do and know when to ask for help or support. Good medical practice makes this a duty for doctors: they must recognise and work within the limits of their competence.
Keep information confidential
Always maintain patient confidentiality. Good medical practice applies this to all professional written, spoken and digital communication.
Involve the patient
Make sure the patient's views are considered. A patient with mental capacity should always be involved in decisions about their own treatment.
Set bias aside
Put personal biases and beliefs to one side. Good medical practice says you must not discriminate against patients or let your personal views affect their care.
Work as a team and accept feedback
Working collaboratively and with respect always matters. Receiving feedback, positive or negative, is a normal part of learning.
UCAT SJT question types: appropriateness, importance, most and least
Every SJT question uses one of three formats. Read the instructions on each screen, because the scale changes between them.
| Format | What you are asked | How you answer | How it is marked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appropriateness rating | How appropriate is a response by the person the question names? | Pick one of four ratings, from a very appropriate thing to do to a very inappropriate thing to do | Full marks for the correct rating, partial marks for a close one |
| Importance rating | How important is a consideration when that person decides how to respond? | Pick one of four ratings, from very important to not important at all | Full marks for the correct rating, partial marks for a close one |
| Most and least appropriate (ranking) | Of three actions, which is the most appropriate and which is the least? | Choose one most and one least appropriate action, using drag and drop | No marks unless you choose both |
The two rating scales, as UCAT defines them
| Level | Appropriateness scale | Importance scale |
|---|---|---|
| Top | A very appropriate thing to do: it will address at least one aspect of the situation, not necessarily all of it | Very important: it is vital to take into account |
| Second | Appropriate, but not ideal: it could be done, but is not necessarily a very good thing to do | Important: it matters, but is not vital |
| Third | Inappropriate, but not awful: it should not really be done, but would not be terrible | Of minor importance: it could be taken into account, but it does not matter if it is or not |
| Bottom | A very inappropriate thing to do: it should definitely not be done and would make the situation worse | Not important at all: it should definitely not be taken into account |
How the SJT is scored: Bands 1 to 4 and the 2025 and 2026 results
Your marks across the 69 questions are turned into one of four bands, with Band 1 the highest. UCAT gives each band a short description.
| Band | UCAT's description | UCAT 2026 | UCAT 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band 1 | Excellent: judgement similar to the panel of experts in most cases | 15% | 21% |
| Band 2 | Good, solid: appropriate judgement shown frequently, with many responses matching model answers | 40% | 39% |
| Band 3 | Modest: appropriate judgement on some questions, substantial differences from ideal responses on others | 34% | 29% |
| Band 4 | Low: judgement tending to differ substantially from ideal responses in many cases | 11% | 10% |
The 2026 figures cover 42,359 tests taken up to 24 September 2026. The 2025 figures cover 41,354 candidates. Source: UCAT test statistics.
The bands are not quarters of the candidates. Band 2 was the largest group in both years, and the share reaching Band 1 fell from 21% in 2025 to 15% in 2026. Compare your band with your own year's figures, not with older advice.
Because close answers earn partial marks and wrong answers lose nothing, answer every question. A sensible near-miss still earns marks, and a blank earns none.
Which universities reject SJT Band 4? How schools use the band for 2027 entry
UCAT says a growing number of universities use the SJT in selection, and some exclude lower-performing candidates. Each school sets its own rule, so read the policy for your entry year.
Band 4 not considered
With Band 4 your application stops at screening, however high your total. Several schools in the table below use this rule.
Bands 1 and 2 only
A stricter version of the same rule: Band 3 is excluded too, so you need Band 1 or 2 to be considered at all.
Points for your band
Your band adds points to a shortlisting score, so a higher band can lift you above someone with the same total and a lower band.
Used after interview
Your band is added to your interview marks when the school ranks applicants for offers, so it still counts after you have been interviewed.
Not used
The school ranks you on the rest of your application and ignores the band, which makes it worth a look if your band is low.
Rules change between cycles
Schools can change how they use the UCAT from one year to the next. Glasgow, for example, reviews its use of UCAT results every year.
| School and course | How the SJT band is used |
|---|---|
| Cambridge, Medicine (2027 entry) | Looks at the overall cognitive subtest score only and will not use the SJT score for 2027 entry. |
| Oxford, Medicine (2027 entry) | Ranks applicants for interview on GCSEs and the cognitive UCAT score, and does not use the SJT at that stage. |
| Glasgow, Medicine (2027 entry) | Does not consider the SJT. Interviews go by UCAT total to applicants who meet the other screening requirements. |
| Edinburgh, Medicine (2027 entry) | Band 4 is not considered, including for widening-access applicants. Your band earns points that are added to your academic score for shortlisting. |
| Nottingham, Medicine (2027 entry) | Band 4 is not considered for interview. Band 1 earns 10 points, Band 2 earns 6 and Band 3 earns 2, added to points for your cognitive subtests and GCSEs. |
| Hull York, Medicine (2027 entry) | You must achieve SJT Band 1, 2 or 3. The school does not publish a minimum total score. |
| Barts (Queen Mary), Medicine (2027 entry) | First shortlisting needs a total in the fourth decile or above and SJT Band 1 to 3. The SJT can be considered again after interview. |
| Sheffield, Medicine (2027 entry) | After interviews, your SJT result becomes a mark out of five, added to your MMI marks for a total out of 45 that ranks applicants for offers. |
| Manchester, Medicine and Dentistry | Its UCAT pages say it does not currently consider applicants with Band 3 or 4. |
| Sheffield, Dentistry (2027 entry) | Phase 1 screening needs an average or above cognitive total and SJT Band 1 or 2. |
| Queen Mary, Dentistry (2027 entry) | First shortlisting needs a total in the fourth decile or above and SJT Band 1 to 3. Band 4 is not considered further. |
Manchester's medicine page notes that the UCAT is changing and says it will update this policy when more information is available, so check it again before you apply. Rules can differ between courses at the same university.
You get your UCAT result well before the UCAS deadline, and UCAT advises using it to choose where to apply so that you do not waste a choice. With Band 1 or 2, you meet the SJT rule at every school in the table above.
With Band 3, avoid schools that consider only Bands 1 and 2. With Band 4, look first at schools that say they do not use the SJT, then read each school's full requirements for your year, because a high total alone may not be enough.
How to answer UCAT SJT questions: a six-step method
Built from the advice in UCAT's official SJT tutorial and the GMC's guidance on raising concerns about patient safety.
Find whose shoes you are in
Identify the person you are answering for. It may be a medical student, a dental student or a qualified doctor. The tutorial stresses answering from the perspective of the character the question names.
Spot the critical factors
Ask what matters most here. In clinical scenarios the tutorial says the overriding consideration is the patient's wellbeing and safety. Then look for honesty, respect, confidentiality and the patient's own views.
Judge each option on its own
Compare each option with the situation, not with the other options. Several options can share the same rating, and the list is not meant to include every possible response.
Do not mark an option down for timing alone
The tutorial says an option can still be correct even if it cannot be done straight away, such as talking to a doctor after a consultation. The exception is real risk: if a patient may be seriously harmed, Good medical practice says you must act promptly.
Choose the proportionate step
Start with the person involved or the local team. The GMC's guidance says to raise a concern first with a manager or a senior, such as the consultant in charge. Go to a regulator if local routes fail or cannot be used, or if the risk is immediate and serious.
Finish the question properly
In most and least questions, choose both answers or you score nothing. In rating questions, if you are unsure, pick the nearest rating: close answers earn partial marks and wrong ones lose nothing.
Responses that usually rate well
- Acting promptly when a patient may come to harm
- Being honest, including about your own mistakes
- Raising a concern privately and respectfully with the person involved
- Involving a patient with capacity in decisions about their care
- Asking for help when a task is beyond your competence
- Checking the facts before assuming someone else is wrong
Responses that usually rate badly
- Ignoring or delaying action on a real safety risk
- Lying, covering up or misleading anyone
- Criticising a colleague in front of a patient
- Sharing patient information without a good reason
- Letting personal views or bias shape someone's care
- Going straight to the top over a first, minor concern
UCAT SJT practice questions with answers
Three rating scenarios and two single-answer questions. Answer first, then check the reasoning.
Rate each action
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 to the medical director.
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 NHS 111 if it looks serious to your friend.
4Forward the photo to a GP friend for their opinion.
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.
Most and least 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?
You overhear a colleague making racially insensitive comments about a patient in the staff room. Which response is LEAST appropriate?
Three worked examples from UCAT's official tutorial
Jules, a GP, told Mrs Chopra during her last pregnancy that being pregnant put her at increased risk of harm because of her diabetes. Mrs Chopra, 42, now says she is in the early stages of a fourth pregnancy. How important is Mrs Chopra's entitlement to make her own decisions about her health and lifestyle?
Very important. Whatever Jules thinks about the pregnancy, Mrs Chopra is always entitled to make her own decisions about her health and lifestyle. This is the tutorial's principle that a patient with capacity should be involved in decisions about their care.
Gemma, a medical student, watches Dr Mitchell ask a patient whether he is allergic to penicillin. The patient says yes, but Dr Mitchell types no into the record. How appropriate is it for Gemma to ask the patient to repeat his answer?
Appropriate, but not ideal. It is reasonable and may clarify the answer, but it could affect the relationship between the patient and the doctor. The tutorial says waiting to discuss it with Dr Mitchell afterwards is preferable.
Two medical students examine a patient's abdomen. Emma finds nothing; Laura finds an abnormality. Laura could ask the patient if they may both re-examine him, tell Emma and the patient that Emma examined incorrectly, or ask a senior doctor to examine. Which is most and which is least appropriate?
Most appropriate: ask the patient's permission to re-examine together, because either student could be wrong. Least appropriate: telling Emma and the patient that Emma made the mistake, which assumes Laura is right without checking. Calling a senior is not needed yet.
Liked the scenarios? Our UCAT app is coming to iPhone.
Five-minute rounds across all four sections, launching in March 2027. Sign up for early access and a free trial.
Good medical practice and the GDC standards: what to read for the SJT
UCAT's tutorial suggests reading the GMC's Good medical practice. It says previous high-scoring candidates found it helpful to apply its general principles to the scenarios.
Good medical practice is the General Medical Council's (GMC) statement of the standards expected of every doctor it registers. The current edition came into effect on 30 January 2024. It is free on the GMC website and is split into four domains with 101 numbered paragraphs.
You do not need to memorise it. Read it once, then go back to it whenever a practice answer surprises you. The table picks out the paragraphs that match common SJT themes.
| Domain | Duties worth knowing (paragraph number) |
|---|---|
| 1. Knowledge, skills and development (1 to 15) | Recognise and work within the limits of your competence (2). |
| 2. Patients, partnership and communication (16 to 47) | Treat patients fairly and do not discriminate (19). Keep patient information confidential (22). Presume adults have capacity and involve patients in decisions (24). Be open and honest if things go wrong: put it right, apologise and explain (45). |
| 3. Colleagues, culture and safety (48 to 80) | Treat colleagues with kindness, courtesy and respect (48). Support colleagues who are struggling, but put patient safety first (51). Act if you witness bullying, harassment or discrimination (58). Act promptly if patient safety or dignity may be seriously compromised (75). |
| 4. Trust and professionalism (81 to 101) | Be honest about your experience and role (82). Be honest and keep confidentiality in all professional communication (88). Make sure what you communicate is accurate, not misleading (89). |
Applying for dentistry? UCAT's scenarios can be set in dental training too, but its tip names only Good medical practice. The dental version is the General Dental Council's (GDC) Standards for the Dental Team, in force since 30 September 2013. It sets out nine principles every dental professional must follow:
- Put patients' interests first
- Communicate effectively with patients
- Obtain valid consent
- Maintain and protect patients' information
- Have a clear and effective complaints procedure
- Work with colleagues in a way that is in patients' best interests
- Maintain, develop and work within your professional knowledge and skills
- Raise concerns if patients are at risk
- Make sure your personal behaviour maintains patients' confidence in you and the dental profession
How to prepare for the UCAT SJT: free official resources and a plan
UCAT's own materials are free and, it says, representative of the live test. This order follows its advice.
Work through the SJT tutorial
UCAT's free tutorial explains both question types, the rating scales and the general principles, with worked examples. UCAT recommends doing the tutorials before you move on to the question banks.
Read Good medical practice once
Then return to it whenever an answer surprises you. Dental applicants can add the GDC's nine principles.
Use the official SJT question banks
Use the Explain Answer button on every question you miss and note the theme, such as safety, honesty, confidentiality or teamwork. UCAT's past high scorers suggest finding the common themes this way. Your progress is not saved, so keep a record.
Practise at test speed
69 questions in 26 minutes is about 23 seconds a question, including reading. Time short sets, and read each scenario and its options thoroughly, as the tutorial advises. Flag hard questions and come back to them.
Sit the official practice tests
UCAT has four practice tests, each with standard timing, 25% extra time or no time limit. They do not give you a band or a score, so review the explanation for every answer instead.
How long should it take? UCAT does not give a separate figure for the SJT. Its past top-scoring candidates suggest planning your UCAT preparation across 4 to 8 weeks, so give the SJT a share of every week rather than a last-minute cram.
Common UCAT SJT mistakes and how to avoid them
Are you ready for the UCAT SJT? A self-assessment checklist
Tick what is true for you. Your progress is saved in this browser.
UCAT SJT: your questions answered
Where this guide's facts come from
Checked against these sources on 19 October 2026. Rules change between cycles, so confirm anything that decides your application on the official page for your entry year.
Work through your SJT mistakes with a tutor
Bring the official SJT questions you got wrong. A tutor who has sat the UCAT works through why each option earns its rating, alongside the other three subtests.