'The Next Stage Review: A High Quality Workforce' stated that 'new work needs to be undertaken to develop more reliable and valid selection tools for recruitment' to Foundation Programme Training.

This was based, to some extent, on concerns about the current system which ranks applicants using a combined score derived from answers to a set of ‘white space’ questions and an academic quartile ranking provided by the applicant's medical school.

The following key issues with the current process were identified:
• Candidates answer white space questions in their own time, which makes it harder to ensure that the work is their own
• Marking the white space questions is labour intensive
• Quartiles are calculated differently at each medical school

In response to this, the Medical Schools Council was commissioned by the Department of Health to lead a Project Group to carry out an option appraisal for the best approach for selection of applicants into the UK Foundation Programme and allocation to foundation schools