Conclusion of the ISFP Project
8 June
The pilots and recently concluded Parallel Recruitment Exercise have demonstrated that the SJT and EPM in combination are a reliable and valid method of assessment for selection to the Foundation Programme. The Department of Health has accepted the ISFP Project Group’s recommendations, and the SJT and EPM will be used for selection to the Foundation Programme from FP 2013 onwards.
The work of the ISFP Project Group is now complete, although the stakeholder organisations involved in the options appraisal, piloting of the SJT and EPM and the PRE will remain closely involved with the work of the UKFPO and proposals for ongoing evaluation. The UKFPO continues to manage the Foundation Programme application process and will host all relevant information on the UKFPO website. The Medical Schools Council will be working closely with the UKFPO and medical schools to manage the SJT and EPM.
The ISFP website will now be archived, and reports of the Options Appraisal, piloting, design and development of the SJT and EPM, and review of the Parallel Recruitment Exercise will continue to be publically available.
UKFPO publishes FP 2013 applicant guidance
7 June
The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) has now published its guide to Foundation Programme 2013, which includes extensive information on the Situational Judgement Test (SJT) and Educational Performance Measure (EPM) and how they will affect the application process. In addition to the UKFPO FP/ AFP Applicant Handbook, which contains detailed information of how to apply to the Foundation Programme and Academic Foundation Programme in 2013, the following resources are available:
- Application videos – these four videos talk applicants through the application timeline, the changes to the academic foundation programme application system and how the SJT and EPM will be used in the application process.
- SJT practice paper – a practice paper of 30 questions and answer rationales, which will enable applicants to familiarise themselves with the sorts of situations they will be presented with when sitting the SJT.
- Frequently Asked Questions – the most common questions raised by applicants with regards to the SJT and EPM and how their applications will be affected.
- SJT Monograph – a paper outinling the research evidence and existing use of the SJT, the development of the FY1 SJT and how to approach the FY1 SJT.
All resources can be found on the 'How to Apply' section of the UKFPO website.
UKFPO to publish FP 2013 familiarisation material
11 May
The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) will be publishing information about the application process for FP 2013 in early June as part of the UKFPO Applicant Handbook. Familiarisation material will also be available, including a video podcast, an SJT monograph and a short SJT practice paper, as well as updated FAQs on the new Situational Judgement Test and Educational Performance Measure.
The UKFPO website can be found here.
Parallel Recruitment Exercise success announced ahead of FP 2013
10 May
The Improving Selection to the Foundation Programme Project Group has today published the Final Report of the Parallel Recruitment Exercise (PRE). The report follows the successful completion of the full-scale PRE, which was designed to test the logistics of the Situational Judgement Test (SJT) and Educational Performance Measure (EPM) ahead of live implementation for Foundation Programme 2013.
A one hour, 30 item SJT was piloted in 30 UK medical schools in 72 venues, with more than 90% participation of final year medical students. Additionally, all UK medical schools consulted with their students about the assessments that would be used in their school to contribute to the new EPM deciles framework.
Selection to the Foundation Programme from 2013 onwards will be based upon:
- An invigilated Situational Judgement Test (SJTs) to assess aptitude for the Foundation Programme (to replace 'white space' questions); and
- An Educational Performance Measure (EPM) to reflect educational performance at medical school up to the point of application to the Foundation Programme (to replace quartiles)
The Final Report of the PRE can be viewed here.
Prize winners announced
27 March 2012
The ISFP Team is happy to announce the winners our i-Pad prize draw. Every participant in the pilot SJT was entered into the competition, and winners were drawn at random.
- Alex Alimo - Southampton
- Shreya Bali - Bristol
- David Hennessy - Belfast
- Ceri Morgan - St George's
- Oliver James Dyar- Oxford
Over 90% participation in SJT pilots
3 February 2012
Over 90 percent of applicants to the Foundation Programme participated in the recently completed pilot SJTs, including 92% of UK medical students and a number of overseas applicants. A total of 6,851 applicants took part in the pilot, including 6,781 UK medical students.
As recommended by the ISFP Project Group in its Final Report, all applicants to the Foundation Programme will take the SJT to assess aptitude for employment as part of the application process from FP 2013 onwards. The assessment will last for 2 hours 20 minutes and will consist of 70 questions, including a small number of pilot items. The SJT will be implemented alongside the Educational Performance Measure (EPM) to reflect academic achievement up to the point of application.
Professor Paul O’Neill, chair of the ISFP Project Group, said: ‘The fact that over 90% of applicants to the Foundation Programme took part in the pilots speaks very well of medical students. They have taken the opportunity to gain experience of an assessment that is increasingly popular for speciality selection, and by taking part they are also helping to make selection to the Foundation Programme more reliable, robust and cost-effective. We value the views of medical students highly, so every applicant who took the test was given the opportunity to provide feedback and their views will be taken into consideration ahead of implementation of the live SJT.’
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FAQ updated
10 January 2012
We have updated the Frequently Asked Questions section of the ISFP website to reflect the latest developments in the ISFP project and the ways in which medical students will be affected.
The FAQs can be found here.
December SJTs continue trend of high participation
19 December 2011
Over 2,000 more students have taken the Situational Judgement Test in medical schools across the country, with participation rates again at over 90 percent. These figures continue the trend of high participation seen in the November round of SJTs. As participation is vital in order to ensure the smooth implementation of the live SJT for FP 2013, the ISFP Project Group would like to thank all schools and students who have taken part so far.
The SJT will be delivered on one more national date (9 January), following which the ISFP Project Group will publish more information on participation.
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90% turnout for first round of SJTs
6 December 2011
The ISFP Project Group is pleased to report that the first round of pilot Situational Judgement Tests has been a resounding success, with a 90 percent turnout rate for UK medical students so far. Nearly 3,000 applicants from 17 UK medical schools took the opportunity to influence the implementation of this new form of selection to the Foundation Programme, gaining valuable experience of a common form of assessment in the process.
The SJT will continue to be piloted on two national dates (9 December 2011 and 9 January 2012) and the ISFP Project Group is working in close conjunction with UK medical schools to ensure that the process continues to be a success.
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Final Report of ISFP project publicised
22 September 2011
The ISFP Project Group has today published the Final Report of the Improving Selection to the Foundation Programme project. The report has been submitted to the four UK health departments.
The report recommends the introduction of:
- An invigilated SJT to assess aptitude for the Foundation Programme (to replace ‘white space’ questions); and
- An EPM to reflect educational performance at medical school up to the point of application to the Foundation programme (to replace quartiles)
For more on the report, please visit our dedicated Final Report page.
The full press release for the Final Report is available to download below:
Press release_ISFP Final Report Publication Sep 2011.pdf
Foundation Programme to run Parallel Recruitment Exercise
18 July 2011
In addition to completing their FPAS application this Autumn, final year medical students will also be asked to take part in a full-scale pilot of the proposed selection methods during a Parallel Recruitment Exercise (PRE). This exercise will help ensure that any issues with the proposed application process are identified before the new methods go live for the FP 2013 recruitment round.
The full press release about the Parallel Recruitment Exercise is available to download:
Press release_Parallel Recruitment Exercise
More information about the PRE can be found on the Parallel Recruitment Exercise pages.
SJT pilots a success!
13 July 2011
The data from the 2010/2011 SJT pilots has now been analysed and the results show that the SJT is a reliable, valid and appropriate method for selection in this context. These findings support the considerable published research on Situational Judgement Tests.
The full press release about the SJT pilots is available to download:
Press release_pilot success
Parallel Recruitment Exercise (PRE) SJT dates announced
20 June 2011
Dates for the SJT pilots, which will be held at all UK medical schools as part of the PRE have now been confirmed. Final year students will be required to take part in the SJT which will last for one hour and involve answering 30 questions. Students will take the SJT on one of the following dates, to be decided be their medical school:
11 November 2011 (Birmingham and Imperial only)
28 November 2011
9 December 2011
9 January 2012
Information will be sent to all students from their medical school prior to these dates.
ISFP has a new Facebook page
27 May 2011
ISFP has a new Facebook page. Become a fan of our new page. This will keep you updated with the latest project developments straight from your news feed. Facebook will be archiving the original group this summer so make sure you join us soon!
Over 1000 students took part in SJT pilots
16 May 2011
SJT pilots took place in 17 UK and 2 non-UK medical schools between October 2010 and April 2011, involving over 1000 students. The pilot data has been analysed and the results show that the SJT is a reliable, valid and appropriate method for selection in this context. These findings support the considerable published research on Situational Judgement Tests. We would like to thank all students who took part in the pilots.
Three additional medical schools have signed up to take part in the SJT pilots
10 March 2011
Three additional schools - Birmingham, Newcastle and UCL - have agreed to take part in the spring SJT pilots. Final year medical students at these schools are encouraged to come along and take the SJT. This will provide students with an excellent opportunity to experience this type of selection which they may encounter for real during specialty selection - particularly GP training.
Workshops about the pilots to be held at pilot schools
14 February 2011
Workshops for final year medical students will be held at those schools involved in the spring 2011 Situational Judgement Test pilots. If you are a final year medical student at one of these schools please come along to hear more about the project and information on the pilots.
Barts and The London, 16 February, 5pm
Liverpool, 21 February, 1pm
Norwich (UEA), 21 February, 4pm
Lancaster, 22 February, 10am
Imperial, 22 February, 12noon
Nottingham, 4 March, 1pm
Manchester 10 March and 5 April, 5.30pm
Brighton and Sussex, 14 March, 9am
Glasgow, 21 March, 11am
Peninsula, TBC
Spring pilot schools announced
27 January 2011
The medical schools participating in the spring 2011 SJT pilots have now been announced. They are:
Barts and the London
Brighton and Sussex
Glasgow
Imperial
Lancaster
Liverpool
Manchester
Nottingham
Peninsula
UEA
Final year medical students at these schools are encouraged to take part in the pilot both to gain experience of SJTs and to help shape the new selection process. Workshops for students will also be held at these schools before the pilot to provide some background information on the project and to answer any questions students may have. These medical schools will be in contact with eligible students soon.
Initial SJT pilots now completed
30 November 2010
The initial SJT pilots have now all taken place. Final year medical students at Cambridge, Cardiff, Keele and Sheffield Medical Schools took the SJT answering 65 questions in 2 hours during October and November. Students were them given feedback on some of the items featured in the test. Feedback was generally positive and this, combined with the analysis of the SJT answers, will help inform a larger scale pilot in selected medical schools in spring 2011. The schools involved in the spring pilots will be announced shortly.
SJT pilot schools announced
21 September 2010
The medical schools participating in the autumn 2010 SJT pilots have now been announced. Cardiff Medical School will be running a pilot on 21 October, and Cambridge and Keele Medical Schools will run the pilot on 19 November. Only final year medical students will be eligible to take part and information will be sent to those students by the medical school. Final year medical students at these schools are strongly advised to take part to help ensure the pilots are robust and to gain experience and feedback of SJTs.
Video podcast now available
16 September 2010
A video podcast between Professor Paul O'Neill, Chair of the project, and Nick Deakin, medical student representative, is now available and can be watched via YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PuenDI1GvE. The video podcast provides information on the proposed system and all your questions answered.