Why is this review being carried out when the current system appears to work well and most people get their first choice?
What is being proposed?
What is an Educational Performance Measurement (EPM)?
How will Educational Performance Measure be scored?
What is a Situational Judgement Test (SJT)?
Are Situational Judgement Tests used in other areas of medical recruitment?
Are the Situational Judgement Test questions realistic of the situations Foundation doctors will encounter?
How will the Educational Performance Measure and the Situational Judgement Test be weighted?
How much time will need to be spent revising for the Situational Judgement Test?
How will the new system be fairer?
When will the pilots be carried out and what and who will be involved?
How do I get involved in the pilots?
Are there any benefits in taking part in a pilot?
When will this be implemented?
How will selection be managed in the meantime?
Will the new selection method affect how I will be allocated to my Foundation School?
How are the views of medical students being taken into account?
How can I find out more about the pilots and updates on the project?

Why is this review being carried out when the current system appears to work well and most people get their first choice?
Some concerns were raised about the current system, including:
• There are concerns about whether the white space questions can be sustained in the long term. They reflect the attributes outlined in the person specification and it is possible that appropriate answers could be developed and sold on the internet
• Quartiles are calculated different at each of the medical schools
To address this, the Department of Health commissioned a Project Group to review methods of selection into the Foundation Programme.

You can find out more on the About ISFP pages.

What is being proposed?
After considering all the evidence the following recommendations were made:
• To pilot two new selection methods:
Educational Performance Measure (EPM) - to evolve from the current quartile rankings
Situational Judgement Test (SJT) – to replace the current white space questions
• To continue with the current method of selection unless piloting of the proposed new method demonstrates substantial and convincing evidence for change

What is an Educational Performance Measurement (EPM)?
A framework based on common principles which looks at how medical students have performed throughout their medical school career. This will be more robust than quartiles with all schools providing scores to a standard specification. Students will be divided into deciles, rather than the current quartiles. More information can be found on the EPM pages.

How will Educational Performance Measure be scored?
A framework has been developed to show how the EPM score should be calculated. You can find the framework on the EPM pages.

What is a Situational Judgement Test (SJT)?
An invigilated assessment which will assess the professional judgements and behaviours expected of the Foundation Doctor. All applicants will undergo an assessment comprised of multiple choice questions which may have more than one correct answer and will be based on the complex situations encountered in foundation training. More information, including example SJT questions can be found on the SJT pages.

Are Situational Judgement Tests used in other areas of medical recruitment?
Situational Judgement Tests are currently used in the selection process for GPs, and they are being piloted for selection into other specialty training posts including surgery. It is likely that medical students will encounter SJTs during specialty selection.

Are the Situational Judgement Test questions realistic of the situations Foundation doctors will encounter?
Yes. The Situational Judgement Tests questions are developed by people who work closely with Foundation doctors and understand the role they have to undertake. We also undertook a job analysis of the role of a Foundation doctor across the country to ensure that this was representative. The questions are quality assured by a number of different groups including Foundation Year Two doctors, who agree that the situations are realistic. There is an extensive quality assurance process which includes a number of concordance panels with clinicians and other relevant professionals. We are confident the questions accurately reflect the role of the Foundation Year One doctor. 

How will the Educational Performance Measure and the Situational Judgement Test be weighted?
The weightings of the EPM and SJT scores have yet to be decided, although it is expected that the components will each be worth 50%. More information will be posted on the ISFP website when this has been confirmed.

How much time will need to be spent revising for the Situational Judgement Test?
There is no need to revise for this test as it is not a test of clinical knowledge.

How will the new system be fairer?
The Situational Judgement Test will be taken under invigilated conditions and so we can be assured that it is entirely the candidate’s own work. The assessments used to calculate the Educational Performance Measure score will be produced using a framework which will be used by all UK medical schools. This will ensure each student is assessed in exactly the same way. More information on how Situational Judgement Tests are fairer can be found on the SJT pages.

When will the pilots be carried out and what and who will be involved?
A Parallel Recruitment Exercise (PRE) is being undertaken by all UK medical schools during the 2011/2012 academic year. This is a ‘dry run’ before live implementation for those students applying to the Foundation Programme 2013. More information on the PRE can be found on the Parallel Recruitment Exercise pages.

How do I get involved in the pilots?
Only final year medical students will be eligible to take part in the pilots. All final year students are expected to take part in the pilot and will be asked to inform their dean/head of school if they are able to part. Unfortunately, if you are not a final year medical student you will be unable to take part in any pilots at this stage. However, some example questions are available on the SJT pages to give you a better idea on what you can expect from this sort of test.

Are there any benefits in taking part in a pilot?
Situational Judgement Tests are being used more and more for selection into specialty training and it would be beneficial for you to gain early experience of answering these types of questions and to familiarise yourself with the type of assessment you may be required to undertake in a few year’s time.  You will get feedback on your score and a certificate of attendance. You will also have the benefit of knowing that you have helped inform the future selection of doctors. You will also have the chance of winning one of five iPad2s.

When will this be implemented?
Following the Parallel Recruitment Exercise (PRE) the new selection methods will be used for applicants to the Foundation Programme beginning in August 2013.

How will selection be managed in the meantime?
The recruitment round will run as normal for applications to the Foundation Programme 2012 and will continue using the current system of white space questions and academic quartiles. However, students will also be asked to take part in a one hour Situational Judgement Test at their medical school between November 2011 and January 2012.

Will the new selection method affect how I will be allocated to my Foundation School?
Any new system involving EPM and SJT will not affect the way you are currently allocated to your Foundation school. Applicants will continue to complete the online form stating Foundation School preferences. Applicants will also continue to be allocated to Foundation Schools based first on score and then on their preference. 

How are the views of medical students being taken into account?
Karin Purshouse, Chair of the British Medical Association Medical Students Committee (BMA MSC), is a member of the Project Group representing the medical student body. The BMA MSC is consulting with its current student members on the system, and with the wider student population.

The UKFPO is also a member of the Project Group and is representing students via the Medical Students Board. Updates on the project are provided at every UKFPO Medical Students Board. 

In addition to this, medical students can communicate their views via the Improving Selection to the Foundation Programme Facebook Group and the discussion forum on the ISFP website. Any comments posted on either Facebook or the discussion forum will be fed back to the Project Group and will be considered when making any final decisions.   

How can I find out more about the pilots and updates on the project?
We will be sending any relevant information updates to you in a number of different ways:

ISFP website: The latest information including updates on the pilot, final reports and how the proposed system will work will be available here. Comments or questions can be posted on the discussion forum and we aim to respond within five working days

Facebook: Regular updates will be posted on the Improving Selection to the Foundation Programme Facebook group and an email will be sent to members when there is an important announcement

Email: Emails outlining important information will be sent to you via your medical school so keep an eye out for these in your inbox

E-bulletin: Sign up for e-bulletin updates on the e-Bulletin page.