How has application to the Foundation Programme changed?

From FP 2013, selection to the Foundation Programme will be based on:

• An invigilated Situational Judgement Test (SJT) to assess aptitude for the Foundation Programme, as defined by the Person Specification
• The SJT will replace the current ‘white space’ questions 
• The SJT will consist of around 70 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours 20 minutes
• An Educational Performance Measure (EPM) to reflect educational performance at medical school up to the point of application to the Foundation Programme 
• The EPM will replace the current quartiles and educational achievements
• The EPM score is comprised of three elements:
•  medical school performance in deciles
•  additional degrees
•  academic achievements (prizes, publications, presentations)

Why change the Foundation Programme application process?

Evidence gathered during work in 2009, 2010 and 2011 to review the selection process has shown the SJT and the EPM to be the most fair, reliable and effective methods for selection to the Foundation Programme.

Changes have only been made to the tools used for selection to the Foundation Programme (the SJT and the EPM). The other aspects of the application process remain the same (applicants still declare their choice of foundation school, a matching algorithm is used based on application score and preference, and rules for eligibility remain the same).

• Whether the white space questions can be sustained in the long term. There is a limit to the number of new questions that could be asked to assess the attributes outlined in the person specification
• The risk of plagiarism, as applicants complete their answers in their own time
• The cost in consultant time in marking answers to white space questions
• Quartiles are calculated differently at each of the medical schools

To address these concerns, the Department of Health commissioned the Medical Schools Council to lead a Project Group of stakeholders to review methods of selection into the Foundation Programme. The Department of Health accepted the recommendations to pilot the SJT and the EPM, based on international evidence, stakeholder consultation advice and independent cost benefit analysis as part of the Options Appraisal. You can find out more about the Options Appraisal on the About ISFP pages.

Pilots and development

A detailed Job Analysis of the Foundation Programme Year 1 Doctor informed the development of the test specification for the SJT, which was then piloted with more than 1,000 medical students in 2010 and 2011. The pilots demonstrated test reliability, construct validity, and applicant acceptance and found the SJT to be fair and effective for use in this context. The results of the pilots were positively peer reviewed by leading academics in assessment.

For the EPM, agreement was reached by all medical schools for a standardised framework to calculate performance at medical school. The framework was researched and proposed by a working group of medical school staff and students, employers and foundation school representations. There was agreement that additional academic achievements, i.e. degrees, prizes, presentations and publications should continue to be recognised. Please see the EPM pages for more information.

For the EPM, agreement was reached by all medical schools for a standardised framework to calculate performance at medical school. The framework was researched and proposed by a working group of medical school staff and students, employers and foundation school representations. There was agreement that additional academic achievements, i.e. degrees, prizes, presentations and publications should continue to be recognised. Please see the EPM pages for more information.

How will selection to the Foundation Programme be managed in the meantime?

The recruitment round will run as normal for applications to the FP 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 SJT at their medical school between November 2011 and January 2012. Take a look at our PRE FAQ and the PRE section of our website for more information

How will the EPM and SJT be weighted?

The total application score will be equally weighted between the EPM (50%) and SJT (50%).

How are the views of medical students being taken into account?

The views of medical students have been taken into account at every stage of the process:

• The Co-Chairs of the British Medical Association Medical Students Committee (BMA MSC), are members of the Project Group representing the medical student body. The BMA MSC in turn 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
• More than 1,200 students completed an online survey about the selection process, and members of the ISFP Project Team met with both the BMA Medical Students Committee and the UKFPO Medical Students Board. Feedback from these two stakeholder groups were considered with all stakeholder feedback, and informed the aspects and weightings for the non-financial aspects of the Cost Benefit Analysis (i.e. applicant burden, fairness etc)
• Members of the ISFP Project Team ran Q&A workshops and feedback sessions with  the 17 schools involved with the pilots (before and after the pilot took place)
  There were two student representatives on the EPM Task and Finish Group, to research, review and make recommendations about the standardised framework to calculate deciles
• There is a ‘student champion’ at each medical school who works closely with staff taking part to ensure that students views are heard, and any issues are raised with the ISFP Project Team
• The initial pilots (autumn 2010 and spring 2011) gave each student participant the chance to feedback on the SJT. 85 percent of participants reported that the content of the SJT was relevant to the Foundation Programme, and 81 percent agreed that the scenario content was appropriate to their training level
• Each student who has taken the SJT as part of the Parallel Recruitment Exercise will also be able to give their feedback on their experience of taking the assessment

In addition to this, medical students can communicate their views via the ISFP 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