Situational Judgement Test (SJT)

Dental Foundation Training (DFT) applicant guide

The assessment process is made up of 1 mandatory part - the Situational Judgement Test (SJT).

Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs) are a measurement method designed to assess judgement in work–relevant situations.

The DFT SJT is set within the context of dental foundation training.

The attributes are listed below:

  • Present challenging situations likely to be encountered at work
  • Applicants make judgements about possible responses or actions
  • Scored against pre-determined key SJTs focus:
    • Professional integrity
    • Resilience and coping with pressure
    • Empathy and communication
    • Working effectively as part of a team
    • Working under pressure

SJTs are not a test of clinical knowledge or skill. 

We have provided a sample test and test exam papers, see below.

The SJT is a computer-based assessment and will be administered by Pearson Vue test centres.

The SJT will last for 105 minutes and will consist of 56 questions.

Please note that only 50 of these questions will be used for the overall SJT score. 6 questions are being asked as part of an evaluation process.

It is important that you try and plan your time carefully and attempt to answer all questions.

Additionally in 2026, these evaluation questions will be used to break ties but will not form part of the final score.

You will not be made aware which questions are part of the evaluation process. 

For ranking questions, you will receive partial credit for attempting to answer the question.

You will receive no marks for any questions (both ranking and multiple choice) that you do not answer, but you will not be negatively marked (your score on other items won’t be reduced).

You will be required to sit the 105 minute assessment at a Pearson Vue Test Centre between 5 November to 13 November 2025.

You will be able to self-book a time and venue within this window which is convenient to you (subject to availability).

For approved reasonable adjustment candidates the time adjustments will vary and are outlined on the Pearson Vue Website.

Email to register for the SJT to be sent out via Oriel no later than 18 September 2025.

The email to book your SJT exam will be sent by 5pm on 24 September 2025.

For more information on the SJT and process of sitting your exam please visit the Pearson Vue website for Dental Foundation Training.

If you do not attend the SJT, you will be unable to progress and therefore removed from the process on Oriel.

Preparing for the SJT

Once the application timeframe has ended, you will receive a message asking you to register with Pearson VUE using the credentials associated with your Oriel account. 

There is no need to revise for the SJT as it is not a test of clinical knowledge.

The SJT assumes that applicants have knowledge of, and insight into the job role of a Foundation Dentist, and applicants will be required to respond as they should at this level.

After consulting clinicians and consultants in the field, Work Psychology Group (WPG) has written the questions for the SJT.

WPG are experts in creating selection and assessment processes and liaise extensively with subject matter experts to develop and finalise the test content.

The questions are ranking and multiple choice, designed to assess applicants’ non-academic attributes and responses to hypothetical scenarios in work relevant situations.

On the day

Please see Pearson Vue website for information about the test day. 

Sample test

Please visit DFT SJT sample test here. 

The test is to give you an insight into how you will navigate the full test for your SJT exam.

There will be a total of 6 sample questions. The full SJT exam will consists of 56 questions. 

Full Practice Papers

You can practice for the Situational Judgement Test (SJT) by taking the 2021 and 2016 practice papers.

Please note, the practice papers are designed to familiarise yourself with the test and provide rationales for the correct responses.

These are sample questions.

Example Situational Judgement Test (SJT) item

A new patient, Louise, asks you to veneer all of her front teeth. She hopes to pursue a career as a model and has been advised by a friend that veneers may help her do this.

On examination Louise's teeth are perfectly healthy with no previous restorations and just some mild crowning.

Her teeth are vita shade A3.

Rank in order the following actions in response to this situation (1 = most appropriate, 5 = least appropriate)

  • Respect Louise's wishes and schedule appointment for the veneers
  • Ensure Louise is aware of alternatives such as orthodontics and tooth whitening
  • Suggest a course of teeth whitening and explain the legal issues involved
  • Establish exactly what Louise does not like about her teeth
  • Offer to refer Louise to a specialist to discuss the veneers in more detail

British Dental Journal Volume 13 10.1 July 14 2012 (page 24).

Other examples can be found in the Postgraduate Dental Dean' FT presentation sent to all dental schools.

ID documents

Your ID must have your first and last name; a recent, recognisable photo; and your signature.

The first and last name on the ID must match the first and last name you used to register for the exam.

If you have a middle name that does not appear on your Pearson VUE account this will not be an issue, as long as your first and last name match from your account to your ID document.

If your documents are in your marital name and you applied under a different name please take your certificate of marriage with you to the test centre.

If you experience any issues on the day please report this to the test centre before you leave and come to our applicant portal.

We are unable to help if you have not come to us within 24 hours of the experience.

For reasonable adjustments please see this section on Pearson Vue site.

If you require reasonable adjustments

You must apply for reasonable adjustments as part of the national application process by the closing date at 10am (UK local time) on 8 September 2025.

It is important to note that the reasonable adjustments allowed for the SJT selection assessment may differ from those you obtain for university exams.

For more information about reasonable adjustments please review our page on reasonable adjustments.

Please review the DFT SJT timings and time adjustments if you have been approved for time related reasonable adjustments.

Information:

Find out more information about visas and applications from overseas.

Scoring information for the SJT

SJT items are scored against pre-determined keys that have been derived from extensive consultations with multiple subject matter experts, so that the scoring of the test is standardised and fair to all.

Ranking items

For ranking items, you will receive marks dependent on your responses’ proximity to the correct answers.

Full marks for an item are awarded if your response matches the correct answer and partial marks are awarded if your response is close to the correct answer.

There is generally a maximum of 20 points available for each ranking item.

You will receive marks for attempting to answer a ranking question. You will receive 0 marks, however, if you do not attempt to answer the question.

Imagine you are answering a ranking question in the exam.

You are given a list of 5 actions/options and are then asked to rank in order the following actions in response to this situation (1 = most appropriate and 5 = least appropriate).

Let’s say that the predetermined key for this question is CABDE. Option C has thus been predetermined by multiple subject matter experts to be the ‘most appropriate’ option (in other words, ranked as 1 out of 5).

If you note down on the answer sheet that Option C is the most appropriate option you would be awarded 4 full marks. If you select instead 1 of the adjacent options you would still be awarded 3 points, and so on.

Multiple choice items

For multiple choice questions, 4 marks are awarded for each correct option chosen, with a maximum of 12 marks generally available for each question.

Please note that if you select more than 3 options then you will not be awarded any marks for this question.

Case study

Case study: Tied ranks

Luisa and Farid both had a total weighted SJT score of 82.5.

However, Luisa answered 5 out of 6 pilot questions correctly whereas Farid answered 6 out of 6 pilot questions correctly.

This means that Farid would rank above Louisa in the overall national ranking as he answered more pilot questions correctly.

Page last reviewed: 31 July 2025
Next review due: 31 July 2027