The situational judgment test is a compulsory exam for entry to the UK Foundation Programme and is designed to test the attributes needed to work as a foundation doctor. It is run by the UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO), which this year commissioned a US testing company, Pearson VUE, to coordinate the test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Students were told that they could sit the exam at Pearson VUE testing centres or virtually from home, with online proctoring. However, many students were unable to get a slot at a testing centre and were forced to sit the exam online from home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One student told\u00a0The BMJ<\/em>\u00a0that she had been disqualified from her exam for taking notes on a blank notepad despite having sent an image of her desk, including the notepad, to her invigilator before the exam started. \u201cThey indicate that the treatment for some students undergoing the exams has been unfair, unacceptable, and in some cases inhumane,\u201d they said. \u201cThis is the latest in a line of issues with the SJT [situational judgment test] delivery for this year, and we have serious concerns of the impact this will have on final year students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s clear that this is a totally unacceptable situation, and we will be taking this up with the UK Foundation Programme as a matter of urgency.\u201d The Doctors\u2019 Association said that, while it welcomed this \u201cgesture of good will,\u201d it had received complaints of students being forced to resit exams when they had covid-19 symptoms and of candidates not being allowed to use the toilets at test centres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Freya Rhodes, medical student representative for the Doctors\u2019 Association UK, said, \u201cTelling students that their appeals have been rejected, and then days later offering resits, is a U turn that demonstrates poor preparation and lack of understanding from UKFPO and Pearson VUE.
Another student said that they had been disqualified for playing the audio of a video question out loud from their laptop speakers. Before doing so they had asked their invigilator whether this was allowed but received no response. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They have written to the UKFPO calling for it to consider the allegations against Pearson VUE\u2019s mishandling of the exam, review its online proctoring policy, and offer further extensions for students to resit the test where relevant.\u00a0The UKFPO has said that fewer than 20 students\u2014less than 0.25% of the 8000 applicants\u2014were disqualified from the exam by a Pearson VUE invigilator for \u201cprohibited actions.\u201d
Mike Masding, co-chair of the UKFPO, said that he was working with applicants whose tests were discontinued and \u201cwhere appropriate will offer the option to re-book.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFurthermore, these resits have been offered with limited flexibility and extremely short notice, with some students being asked to take the examination while being unwell with covid-19. We must continue to support our final year students who are also facing the challenges of graduating during a pandemic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n