UCAT SJT Importance Questions: Which Considerations Really Matter
Situational JudgementUCAT ANZ
Importance questions give a situation and a list of considerations. For each one you decide how important it should be in deciding what to do: very important, important, of minor importance, or not important at all.
What usually matters most
Patient or public safety — almost always very important.
Professional duties and honesty — very important or important.
Other people's wellbeing and fairness — usually important.
Your own convenience, mild embarrassment or being liked — usually of minor importance or not important at all.
A useful question
Ask: "If I ignored this factor, could someone be harmed, or would I be acting unprofessionally?" If yes, it is important or very important. If ignoring it only makes things a little awkward, it is of minor importance.
💡 Do not rate a factor by how true it is. A true but irrelevant fact is still "not important at all".
Try it now
✏️ Practice question 1Situational Judgement
Omar, a dental student, sees a classmate who appears unwell about to start treating a patient in a supervised clinic.
How important is the patient's safety in deciding what Omar should do?
✏️ Practice question 2Situational Judgement
Omar, a dental student, sees a classmate who appears unwell about to start treating a patient in a supervised clinic.
How important is it that Omar and the classmate usually study together?