NHS STP SJT 2027: Practice Questions in the 1–5 Format, Marking, Timing

The NHS STP SJT is the online situational judgement test every Scientist Training Programme applicant takes after applying. You get 25 healthcare-science scenarios in 50 minutes, rate each of the 4 to 8 responses per scenario from 1 = Very Appropriate to 5 = Very Inappropriate, and NSHCS marks each rating by how close it is to its answer key, with no negative marking. You must score above a threshold to be longlisted, so the SJT decides whether the specialty panels ever read your application.

This guide summarises the format and the rules from the NSHCS guidance, with links to the pages, then adds our own commentary, clearly marked: what the four attributes look like in a scenario, what closeness marking means for how you rate, two worked scenarios of our own, and how to prepare. ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not affiliated with NHS England or the National School of Healthcare Science (NSHCS), and our practice test is independent practice: NSHCS did not write it and does not endorse it.

NSHCS page on longlisting and the SJT, last updated 23 September 2026, read 8 November 2026.

Everything in this table is from the NSHCS page on longlisting and the SJT and its page on applying for a direct entry post. NSHCS says official guidance and sample questions for the SJT are only on its website and the Pearson platform, and warns that unofficial resources can be inaccurate, so treat those two pages as the rule book and everything else, including this guide, as practice and commentary.

NSHCS gives each rating a definition, and the definitions all turn on one question: how far the response aligns with, or opposes, what is expected of a trainee scientist. The middle column summarises the NSHCS definitions; the right-hand column is our reading.

The NSHCS page sets out how it asks applicants to judge each response. Read these instructions before you practise:

NSHCS gives its own example: if a patient is given the wrong lab result, several steps are needed, but "ask the patient if they are OK" should still be judged as appropriate, not as if it were the only action taken. The habit to build is to rate the response in front of you, not the response you wish were there.

NSHCS says marks are given based on how close an answer is to the correct answer, and there is no negative marking. The NSHCS pages do not give the points for each step away from the key.

Our practice test uses a simple split so you can see the effect: the key earns 1 mark, one step away 0.75, two steps 0.5, three steps 0.25 and four steps 0. That split is ours, not the official one. It follows the NSHCS principle that marks depend on how close a rating is to the correct answer.

Two practical points follow. First, NSHCS advises attempting every question because there is no negative marking, so do not leave responses blank. Second, under our practice formula the big losses come from getting the direction wrong, calling a harmful action appropriate or a sensible one inappropriate: being torn between 1 and 2 costs at most a quarter of a mark there, while confusing 2 with 4 costs half. If you find yourself torn between opposite sides of the scale, reread the scenario.

The score matters twice. You must score above the required threshold to be longlisted, and at shortlisting NSHCS says that, when required, the SJT score is used as a tie breaker where scores are the same. The NSHCS pages do not give the threshold.

NSHCS says the SJT maps closely to the person specification for an STP trainee and explores values, behaviours and professionalism. It names four target attributes. The left column is a short summary of the NSHCS description; the right is our reading of how each tends to show up in a scenario.

A scenario can involve more than one attribute, so think about all of them as you read. When we write our own keys, the same priorities come up again and again: patient safety, honesty about errors, confidentiality, working within your competence, and raising concerns with the right person at the right time. That is our editorial approach, not a published NSHCS marking rule. NSHCS says the SJT maps closely to the person specification for an STP trainee, so it is worth reading once.

Notice that A and C both go to the right person. What separates them is the delay that C writes into the response. Under our practice formula, rating C a 3 or a 5 would still earn 0.75 of the mark, while rating B a 1 or 2 would earn little or nothing.

Two responses earn a 1 here, which NSHCS says is allowed. Do not force a spread of ratings across a scenario: rate each response on its own.

50 minutes for 25 scenarios is 2 minutes per scenario. With 4 to 8 responses each, that is roughly 15 to 30 seconds per response, before allowing time to read the scenario (our arithmetic). Read the scenario once carefully, rate the clear responses quickly, and spend the time you save on the one or two that sit between ratings. The Pearson screen has a Flag for Review option for items you want to come back to, and NSHCS says you must scroll to the bottom of each page before you can move on.

The NSHCS pages we checked on 8 November 2026 gave no 2027 dates. Its applying page says recruitment takes place each year and applications generally open in January for trainees to start in September. Confirmed timelines and deadlines are published on the NSHCS website, posts are advertised on Oriel and the NSHCS website, and application opening and closing dates appear on the vacancy and the website. The SJT has its own opening and closing dates, after the application closing date.

If your previous STP application and Pearson SJT account used the same email address as this year's application, your previous login details stay the same. The STP itself is a 3-year salaried training post at Agenda for Change Band 6 with a part-time, fully funded master's degree (NSHCS, About the STP).

Suitable evidence is a Cognitive Diagnostic Report confirming your need for additional time, and/or documentation from a registered healthcare professional confirming it, on headed paper and signed. It must be in English, clearly legible, not password protected, and show your full name, the date of the report and the professional's contact details. NSHCS says it cannot consider requests or documents after the application is submitted, and that rejection because evidence does not meet these criteria cannot be appealed.

Pitfalls to watch for: rating what you would do rather than what a trainee should do; marking a sensible action down because it does not fix everything (NSHCS says it need not); treating 3 as "unsure" rather than "neither aligned nor opposed"; and spending four minutes on one scenario early on. Timed practice can help you spot these habits and work on them.

Our NHS STP SJT practice test has 1 full mock of 25 original scenarios today, each response rated 1 to 5 and marked by closeness to our key, with a 50-minute timer and the reason behind every rating. Mocks 2 and 3 are added on 9 November 2026 for every buyer, at no extra cost. Rate the 4 free responses below: the free sample can be taken once. ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not affiliated with NHS England or the National School of Healthcare Science (NSHCS), and our practice test is independent practice: NSHCS did not write it and does not endorse it.