Last year I thought the worst of medical school exams was over. But then we finally got told how they were calculating the rankings for FPAS scores and they used every year of exams (except finals) so that left me a bit deflated. Earlier years were a bit hit and miss especially catching up with a non-science background. Never mind. And then we had to sit the SJT *shudders.
Anyhow here is how the figures stack up for getting a foundation job through FPAS...
Academic score + SJT score = x/100 points
Academic score: A( x/43 points for exam results) + B (up to 5 points for previous degree) + C (up to 2 points for national presentation/publication/prize) = x/50 points.
A)They scrapped quartiles and moved to deciles this year. You get 43 points for your medical school exam results. The top 10% get 43, then the second decile get 42 and so on. I guess this will differentiate between students but would have been nice if they told us this earlier... The med schools can decide independently how they calculate your decile too.
B) A phd gets top points, then masters, 1st, 2.1 etc... if you didn't intercalate you start off on the back foot.
C) Only one point for each category so having two presentations is still only worth one point. Extra stuff counts if you apply for the academic programme though...
So that gives you a score out of 50.
And here's the killer, the Situational Judgment Test (SJT), one exam, is worth 50 points too! Surely that's madness! So basically getting your top job may mostly hinge on how you do with this exam. A bad day could wipe out all the deciles of grind.
SJT revision:
There's an official practice paper online http://sjt.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/ and an entire industry has sprung up flogging courses and books etc. Most of it in my view is a waste of money. The book questions sometimes give conflicting answers to similar questions on the official mock paper. Other sources are worth glancing at to consider topics and how to approach questions but you can't learn the right answer. I'd stick with the official examples and cross your fingers & toes.
That was my approach anyhow, results are out on Monday so I'll soon find out how that went!
Good luck peoples!
"Damn it I've lost count again..."
Anyhow here is how the figures stack up for getting a foundation job through FPAS...
FPAS scoring:
Academic score + SJT score = x/100 points
Academic score: A( x/43 points for exam results) + B (up to 5 points for previous degree) + C (up to 2 points for national presentation/publication/prize) = x/50 points.
A)They scrapped quartiles and moved to deciles this year. You get 43 points for your medical school exam results. The top 10% get 43, then the second decile get 42 and so on. I guess this will differentiate between students but would have been nice if they told us this earlier... The med schools can decide independently how they calculate your decile too.
B) A phd gets top points, then masters, 1st, 2.1 etc... if you didn't intercalate you start off on the back foot.
C) Only one point for each category so having two presentations is still only worth one point. Extra stuff counts if you apply for the academic programme though...
So that gives you a score out of 50.
And here's the killer, the Situational Judgment Test (SJT), one exam, is worth 50 points too! Surely that's madness! So basically getting your top job may mostly hinge on how you do with this exam. A bad day could wipe out all the deciles of grind.
SJT revision:
There's an official practice paper online http://sjt.foundationprogramme.nhs.uk/ and an entire industry has sprung up flogging courses and books etc. Most of it in my view is a waste of money. The book questions sometimes give conflicting answers to similar questions on the official mock paper. Other sources are worth glancing at to consider topics and how to approach questions but you can't learn the right answer. I'd stick with the official examples and cross your fingers & toes.
That was my approach anyhow, results are out on Monday so I'll soon find out how that went!
Good luck peoples!
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