All applicants who complete the brief online application form and pay the application fee (€75 non- refundable) will be invited to sit the SJT & CPST assessments. This is an online invigilated test. The test window will open from 10am on Thursday, 26 October to 10 pm on Thursday, 26 October. Applicants can log in at any time during this period to complete the tests.
The tests must be taken consecutively, and both must be completed in one sitting; applicants are advised to allow approximately 3 hours.
Taking the test involves the following:
Further information will be provided at the application and information webinar on Thursday, 05 October at 6pm.
The SJT will consist of approximately 40 scenarios depicting situations which applicants would be likely to encounter in their work as a hospital doctor. The SJT will assess attributes such as professionalism, empathy, coping with pressure and integrity, and are a measure of pro-social behavior. They will not measure clinical knowledge. Applicants will be asked to select from a range of options the most appropriate action to take in a given situation. Answer keys will follow two formats, either a rank option, where the candidate lists in order of appropriateness, from 1 to 5 the options to take to address a situation, or multiple choice i.e. choose three appropriate options to take from a list of eight. Scoring of the SJT assesses attitudes which best align to the work of a General Practitioner. As applicant numbers exceed the number of training places in any given year your score in the SJT will be used to shortlist those who progress to interview. SJT scores will also be carried forward to final ranking and assignment of training places.
The CPST will assess candidates' clinical knowledge and will take approximately 45 minutes. It must be completed online in a single session, following the SJT. An optional break will be possible between the SJT and CPST. The CPST will consist of approximately 30 single best answer (SBA) questions, describing common clinical presentations that a recently qualified doctor might encounter in the hospital setting. The questions will explore candidates' ability to diagnose, investigate and manage these presentations. Applicants will be required to select the single most appropriate of five possible responses to each situation.
The purpose of the CPST is to ensure that the public is protected from practitioners not clinically competent to occupy training posts, whilst ensuring that the bar is not so high that it excludes those who do have the necessary knowledge and skills from being able to commence training. The standard of achievement expected will be that of a current intern.
The ICGP will use a criterion-referenced method of determining the pass mark for the CPST (Angoff method). Applicants who do not attain the required standard will not be shortlisted, but, unlike the SJT, CPST scores will not contribute towards final ranking or assignment of training places.
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