Key Takeaways
- The 9 competencies are: Collaboration, Communication, Empathy, Fairness, Ethics, Self-awareness, Resilience, Problem-solving, and Motivation
- Raters do not score each competency separately per question — they give a holistic Q1–Q4 rating, but the competencies guide what they look for
- Empathy and Communication are the most frequently assessed competencies and overlap significantly
- Demonstrating a competency means showing it through specific language and actions, not stating that you possess it
- Most scenarios test 2–4 competencies simultaneously, so your response needs to address multiple dimensions
How the 9 competencies work in the SJT
The 9 competencies form the assessment framework for the GP SJT. Each scenario is designed to elicit responses that reveal your strengths or weaknesses across several of these competencies simultaneously. Raters are trained to evaluate the quality of your response holistically, but the competency framework guides what they consider a Q4 response versus a Q2 response.
Understanding each competency — what it means in the GP context, what raters look for, and common mistakes candidates make — gives you a significant advantage. Not because you can game the system, but because it helps you recognise which dimensions a scenario is testing and respond accordingly. Let us examine each one in detail.
The 9 competencies in detail
1. Collaboration
Collaboration in the GP context means working effectively with colleagues, patients, families, and the broader healthcare team. Raters look for responses that involve others in decision-making rather than acting unilaterally. This includes consulting with supervisors, involving patients in their care plans, and seeking input from team members.
What raters look for: language that includes others ('I would discuss with...', 'we could explore together...', 'I would seek input from...'), recognition that you do not have all the answers, willingness to defer to others' expertise. Common mistake: presenting yourself as the sole decision-maker or problem-solver without involving the relevant people.
2. Communication
Communication is assessed both through what you say and how you say it. In typed responses, raters evaluate your clarity, tone, and ability to convey complex ideas accessibly. In video responses, they additionally assess non-verbal communication — eye contact, facial expression, vocal tone, and pacing.
What raters look for: clear and concise expression, appropriate tone for the situation (warm for emotional scenarios, measured for ethical dilemmas), active listening cues ('I would want to understand...', 'I would ask about...'), avoidance of jargon when addressing patients. Common mistake: using overly clinical or bureaucratic language that creates distance rather than connection.
3. Empathy
Empathy is arguably the most important competency in the SJT and the one where the gap between Q2 and Q4 responses is most visible. It is not enough to state that you would be empathetic — you must demonstrate empathy through the specific language and approach in your response.
What raters look for: specific acknowledgement of the other person's emotional experience ('This must be incredibly difficult...', 'I can imagine how frustrating...'), normalisation ('Many people in this situation feel the same way...'), curiosity about the person's perspective before offering solutions. Common mistake: writing 'I would show empathy' or 'I would be empathetic' without actually demonstrating what that looks like. For detailed examples, read our Q4 vs Q2 comparison guide.
4. Fairness
Fairness involves treating all parties equitably while acknowledging that equity sometimes means different treatment for people in different circumstances. In GP scenarios, this often appears in resource allocation dilemmas, scheduling conflicts, or situations involving patients from diverse backgrounds.
What raters look for: consideration of multiple perspectives, acknowledgement of systemic factors that affect equity (cultural, socioeconomic, geographic), balanced reasoning that does not unfairly privilege one party, transparency in decision-making processes. Common mistake: applying rules rigidly without considering individual circumstances, or making assumptions about people based on demographics.
5. Ethics
Ethics in the SJT is not about reciting ethical principles or frameworks — it is about demonstrating ethical reasoning in complex, ambiguous situations. Scenarios often present genuine ethical tensions where reasonable people could disagree, and the quality of your reasoning matters more than your conclusion.
What raters look for: recognition of competing ethical obligations (e.g. patient autonomy vs duty of care, confidentiality vs safety), willingness to sit with ambiguity rather than jumping to a definitive answer, transparency about your reasoning process, awareness of professional codes and guidelines without being rigidly legalistic. Common mistake: treating ethical scenarios as having one clear right answer, or defaulting to 'I would follow the guidelines' without engaging with the ethical complexity.
6. Self-awareness
Self-awareness involves recognising your own limitations, biases, emotional reactions, and the impact of your behaviour on others. In GP practice, self-awareness is critical for maintaining professional boundaries, seeking help when needed, and avoiding burnout.
What raters look for: honest acknowledgement of your own limitations ('I may not have the expertise to...', 'I recognise that my own feelings about this might...'), willingness to seek supervision or support, awareness of how stress or personal factors might affect your judgement, openness to feedback. Common mistake: projecting an image of perfection or infallibility, or failing to acknowledge how a scenario might affect you personally.
7. Resilience
Resilience is not about being invulnerable — it is about maintaining effectiveness and wellbeing in the face of stress, setbacks, and emotionally demanding situations. In the GP context, this includes managing difficult patient interactions, coping with clinical uncertainty, and sustaining your career over the long term.
What raters look for: realistic coping strategies (not 'I would just push through'), awareness of support resources (DHAS, EAP, peer support), ability to maintain professional standards under pressure while also acknowledging the personal toll, recognition that seeking help is a sign of strength. Common mistake: presenting a 'tough it out' mentality or denying the emotional impact of difficult situations.
8. Problem-solving
Problem-solving in the SJT is less about finding the single correct answer and more about demonstrating a thoughtful, systematic approach to complex situations. Raters want to see that you can gather information, consider multiple options, and arrive at a reasonable course of action — even when the situation is ambiguous.
What raters look for: gathering information before acting ('I would first want to understand...'), considering multiple approaches and their consequences, practical and actionable suggestions (not vague generalities), contingency thinking ('If that did not work, I would then...'). Common mistake: jumping to the first solution that comes to mind without exploring alternatives, or proposing actions that are impractical in a real GP setting.
9. Motivation
Motivation refers to your intrinsic drive towards patient-centred care, professional development, and contributing to the health of your community. This competency is less about what you do in a scenario and more about the values that underpin your actions.
What raters look for: genuine interest in the patient's wellbeing beyond the immediate clinical problem, willingness to go the extra step (following up, connecting to resources, advocating for the patient), evidence of reflective practice and continuous learning, orientation towards long-term relationships rather than transactional encounters. Common mistake: focusing entirely on procedural correctness without conveying any genuine care for the people involved.
How competencies overlap
In practice, competencies rarely appear in isolation. A scenario about a colleague struggling with mental health might simultaneously test Empathy, Communication, Collaboration, Ethics (duty of care vs confidentiality), and Self-awareness. The strongest responses naturally weave multiple competencies together without treating them as a checklist.
The most common overlaps are:
- Empathy + Communication — you cannot demonstrate empathy without communicating it effectively. These two are almost always assessed together
- Ethics + Fairness — ethical dilemmas frequently involve questions of equity and justice
- Self-awareness + Resilience — recognising your limits is the foundation of sustainable practice
- Problem-solving + Collaboration — the best solutions in GP involve other people, not solo decision-making
- Motivation + Empathy — genuine care for patients drives empathetic responses naturally
Which competencies appear most frequently?
While all 9 competencies are assessed across the full test, some appear in more scenarios than others. Based on the types of scenarios typically presented in the SJT, here is a rough frequency guide:
| Competency | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Empathy | Very high | Assessed in nearly every scenario — the foundational competency |
| Communication | Very high | Inherent in every typed and video response |
| Ethics | High | Appears in most scenarios involving professional dilemmas |
| Collaboration | High | Most scenarios involve working with others |
| Problem-solving | Moderate–High | Present in scenarios requiring a course of action |
| Fairness | Moderate | Prominent in resource allocation and diversity scenarios |
| Self-awareness | Moderate | Assessed in scenarios involving personal limitations or stress |
| Resilience | Moderate | Appears in scenarios involving adversity or burnout |
| Motivation | Lower | More implicit — assessed through the values underpinning your responses |
Prioritise empathy and communication
If you can consistently demonstrate genuine empathy and communicate it effectively, you will naturally score well on several other competencies too. These two are the foundation — invest the most practice time here.
Putting it into practice
Understanding the 9 competencies intellectually is useful, but the real skill lies in demonstrating them under timed conditions. Here is how to bridge the gap between knowledge and performance:
- After reading each scenario, quickly identify which 2–3 competencies are most relevant. This takes practice but becomes intuitive over time
- In your response, focus on demonstrating those competencies through specific language and actions — not by naming them
- Use the AI feedback on our practice scenarios to see which competencies you demonstrated and which you missed. This personalised insight is more valuable than any study guide
- Review the model Q4 answers and note how they address multiple competencies simultaneously without sounding like a checklist
For practical tips on structuring your responses under the 3.5-minute time constraint, read our typed response strategy guide. For examples of how competency demonstration differs between Q2 and Q4 answers, see our Q4 vs Q2 comparison.