MSRA MSRA Exam Strategy 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When tackling a Professional Dilemmas 'ranking' question, what does it ask you to do?
- Rank a set of responses from most to least appropriate (Correct answer)
- Choose only one correct answer
- Write a short free-text reply
- Select all options that are illegal
Correct answer: Rank a set of responses from most to least appropriate
Ranking items require ordering several possible actions from most to least appropriate.
Question 2: In 'multiple-choice/select-three' SJT items, how are marks typically awarded?
- Partial credit for each correct option selected (Correct answer)
- All-or-nothing for getting every option right
- Marks only for the single best option
- Negative marks for any selection
Correct answer: Partial credit for each correct option selected
Select-the-three-most-appropriate items usually give partial credit per correct choice.
Question 3: A colleague asks you to cover an extra shift when you are already exhausted and unsafe to work. The most appropriate first action is to:
- Decline and explain that fatigue would compromise patient safety (Correct answer)
- Agree immediately to be a team player
- Ignore the request entirely
- Report the colleague to the GMC
Correct answer: Decline and explain that fatigue would compromise patient safety
Patient safety takes priority, so declining due to unsafe fatigue is the most appropriate action.
Question 4: Which underlying principle should guide most Professional Dilemmas answers?
- Patient safety and acting within your competence (Correct answer)
- Avoiding any extra work
- Protecting senior colleagues from scrutiny
- Maximising personal career advantage
Correct answer: Patient safety and acting within your competence
Patient safety and working within your competence are the core principles of professional judgement.
Question 5: You notice a senior colleague has made a prescribing error that could harm a patient. What is the most appropriate immediate step?
- Address the patient safety issue promptly, correcting the error and informing the colleague (Correct answer)
- Say nothing to avoid embarrassing the senior
- Wait until the next appraisal cycle
- Anonymously post about it online
Correct answer: Address the patient safety issue promptly, correcting the error and informing the colleague
Acting promptly to correct the error and raise it with the colleague protects the patient first.
Question 6: Why should you avoid extreme 'whistleblowing first' responses in most SJT scenarios?
- Most situations should first be resolved locally and proportionately before escalation (Correct answer)
- Whistleblowing is never appropriate
- It always results in dismissal
- Escalation is illegal for junior doctors
Correct answer: Most situations should first be resolved locally and proportionately before escalation
Proportionate, local resolution is usually the appropriate first step before formal escalation.
Question 7: In Professional Dilemmas, what is the best way to handle scenarios involving probity (honesty)?
- Always choose options that are honest and transparent (Correct answer)
- Choose whatever protects your reputation
- Pick the answer that hides mistakes
- Select the most legally cautious silence
Correct answer: Always choose options that are honest and transparent
Probity questions reward honesty and transparency in line with GMC guidance.
MSRA MSRA Exam Strategy 3
When tackling a Professional Dilemmas 'ranking' question, what does it ask you to do?