Appropriateness and importance ratings in professional scenarios.
These are original Cutline questions. They are not taken from the official UCAT ANZ question bank or an exam. The clock below gives each set 23 seconds per question, based on the published 2026 timing. The 2027 format has not yet been published.
Noa is a junior doctor attending a student society football match as a club member. A player comes off after a collision and says their leg hurts. They are sitting comfortably nearby and ask Noa to check them before they decide whether to play again. Noa has not assessed the player and is available to do so now. The sports organiser says the team needs the player back immediately and asks Noa to tell them it is safe to return. A substitute is available, but the organiser would rather keep the original player on.
Question 1
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Noa in this situation?
Suggest that the organiser ask whether the player feels ready to continue, without addressing their request for assessment.
The keyed answer is C.
Asking what the player wants is a sound aim. The player has already asked Noa for an assessment, and the organiser is pressing for an immediate return, so handing the conversation to the organiser misses the needed response. This is more than a minor imperfection, but Noa has not told the player to return or claimed they are safe to do so.
Common trap: pass the buck.
Question 2
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Noa in this situation?
Tell the player they are safe to return now because the team needs them, without assessing them.
The keyed answer is D.
The player has pain and has specifically asked to be checked before deciding whether to play. Noa has not assessed them, so a claim that they are safe to return has no basis in the stated facts. C is too mild because this is an explicit clearance that could lead the player straight back into the match.
Common trap: safety missed.
Question 3
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Noa in this situation?
Tell the organiser there can be no return decision yet, then speak with and assess the player before discussing next steps.
The keyed answer is A.
The player wants an assessment, and Noa is available to provide one now. Telling the organiser no decision can be made yet removes the match pressure while Noa speaks with the player directly. B is too low because the response has no material missing first step in this situation.
Common trap: middle band confusion.
Question 4
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Noa in this situation?
Tell the organiser not to send the player back before assessment, then ask them to bring the nearby player to Noa.
The keyed answer is B.
Noa tells the organiser not to send the player back before assessment, which is a sound and protective step. The player is nearby and has asked Noa for help, so Noa could approach them directly rather than use the person pressing for their return. That missed direct step keeps this below A, while the clear boundary and plan to assess keep it above C.
Common trap: middle band confusion.
Set 2
01:32
Whetu is a dental student in a dental school clinic. During a follow-up visit, a patient says they stopped following the home care plan agreed at their last appointment because it was hard to keep up. The patient still has discomfort. Whetu's supervisor has asked for any changes to that plan before discussing what to do next with the patient. The patient asks Whetu to leave this detail out of the handover because they feel embarrassed. The supervisor is nearby, and there is time to speak with the patient privately before the review.
Question 1
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Whetu in this situation?
Offer to arrange a private conversation with the supervisor about the change, without explaining why the detail matters today.
The keyed answer is B.
The patient has a private way to tell the supervisor about the change, which is relevant to today's review. Whetu does not explain that relevance, even though there is time, so A overstates the response. The offer remains constructive and safe, which rules out C and D.
Common trap: middle band confusion.
Question 2
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Whetu in this situation?
Tell the supervisor that the patient followed the home care plan so the missed steps stay hidden.
The keyed answer is D.
Whetu knows the patient stopped following the plan, and the supervisor has specifically asked about changes. Saying the opposite would mislead the supervisor before discussing next steps. C is too mild for a deliberate false handover, while A and B mistake protection from embarrassment for a reason to be dishonest.
Common trap: honesty bent.
Question 3
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Whetu in this situation?
Tell the patient there is no reason to feel embarrassed and they should just tell the supervisor.
The keyed answer is C.
The supervisor needs the change, so encouraging the patient to share it has a sound purpose. Telling the patient there is no reason to feel embarrassed dismisses what they have said and gives no explanation or private support, which rules out B. The response does not itself falsify or disclose the detail, so D goes too far.
Common trap: judgemental remark.
Question 4
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Whetu in this situation?
Explain without blame why the change matters, then offer the patient a choice to tell the supervisor privately or have Whetu do it.
The keyed answer is A.
The supervisor asked for changes before the review, and the patient is embarrassed about one such change. Whetu explains its relevance without blame and offers the patient control over how it is shared privately. B is too low because the response has no material first step missing on the stated facts; C and D misread a respectful handover as a breach.
Common trap: middle band confusion.
Set 3
01:32
Simran is a medical student at a community clinic. A patient has requested a video appointment with the supervising clinician because travelling back to the clinic is difficult. The patient is using a device lent by a neighbour at a community centre. As the call begins, Simran sees someone moving behind the patient but cannot tell whether they can hear. The patient has not said they want anyone else involved. The clinician can pause the call while Simran asks the patient about privacy, and can arrange a later private appointment if needed. The next booking may then start late.
Question 1
How important to take into account are the following considerations for Simran when deciding how to respond?
Whether anyone near the patient can hear the conversation.
The keyed answer is A.
Simran can see another person behind the patient and does not know whether they can hear. The patient has not agreed to anyone else taking part, and the call can be paused for a privacy check. That check decides whether this consultation can continue now, so B gives it too little weight.
Common trap: middle band confusion.
Question 2
How important to take into account are the following considerations for Simran when deciding how to respond?
Whether pausing the call will make Simran look inefficient to the supervising clinician.
The keyed answer is D.
Simran may worry about how a pause appears to the clinician, but that is a concern about her own image. The uncertainty about who can hear the patient calls for a check regardless. C is still too high because it gives that personal concern some weight in the decision.
Common trap: self interest weighted.
Question 3
How important to take into account are the following considerations for Simran when deciding how to respond?
The patient's difficulty travelling back to the clinic when planning a later private appointment, if this call cannot continue.
The keyed answer is B.
The patient asked for video because travelling back is difficult, so that barrier matters when planning a later private appointment. It does not establish that the present call is private. A overstates its weight in the immediate response because Simran must check privacy before deciding whether this call can continue.
Common trap: middle band confusion.
Question 4
How important to take into account are the following considerations for Simran when deciding how to respond?
Whether pausing the call may delay the next booking.
The keyed answer is C.
Pausing the call could affect the next booking, so the clinic may need to manage a delay. That gives the timing some relevance. It remains secondary to finding out whether someone can hear the patient, while D wrongly treats the scheduling consequence as having no relevance at all.
Common trap: urgency misordered.
Line first trainer
Choose the appropriate or important side, then the exact rating.
Kiri is a medical student in a clinical skills lab where students will practise taking a pulse on one another. Earlier, the course tutor told the group to ask a partner's permission before touching their wrist. A demonstrator now tells the group to skip that check because everyone agreed to attend the lab. Kiri's partner quietly says they still want to be asked before anyone touches them. Several pairs are about to begin, and the demonstrator is standing nearby. The course tutor is also nearby and can clarify the teaching if needed.
Choose a side first
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Kiri in this situation?
Ask only her partner to wait, then check another student's recollection without alerting the nearby demonstrator.
The keyed answer is C.
The keyed answer belongs on the inappropriate side.
Asking her partner to wait respects their expressed wish. Checking another student's memory cannot correct the demonstrator's instruction before other pairs begin, so B underplays the unresolved group concern. D overstates this action because Kiri does not touch anyone against their wishes and pauses her own pair.
Kiri is a medical student in a clinical skills lab where students will practise taking a pulse on one another. Earlier, the course tutor told the group to ask a partner's permission before touching their wrist. A demonstrator now tells the group to skip that check because everyone agreed to attend the lab. Kiri's partner quietly says they still want to be asked before anyone touches them. Several pairs are about to begin, and the demonstrator is standing nearby. The course tutor is also nearby and can clarify the teaching if needed.
Choose a side first
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Kiri in this situation?
Take her partner's wrist and begin, relying on the demonstrator's advice despite her partner's stated wish.
The keyed answer is D.
The keyed answer belongs on the inappropriate side.
Kiri's partner has directly said they want to be asked before being touched. Taking their wrist anyway disregards that wish, regardless of the demonstrator's instruction. C understates the direct breach of the partner's expressed boundary.
Kiri is a medical student in a clinical skills lab where students will practise taking a pulse on one another. Earlier, the course tutor told the group to ask a partner's permission before touching their wrist. A demonstrator now tells the group to skip that check because everyone agreed to attend the lab. Kiri's partner quietly says they still want to be asked before anyone touches them. Several pairs are about to begin, and the demonstrator is standing nearby. The course tutor is also nearby and can clarify the teaching if needed.
Choose a side first
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Kiri in this situation?
Ask the pairs to wait, then politely ask the demonstrator in front of the group whether the permission check still applies.
The keyed answer is A.
The keyed answer belongs on the appropriate side.
The pairs are about to start, so a brief pause prevents the disputed step from being skipped meanwhile. The demonstrator is present and can address the advice they just gave to everyone. B is too low because no material first step is missing.
Kiri is a medical student in a clinical skills lab where students will practise taking a pulse on one another. Earlier, the course tutor told the group to ask a partner's permission before touching their wrist. A demonstrator now tells the group to skip that check because everyone agreed to attend the lab. Kiri's partner quietly says they still want to be asked before anyone touches them. Several pairs are about to begin, and the demonstrator is standing nearby. The course tutor is also nearby and can clarify the teaching if needed.
Choose a side first
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Kiri in this situation?
Ask pairs to wait, then ask the nearby tutor to address the group without first asking the demonstrator to clarify.
The keyed answer is B.
The keyed answer belongs on the appropriate side.
Pausing every pair protects partners while the tutor clarifies the permission check for the group. That makes C too harsh: the concern is addressed before practice. Asking the nearby demonstrator to clarify their own advice first would resolve the discrepancy directly without involving the tutor at the outset, so A is too generous.
Sophie is a dental student working on a group project in a university tutorial. The group's assignment is due tomorrow at noon. Maya has put her section in the shared folder for feedback, with a note asking the group not to submit it until she has checked their comments. The other sections are ready. Dan asks Sophie to upload the whole assignment tonight because he has an early shift tomorrow. Maya has not given permission to submit her section, but Sophie can message her now. There is still time to seek her reply before the deadline.
Choose a side first
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Sophie in this situation?
Ask another group member to decide whether Maya's section may be submitted, instead of asking Maya.
The keyed answer is C.
The keyed answer belongs on the inappropriate side.
Sophie has a reasonable wish to settle whether the draft is ready. Maya has already given a clear instruction, and Sophie can ask her directly, so handing that decision to another member is unsuitable. The action has not yet submitted the section, which keeps it short of D.
Sophie is a dental student working on a group project in a university tutorial. The group's assignment is due tomorrow at noon. Maya has put her section in the shared folder for feedback, with a note asking the group not to submit it until she has checked their comments. The other sections are ready. Dan asks Sophie to upload the whole assignment tonight because he has an early shift tomorrow. Maya has not given permission to submit her section, but Sophie can message her now. There is still time to seek her reply before the deadline.
Choose a side first
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Sophie in this situation?
Upload the whole assignment tonight, including Maya's section, to accommodate Dan's early shift.
The keyed answer is D.
The keyed answer belongs on the inappropriate side.
Dan's early shift explains his preference but does not give him authority over Maya's section. The deadline is tomorrow, and Sophie can contact Maya now. C understates the problem because uploading would cross Maya's express boundary, not merely risk a misunderstanding.
Sophie is a dental student working on a group project in a university tutorial. The group's assignment is due tomorrow at noon. Maya has put her section in the shared folder for feedback, with a note asking the group not to submit it until she has checked their comments. The other sections are ready. Dan asks Sophie to upload the whole assignment tonight because he has an early shift tomorrow. Maya has not given permission to submit her section, but Sophie can message her now. There is still time to seek her reply before the deadline.
Choose a side first
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Sophie in this situation?
Tell Dan to wait for Maya's approval, but leave Maya to notice the approaching deadline herself.
The keyed answer is B.
The keyed answer belongs on the appropriate side.
Sophie should stop Dan from submitting a section Maya has marked as unfinished. She can also message Maya now, which would help the group resolve the issue before the deadline. The safe refusal rules out C, while the missed communication rules out A.
Sophie is a dental student working on a group project in a university tutorial. The group's assignment is due tomorrow at noon. Maya has put her section in the shared folder for feedback, with a note asking the group not to submit it until she has checked their comments. The other sections are ready. Dan asks Sophie to upload the whole assignment tonight because he has an early shift tomorrow. Maya has not given permission to submit her section, but Sophie can message her now. There is still time to seek her reply before the deadline.
Choose a side first
How appropriate are each of the following responses by Sophie in this situation?
Explain Maya's note to Dan, then message Maya to ask when her section will be ready to submit.
The keyed answer is A.
The keyed answer belongs on the appropriate side.
Maya's note gives Sophie a clear reason to hold the upload, and Dan needs to know why his request cannot be met tonight. Asking Maya when her section will be ready addresses the deadline without treating the shared folder as permission to submit. B is too low because the action includes both the necessary boundary and the practical next step.
