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situational judgement tests

Situational Judgement Tests

  • 30 tests
  • 180 questions
situational judgement tests

Situational judgement tests allow employers to assess how you approach scenarios encountered in the workplace. The tests are built around hypothetical work situations, to which you are expected to react accordingly. Your answers will indicate your alignment with the values and behaviours of that particular company.

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Free situational judgement test questions with explanations

When practicing situational judgement tests, you should seek to experience a variety of question types that address key competencies – communication, teamwork and decision-making skills, for example.

It’s also a good idea to understand customer service and client-facing scenarios, even if the role is not a direct sales role.

As you practice, note down which types of questions are tripping you up and use our practice situational judgement test questions to get quicker at spotting the best answers.

Solutions to each are below the questions.

Example question: communication

situational judgement practice question communication

Read the passage and select how you would most likely and least likely respond:

A) Be honest with your manager, outlining that your current project and your colleague will continue to need your input until the end of the first project. Explain that you don’t want to desert them and see the project fail.

B) Accept the second project and explain to your manager that you will work extra hours and weekends to ensure that you can dedicate sufficient time to both projects for the immediate term. This will ensure that your less experienced colleague is not abandoned but that you can still take on the new project.

C) Tell your manager that you would love to take on the second project and make assurances that you will successfully deliver both by giving your colleague on the first project more autonomy but will continue to regularly meet with them and be on hand for issues as they arise.

D) Agree to take on the second project but set up daily calls with your less experienced colleague who is working on the first project to ensure that they remain on track and that you know everything that is happening. That way you can continue to oversee the first project as well as managing the second one.

Example question: teamwork

situational judgement practice question teamwork

Read the passage and select how you would most likely and least likely respond:

A) Tactfully suggest the group should focus on the suggestions that are more in keeping with the current product lines. This will give the group more focus and will get them moving on to the next stage more effectively.

B) Suggest that as a group you create a series of criteria against which to review all of the suggestions made so far. This will ensure that all suggestions get a fair hearing.

C) Suggest that the group splits into three so that each pair can quickly work up a project plan for their favoured suggestion. Encourage your less conventional team members a chance to work up a plan that they can share with the rest of the group to demonstrate a way of making their ideas work.

D) Ask each member of the group which of the suggested product lines they think will be more successful and why. Offer to act as secretary and record all opinions. Once everyone has put their point forward, encourage a debate that focuses on coming to agreement based on the pros and cons of the solutions offered.

Example question: decision-making skills

situational judgement practice question decision making

Read the passage and select how you would most likely and least likely respond:

A) Arrange a kick off meeting with your manager to brainstorm ideas based on their prior experience in retail and your observations of the business since joining.

B) Start by conducting desk based research to look at what the competition is doing and learning from that.

C) Set up a series of focus groups to include customers from a diverse range of backgrounds to try and understand what they are looking for from the loyalty card.

D) Meet with the finance and marketing teams and chair a session to generate ideas from them on what would generate the most financial gains in their view.

Example question: customer service

situational judgement practice question customer service

Read the passage and select how you would most likely and least likely respond:

A) Respond to the email as best you can before leaving without having access to the key files and tell the client that you will double check everything first thing on Monday.

B) Call the client immediately to find out exactly when they need the information by. If they do need it this evening you can pop back to the office and talk them through the key information and then provide a more in-depth written response on Monday.

C) Reply immediately telling the client that you need to get more information for them before you can give them an answer in full and with that in mind you will get back to them first thing on Monday morning as a priority.

D) Leave the email for now and deal with it first thing on Monday morning. The client will have received your out of office response anyway and may have contacted a colleague already.

Answers

Communication

C) is the most likely. This response shows that you are enthusiastic about extra responsibilities and that you have thought of ways to ensure both projects can successfully be delivered. You are demonstrating that you can empower and support your colleague without having to get involved in all of the day to day delivery issues.

A) is the least likely. Your manager is demonstrating trust in you by offering you the opportunity to lead a project within a different department. As a graduate you need to grasp opportunities like this with enthusiasm and find ways to ensure all projects are delivered successfully. By declining their offer you may be missing out on opportunities further down the line.

Teamwork

D) is the most likely. By asking everyone to make a decision about their favoured option and to also back this up with reasoned arguments it is encouraging debate and open communication. Everyone has to listen to everyone else’s views and this will encourage the team to work more cohesively.

A) is the least likely. This approach may well encourage the group to progress to the next stage but it fails to recognise that diverse views can be harnessed to give a real advantage in a team situation. Sometimes it is too easy to stick with what we know rather than capitalising on diversity within a team, even if it takes you outside of your comfort zone.

Decision making

C) is the most likely. This approach ensures that your initial proposal will take account of what customers would like to see. By taking steps to understand your customers you can tailor your proposals to ensure their needs are met.

A) is the least likely. Your manager has asked you come up with some proposed changes. This approach merely brings the problem back to them. Further, it is a very inward facing approach and takes no account of the competitive landscape and more importantly, what customers would like to see.

Customer service

B) is the most likely. By calling the client you are ensuring that you are respond according to their needs. It may be that they can wait for the information but it is important to establish this. It recognises that even a simple verbal response must be correct and having access to the correct files is vital. As they are your client it is important that you demonstrate you are willing to go the extra mile.

D) is the least likely. This is a client you have been working with very closely for 6 months so it is you they need help from. By ignoring the email completely it is evident that you are not prepared to go the extra mile. You have a good relationship with them so simply ignoring them is not what they will expect from you.

What competencies do situational judgement tests typically test?

Examples of core competencies tested by situational judgement tests include (but are not limited to):

Communication skills

SJTs focus on your skill with people: good communication and networking abilities should earn you a few points. But what really constitutes good communication?

In short, this is how you relate to others, and how good you are at adapting the style of a conversation to successfully influence and communicate with people. Behavioural thinking and a good level of empathy are therefore necessary to succeed, as you would be expected to effectively communicate your information in a manner appropriate to the audience, with clarity and purpose.

Team player

You might have been a sports star in your secondary school, but collaboration on a football pitch can be different from the one expected in a work environment. While taking a situational judgement test, remember to show how you can work collaboratively and empathetically within diverse teams.

Being a team member for some employers might also mean that you need to put the needs of the team above your own, and demonstrate openness and honesty with all the members. This is usually achieved by encouraging, listening and supporting others.

Relationship builder

You need to know how to successfully network with your team members. But also how to sustain effective relationships beyond your workplace. This includes relationships with customers, partners, and suppliers, to support the long-term goals of the company.

Customer focus

Customer experience is highly important, and employers know it. To score highly in SJTs, you must demonstrate that you value customers and clients. This means, of course, striving to understand their needs, and being prepared to guarantee them timely and efficient service. And sometimes, going the extra mile to surpass their expectations.

Creative and analytical thinking

Usually, what is meant by this is your ability to think independently with a good balance of realism and pragmatism. As an analytical thinker, you can demonstrate the intellectual capacity to identify and propose solutions, while considering numerous angles. Employers are looking for confident thinkers, who can draw conclusions even when dealing with conflicting or complex data.

Commercial awareness

Commercial awareness, together with market and competitor knowledge, is especially relevant if you are applying for a job in law or finance. Employers are aware that people with such skills are more likely to seize opportunities to grow an organization – and address wider issues that could impact its success.

Achiever attitude

A true achiever personality should possess drive, determination, and resilience. If you have a ‘can-do’ attitude; it means you are responsible for successful delivery of your own tasks, while being ready to work hard and display enthusiasm in all that you do.

Someone who is focused on achieving results knows how to approach work with a sense of urgency, and keeps the end goal in sight at all times.

Planning and organising

Employers want to know that you can deliver high-quality work in an efficient and timely manner. Planning could also mean successfully managing not only your time, but also time of other team members, while ensuring all necessary resources are available as required.

If you are a good planner, it means you are able to create and monitor clear action schedules and you know how to communicate any updates to those plans with all relevant stakeholders.

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Situational Judgement Tests FAQs

How are situational judgement tests scored?

Situational judgment tests measure your job performance in different scenarios and situations. Your answers will be grouped depending on the ability they assess. After that, the combined score of each ability is compared to the answers of the normative group (those people who already have a proven fitness for the position).

Is there a pass mark for a situational judgement test?

Usually there is no specific pass mark for an SJT, as it is only one of the factors that the employer will consider. Your score will usually be ranked alongside the other candidates (so if a particular test was harder or easier than other years, everyone is assessed fairly). You should be aiming to answer at least 80% of the questions accurately.

Is there a time limit for a situational judgement test?

There is not usually a time limit for an SJT, but you should expect to be able to answer the questions at a rate of about one question per minute. So a test that includes 20 questions/scenarios should be completed within 20 minutes.

What do situational judgement tests measure?

Situational judgment tests are used to assess the competencies of a potential worker in simulated work conditions. The most common competencies looked at are communication skills, team spirit, customer focus, networking, analytical thinking, attitude, planning and organisational skills.

Where can I practice situational judgement tests?

Practicing is the best way to be prepared for situational judgment tests. You will learn what to expect from questions and how to react to certain situations. This website provides a variety of situational judgment test questions for you to practice along with guides, tips and correct answers to the trial questions.

Which employers use situational judgement tests?

Situational judgment tests are one of the most popular aptitude tests. They are frequently used by law firms, medical schools, banks, financial institutions, business service firms and large corporates who have call centres and sales teams.

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Situational Judgement Tests Tips

1Remember to research

Try to find out as much as possible about the company and role you are applying for. It’s important to consider the qualities that the company’s culture is based on when answering situational judgement questions. Teamwork, communication skills and building relationships are among the most popular qualities that any candidate will need in a workplace environment, but you should be able to ascertain other required competencies from the job description.

2Ethics first

Most employers value strong ethics. When answering SJTs, you should be guided by the company’s values but also by universally recognised concepts of right and wrong conduct (as well as those set out by the law, such as bribery, corruption, data protection etc). It’s a good exercise to make a list of values that apply directly to your profession. For instance, appreciation of client confidentiality and professional secrecy in client/lawyer relations are the key values that everyone who wants to be a lawyer is assumed to understand.

3Unethical options are incorrect

Following this, an unethical option will be the wrong choice. If one of the possible actions is dishonest, involves lying, disguising personal errors, acting in an uncooperative manner or provoking a client or a customer, then this answer will not be correct or a ‘least likely’ option, if you are not presented with other choices.

4Practice makes perfect

The catch in any situational judgment test is the high probability of any of the presented answers (except the ethical examples explained above). We recommend you think in accordance with the promoted values outlined in the company’s profile, but to really ace it you might want to train your situational judgment muscles and take one of the free practice tests provided here.

5Best response dilemma

Often you’ll be asked for the ‘best’ or ‘most likely’ response. This means choose the most appropriate response given the information you have from the list of options provided. It might not be perfect; it just needs to be better than the rest.

Situational Judgement Video Tutorials

SJTs: A Guide

3 min

Quarterly Review

1 min

Delayed Project

1 min

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Reviews of our Situational Judgement tests

What our customers say about our Situational Judgement tests

  • South Africa

    January 30, 2024

    Being Honest

    What I liked about the test was the questions because they tested my perspective around certain scenarios. It tested they way I think and my personality. One thing I disliked about the test was time pressure .

  • South Africa

    January 30, 2024

    Interesting

    It gave me a clear insight on the possible challenges you could face in your business . Getting the opportunity to see different approaches to every situation and picking the one that best describes my personality gave me an idea of what approach would I have in situations.

  • United Kingdom

    January 29, 2024

    Overall helpful practice

    Some of the scenarios weren't as clear as I would have liked (in terms of the job role and company). It would have been helpful to practice a SJT where you had to rate the possible responses from most effective to least effective.

  • Pakistan

    January 29, 2024

    Navigating Professional Scenarios with Critical Thinking

    I found this test to be quite insightful and thought-provoking. It presented various scenarios that required critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which I appreciated.

  • Nigeria

    January 29, 2024

    Good practice stimulation

    Scenarios can be broken down into paragraphs to aid readability and help people process the scenarios better and faster.

  • South Africa

    January 23, 2024

    That you must always try to approach things in a calm and thoughtful way.

    What I liked about the test was that it gives you options to choose the best way to approach problems and the least way

  • South Africa

    January 23, 2024

    Thought provoking, it made me consider my thought process as an individual

    I would say that some of the options that were provided had a similar solution to the problem that was posed.

  • United Kingdom

    November 02, 2023

    Being an open minded employee/human

    I like the shortness although I do feel some of the extracts where unnecessarily long for the time limit and give not entirely useful information as the answers where generally less specific.

  • United Kingdom

    November 02, 2023

    Improving my reasoning skill

    I like the fact that the questions were challenging but I did not like the fact that they were so long

  • Pakistan

    November 02, 2023

    Informative

    The tests allowed me to analyse different situations and present my view of how I would deal in each of these