Situational Judgement Tests: Guide & Free SJT Practice Test (2023)
A Situational Judgement Test, also known as an SJT, features a series of scenarios that you may encounter in a place of work and presents you with questions to see how you’ll react. The scenarios are descriptions of a work problem or critical situation that relates to the job you are applying for.
Situational Judgement Tests measure effectiveness in relation to elements of social functioning, including interpersonal skills, conflict management, negotiation skills, problem-solving ability, cultural awareness, and enabling teamwork. SJTs are often used as measures of leadership and managerial proficiencies.
Given the fact that there is no clear indication on which is the right answer for each SJT question and given that companies can change the test to fit their specific needs, it is highly difficult for test-takers to know how to approach this exam. That is where our team of Situational Judgement Test experts at PrepTerminal come in.
PrepTerminal’s Situational Judgement Test Prep Course features comprehensive study guides, video guides, practice questions, full practice tests, and more.
SJT Practice Test
What Situational Judgement Tests Assess
Situational Judgement Tests measure your ability to select the most appropriate action in workplace scenarios. These assessments are created to determine how you may handle situations that could arise in the job role you are applying for.
For each scenario, a number of possible responses, or actions, are given. There are typically around 4 or 5 responses but this can vary. It is the test-taker’s task to select between these possible responses and decide which is the best course of action to take. Thus, which action they would most likely take if they were presented with this situation in real life.
Situational Judgement Tests, thus determine behavioral tendencies and assess how the candidate will behave in a given situation.
Although it may be difficult to believe, each Situational Judgement Test is different, or rather, unique, depending on the industry and employer that you are applying to work with.
Customer Service Situational Judgement Test
Sometimes known or called as the ‘Entry-level SJT’, the questions here will be tailored to mimic situations that are likely to be encountered in customer service or entry-level jobs.
For larger companies, all the questions included in this Situational Judgement Test will have them tailored to always be that of the position that the candidate is applying for.
For others, however, the questions will generally be on customer service-related situations that are not exclusive to the industry that the company is in. This means you may encounter an Situational Judgement Test question where you will be put in the shoes of a boutique employee even if you are applying for a call-center job.
In this situational test, the company will see just what kind of employee you are when interacting with customers and what sort of solutions do you prefer when a conflict or misunderstanding occurs.
Some of these choices will be geared to accommodating the customer while others will be more towards upholding company or store policy.
Supervisory Situational Judgement Test
Like the customer service Situational Judgement Test test type shared above, the questions here will be tailored to mimic situations that are likely to be encountered by those who are applying for a supervisor position in the company that they are interested in.
For larger companies, all the questions included in this Situational Judgement Test will have them tailored to always be that of the position that the candidate is applying for.
For others, however, the questions will generally be on supervisor-related situations that are not exclusive to the industry that the company is in. This means you may encounter an SJT question where you will be put in the shoes of a boutique employee even if you are applying for a supervisor position at a call center.
In this situational test, the company will see just what kind of employee you are when interacting with workers whose positions are under your authority and what sort of solutions do you prefer when a conflict or misunderstanding occurs.
Some of these choices will be geared to accommodating the needs of the employee while others will be more towards upholding company policy or giving priority to what the customer wants.
Managerial Situational Judgement Test
Like the customer service Situational Judgement Test test type shared above, the questions here will be tailored to mimic situations that are likely to be encountered by those who are applying for a supervisor position in the company that they are interested in.
For larger companies, all the questions included in this Situational Judgement Test will have them tailored to always be that of the position that the candidate is applying for.
For others, however, the questions will generally be on supervisor-related situations that are not exclusive to the industry that the company is in. This means you may encounter an SJT question where you will be put in the shoes of a boutique employee even if you are applying for a supervisor position at a call center.
In this situational test, the company will see just what kind of employee you are when interacting with workers whose positions are under your authority and what sort of solutions do you prefer when a conflict or misunderstanding occurs.
Some of these choices will be geared to accommodating the needs of the employee while others will be more towards upholding company policy or giving priority to what the customer wants.
Interpersonal Skills Situational Judgement Test
Unlike the previously mentioned SJTs, the questions here will be focused on situations that will test your interpersonal skills regardless of position.
This means that the situations will be more centered on interpersonal skills-related problems such as having a misunderstanding between you and a fellow employee, a customer, or someone from a rival company and how you should act in public or during a meeting.
For some larger companies, all the questions included in this situational judgement test will have them tailored to always be that of the position that the candidate is applying for.
For others, however, there is no need to further specialize the questions or the answers unless conflict-management is part of the job or industry and they need to make sure that the applicant has the necessary skills to handle the pressure despite the customer getting angry and raising their voice at them.
Generally, however, the company that utilizes this SJT merely wants to confirm that the applicant has the minimum interpersonal skills to function as an employee of theirs.
Situational Judgement Test
Situational Judgement Test Question Types
The abilities and skills the SJT assesses are known as Competencies. These can be divided into 2 areas: Core competencies and Secondary competencies.
The core competencies generally include:
- Cognitive ability
- Social intelligence
- Job-related knowledge and skills
- In managerial Situational Judgement Test leadership skills are also considered
Secondary competencies are, put simply, practical skills, personality characteristics and abilities that are linked to various core competencies. For example, social intelligence involves working as a team, and supporting and motivating others. Whereas, cognitive abilities involve prioritizing tasks planning and problem solving.
Thus, you can anticipate that each scenario on the assessment will test you on one core competency and will examine you on at least one secondary competency.
What your Potential Employers will See in your SJT Results
Employers use Situational Judgement Tests to:
- See how you could respond to real challenges and situations in a given job role
- Understand just how effective your judgement is
- Provide you with insight into the situations and demands you would potentially be confronted with when on the job
The results from Situational Judgement Tests are typically used in conjunction with information from other activities and tools, including assessment exercises and interview, and application forms. These other tools can give you the opportunity to elaborate on and make comments in relation to your answers to the SJT.
Situational Judgement Test Format and Scoring System
To date, there are four ways to take or administer the SJT, namely: pen-and-paper test, text-based computer test, video clips coupled with text-based choices, and animated simulations with text-based choices.
Most SJT tests do not have a time-limit, and that said, you are instructed to answer honestly.
However, you are not typically expected to take too long answering each question or situation but the typical situational judgement test usually contains guidelines for how long it should take.
Most companies require the applicants to answer 20 scenarios within 30 minutes so there is a need for candidates to do some situational judgement test practice to try and meet this hidden requirement.
It is, however, important to keep in mind that many of them are custom-made for an industry or company, familiarizing yourself with situational judgement test examples will be vital so that you won’t be caught off guard.
Also, here are the things that your potential employers will see in your Situational Judgement Test results:
- Your overall score
- Your individual competency scores
- How you compare to others taking the test
Through the use of a situational test, your potential employer can see detailed information on your test and how you scored.
F.A.Q.
What Is the Time Limit on the SJT?
Most of the time there is no Situational Judgement Test time limit. Your answer should thus be carefully considered and not an impulsive answer. You should take into consideration the specific needs of your prospective employer.
How Much Marks Should You Get On Your SJT?
It is advisable to achieve an 80% on your SJT. Consider that your score will be compared to your competitors. The score you get will represent how well you fit in with the employer’s company culture. If your score is high you will probably be a good fit for your new job.
What Style of Questions Are on the SJT Test?
The situations featured on Situational Judgement Tests typically ask you to resolve a given hypothetical conflict. Nevertheless, the scenarios are based on common workplace conflicts. You will be asked to select the method of action you believe is best. You will be given several options.
What Is the Right Response in the SJT Test?
The right response is the response your potential employer is after. Prior to sitting your Situational Judgement Test you should consider the type of person or behavior the job you are applying for will demand. This might help you find the best answer.
How Many Scenarios Will I Find on the SJT?
You will likely find between 25-50 scenarios on your Situational Judgement Test assessment. Once you read through a scenario you will need to find the most (or least) appropriate response. Or, you many need to rank the response according to how effective they are.
How to Perform Well in Situational Judgement Tests
#1. Practice on SJTs
Practice on as many Situational Judgement Tests as you can prior to sitting your real assessment. This will help you become familiar with the general format of the questions and the nature of the responses that are needed.
#2. Study the answers
Go over the answers to the practice tests you take. Reviewing your solutions is a great way to learn.
#3. Understand the mechanics of your answers
Try to isolate patterns in your responses. Are you a team leader who likes to take charge, or are you a team player who prefers to go along with the majority? These are the types of personality traits that STJs are created to identify. By practicing questions prior to taking the real test you can learn key lessons and avoid making glaring mistakes in your real test.
#4. Know what role you are applying for
Think about the company role you are applying for and what sort of characteristics they are likely to be looking for in a candidate. Situational Judgement Tests are typically tailored to specific organizations, so considering what type of people the organization you are applying to is likely to be seeking to employ can help you understand the rationale behind their test questions.
#5. Use resources from professionals
Practice situational judgement questions using resources written by qualified individuals, such as those produced by PrepTerminal. By practicing questions written by experts you will gain a true understanding of what your real exam will look like.
How Prepterminal Can Help With the SJT
As shown above, the situational judgement test is a rather tough test to get through, and for good reason. Firstly, because there is no clear indication as to which is the correct answer for each SJT question and secondly because companies can change and modify it to their liking – making sure that the answer sets are unique to them.
Our comprehensive Situational Judgement Test Prep Course, is designed by psychometric experts and test design professionals – we make sure you are ready to handle all SJT test challenges. Our prep course has study guides, video guides, practice questions, and full practice tests that contain all of the subjects, questions, and question formats that will appear in the actual SJT test. Enroll now!
