Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs): A Deep Dive

What is a Situational Judgement Test?

A Situational Judgement Test (SJT) is a type of psychometric test used early in the application process for graduate schemes and apprenticeships.

Unlike numerical or verbal reasoning tests, which measure cognitive ability and have an objective right or wrong answer, an SJT measures your behavioural traits. You are presented with a fictional workplace scenario and a list of possible actions you could take. You must decide which action is the most appropriate.

Employers use SJTs to filter out candidates whose natural working style clashes with the firm's culture. They usually sit alongside numerical and verbal reasoning in the online testing stage; see our guide to psychometric tests for the other formats.

How SJTs work

You will usually face a series of short paragraphs describing a dilemma. For example, you might be told that you are a junior analyst, a major client is demanding a report by 5 PM, but your manager has just left for the day and the data you need is incomplete.

You are then given four or five possible responses.

• A: Call the client and tell them the report will be late.
• B: Submit the report with the incomplete data to meet the deadline.
• C: Ask a colleague from a different team to help you find the missing data.
• D: Wait for your manager to return tomorrow and explain the situation.

There is rarely an answer that is obviously "evil" or "stupid". Instead, there are usually a couple of reasonable options and one or two poor ones. The test is designed to force you to prioritise between competing positive traits, such as meeting a deadline versus maintaining quality, or acting independently versus asking for help.

Working through the example. Option B is the weakest almost anywhere: sending a client incomplete data to hit a deadline risks the firm's reputation. Option D is also poor, because the client is left waiting without being told anything. That leaves A and C. An employer that values initiative and teamwork would rate C highest, because you try to solve the problem before the deadline. An employer that puts accuracy and client relationships first might rate A highest, because you manage the client's expectations honestly rather than risk a rushed fix. Which of the two comes out on top is exactly where the employer's values decide it.

Your best guide: company values

The biggest mistake candidates make is trying to guess what sounds "most professional".

What counts as the "best" response changes depending on who you are applying to. A fast-moving tech company might reward you for using your initiative and pulling in help from elsewhere. A highly regulated firm, such as an accountancy practice or a bank, might reward you for flagging problems early and keeping the client informed, even if it means a delay.

The most reliable way to prepare for an SJT is to research the employer's core values before you take the test.

Go to the employer's careers website and find their values or mission statement. Write them down on a piece of paper. If their values are "Integrity", "Collaboration", and "Excellence", you must view every scenario through that lens.

• If a scenario tests "Collaboration", the answer that involves working with a team or asking a peer for input is likely to score well.
• If a scenario tests "Integrity", the answer that involves being honest about a mistake, even if it causes a delay, is likely to score well.

Common SJT scenarios

While the exact questions change, almost all SJT scenarios fall into a few predictable categories:

1. Conflicting priorities

You have two urgent tasks and only time for one. The strategy: Look for the answer that involves communicating with stakeholders to renegotiate a deadline, or prioritising the task that has the biggest impact on a client.

2. The difficult colleague

Someone on your team is not pulling their weight or is being rude. The strategy: Look for the answer that involves addressing the issue directly but politely with the colleague first, rather than immediately escalating it to a manager or doing their work for them.

3. The unhappy client

A client is angry about a mistake your firm made. The strategy: Prioritise the answer that involves taking ownership of the mistake, apologising professionally, and offering an immediate, actionable solution.

4. The ethical dilemma

You spot a minor error in a report that is about to go out, but fixing it will mean missing a major deadline. The strategy: In highly regulated industries (finance, law, auditing), accuracy and compliance always beat speed. Choose the option that flags the error.

Formats: choose, rank, or rate

SJTs generally come in three formats.

Multiple choice (Most/Least Effective)

You must select the single best action to take, and sometimes the single worst action. This is the easier format. You simply identify the action that best aligns with the company values (Most Effective) and the action that ignores the core problem or makes it worse (Least Effective).

Ranking

You must rank all four or five options from 1 (Most Effective) to 5 (Least Effective). This is much harder because the middle options are often very similar.

• Rank 1: Solves the problem completely and aligns with company values.
• Rank 2: Solves the immediate problem but might ignore a secondary issue.
• Rank 3: A passive response; doesn't make things worse, but doesn't fix the root cause.
• Rank 4: A poor response that delays action or shifts blame.
• Rank 5: Makes the situation actively worse or breaches company policy.

Rating

You judge each option on its own, on a scale such as "Counterproductive", "Ineffective", "Fairly effective", or "Effective". Several options can get the same rating, so do not assume there must be exactly one of each. Judge every option against the scenario and the employer's values independently.

The Civil Service Judgement Test

If you apply for roles in the Civil Service, you may be asked to sit the Civil Service Judgement Test (CSJT), which is used across many departments and grades. It is one of the most widely taken SJTs in the UK.

The CSJT uses the rating format above. You read workplace scenarios and rate how effective each action is, based on the behaviours in the Civil Service's Success Profiles framework. According to the official guidance, the test is not timed, and your result is compared with a representative group of civil servants to give you a percentile score. Your score is not carried over, so you will retake it if you apply for another role at the same grade.

The government publishes free preparation material, including example questions, on its Civil Service Judgement Test guidance page.

FAQ

• Are SJTs timed?↓

  Are SJTs timed?

  It varies. SJTs rarely have the tight per-question timer of numerical or verbal reasoning tests. Some, like the Civil Service Judgement Test, are untimed, while others have an overall time limit for the whole test. Always check the instructions before you begin.

• Can I practise SJTs?↓

  Can I practise SJTs?

  Yes. Test providers like SHL and Cappfinity offer practice material on their websites, and the Civil Service publishes example CSJT questions. Practising helps you get used to the format, but remember that the "correct" answers on a generic practice test might differ from the specific values of the employer you are applying to.

• Should I answer honestly or tell them what they want to hear?↓

  Should I answer honestly or tell them what they want to hear?

  You should answer as your professional self, guided by their values. If you find that every "correct" answer feels completely unnatural to you, it might be a sign that you would not enjoy the culture at that specific company. The same values often come up again at interview, particularly in strengths-based interviews.

Ready to apply?

If you have mastered the SJT, you are ready to tackle the rest of the application process. Check out our guide on how to prepare for video interviews for the next stage.

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