Situational Judgement: What Is Tested and How to Practise
Situational Judgement (SJT) tests your professional judgement through realistic workplace scenarios: conflicts with colleagues, delays, complaints from citizens. It is part of the ability tests in scales A9–A11, alongside verbal, deductive, abstract and quantitative reasoning. Each question presents a scenario and four possible reactions; you choose not the “correct” one in a mathematical sense, but the most effective and professionally appropriate one.
No specialised knowledge is required, the assessment is based on the standards of conduct expected of a civil servant: discretion, impartiality, respect for hierarchy and procedure, and serving the citizen. Extreme options (total passivity or abrupt escalation without dialogue) are rarely scored as the most effective.
What the section measures
- Teamwork and colleague management: how you react to delays, conflict or lack of cooperation.
- Citizen service: how you handle complaints, frustration or requests outside your remit.
- Professional conduct: discretion, impartiality, respect for hierarchy and procedure.
- Prioritisation: which action best serves the service's goal under time pressure.
Exam-day strategy
- There's no “perfect” answer, choose the option that is most effective and professionally appropriate, not the one that's most comfortable personally.
- Avoid extremes: total passivity (ignoring, avoiding) and over-escalation (reporting immediately with no prior dialogue) are rarely the best first move.
- Put yourself in a civil servant's shoes: the priority is serving the citizen and the smooth running of the service, not personal comfort.
- Read carefully what's being asked: “first action” is not the same as “best long-term solution”.
Sample questions with solutions
1. A colleague is systematically delaying shared work due tomorrow. What is the most appropriate first action?
- A.Report it immediately to your supervisor
- B.Take on all the work yourself
- C.Discuss it privately with them to find a solution
- D.Ignore the issue
Show solution
Correct answer: C. Discuss it privately with them to find a solution — Direct, discreet communication resolves most issues before they escalate.
2. A citizen is upset about a delay that was not your fault. What is the best response?
- A.Apologise and explain the next steps
- B.Tell them it's not your fault
- C.Redirect them elsewhere without explanation
- D.End the conversation
Show solution
Correct answer: A. Apologise and explain the next steps — Acknowledging the inconvenience and giving clear next steps de-escalates and serves the citizen.
Frequently asked questions
What is Situational Judgement (SJT)?
It's a section that presents realistic workplace scenarios and asks you to pick the most appropriate reaction among four. It requires no specialist knowledge, assesses professional judgement, and is a standard part of the ability tests in scales A9–A11.
How are answers scored, is there one correct one?
There is one option considered the most effective, based on public-sector standards of conduct (discretion, impartiality, citizen service, respect for hierarchy), not a single “correct” answer in the mathematical sense.
How do I practise for Situational Judgement?
By working through many realistic scenarios and reading each answer's explanation carefully, so you build a consistent decision framework you can apply automatically in the exam.
Practise Situational Judgement
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