Situational Judgement Test - Preparation Guide Part #1

AN INTRO DUCTIO N

Copyright: http://www.jobtestprep.co.uk

Table of Contents

1.

Introduction to SJT
I. FAQ
II Example
III. A Brief History

2.
3.

Different Types of SJT
Test Structure and Format
I. Popular Formats
II. The Scenario
III. Responses
VI. Summary

4. Test Scoring
5. Some “Inside Information”
I. Popular SJTs
II. Feedback Report


Introduction to SJT
• A Situational Judgement Test is a popular pre-employment test that is commonly
used by employers to assess candidates’ key competencies and personality traits.
• The test is currently used by the world’s largest companies and governmental
organisations, and is also part of the selection process of small and medium-size
enterprises.
• Employers like to use SJTs since they are cost effective, efficient and user-friendly,
and tailored to reflect company values and vision.
• The test is usually sent to the candidate by email as one of
the preliminary assessment stages.


Introduction to SJT > FAQ
What is it? The SJT consists of a scenario and response options.
The scenario is a short passage describing a work-related dilemma or problem and
the responses present possible solutions.
How many? A standard SJT has between 12 and 25 scenarios. Passages
differ in length from 40 to160 words. Each scenario is accompanied by 3-7
response options.
Is there a time limit? Mostly no. In cases where there is such a
limitation, enough time is allocated to answer all of the questions in a
considered manner

What does it look like? The scenario can be delivered through text alone
or through videos in which actors or avatars simulate the situations.
In some SJTs the situation portrayed is a general one, while in others it is
more content-specific to the organisation and position.

Introduction to SJT > Example
You are the manager of an office-based customer service department at a reputable organisation. Two
members of your staff are long overdue to participate in a professional training course. The training
department manager has informed you that she has chosen employees from a different department
instead. Your working relations with the training department have been problematic for some time now.
What do you do?
1. I send her an email expressing my discontent with her decision and I make sure to cc the
executive director.
2. Since relations are already complex I decide to let it go and wait a few months until the next
course opens.
3. I try and convince the manager of the other department to let one of my employees take the
course instead of one of his employees.
4. I talk to the training department manager and try to understand the reasons for her decision. I
explain the necessity of the training to my employees and try to persuade her to allow at least one
of my employees to take the course.


Introduction to SJT > A Brief History
• The use of situational judgement tests dates back to the 1920s.

• One of the first widely used judgement tests was the George Washington Social
Intelligence Test. One of the subtests, Judgement in Social Situations, included many
items in work situations and offered several possible solutions, only one of which was
correct.
• One of the main criticisms of the test was that it was not an accurate measurement of
social intelligence; rather primarily a reflection of IQ.


• During World War II, army psychologists attempted to assess the judgement of soldiers.
These judegment tests consisted of scenarios, with a number of possible responses.
Solutions rested on the person's ability to draw on his/her common sense, experience,
and general knowledge, rather than on logical reasoning.
• Researchers argued, however, that tests that attempted to measure judgement were
too complex and multifaceted.
• In the 1940s, a number of situational judgement tests were developed to measure
supervisory potential. Later, those tests were developed further and implemented by
large organisations as part of the selection proccess to
evaluate candidates and predict managerial success.


A review of the situational judgement test history and prior research reveals several
important points:
I.
II.
III.

It appears that these tests reflect a measurement method that can be used to assess a
variety of constructs. In this respect, situational judgement tests are similar to other
selection techniques such as employment interviews and assessment centres.
These tests tend to be quite similar in format. That is, they typically present
hypothetical problem situations that occur at work, and require the respondent to
exercise judgement in choosing or evaluating different courses of action.
Research has shown that these tests were found to correlate not only with a single
core construct; but with a number of core constructs such as general cognitive abilities,
social intelligence and job experience and skills.

Based on a review by McDaniel, M.A., Morgeson, F.P.,Finnegan,
E.B.,Campion, M.A. and Braverman, E.P. (2001)

Different Types of SJT
SJT is a popular test employed in a variety of positions and sectors:
• Corporate jobs
Entry level positions, especially graduates.
• Corporate jobs
Managerial positions.
• Government jobs
Police, Firearms, etc
• Job specific
Marketing, sales, customer service

JobTestPrep offers a comprehensive SJT practice pack that includes:
•

In-depth competency analysis
A full competencies review

• Complete practice breakdown
A study guide to solving SJT questions with examples

• 3 practice tests
Including comprehensive explanations

Click on the link below and get
started!
http://www.jobtestprep.co.uk/sjt_prep


Test Structure and Format
The general format of a situational judgement test is made up of three components:
1. Scenario: a hypothetical problem situated in a work environment.
2. Instructions Format: differs between companies.
3. Responses: 4 alternative courses of action that require the respondent
to exercise judgement in evaluating their desirability.


Test Structure and Format > The Scenario
• The scenario is a short passage that presents the candidate with a dilemma that
could occur in the position s/he is applying for.
• The writer of the test seeks to describe the situation as close to a real life
situation as possible, so that the candidate can imagine her/himself in the scene,
confronted by the dilemma
• The scenario usually provides a description of the candidate’s role and
responsibilities at the beginning of the passage.
• It is important to understand the definition of the candidate’s role as this is a good
starting point for solving the dilemma.


Test Structure and Format > The Scenario
• Usually in a Managerial SJT, the role will include managing a team or a department
responsible for a few employees or sometimes more than a few. People who take part in
the scenario are supervisors of different ranks and responsibilities, fellow managers, and
subordinates.
• In a Graduate SJT the role will include taking part in a team. Other people participating in
the scenario will be a manager and team-mates. It is important to specify who those
people are and the nature of their relationship with the candidate’s role.
• The cause of many dilemmas is conflict with others at work.


Test Structure and Format > The Scenario> Example #1

Graduate
You are part of a consultancy team in a large audit firm. There are five other members of the
team, all working under the supervision of a team manager.
Matt, a co-worker in your team, asks for your advice about a report he is about to present at
this week's team meeting, led by your team manager.
Although the section of the report on which Matt is consulting with you seems fine, you notice
that the numerical analysis in another section is missing important data and does not meet
departmental standards.
Matt seems confident about this section of the report and you get the impression that he is not
interested in your opinion about it.


Test Structure and Format > The Scenario> Example #2

Management
You are the CEO of a major company. As you leave your office, several union memebers are
waiting for you in order to present their demands to replace the Head of Personnel
Management. They claim that he shows no respect for their rights and they are threatening that
if he is not let go, they will start a general strike.


Test Structure and Format > Popular Formats
• There are several distinct ways of
phrasing SJT instructions.
• Typically there are two types of
instructions: behavioural tendency and
knowledge.
• Behavioural tendency instructions ask respondents to identify how they would be
likely to behave in a given situation.
• Knowledge instructions ask respondents to evaluate the effectiveness of possible
responses to a given situation.
• Research has shown that tests with knowledge instructions correlate strongly with
cognitive ability while tests with behavioral tendency instructions correlate strongly
with personality traits

Test Structure and Format > Popular Formats
Accordingly, you will encounter different instruction formats for answering the test:
Rank two responses as Best and Worst: What are you most and least likely to do in this
situation?
Rank a single best response: What do you think is the best response?
Rank all responses on a Desirability scale: Grade the following responses as highly
undesirable, undesirable, slightly undesirable, slightly desirable, desirable and highly
desirable. This format could also be presented as a numerical scale: Evaluate all
responses and rank them on a scale of 1-4 or 1-6, where 1 stands for most effective
and 4 or 6 stand for least effective.


Test Structure and Format > Popular Formats> Example #1
You are part of a consultancy team in a large audit firm. There are five other members of the
team, all working under the supervision of a team manager.
Matt, a co-worker in your team, asks for your advice about a report he is about to present at
this week's team meeting, led by your team manager.
Although the section of the report on which Matt is consulting with you seems fine, you notice
that the numerical analysis in another section is missing important data and does not meet
departmental standards.
Matt seems confident about this section of the report and you get the impression that he is
not interested in your opinion about it.
What are you most likely to do and what are you least likely to do in this.


Rank 2 of the following options, one as the BEST and one as the WORST.
BEST
If Matt is not interested in my opinion there is not
much I can do about it so I let it go. Anyway, there
is always the possibility that I am wrong.
If Matt does not want to listen to me then I should
notify management about it. I talk to my team
manager and ask him to deal with Matt.
I do my best to get Matt to listen. It might involve
some degree of discomfort but I try to explain the
logic of my opinion in the hope that he will
understand.
I voice my opinion to Matt and warn him that if he
does not listen to me he will have to deal with the
consequences of a poor presentation.

WORST

You would…
Please rate the following action according to the scale:
Highly Undesirable, Undesirable, Slightly Undesirable, Highly Desirable, Desirable,
Slightly Desirable
HU

U

SU

I tell Matt that he is wrong and warn
him of the negative consequences
should he refuse to listen.
I decide to keep quiet as I don't want
to annoy Matt.
I ask the team manager to review
Matt's report as well.


HD

D

SD

Test Structure and Format > Responses
After each scenario there are 3-6 responses, each of which reflects a possible course of action for
dealing with the specific dilemma presented in the scenario.
Different responses reveal different characteristic traits, skills, decision making
processes etc.
It is important to note that in the SJT there are no absolutely
correct answers, and it is up to the employer and assessor to
decide which answer they consider to be correct. When you
answer SJT questions, you can only assume what the company
is "looking for" as the correct answer.
Nevertheless, there are a few distinct response patterns that are
found in many SJT questions, and it is important for you to learn
how to recognise them.


Test Structure and Format > Responses > Patterns
Negative Responses

Passive responsesresponses in which you
do not try to act to solve the problem in the
given situation. Such responses might include
waiting to see what happens or ignoring a
problem.

Hasty responsesresponses that reflect a
lack of consideration and prioritisation.
Usually, they appear as a response option in
situations that involve the need to make a
decision/solve a problem.

Irrelevant responses- sometimes, there is
an active response with a positive approach,
but it does not relate to the main problem
displayed in the scenario. Instead, it focuses
on a minor problem in the scenario or one
that misses the central issue.

Egotistic responsesresponses that reflect
an inclination to make choices based on
personal preferences rather than on
company’s objectives.


Test Structure and Format > Responses > Patterns
Positive Responses
Active & Relevant responsesresponses in which you try to act to
solve the problem in the situation in a
flexible, resourceful way.
In addition, such responses relate to the
main problem displayed in the scenario.

Considered responses - responses that
reflect a tendency to weigh your options,
prioritise your tasks and consider the
implications of a decision. Usually, they
appear as a response option in situation that
involve the need to make a decision/solve a
problem.
Altruistic responsesresponses that reflect
an inclination to make choices based on
collective interests (company interests) rather
than private interests.


Test Scoring
• Each scenario and corresponding responses are a reflection of one or more
competencies that are highly valued by the company.
• The test usually provides an overall regulated grade reflecting the candidate’s
general compatibility for a specific job in a specific organisation based on the
competencies under examination. In addition the test provides specific grades,
allowing more information about the candidate’s rating in each competency
individually.
• Identifying the competency/ies underlying the scenario and responses is a key
element that will help you excel in the SJT.
We recommend you elaborate on this subject in the:

"SJT- an In-Depth Competency Analysis".


Some “Inside Information”> Popular SJTs
Here are some of the most popular SJTs today:

Assessment Company:

Form of Presentation:

Short video enacted by avatars

Instruction Format:

Mark each response on a scale from highly
undesirable to highly desirable

Number of Responses:

7


Here are some of the most popular SJT’s today:

Assessment Company:

SavilleConsulting


Written paragraph/Short video enacted by avatars

Instruction Format:

Rank order all options by dragging and dropping


5



Assessment Company:


Short video enacted by real-life actors

Instruction Format:

Rank two options one as Best; and one as Worst


4



Assessment Company:


Written paragraph

Instruction Format:

Mark each response on a scale from
counterproductive to very effective


4


Some “Inside Information”> Feedback Report
Here is an example of a candidate’s feedback report*:
Overall performance- your score is as follows:
Your responses were scored and your result was compared with that of other UK
graduates and junior managers. In comparison with this group, your test score suggests
your awareness to judge the appropriateness of responses to situations is average. Your
percentile score means you equal to or greater than 36% of UK graduates and junior
managers.
0

10

E

20

D

30

40

50

60

70

C

Candidate’s percentile: 36

*Adapted from TalentLens

80

B

90

100

A

Some “Inside Information”> Feedback Report
Here is an example of a candidate’s feedback report*:
Your response style summary:
Consulting:

Compared to others, your response style suggests you place
moderate emphasis on consulting with others when making
decisions or solving a problem.

Sensitivity:

Your response style suggests that compared to others, you may
place moderate emphasis on being sensitive to the feelings of
others when solving a problem.

Results focus:

Your response style suggests you may place moderate emphasis
on achieving results when solving problems, compared to others.

*Adapted from TalentLens

Situational Judgement Test - Preparation Guide Part #1

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