The complete guide
Everything about the Situational Judgement Test
Pair this test with the rest of the first round: springhire's candidate screening software adds a one-way video interview and resume scoring to the same candidate link, ranked in one report.
What is the Situational Judgement Test?
A situational judgement test, often called an SJT, shows how a candidate is likely to act in common work situations. This test covers four areas. Prioritization questions deal with clashing deadlines, two managers' urgent requests and a full inbox. Working with others questions cover credit for shared work, disagreements and colleagues who miss deadlines. Customer focus questions cover complaints, promises the business cannot keep and difficult requests. Integrity questions cover mistakes, confidential information and pressure to bend rules. Each question offers several plausible responses, and the best one reflects sound, practical judgment rather than the most cautious or polite option.
What the Situational Judgement Test does not measure
It does not measure technical skills or job knowledge, and it shows what a candidate judges to be right rather than proof of past behavior. Add a skills test and behavioral interview questions for a fuller picture.
How does the Situational Judgement Test work?
The Situational Judgement Test is an auto-scored multiple-choice test. Each candidate answers 20 questions drawn at random from a bank of 60, so two candidates rarely see the same set, and most finish in 8 to 12 minutes. The questions are spread evenly across prioritization, working with others, customer focus and integrity, with a mix of easy, medium and hard items, and the report shows a score for each area as well as an overall score.
Why is the Situational Judgement Test important to employers?
Most new hires who struggle do so because of judgment, not knowledge: they prioritize badly, avoid problems or cut corners. Interviews rarely show this, because candidates rehearse answers. An SJT gives every candidate the same realistic situations, so you can compare judgment fairly before you spend interview time.
What is a situational judgement test?
A situational judgement test, or SJT, presents realistic work scenarios and asks which response is most effective. It measures judgment rather than knowledge: how someone prioritizes, works with others, treats customers and handles integrity questions. Situational judgment tests suit entry-level and customer-facing roles where there is no technical skill to test yet. This one has 20 scenarios in 10 minutes, and it works as a situational assessment for any role where how people act matters as much as what they know.
Situational judgement test examples
A situational judgement test example question: a customer asks you to skip an ID check because they are in a hurry and a line is forming behind them. The most effective response is to explain that the check is required and do it quickly; the least effective is to skip it to keep the line moving. Situational judgement test example questions like this one show whether a candidate protects the rule and the customer at the same time. The example was written for this page and is not from the live bank.
