Situational judgement tests
See how candidates weigh up realistic situations from the job. A situational judgement test (SJT) presents work scenarios and asks which response would be most effective.
- Time
- About 20 minutes
- Format
- Online, written work scenarios with response options
- Evidence for
- Languages
- Interface in 5 languages; each test lists its validated language versions
What the tests measure
Judgement at work
Recognising what a situation calls for and choosing an effective response with the information at hand.
Role-relevant competencies
Scenarios built around what the role asks for, such as customer contact, collaboration or integrity.
Weighing priorities
Choosing when several reasonable options compete, for example time against quality, or one person against the team.
How organisations use them
Selection
Compare candidates on situations they will actually meet in the job. Useful for roles with many applicants, or for starters with little work experience.
A realistic preview of the job
Candidates see what the work involves before they are hired, which helps them decide whether the role suits them.
Reading the scores
Each response is scored against a key that is set for the role, usually by experienced employees and managers. Depending on the test, candidates choose the best option, rate every option, or pick the most and the least effective one. The total is compared with a norm group, with a confidence range, and the report names the norm group.
The evidence behind each test
Every situational judgement test on Match.hr gets a psychometric label that shows:
- the intended use, such as selection
- the reliability of the scores
- the size of the norm group, per country and language
- whether a fairness analysis has been done
- the date of the last analysis
Our review criteria follow the structure of the COTAN and EFPA test review models. Match.hr is not affiliated with or endorsed by either organisation.
Explore the LabNumerical reasoning
Example- Intended use
- Selection, development
- Reliability (ω)
- 0.89
- Norm sample
- 12,482
- Languages validated
- EN, NL, DE
- Fairness analysis
- Completed
- Last analysis
- October 2026
Example scenarios
These scenarios show the format. They are not taken from a live test. In a real test, the scoring key is set for each role, together with experts.
Customer contact Example
A customer calls for the third time about a late delivery. The system shows that the warehouse has not shipped it yet, and the colleague who promised the delivery is on leave. What do you do?
Show answer
Answer: Say you will check with the warehouse today and call back before an agreed time.. You take ownership and make a promise you can keep. A discount can be appropriate in some organisations, but it does not solve the delivery and may be beyond your authority. Another role or organisation could set a different key.
Collaboration Example
You and a colleague are preparing a client presentation for tomorrow morning. In the evening you notice that the figures in your colleague's part are out of date. Your colleague has already gone home.
Show answer
Answer: Correct the figures and send your colleague a short message about what you changed and why.. The client gets correct figures, and your colleague knows what changed before the meeting. Correcting without saying anything fixes the slide, but leaves your colleague unprepared in front of the client.
Prioritising Example
It is 4 pm. A client asks for a revised quote today. A colleague asks you to review a document for a meeting tomorrow afternoon. Each task takes about an hour, and you only have time for one before you leave.
Show answer
Answer: Send the quote today and agree with your colleague to review the document tomorrow morning.. Both deadlines are met: the client gets the quote today and your colleague gets the review before the meeting. In an SJT, the best response is usually the one that solves the problem and keeps the people involved informed.
Good to know
- An SJT shows what someone thinks is effective, not whether they will do it under pressure. Check important competencies in the interview as well.
- The scenarios and the key must suit the role and the way your organisation works. A key written for another organisation may reward different choices.
- Practice tests on Assessment-Training.com help candidates prepare. They are never used as selection tests.
- Use the score next to the interview and other tests. A person makes the decision.
Frequently asked questions
Who decides which answer is right?
For most SJTs, a panel of people who know the role well, such as experienced employees and their managers, rates every option. Where data is available, the key can be checked against how well-performing employees answer. The key, and how it was set, belongs in the test documentation.
Can we have an SJT built for our own organisation?
Yes. Scenarios based on real situations in your organisation fit best. The Lab can develop them with you: collecting typical situations from the job, writing scenarios and options, setting the key with your experts and analysing the first data.
Can candidates prepare for an SJT?
Getting used to the format helps, and that is fair. Knowing what works in a situation is exactly what the test measures, so preparation that only teaches answering tricks does little. If the scenarios are specific to your organisation, general practice material helps even less.
Are SJTs fair across languages and cultures?
Scenarios contain assumptions about how people deal with each other, for example how direct you can be with a manager. That is why a scenario is adapted to the language and context, not just translated, and why each language version is analysed separately. The psychometric label shows which language versions are validated.
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