Situational Judgement Test
A situational judgement test (SJT) presents realistic workplace scenarios and asks how you would respond, choosing or ranking among possible actions. It assesses your judgement, decision-making and interpersonal skills rather than knowledge or speed. Employers use SJTs widely in graduate schemes and customer-facing roles to predict how you would behave on the job.
Updated 2026-06-19 · 5 worked sample questions with answers · The interactive, scored tests run inside the OnJob app.
Key takeaways
- A situational judgement test (SJT) presents realistic workplace scenarios and asks how you would respond, choosing or ranking among possible actions.
- A Situational Judgement Test typically covers: Scenario comprehension, Response selection, Competency alignment, Prioritisation.
- This guide includes 5 worked sample questions with answers — then rehearse under timed, scored conditions in OnJob's free mock tests.
What a situational judgement test covers
Scenario comprehension
Reading a workplace situation carefully and identifying the real issue at stake.
Response selection
Choosing the most and least effective action from several plausible options.
Competency alignment
Matching your choices to the behaviours the role and company value, such as teamwork or integrity.
Prioritisation
Ranking actions and balancing competing demands like deadlines, quality and relationships.
5 sample situational judgement test questions with answers
Genuinely-correct, worked examples. Try each one before opening the answer, then practise the full set under timed, scored conditions on OnJob.
Q1.How should you approach a 'most effective / least effective' SJT question?
Answer: Read the full scenario, identify the underlying issue, then evaluate each option against good workplace practice — addressing the problem directly, professionally and constructively. The 'most effective' option resolves the issue while respecting people and process; the 'least effective' ignores, escalates unnecessarily or avoids it.
Q2.A colleague misses a shared deadline that affects your work. What is generally the most effective first action?
Answer: Speak to the colleague directly and calmly to understand what happened and agree a fix, before escalating to a manager. SJTs reward addressing the issue at the lowest level first, professionally and without blame, while still protecting the work.
Q3.You notice a minor error in a report already sent to a client. What should you do?
Answer: Flag it promptly to your manager or the client with a corrected version, rather than hiding it or hoping it goes unnoticed. SJTs reward honesty and proactive correction, because integrity and protecting the client relationship outweigh short-term embarrassment.
Q4.Why do SJTs often have no single 'correct' answer but still differentiate candidates?
Answer: Options are scored on a scale of effectiveness defined by experienced employees and the role's competencies, not on one right answer. Your choices reveal your default judgement, so consistently picking the more constructive, accountable options scores higher.
Q5.When two tasks compete and both seem urgent, how should you decide in an SJT?
Answer: Weigh impact and consequences: prioritise the task with the greater effect on customers, safety or commitments, and communicate proactively about the other. SJTs reward considered prioritisation and keeping stakeholders informed over simply doing whatever is in front of you.
How to prepare for a situational judgement test
- 1
Research the employer's values and competencies; the 'best' answer is the one that aligns with what they reward.
- 2
Default to options that address problems directly, professionally and at the lowest appropriate level before escalating.
- 3
Favour honesty, accountability and teamwork — these behaviours score well across almost every SJT.
- 4
Read every option before choosing; the difference between two good answers is usually how directly they solve the issue.
- 5
Answer as your considered professional self, while staying realistic and consistent across scenarios.
Practise your situational judgement test under real conditions
Reading worked answers is step one. Take a free, scored AI mock test on OnJob, see exactly where you stand, then apply to AI-matched jobs in one click.