Master Situational Judgment Tests (SJT) with These Insider Tips — Become a Pro Today!
In today’s competitive job market, top companies like Deloitte, KPMG, and Johnson & Johnson increasingly rely on Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) to identify the best candidates. These tests go beyond simply finding the right answer; they delve into your thought process and behavior in work-related scenarios. Through realistic situations, SJTs challenge you to showcase your decision-making skills, prioritization, and ability to handle complex workplace issues.
Situational Judgment Tests are tools companies use to assess your decision-making and action-taking abilities in workplace situations. They present you with fictional yet plausible work problems and ask you to identify the best and worst ways to handle them or to rank the possible answers from best to worst. Success in these tests is measured not by passing or failing but by how your score compares to others.
Work Behind the Scene
The theory of planned behaviour says that what someone has done before helps predict what they will do next. This idea is used in job tests called situational judgment tests to see if someone fits a job well.
For these tests, they make an answer key based on job details and expert opinions. Then, they check if the test works by comparing how people do on the test with how well they do their actual jobs. They use current employees for this. If the employees who do well on the test also do well at work, it means the test questions are good.
The best questions are those that the top employees answer correctly. If top employees choose different answers for some questions, those questions might be reviewed again.
Finding Competency from the Situation
Here are different topics on which situations can be based:
- Figuring Things Out: Looks closely at complicated issues to find out what’s important and comes up with smart and doable ways to solve them. Looks into how to fix problems, handle lots of information, come up with new solutions, and find the right information.
- Talking and Writing Clearly: Shares information in a straightforward and detailed way, both when speaking and writing. Looks into how to speak publicly, improve communication at work, and grab people’s attention.
- Aiming for High Quality: Takes on the job of making sure work is done well, following the rules but also knowing when to think outside the box. Explores how to keep quality high even when there’s a rush, and when it might be okay to bend the rules.
- Growing and Learning: Works on getting better at their job and understanding more about where they work and the bigger picture. Digs into ways to improve oneself, stay motivated, learn from slip-ups, get advice from coworkers, and how learning can help the organization.
- Sorting and Scheduling: Picks out what needs to be done first, can switch gears when needed, and keeps things in order without getting overwhelmed. Investigate how to use project management tools, decide what’s most critical, tell urgent tasks from important ones, handle changes, and delegate tasks.
- Staying Strong: Keeps going strong even when there’s a lot to do, positively deals with work stress, and adjusts to new situations at work. Explores how to stay cool under stress, keep a positive view, handle criticism, balance work and personal life, and deal with uncertain situations.
- Teamwork: Works well with others in teams and across different parts of the organization, and appreciates what makes people different. Looks into how to be a good team player, collaborate beyond one’s department, support teammates, and respect diversity.
Once you can distinguish competency’s topic. Hopefully, you’ll be able to select an appropriate answer. Then keep in mind these tips and tricks.
Tips and Tricks
- Read Carefully: Make sure to read the whole scenario and all the possible answers before choosing one. Sometimes, what seems like the best answer at first might not be after you look at it more closely. The choices are worded in specific ways, so pay attention to the small differences that could make one answer stand out from the rest. If you can, try to figure out which skill the question is testing to know what qualities you should show.
- It’s All Relative: Remember, you’re being asked to compare answers, not to pick right or wrong ones. Sometimes, all answers might be okay to some extent. Your job is to order them from most to least suitable.
- Stick to the Scenario: Like with verbal reasoning tests, avoid using your own experiences to answer. Base your answers only on the information given. Your personal experiences might lead you to an answer that doesn’t fit the question.
- Think About Outcomes: Spend some time thinking about what could happen, good or bad, for each option you’re considering. This can help you choose better.
- Communication Matters: If there’s a choice between passing an issue up to your boss or talking it out directly with someone else, going for the direct talk is usually better.
- Handle Conflicts Wisely: If there’s a conflict, look for solutions that keep the issue within your team or department. Showing loyalty to your group is important.
- Be Fair and Positive: When a solution might involve pointing fingers, resist the urge to blame. Try to be as fair as you can, even if it might not be the best for you right away.
By understanding these competencies and applying the above strategies, you’ll be well-equipped to excel in SJTs. This positions you as a capable candidate ready to navigate the complexities of the modern workplace, appealing to leading employers like Deloitte, KPMG, and Johnson & Johnson.
This article draws upon insights from “The Ultimate EU Test Book 2013,” offering strategies grounded in proven success for your next assessment. Best of luck!
