Pre-employment Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs) for Recruitment | 2024/25 Guide

Situational judgement tests (SJTs) have gained significant popularity in recent years as a highly accurate and reliable pre-employment hiring tool for assessing a candidate’s suitability for specific roles.

As a recruiter, hiring manager, or HR professional, you recognize the importance of a well-designed recruitment process that uses a variety of assessment tools to quickly identify and hire the best candidates for the job. Companies are increasingly adopting methods, such as online psychometric tests, game-based assessments, video interviews, and assessment centers to build a streamlined recruitment funnel. This ensures effective candidate screening and selection at every stage of the hiring process.

In this article, we take a deep dive into one pre-employment assessment method: the situational judgement test (SJT). You will learn what SJTs are and what they measure, their key benefits and limitations, and how they integrate into the recruitment funnel. We will also explore why SJTs have become a go-to choice for employers and how you can seamlessly incorporate them into your recruitment process. 

Situational judgement tests are an effective method for assessing candidates’ competencies and strengths to predict their potential job performance, enabling recruiters to save time and resources when filtering out those who are not suited to the role. For businesses seeking to make informed hiring decisions and build high-performing teams, situational judgement tests are essential. 

Whether you are already familiar with the situational judgement test or a complete novice, you may have questions such as: 

• What are situational judgement tests?
• Why should I integrate a SJT into my hiring process?
• When should I give candidates an online situational judgement test?
• Which roles benefit most from using situational judgement tests?
• What are the advantages and potential drawbacks of using SJTs to hire?

Keep reading to discover how situational judgement tests can help you select best-fit candidates for your specific role. At Assess Candidates, our team of organizational psychologists and consultants are ready to support you every step of the way!

Contents

1. What is a situational judgement test?
2. What do pre-employment situational judgement tests measure?
3. How do situational judgement tests work as recruitment tests?
4. Why do employers use pre-employment situational judgements tests for recruitment?
5. At what stage are situational judgement tests used in the hiring process?
6. Best practices for integrating situational judgement tests in your recruitment strategy
7. When to give candidates a situational judgement test?
8. What employers use situational judgement tests in their recruitment processes?
9. Why top employers use Assess Candidates situational judgement tests to hire
10. Situational judgement tests: Client application story

1. What is a situational judgement test?

A situational judgement test (SJT), sometimes spelled situational judgment test or referred to as a situational test or situational judgement questionnaire, is a type of pre-employment psychometric test that assesses a candidate’s behavioral competencies and effective judgment in realistic work-based scenarios. Unlike other psychometric assessments that measure cognitive skills or personality traits, the SJT test focuses on candidates’ behavior, helping to predict their suitability for the role.

Although situational judgement tests can be generic and standardized, many organizations prefer to use customized SJTs that align with the specific requirements of their role and business. For example, if you are hiring for a sales position, you could tailor your SJT to assess only the relevant competencies for sales and use real-life challenges and scenarios candidates are likely to encounter in your company. This customization is a key reason why situational judgement tests are so effective and popular – they can provide a clear, relevant picture of how a candidate would perform in your specific role.

Situational tests are widely utilized in recruitment to sift candidates. Depending on the organization’s needs, they can be administered online during the initial screening process or at later stages, such as before or during interviews. These tests typically present candidates with hypothetical work-based scenarios and ask them to choose the “best” and “worst” actions from a multiple-choice list of four options.

For recruiters and hiring managers, situational judgement tests can form a fundamental part of the candidate selection process. These tests offer you the opportunity to evaluate candidates’ behavior and competencies and determine whether they align with the expectations of your specific role and organizational culture. Whilst we recommend using situational judgement tests for all roles, they are especially beneficial for positions that involve complex challenges, critical decision-making, and strong behavioral skills, such as sales, consulting, HR, finance, and retail.

Keep reading the following sections to find out more about situational judgement tests, including the specific behavioral competencies they measure, the format of SJT questions, and how you and your organization can benefit from incorporating these tests into your recruitment strategies.

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2. What do pre-employment situational judgement tests measure?

Situational judgment tests (SJTs) are rooted in the principles of psychometrics, the scientific study concerned with the objective measurement of psychological attributes such as behavior, cognitive ability, and personality. For decades, SJTs have been utilized as a trusted behavioral assessment tool in recruitment, helping employers to assess candidates’ work-related behavior. 

What is work-related behavior?

In brief, work-related behavior refers to how individuals behave in the workplace, especially when faced with difficult challenges, tasks, and decisions. This encompasses a range of behavioral competencies, strengths, judgment, and values that reflect how employees navigate their role responsibilities and interact with colleagues, clients, and the work environment.

Measuring work-related behavior in the recruitment process is crucial because it helps recruiters identify candidates whose natural strengths and competencies align with the specific behavioral demands of the role and the organization’s culture. 

What specific competencies can be assessed in a situational judgment test?

The answer is – many! 

The customizable nature of situational judgment tests allows hiring teams to target a variety of behavioral competencies, hard and soft skills, and values to suit their specific recruitment needs. Despite this, the following competencies are most commonly assessed in SJTs due to their relevance across industries and roles:

• Problem-solving: Evaluates how effectively a candidate addresses challenges and finds solutions
• Decision-making: Assesses a candidate’s ability to processes complex information and make confident, sound decisions
• Communication: Tests how well a candidate communicates, presents ideas, and negotiates with colleagues and clients
• Teamwork: Measures a candidate’s approach to collaboration, team goals, and building professional relationships with others
• Organizing and Planning: Evaluates how a candidate manages their workload, prioritizes tasks, and stays within guidelines
• Leadership: Assesses candidate’s leadership qualities such as conflict resolution and team management
• Time and Stress Management: Evaluates how a candidate handles tight deadlines, pressure, and high-stress situations whilst maintaining productivity
• Adaptability and Resilience: Tests a candidate’s ability to adjust to changes in the workplace and bounce back from setbacks
• Accountability and Work Ethic: Measures a candidate’s dedication, motivation and ability to take ownership of their work and meet deadlines
• Customer Service: Evaluates how efficiently a candidate handles customer complaint  and customer service challenges

The choice of competencies assessed can also vary based on the seniority of the role. For entry-level positions, the focus may be on competencies such as communication, decision-making, teamwork, and time management. Situational judgment tests for managers are more likely to emphasize competencies like leadership, responsibility, professionalism, and ethical judgment. This flexibility ensures that the situational judgment test is aligned with the specific skills and behaviors needed for success in each position.

How do pre-employment situational judgment tests predict job performance?

Pre-employment situational judgment tests serve as reliable predictors of how candidates will think, behave, and handle real-life work challenges. These tests provide recruiters with a more accurate indication of a candidate’s potential job performance than traditional methods like CVs or interviews alone. For example, candidates who score highly in the situational judgment assessment are more likely to:

• Respond effectively to workplace challenges and find solutions
• Think critically 
• Make sound decisions even in complex situations
• Set realistic goals and meet expectations
• Exhibit good judgment when making choices to benefit the organization
• Adapt to change well
• Uphold strong work ethics
• Align with the role’s requirements, team behavior, and company culture.

The significance of testing candidates’ competencies and strengths through a situational judgment test cannot be overstated. These scientifically-validated behavioral assessments provide a highly reliable method to determine candidates’ suitability for the role whilst effectively filtering out individuals who don’t meet the desired standards. 

Let’s now take a look at some situational judgement test examples and questions.

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3. How do situational judgement tests work as recruitment tests?

When used in recruitment, situational judgement tests (SJTs) can vary significantly depending on the provider and employer. Some tests are timed, while others are not, and the number of questions can range from 18 to over 70. The two most common SJT formats are: 

1. A straightforward multiple-choice written test, often accompanied by photos, completed either with pen and paper or via an online assessment platform. 
2. An interactive test featuring multimedia elements, such as audio-visuals and video-based job simulations. 

As the assessment progresses, the situational judgement questions typically become more complex, shifting from assessing basic judgement and decision-making to more advanced scenarios and challenges. With a flexible time limit, candidates can focus on completing the test and answering all questions as accurately as possible.

So, what exactly are SJT questions?

Regardless of the format, SJT questions present candidates with a series of realistic work-based situations – either in written or video form – related to typical daily challenges and responsibilities candidates may face in the role. These situations might involve workload issues, interpersonal conflicts, difficult decisions, ethical dilemmas, prioritization, and efficiency errors.

Candidates are then asked to imagine themselves in the scenario and rate the effectiveness of each response. There are three common response formats: 

1. Selecting the best and worst course of action from a list of four options. 
2. Ranking all options accordingly from the most suitable to the least. 
3. Rating the effectiveness of each option, from “very effective” to “counterproductive.” 

All three formats provide a comprehensive assessment of candidates’ decision-making abilities, helping employers to identify candidates who can not only make good decisions but also recognize and avoid poor ones.

Pre-employment situational assessment example question and answer

To help you visualize, now let’s look here at an example of a situational judgement test question with worked solution:

This typical situational judgement exercise presents a work-specific scenario and four possible courses of action. Candidates must judge how they would respond to this potential work challenge by choosing the “best” and “worst” responses, with the other two options falling somewhere between.

Situational assessment example worked solution:

• B is the best course of action. The customer’s repetitive movements up and down the aisle suggests that they may be experiencing some issues in locating their item of choice. A candidate would want to avoid passing their issue onto another employee, as this will disrupt their work duties. Additionally, they must demonstrate high levels of customer service by ensuring they resolve customer queries quickly and efficiently. Therefore, this is the best course of action.
• A is the worst course of action. Customer Service is of utmost importance in many consumer-based organizations, especially supermarkets. This is the only option that does not demonstrate any sort of real initiative. The customer is not put first, and their needs are essentially ignored. Therefore, it is the worst course of action.

The question above is an example of a candidate being assessed for a retail or customer service role.

How does situational judgement test (SJT) customization work?

At Assess Candidates, we offer two flexible customization options to tailor your situational judgement test to the specific requirements of your role, company, and competency framework: 

1. Semi-bespoke solutions: Simply send us your role and relevant competencies and we will build your SJT from our extensive library of predefined content and questions.

2. Fully-bespoke solutions: Partner with our team of expert psychologists to design realistic workplace scenarios from scratch. Each question will be based on the unique challenges and responsibilities that candidates are likely to experience within your company. A fully-bespoke SJT will also encompass your company culture, values, and desired behaviors.

Explore more SJT questions and examples or connect with our experts to discuss bespoke solutions.

In the following section, we delve into the pros and cons of implementing a pre-employment situational judgement test into your recruitment process.

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4. Why do employers use pre-employment situational judgements tests for recruitment?

Situational judgement tests (SJTs) have become a go-to tool for employers during pre-employment testing and candidate selection. These assessments offer objective, reliable insights, enabling recruiters to identify candidates with the key competencies and strengths needed to succeed in their role and to subsequently progress them into the interview stage. Additionally, situational tests are particularly effective for narrowing down large applicant pools, making them highly valuable in graduate recruitment. 

In this section, we explore the pros and cons of integrating situational judgement tests into your recruitment process, highlighting how they save time and money, enhance the quality of hires, and reduce biases and discrimination.

What are the benefits of using pre-employment situational judgement tests for hiring?

1. Flexible and Customizable

Situational judgement tests are unique in their flexibility to be tailored exactly to specific competencies, roles, and organizations, making them highly relevant to the advertised job. Professionally designed SJTs allow employers to assess candidates against real-life challenges, aligning their pre-employment screening with both their specific role requirements and company culture. 

While traditional psychometric tests are great for predicting task-based performance, SJTs provide a more holistic perspective, helping recruiters predict candidates’ overall suitability, strengths, and cultural fit with their exact job.

2. Saving Time and Money

Hiring best-fit candidates can be a lengthy, costly, and complex process. Using automated online situational judgement tests at scale helps streamline and accelerate the hiring cycle. Instead of manually sifting through hundreds of applications and resumes, an online situational judgement test efficiently screens thousands of candidates in minutes, delivering instant results with a single click. This allows hiring managers to quickly eliminate unqualified candidates who lack the required competencies and focus on a smaller pool of qualified candidates, saving valuable time. 

Moreover, SJTs help cut the high costs associated with large-scale recruitment. Administered online and typically priced either per test or via a flat fee, these assessments offer a low cost per candidate, making them a cost-effective selection solution. By filtering candidates early, SJTs reduce the number of candidates invited to more expensive methods, such as in-person interviews or assessment centers, optimizing the budget.

3. Improving the Quality of Hire

When implemented effectively, a situational judgement test can significantly enhance the quality of hires. SJTs are scientifically validated to accurately predict candidates’ job performance in the workplace – how they handle real-life challenges, solve problems, and make decisions. Unlike CVs, which can be prone to dishonesty and exaggeration, SJTs provide a more reliable prediction of a candidate’s job performance. 

Situational judgement tests also provide insight into a candidate’s suitability for the role and potential for long-term success within the organization, leading to more accurate and well-matched hires. Employees, whose strengths and behavioral competencies are aligned to the demands of the role, are more likely to be satisfied, perform their responsibilities effectively, and integrate seamlessly into the workplace culture. This correlates to employees staying longer and improved retention rates – an important factor given the high rates of staff turnover within industries such as retail.

4. Producing Reliable Data-driven Results

Situational judgement tests are essential for organizations that prioritize data-driven hiring and aim to eliminate uncertainty in the recruitment process. These tests provide quantifiable, comparative insights on candidates’ competencies and suitability, allowing employers to easily rank applicants and identify the best-fit to progress to the next assessment stage. This approach helps mitigate the risk of expensive hiring mistakes and mis-hires.

5. Reducing Bias

Situational judgement tests are anonymized and indiscriminate, designed to help minimize both conscious and unconscious biases in the hiring process. By selecting candidates based on their competencies and predicted job performance rather than subjective factors related to background, education, age, gender, ethnicity, or race, these tests ensure hiring decisions are fair and objective.

For candidates from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds, who may find traditional interviews limiting, situational tests provide an equal opportunity to showcase their natural behaviors and potential. This promotes a fair and inclusive hiring process that aligns with company values and legal policies.

6. Improving Diversity and Inclusion

Online situational judgement tests broaden the applicant pool by making the hiring process accessible to candidates who may not be able to attend in-person interviews or assessments. By adjusting the SJT test’s cut-off scores, hiring managers can further diversify the talent pool by targeting specific competencies that are lacking within their existing team. This approach creates a more diverse and inclusive workforce and a more agile, dynamic business.

7. Ensuring an Engaging, Informed Candidate Experience

Situational judgement tests are designed to be easily accessible, user-friendly, and flexible, allowing candidates to complete them at their convenience, often at home. This accessibility contributes to a positive candidate experience, which is key in today’s competitive job market for employers to stand out from the crowd.

SJTs are tailored by employers to mirror the specific real-world demands and challenges of the role. These tests tend to be favored by candidates as they provide transparent and realistic insights into the day-to-day responsibilities, work environment, and company culture. With this real-world preview, candidates can manage their expectations and self-assess whether the job and employer align with them and their career goals. In some cases, it enables candidates to self-select out if the role is not a fit. 

Integrating a situational judgment test into your hiring process empowers you to confidently identify and shortlist candidates who have the key competencies needed for the role. This not only contributes to a more successful and productive workforce but also improves employee retention. 

With that being said, it is essential to also consider any potential drawbacks of this assessment tool to ensure you are making well-informed decisions. 

5 things to consider before using situational judgement tests in your hiring process

1. Test Anxiety: Like any assessment, completing a situational judgment test can cause stress and anxiety, leading candidates to overthink and potentially underperform.

2. Lack of Understanding Reports: A situational assessment is only effective if your hiring team knows how to interpret the results and extract meaningful insights.

3. Cheating Concerns: It is technically possible for candidates to cheat on an online situational judgement test. Candidates may attempt to search answers, get someone else to take the test for them, or seek help from others to help identify the answers.

4. Too Generic: An off-the-shelf situational judgement test is not specific to your organization nor advertised role. 

5. Cost of Bespoke Solutions: Developing and implementing customized SJTs can be costly, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses, making it difficult to justify the cost.

Now that we have a better understanding of the benefits and potential drawbacks of using situational judgment tests as recruitment tests, we will move on to discuss where and when SJTs should be integrated into the hiring process.

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5. At what stage are situational judgement tests used in the hiring process?

Situational judgment tests (SJTs) can be effectively integrated at various stages of the recruitment funnel, depending on the role’s seniority and the organization’s size. However, they are most impactful when used early in the pre-employment screening stage. By inviting candidates to take a SJT test early on, employers can quickly and efficiently identify best-fit candidates with the key competencies, whilst candidates can immediately learn about the job to self-assess their interest in the position. 

Why use situational judgment tests in the hiring process?

Imagine you are hiring for a new role and have received 1,000 applications. Instead of manually sifting through resumes, you can streamline the process by initially inviting candidates to take an online situational judgement test alongside other aptitude tests, such as a numerical, verbal, and/or logical reasoning test. This approach allows you to quickly and accurately evaluate both behavioral and cognitive abilities. And by setting a clear pass threshold, you can easily filter out those who don’t meet the criteria. 

Alternatively, you can assess candidates’ cognitive abilities first with pre-employment aptitude tests, then follow up with a situational judgment test and personality test to learn about candidates’ behavioral competencies and personality traits. This enables you to easily progress only the top performers, who meet the criteria and align best with the role and organization, to the next assessment stage – whether an in-person or video interview, or assessment center. 

To further enhance your interview process, we recommend using insights from the SJT to ask follow-up interview questions that delve deeper into a candidate’s behavioral strengths and weaknesses. Situational judgment tests should inform interviews, not replace them.

Below is a detailed explanation of the purpose and role of situational judgment tests at different stages of the recruitment process:

Incorporating situational judgment tests at various stages of the hiring process empowers organizations to streamline operations, reduce biases, enhance candidate experience, and customize onboarding and training to each employee’s unique needs. Situational tests are also widely used internally within companies to evaluate employees for promotions. Use a situational judgment test at the assessment stage that works best for your recruitment strategy!

SJTs are also a valuable tool for in-house learning and development. Employers can use these tests within teams to reveal strengths and pinpoint areas for improvement for both new hires and current employees. Whether the focus is on enhancing competencies such as problem-solving skills, decision-making abilities, communication, or customer service, the insights gained from SJTs provide a solid foundation for designing and implementing a targeted programme to ensure professional growth and upskilling of new hires and employees.

How to conduct a SJT interview

If you choose not to administer a situational judgement test during the initial screening stage, incorporating it into the interview process – whether in-person or a video interview – is also a common and viable alternative. However, it is worth noting that conducting a SJT interview may be less efficient, as rather than having an awareness of each candidate’s competencies, strengths, and weaknesses before they meet, the interviewer is required to evaluate responses and results in real time.

Despite this, this approach reduces the risk of mis-hires and identifies the right candidates who align with the needs of your role and organization. The aim of situational judgement interview questions is to evaluate a candidate’s decision-making, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills in realistic workplace scenarios. This helps gauge how they would handle on-the-job responsibilities and challenges.

But what are situational judgement interview questions?

Here are examples of situational judgment interview questions commonly used:

1. Conflict Resolution: These questions assess how a candidate navigates interpersonal conflicts and handles challenging situations with colleagues or customers.

2. Customer Service: Questions in this category test how candidates handle customer interactions or complaints, especially in high-pressure or difficult circumstances.

3. Decision-Making: Candidates are asked to make quick, informed decisions based on limited information or under time constraints.

4. Teamwork: These questions gauge a candidate’s ability to collaborate and work effectively in a team setting.

These situational judgement interview questions will assess candidates’ behavioral competencies, core strengths, judgment, and soft skills, such as communication, adaptability, emotional intelligence, and teamwork. This comprehensive approach at the interview stage ensures that you are selecting candidates who are well-rounded and have the necessary competencies for success in the role – they can effectively problem-solve and make smart decisions in the workplace.

In the next section, we outline step-by-step the best practices for incorporating a situational judgment test into your hiring process. Ready to dive in?

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6. Best practices for integrating situational judgement tests into your recruitment strategy

To maximize the effectiveness of integrating a situational judgment test into your recruitment process, it is important to follow several best practices. Here, we have outlined three straightforward steps to help you efficiently shortlist and select the right candidates first time. These steps ensure that your hiring decisions are accurate, data-driven, and aligned with the role’s specific demands.

1. Create your situational judgment test campaign

• Decide in advance whether to use the situational judgment test as a standalone assessment or combine it with other pre-employment tests. We recommend combining it with a numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, logical reasoning, personality test, and/or video interview to improve predictive accuracy and provide a comprehensive view of candidates’ cognitive abilities, behaviors, and personality traits. Using multiple assessments also mitigates bias in the recruitment process.
• If opting for a bespoke solution, conduct a comprehensive job analysis. Involve a diverse group of stakeholders to ensure your test is designed to accurately reflect the realities of your role and organization, including both the rewarding aspects and tough challenges candidates will face daily. Each question should be relevant to your role and assess the specific competencies and qualities needed for success.
• Establish clear, standardized cut-off scores for your situational judgment test that have been tested and validated. These scores should be informed by industry standards, the specific role requirements, and the level of candidate alignment needed. Additionally, create a list of essential competencies and a list of bonus competencies to compare candidates against.
• Set a definite deadline for candidates to complete the SJT and maintain consistent time limits and number of questions for all candidates. This consistency ensures that all candidates are assessed under equitable conditions, enhancing the reliability of results and promoting fairness and objectivity in the hiring process.

2. Invite candidates to your situational judgment test

• Invite candidates in a single click to complete your situational judgment test by individual email, CSV file upload or public link. 
• Ensure your SJT is accessible for all candidates.

3. Analyze results and shortlist candidates

• Track candidates’ progress in real-time as they are taking the situational judgment test. Access automatically graded results and detailed reports immediately after test completion.
• Ensure your hiring team is trained and well-equipped to interpret SJT reports effectively. At Assess Candidates, we provide in-depth training for recruiters and hiring managers, teaching them how to accurately analyze and utlize SJT results to make informed hiring decisions
• Use advanced tools to rank, filter, and sort candidates based on consistent and objective criteria, such as performance score, number of assessments completed, hiring status, confidence score, and more. This feature allows you to quickly and easily view, compare, and select top talent for your role and organization to progress to the next assessment stage.

By adhering to this streamlined and efficient selection process and best practices, you can make informed hiring decisions with confidence. Explore our situational judgment tests to discover how they can help you identify candidates with the competencies needed for success in your role and organization. 

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7. When to give candidates a situational judgement test?

Situational judgement tests (SJTs) are among the most widely utilized tools in candidate selection thanks to their versatile and customizable nature. They can be tailored to assess candidates’ competencies for a wide range of roles, from entry-level positions like apprenticeships and graduate schemes to more experienced management and senior executive roles or career transitions. The flexibility of SJT questions allows the scenarios to be adapted accordingly to match the complexity and specific requirements of each role.

In this section, we examine how situational judgement tests are practically applied in different types of recruitment and identify which roles benefit the most from using these recruitment tests.

4 examples when employers should use situational judgement tests for recruitment

1. High-volume recruitment: Managing recruitment for popular roles, such as customer service or retail positions, which attract hundreds or even thousands of applications can be overwhelming. Situational tests are particularly beneficial in these high-volume situations as they offer recruiters a cost-effective and time-efficient method for screening and filtering large pools of seemingly equally qualified candidates early in the process. 

Situational judgement tests are especially popular for graduate programs and entry-level roles, where organizations need to quickly hire multiple graduates within a relatively short time period from a large applicant pool, whilst ensuring the process is fair and legally defensible.

2. Medium-volume recruitment: For medium-sized businesses in sectors like consulting, finance, or the public sector, situational judgement tests are an invaluable tool for hiring and assessing candidates. In situations where there is a moderate volume of applicants, SJTs shift focus away from purely sifting through large numbers to thoroughly evaluating whether candidates have the specific competencies required for the role.

This approach is particularly beneficial for highly skilled positions or managerial roles, where assessing candidates’ ability to handle complex scenarios and make sound decisions is crucial for success.

3. Low-volume recruitment: When hiring and assessing for senior hires, such as financial directors, the applicant pool is typically smaller. In these cases, the focus of situational judgement tests shifts away from simply filtering candidates to providing a thorough evaluation of whether they possess the specific competencies needed for the role. SJTs allow employers to gain deep, actionable insights into candidates’ fundamental competencies and strengths, ensuring each candidate’s suitability of the senior position is assessed comprehensively and cost-effectively.

4. Rolling recruitment: For employers who adopt a rolling recruitment strategy, where applications are reviewed on a continuous rolling basis and vacancies filled as they arise, situational judgement tests offer an effective solution. These tests establish a standardized and streamlined process, benefitting both candidates and hiring managers. By quickly identifying top-performing candidates who align closely with the role, employers can confidently advance suitable applicants to the initial interview stages as soon as opportunities become available throughout the year.

Which industries and roles benefit most from using situational judgement tests to recruit and why?

The short answer: virtually all! 

All roles across diverse industries require employees to have specific competencies and strengths that are essential for success when handling their responsibilities and workplace challenges. While industries like healthcare have been successfully utilizing situational judgement tests (SJTs) since the 1950s, other sectors have increasingly adopted these tests since the 1990s to enhance their hiring processes and select best-fit candidates. 

In particular, SJTs are beneficial in roles and industries where strong interpersonal skills, decision-making, problem-solving, and other soft skills are critical. In such cases, integrating a situational judgement test into your recruitment process is not just a beneficial tool but an essential one for selecting individuals who are well-suited to meet the demands of their roles and thrive in their work environments.

Industries that use situational judgement tests in recruitment include: 

• Finance: Situational judgement tests are essential in finance jobs, where professionals must navigate complex financial scenarios and challenges under tight deadlines and high pressure. Leading employers using SJTs include Barclays, HSBC, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, and Rothschild.

• Healthcare: In the high-stakes world of healthcare, SJTs have been utilized in recruitment for decades, helping identify candidates equipped to handle unique and critical challenges. The NHS is a prime example of an organization consistently integrating SJTs into its hiring process.

• Retail: Retail roles demand quick thinking and adaptability in fast-paced and dynamic environments. Major retailers are increasingly incorporating situational judgement tests into their hiring assessment processes to evaluate how candidates manage customer-facing scenarios, such as dealing with complaints or in-store problems. These employers include Aldi, Morrisons, Walmart, Primark, and Boots.

• Public Sector: Situational judgement tests are frequently used in public professional roles to reflect the complex, high-pressure situations employees have to navigate. Some companies that implement SJTs include the Police, Fire Service, NHS, DWP, and the Civil Service.

• Consulting: Problem-solving is a critical competency in consulting, making situational tests a popular assessment tool for entry-level jobs, graduate schemes, internships, and senior roles. Employers that use SJTs to screen candidates for analytical and decision-making skills include the Big Four (Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG) as well as smaller, specialized consultancies.

• Customer Service: Situational judgement tests are widely used in customer service to assess candidates’ ability to handle high-pressure situations and interactions with customers where strong communication and problem-solving skills are required. Employers like British Airways and Zappos use SJTs for their call centers.

The industries mentioned above have long utilized situational judgement tests to effectively identify and hire best-fit talent. Overlooking a candidate’s competencies and suitability for the role can result in costly mis-hires and ultimately hinder business success. By prioritizing SJTs in your recruitment strategy, you can ensure you select the right candidates who not only align with the role, but also make meaningful contributions to your organization’s growth and objectives.

Jobs that use situational judgement tests for hiring include: 

• Consultant
• Financial Analyst
• Firefighter
• Retail Assistant
• Retail Store Manager
• Police Officer 
• Bank Teller
• Customer Service Representative
• Sales Executive
• Management Trainee
• Nurse Practitioner
• Call Center Agent

Below is an outline of some example roles in which the situational judgement test could be used to assess candidates’ competencies and enhance the recruitment process. 

Using SJTs as recruitment tests for public sector roles:

Using SJTs as recruitment tests for retail roles:

Using SJTs as recruitment tests for consultancy roles:

If you are an employer that after reading through this information is still unsure about whether using a situational judgement test is the right fit for your organization, click here to learn more or contact us for a free analysis tailored to your recruitment needs. 

Next, we will share some examples of leading employers who have successfully integrated situational judgement tests into their hiring process.

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8. What employers use situational judgement tests in their recruitment processes?

In recent years, situational judgement tests have become a cornerstone of the recruitment strategies of major global corporations. More recently, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups have also increasingly begun to recognize the value of these assessments in improving their candidate selection processes and making more informed, objective hiring decisions. Here are some of the top employers leveraging the best situational judgement tests in their recruitment efforts: 

• HSBC
• Morgan Stanley
• KPMG
• PwC
• Deloitte
• EY
• Barclays
• JP Morgan
• Rothschild
• Accenture
• Primark
• Boots
• Morrisons
• Aldi
• Costa Coffee
• Walmart
• P&G
• AECOM
• Shell
• NHS
• Department for Work and Pensions UK (DWP)
• Civil Service

Are situational judgement tests suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)?

Historically, situational judgement tests have been underutilized by SMEs due to the infrastructure demands and costs associated with setting up in-house candidate testing software. Whilst larger organizations may have had the technology and budget, smaller organizations have faced challenges in this area. However, recent advancements in specialized third-party SaaS (software-as-a-software) solutions have addressed these issues and made it easier than ever to integrate SJTs into the recruitment process.

Today, more and more businesses, regardless of size, are leveraging online pre-employment testing services, such as situational judgement tests, provided by third-party assessment providers like Assess Candidates. These solutions offer a cost-effective alternative to more costly traditional interview processes, require no infrastructure setup from the employer, and are quick and easy to launch as part of your recruitment campaigns. These modern online pre-employment tests are fully automated and cloud-based. 

Concerns about the cost of integrating an online situational judgement test into your recruitment strategy are common, but existing cost models are flexible and offer affordable solutions for various recruitment needs and volumes. Investing in these pre-employment tests is economical compared to the high cost of a bad hire or the limitations of a narrow talent pool.

The availability of cost-effective candidate testing software and the ease of integrating a situational assessment test into your existing recruitment campaigns mean that smaller businesses can also now benefit from tools that were previously reserved for larger organizations with bigger budgets. Situational judgement tests are so popular among employers because they can be used for any type of role – whether that’s working with people, working in an office, working in a store, working for decisions, etc. 

So, who are some of the top candidate assessment software providers that you should consider to help implement your situational test?

The top 12 candidate assessment software providers

When choosing a candidate assessment provider for your situational judgement test, it’s crucial to evaluate both the quality of the SJT test and the overall functionality of the assessment platform. To ensure you select the right solution, consider the following key questions: 

• Does the candidate assessment software streamline and accelerate the recruitment process?
• Can I assess multiple candidates’ competencies simultaneously and effectively?
• Is there easy, one-click access to candidate results and insights?
• Does the situational judgement test provide an objective evaluation of candidates’ competencies?
• Have scientists validated their SJTs to predict the desired outcomes?
• Can I customize the SJT test and questions to align with my specific role and organization?
• Is the talent assessment platform user-friendly and does it ensure a positive candidate experience?

By considering these factors, you can confidently select a candidate assessment platform for your situational judgement test that meets your objectives and enhances your recruitment process. 

Here are some of the top pre-employment screening providers to help you assess candidates’ competencies and suitability for your role:

1. Assess Candidates
2. SHL
3. Kenexa
4. Cubiks
5. Aon/Cut-e
6. Cappfinity
7. TestGorilla
8. Harver
9. Korn Ferry
10. Test Partnership
11. Criterion Partnership
12. Saville Assessment

Now let’s explore why employers are using Assess Candidates’ situational judgement tests to streamline their hiring processes and select top best-fit talent.

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9. Why top employers choose Assess Candidates situational judgement tests to hire

At Assess Candidates, we specialize in a wide range of psychometric tests, including situational judgement tests (SJTs). We offer both semi-bespoke and fully-bespoke solutions to customize your SJT and recruitment campaign to meet the unique needs of your business.

Below is an example of the campaign reporting dashboard available on the Assess Candidates platform. This user-friendly tool is designed for hiring managers and HR professionals, offering detailed insights and advanced sorting functions to simplify and enhance candidate assessment and selection.

Here are the top 4 reasons why you should choose Assess Candidates’ situational judgement tests for your hiring needs:

1. Designed and Scientifically Validated by Experts: Assess Candidates’ situational judgement tests are developed by Chartered Scientists, Psychologists, and Psychometricians with decades of experience designing assessment solutions for companies like SHL and IBM Kenexa. Our situational tests are rigorously tested and validated to accurately measure candidates’ competencies and determine their suitability for specific roles. These assessments have consistently proven successful in helping organizations across various industries to select and hire top best-fit talent. 

2. Professional Reporting: Assess Candidates’ user-friendly and easy-to-navigate platform allows employers to thoroughly analyze candidate reports and make informed hiring decisions. You can easily view individual candidates’ performance on the SJT test, then filter, rank, compare, and shortlist candidates based on flexible criteria. For added convenience, our talent assessment platform can also integrate seamlessly with your existing ATS for a streamlined recruitment process. 

3. Engaging Candidate Experience: Assess Candidates’ SJTs feature an user-friendly interface that is easily accessible from any device and utilizes both text and images for a dynamic and engaging candidate experience. It provides clear instructions and minimal clicks needed to complete the assessment, with the test automatically moving to the next question once answered. The platform can be fully branded, ensuring a positive and professional experience that candidates associate with your brand. 

4. Candidate Accessibility Support: Assess Candidates prioritizes accessibility, offering support for individuals with disabilities and visual impairments. All our assessments, including the situational judgement test, include extra time, zoom functionalities, and accessible color schemes. They are also fully compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), guaranteeing compatibility with screen readers and other assistive technologies.

Assess Candidates is a trusted assessment provider of end-to-end assessment solutions, catering to small, medium, and large employers alike. We ensure that you can successfully hire top best-fit candidates first time. Why not explore our situational judgement tests and start hiring today!

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10. Situational judgement tests: Client application story

Client Problem Statement:

A leading technology firm is encountering difficulties in hiring top talent for key sales roles. While they receive numerous applications from candidates with strong sales experience and technical knowledge, the current recruitment process struggles to assess how well these individuals can handle high-pressure sales deals, build long-term relationships with clients, and align with the company’s dynamic culture. As a result, the sales team often hires salespeople who fail to meet the high targets, underperform in important B2B negotiations, or lack the resilience required in a competitive tech-driven market. The organization needs an effective solution to assess candidates’ interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, decision-making, and negotiation abilities, ensuring they are well-suited for the fast-paced and high-stakes sales environment.

Assess Candidates Proposal:

At Assess Candidates, we recommend that the technology firm implement a bespoke situational judgement test (SJT) early in its recruitment process for their sales role. A customized SJT would focus on critical sales competencies such as negotiation, problem-solving under pressure, client relationship management, resilience, and adaptability in fast-evolving tech markets. Additionally, by including sales scenarios that are likely to occur at this company – such as closing deals with key stakeholders, responding to objections, and managing long sales cycles – the SJT test can provide valuable insights into how candidates are likely to perform in their specific sales role , ensuring that only the strongest candidates advance to the next stage of the hiring process.

Result:

Incorporating situational judgement tests into the sales recruitment process will enable the technology firm to better assess candidates’ ability to handle the challenges of tech sales. By identifying individuals who possess strong negotiation skills, resilience, and a client-focused mindset, the company will make more informed hiring decisions, resulting in better-aligned hires. This approach will lead to higher sales performance, improved client retention, and stronger overall sales team cohesion, driving revenue growth and long-term business success.