Situational Judgment Test (SJT)

What Does Situational Judgment Test (SJT) Mean?

A situational judgment test (SJT) is an assessment that measures an individual's professional aptitude. SJTs are psychometric tests, meaning that they measure a person's mental and emotional responses to a situation. Situational judgment tests are used to determine how an individual might perform in a workplace setting. SJTs are also used for other purposes such as school admissions.

SJTs are aptitude tests, they are designed to measure an individual's personality and other inherent characteristics. However, these tests may also measure an individual's general and job-specific knowledge, skills, and abilities. Testing professionals sometimes refer to the four factors assessed by the test as KSAOs (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Other).

SJTs are just one type of predictive measure a prospective employer may use to assess an individual's fit for a particular job.

WorkplaceTesting Explains Situational Judgment Test (SJT)

As the name implies, situational judgment tests (SJTs) are designed to assess how an individual will respond to a given situation. The tests often present realistic work-related scenarios and ask the test subject to choose a response.

Most SJTs are designed to assess an individual's aptitude as it relates to a specific job. For example, a someone seeking a job at a medical facility or a promotion in the military a might be asked to take a situational judgment test to determine whether the candidate's temperament was suitable for their anticipated role. Included among the characteristics that a SJT may assess are a person's interpersonal or problem-solving skills. A person's general cognitive abilities, management skills, and personality traits may be examined as part of a situational judgment test.