Situational Strengths Test (2024 Guide)
Updated November 3, 2024
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What Is a Situational Strengths Test?
The situational strengths test is very similar in nature to the situational judgement test, or other tests like the numerical reasoning test or verbal reasoning tests.
These tests are used by many employers to evaluate behaviour in the workplace. If you are asked to complete one of these tests, the employer will select a set of skills that they would like to test you on.
These skills will be important for the role you have applied for, and the scenarios within the test are those that would commonly arise in your day-to-day work.
As with all types of psychometric test, situational strengths tests are part of the selection process and are designed to allow both the employer and the candidate to determine whether the business is right for them.
For the employer, they get to see whether you will fit in with their company culture, values and vision. For the employee, it is an opportunity to see whether you would like to work for the business.
Often used as a method to shortlist further in the graduate application process, these tests frequently appear in a recruitment campaign for graduate opportunities.
Situational strengths tests are not so much about your raw strengths as how well you would fit into the organisation.
What Are Situational Strengths Tests Used For?
If you have been asked to complete a situational strengths test, it can be helpful to know why they are used.
In brief, employers see them as a quick, efficient and accurate method to select the right people to join their business.
The situational strengths test will identify key strengths that will demonstrate the candidate’s ability to deliver and perform effectively in the workplace. Some strengths may include critical thinking, teamwork and decision-making skills.
These tests can also prove beneficial for candidates too, because they mimic situations that you would typically encounter in your day-to-day work. They provide you with a realistic overview of the job description, so you can also see whether the role is a good fit for what you are hoping to achieve.
Practice Situational Strengths Test with JobTestPrep
Structure of the Situational Strengths Test
A situational strengths test is made up of multiple questions based on work-related scenarios. Each scenario will focus on a different skill or strength that is required for the role you are applying for. Candidates will be judged on how effectively you can demonstrate these strengths.
The structure of the test is relatively simple. You will be presented with a specific scenario which would occur in the workplace. You are then asked a question based on this scenario and provided with a series of answers.
Some situational strengths tests will ask you to list the answers in order from most likely to least likely, while others will ask for a single response, requiring you to state which decision you would make in the same situation.
Situational Strengths Test Practice Questions (2024)
As with many of the assessments that you have to complete as part of the recruitment process, practice and preparation is important.
In this section, we have created a list of some typical questions that would arise in the situational strengths test and the responses.
If you require further practice, we recommend the situational strengths test packages produced by JobTestPrep.
Here are some sample questions and answers.
Situational Strengths Practice Test
Scenario:
You have been asked to work with Sophie, a junior member of staff, on some marketing projects. You asked Sophie to draft a marketing analysis and report for a potential client, which your manager will be presenting at a meeting to take place the next afternoon.
When you begin reviewing the analysis and report, you notice a few pieces of information that aren’t as accurate as they should be, as well as sections which are not completed as fully as possible. You are familiar with the client and you think that they may not notice that the report is not as comprehensive as it should be.
To amend the report it will take several hours. You have work scheduled in to complete but you know that your manager needs the report and analysis by the end of the day. What do you do?
Response:
Rank the following options in order of relevance.
A) You decide that you cannot send the report to your manager without addressing the inaccuracies and completing the information. So you reschedule your other work to edit the report.
B) As this is a new client, you hope that they won’t notice the report isn’t finished. As such you approve the work and send to your manager.
C) Due to the time constraints, you complete the most important changes and then send it to your manager.
D) You explain to your manager what has happened and you request that you send the report/analysis by the next day.
E) You raise the report as an issue with Sophie and ask her to carry out the most important amendments.
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Scenario:
You work in a retail store with responsibility for the homeware section. You have been asked to remove a large amount of old stock and replace it with new. The store has a very important visitor coming later in the day.
To get to your designated area, you walk past a stand near the entrance of the store and notice the promotional signs have fallen on the floor and the display looks very untidy and unappealing. This display area is not your area of responsibility.
What would you do in this situation and how would you feel?
Response:
Rank the following in order, with 1 being the most important and 5 being the least important.
A) You are glad that the display is not your responsibility and continue to your own area.
B) You are concerned that the display is the first area that people see as they enter the store and spend time considering what to do.
C) You are concerned about the impression it will create of the store, so you raise it with a colleague who is responsible for the area.
D) You tidy up the display stand, happy that you could help to create a better first impression of the store.
E) You are so preoccupied that you walk past the display without taking much notice of its untidiness.
Scenario:
You work in a sales department and you have made in excess of 30 calls in the past couple of hours. Each time you call, the caller hangs up. It is not always like this and you wonder what might be going wrong.
Response:
What would you do in this situation and how would you feel? Select one of the following options:
A) You feel incredibly stressed and take a break.
B) You show resilience and continue with the calls knowing that one will convert into a sale eventually.
C) You reflect on your approach and try to see how and why you may be going wrong.
D) You are inspired to carry on, knowing that every setback makes you more determined to secure a sale.
E) You can’t see a way forward, so you speak to one of your colleagues to see what strategy they would deploy.
Tips and Techniques for Situational Strengths Tests in 2024
As with anything, the more you practice, the better you get. Situational strengths tests are no different. Here are some tips to follow:
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Practice. Before you sit the real test, try to practice as many tests as you can. Not only will you familiarise yourself with the situation – but you will also become accustomed to answering and thinking properly with these type of questions.
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Review. If you get a chance to, record your answers to the practice tests so you can come back to them at a later date. Some of the practice situational strengths tests will provide detailed responses, and you’ll often find that you can learn more from the answers you got wrong.
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Patterns. When reviewing your answers, try to identify patterns in your responses. Typical patterns include asking others’ opinions before you act, or taking the initiative and making decisions yourself. These are personality traits that the tests are designed to evaluate, so learn to recognise when a certain characteristic is being investigated.
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Consider the role. When answering the questions. try to imagine yourself in a specific role at that company. This will help you make a decision as to their ideal candidate. These tests are usually tailored to the organisation that you are applying to, so thinking about the ideal member of staff can help you understand why they have asked a specific question.
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Be yourself. It is important to answer questions honestly and not provide the answers that you think the recruiter will be looking for.
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Timing. This is where practice comes in. The more you practice, the more you will become accustomed to working through the questions and assigning a specific amount of time to each one. Don’t be tempted to rush through just to get finished, and if you get bogged down with one question, pick an answer and move on.
Looking to practice situational strengths test further? Try more example tests with JobTestPrep.
Situational Strengths Practice Test
A situational strength test is similar to a situational judgement assessment (SJT).
Popular in graduate recruitment campaigns, situational strength tests are used to assess behaviour at work.
When using situational strength tests, employers must choose a set of skills to be assessed during the test. These skills must be relevant to the job role that the candidate has applied for.
The scenarios presented in the test will represent those that are likely to come up in the job role. Your results from the situational strength test will help you and the employer to decide whether you are a suitable candidate for the job role.
Your results will show the employer whether you would be a good match for its culture, vision and values. They will also help you to decide whether you would be happy working for the organisation.
Practice is important if you want to pass a situational strength test. Answering plenty of practice questions is a good place to start, and working against the clock will help you to improve your time management.
If possible, record your answers so that you can return to review them at a later time. Look out for trends or patterns in your answers; for example, making decisions or using your initiative.
Research the role and consider the skills that are likely to be important. When answering the test questions, imagine that you are working in the job role and tailor your response accordingly.
That said, although it is important to consider the job role when answering questions, you should aim to answer the questions honestly – don’t be tempted to answer in a certain way because you think that is what the recruiter wants to hear.
Situational judgment tests, or SJTs, are used by employers as part of the recruitment process.
Situational judgment tests measure cognitive ability and personality when faced with the challenges of a particular job role. SJTs help employers to learn more about a candidate’s understanding of the job role and decide whether they would be a good fit for the job role and organisational culture.
Situational judgment tests measure soft skills, so the results are not always easy to interpret. In most cases, the employer will rank the answers for each question; then the system will work out your score based on these rankings.
The employer will receive your final score along with a breakdown of your results by competency. They will also see how your score ranks against other candidates in the selection pool.
If you are taking an SJT that uses a Scaled SJT scoring system, a score of 35 SJT points or higher is considered to be a good score.
If you are taking the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) SJT, a score above 2,600 is considered to be a good score. If you are taking an SJT that uses a percentile scoring system, a score in the 70th percentile or higher is considered to be a good score.
Companies use situational judgement tests to find out how an individual would respond to hypothetical workplace situations.
A candidate’s SJT answers will help the employer to decide whether their behaviours and values would be a good fit for the job role and organisation.
Employers often use SJTs to learn how a person responds to conflict, their approach to problem solving, and whether they have effective leadership skills.
