Situational Judgement Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: How situational judgement tests work

A situational judgement test shows you a short, realistic work scenario and a list of possible actions. You judge which action works best. It checks judgement, not knowledge: everything you need is in the scenario.

For example, the federal public service's Test of Judgement 374 assessed the judgement needed to solve work problems: communication, interpersonal skills, initiative, decision making, analytical thinking and action management.

Common answer formats

• Most effective: choose the one best action.
• Most and least effective: choose the best action and the worst one. A question may say LEAST in capitals.
• Rank: put all the actions in order from best to worst.
• Rate each action: for example, the UK Civil Service Judgement Test asks you to rate each of four actions as counterproductive, ineffective, fairly effective or effective. You judge each action on its own, so two actions can get the same rating.

Some tests also start with a self-assessment about how you usually behave at work. Answer it honestly: you may be asked about your answers at an interview.

Six principles, in order

Most scenarios can be solved with six principles. When two conflict, the higher one usually wins.

A five-step method

1. Read who you are: your job and what you may decide. A new employee usually checks with a supervisor before big decisions.
2. Find the main problem and any risk to people.
3. Rule out weak options first: ones that put someone at risk, break a rule, ignore the problem or overreact.
4. Compare what is left. Which option fixes the main problem, safely, within your role and in good time? Reporting something now beats waiting a week.
5. Check your choice against the six principles.

Patterns in wrong answers

• Ignore it or wait until later.
• Pass it off: "that is not my department".
• Overstep: approving something only a manager can approve, or grabbing and chasing people.
• Break a rule to please someone.
• Overreact: arguing or making a scene.

Be careful with the idea that "telling your manager" is always right. Small problems that are part of your own job are yours to solve first. Escalate when the problem is beyond your role, skill or safety, or when your own fix did not work. And when several things need you at once, such as a display about to fall, a price check and a ringing phone, deal with the risk to people first.

Timing

Work out your time per question at the start. This course's final assessment has 30 questions in 35 minutes: 35 × 60 = 2,100 seconds, and 2,100 ÷ 30 = 70 seconds per question. Careful: 35 ÷ 30 = 1.17 minutes, which is 70 seconds, not 1 minute 17 seconds.

Prueba temática 1: How situational judgement tests work

Lesson 2: Safety first

When one option keeps people safe and another saves time, makes a sale or pleases a customer, safety wins. This is the most important rule in situational judgement tests.

Your rights and duties

• Right to know about hazards, with the training you need to work safely.
• Right to participate, for example by reporting concerns or through a health and safety committee.
• Right to refuse work that could affect your health and safety or that of others. It is a serious step, not a routine way to solve problems.

Workers must also work safely, use the required protective equipment, and report hazards, incidents and defective equipment to the supervisor or employer.

Hazards and equipment

• Make it safe if you safely can, then report it: block off a spill, take a broken item out of use.
• Do not use damaged equipment: a cracked ladder or hard hat, a frayed cord, a wobbly walker. Ask for a safe replacement.
• Do not improvise repairs with tape, glue or a kitchen knife.
• Keep emergency exits clear. Move boxes if you safely can, and tell your supervisor.
• Ask for training before you use a machine you have not been shown.
• Do not copy unsafe shortcuts, such as removing a machine guard or skipping a lock-out step, even when a senior coworker does. Work safely yourself and tell your supervisor.
• Ask for the right protective equipment, such as gloves for a chemical that burns skin, before you start.

Injuries and emergencies

• Injury: get the trained first aider, or call 911 if needed, then make sure the incident is reported.
• Alarm: treat it as real. Stop the sale or task and follow the evacuation plan. Cash and sales can wait.
• Gas smell or similar danger: warn others, leave the area and call for help from a safe place, following the emergency plan. Do not stay to search or finish orders.
• Unattended bag: do not touch it. Keep people back and report it following site procedure.

Threats and violence

Workplace violence is any act in which a person is abused, threatened, intimidated or assaulted at work. Do not enter any situation where you feel unsafe. Working alone raises the risk: after closing, keep the door locked. Report every threat or incident right away, whether it was aimed at you or you only witnessed it.

A security guard's safest role is usually to observe, report and record. If you see a crime, stay at a safe distance, call police and your dispatch, and write down details. Chasing or grabbing people puts you and others at risk.

If a serious hazard you reported is ignored, escalate to a higher manager or the health and safety committee.

Prueba temática 2: Safety first

Lesson 3: Policy, honesty and privacy

In a situational judgement test, the best option usually solves the problem within the rules. A quick fix that breaks a rule creates a new problem.

When a rule gets in the way

• Follow it, and suggest an improvement to your supervisor. Do not skip it on your own.
• Explain the rule politely and offer what you can, such as store credit when there is no receipt. If the person wants an exception, a manager can decide.
• When you are not sure of a rule, ask before you act. For example, keep a restricted room locked until your supervisor confirms who may enter.
• Rules apply to everyone. A friend does not get the staff rate, and every customer who looks young is asked for ID.

Honesty and records

• Own your mistakes. Tell your supervisor as soon as you find one and help fix it. Do not hide it or blame others.
• Records must be true. Logs, inspections and time records show what really happened. Never backdate, sign for someone else or change a record for a friend.
• If you miss a task, such as a patrol round, do it now and record the real times and reason.
• If a manager asks you to falsify a record, politely explain you can only record the real facts and offer a solution, such as doing the inspection now. If the pressure continues, raise it through the proper channel.
• Cash: report a shortage and follow the cash procedure. Do not cover it with your own money or change the count.
• Theft: report what you saw to your manager, following policy. Do not ignore it or make threats.

Privacy

Personal information is any factual or subjective information, recorded or not, about an identifiable person: for example a name, age, ID number, income, opinions or health details. Privacy principles include consent, limiting use and disclosure, and safeguards.

• Do not share customer or patient details with neighbours, friends or anyone who does not need them for work. Say you cannot share that information.
• Do not send customer lists to personal email. Ask about an approved way to work from home.
• Do not record or post videos or photos of customers. A video or photo of a person can be personal information.
• Your password is yours alone. Help a locked-out coworker contact IT or the supervisor instead.

Conflicts of interest and gifts

A conflict of interest is when a personal relationship or benefit could affect, or seem to affect, your work decisions. If a relative applies for a job you are helping to fill, tell your supervisor and step back from that decision. If a supplier offers you a gift, check the gift policy and tell your supervisor before accepting anything.

Prueba temática 3: Policy, honesty and privacy

Lesson 4: Communicating and escalating

The Skills for Success model describes communication as receiving, understanding, considering and sharing information and ideas. It includes listening to understand and adapting your tone, language and approach to your audience.

Ask and confirm

• Unclear instruction: ask a short question about that step before you start. Guessing causes mistakes.
• Confusing message: reply to the sender and ask them to confirm the details.
• Two supervisors, two urgent jobs: explain the clash to both and ask which comes first.
• You do not know the answer: say you will find out from someone who knows. Do not guess.

Tell people early, the right way

• Running late on a deadline: tell your supervisor now, explain why and suggest a new time.
• Urgent hazard: phone or go to facilities or your supervisor right away. An email may sit unread.
• A coworker's mistake affected a customer: tell your supervisor the details so it can be fixed.
• A customer who is learning English: use simple words, speak clearly and check they understood. Speaking louder or faster does not help.

Handovers, messages and follow-ups

At a shift change, record events in the log and tell the incoming person directly. For a phone message, write down the caller's name, number and message and pass it on; do not promise a callback for someone else. If you promised to call someone back at 3 p.m., call at 3 p.m. with an update, even if you do not have the full answer yet.

When to escalate

Disagreeing well

If you think a plan has a problem, calmly share your concern and your reason at the meeting, and suggest an option. Once the decision is final, support it.

Prueba temática 4: Communicating and escalating

Lesson 5: Customers and difficult situations

In customer scenarios, the best answer almost always keeps you calm, shows you listened, takes ownership and offers what you can within policy.

Handling a complaint

1. Remain calm. Do not take it personally.
2. Listen carefully and do not interrupt. You can ask: "Help me understand why you are upset."
3. Apologize for the problem or the wait.
4. Fix it or offer what the policy allows.
5. If you cannot fix it, pass it to the right person and tell the customer what will happen next.
6. Follow up when you said you would.

Take ownership

Avoid "that is not my department" and blind transfers. A caller who has been transferred three times needs someone to listen fully and own the problem until it is solved or properly handed on. When a line is long, apologize for the wait, keep serving and call for backup if you can.

Claims and pressure

• A claim you cannot confirm ("your coworker promised me half off"): do not agree to something that may not be true, but do not reject it right away either. Listen, then check with your coworker or manager.
• Threats of a bad review or demands for things they are not entitled to: stay polite, offer what policy allows and involve your manager if they want more.
• Closed facilities or visiting hours: explain the rule politely and say what is possible.

Fair service

Serve people in the order they arrived, not by who you know or what they might spend. If unsure, ask. Checks such as bag searches apply to everyone: calmly explain that every bag is checked and offer the options your policy allows.

Abuse and threats

• If a person is abusive, calmly tell them you will not accept abusive language and will end the conversation if it continues.
• Do not swear back, argue or grab anyone.
• If the person will not leave or becomes threatening, move away to a safe place and get your manager or security, or someone trained in de-escalation.
• Afterward, file an incident report following your workplace policy.

Respect for every customer

The Canadian Human Rights Act lists prohibited grounds of discrimination, including race, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, family status and disability. Speak directly to a customer who uses a wheelchair and ask how you can help, rather than talking to their companion. If a customer makes a racist remark to a coworker, calmly say it is not acceptable, support your coworker and get your manager.

Prueba temática 5: Customers and difficult situations

Lesson 6: Respect, fairness and teamwork

The Skills for Success model describes collaboration as contributing to and supporting others to achieve a common goal. It includes respecting differences without judging people, managing difficult interactions by discussing, negotiating and resolving them in a sensitive and helpful way, and contributing by completing your tasks.

Everyday teamwork

• Offer to show a new coworker how something works.
• Invite a quiet coworker to share ideas, and listen to them.
• Give credit where it belongs. If you are praised for a coworker's idea, say so.
• Once a team decision is final, support it.

Conflict between coworkers

Start with a private, calm talk and agree on a fair plan, such as sharing cleaning duties. If it continues, involve your supervisor. Do not complain to others or leave work undone so someone gets in trouble. If coworkers argue in front of customers, ask them to talk it over in private.

Bullying and harassment

Bullying is usually a pattern of behaviour meant to intimidate someone, or comments that could hurt them mentally, such as spreading rumours, excluding someone, intimidating them, undermining their work, or yelling. Harassment includes any action, conduct or comment that can reasonably be expected to cause offence or humiliation, such as jokes about someone's accent. Do not join in, and do not pass on rumours.

• If you are the target: firmly tell the person to stop, keep a factual record (date, time, what happened, witnesses) and report it to the person named in your policy. If your concern is dismissed, go to the next level of management. Do not retaliate.
• If you are a witness: stand with the person, ask the bully to stop and file an incident report.

Human rights and accommodation

Religion, disability, family status and the other grounds in the Canadian Human Rights Act are protected. As a shift lead, take a request linked to one of these grounds seriously, such as a short daily break for prayer, and follow your workplace's accommodation process. Keep the reason private.

Fairness as a shift lead

Apply the same rules to everyone, friends included. If two people break the same rule, give both the same response under the policy. If two people want the same day off, use the stated rule, such as first request, and explain it to both. Never change a record to cover for a friend.

Prioritizing

Deal with safety first, then urgent work, then tasks that can wait. If you leave a coworker's non-urgent task for an urgent job, tell them and come back later.

Prueba temática 6: Respect, fairness and teamwork