Situational judgment test: definition and example

How SJTs are used

SJTs started in hiring. A meta-analysis pooling 102 results from 10,640 people found that workplace SJTs predicted job performance at useful levels and typically correlated with general cognitive ability (McDaniel and colleagues, 2001). In EI research, MacCann and Roberts built SJTs for emotional understanding and emotion management, tested with students and office workers (MacCann and Roberts, 2008).

A sample item

"A coworker snaps at you in a meeting, then avoids you all afternoon. What is the most effective thing to do? (a) Ignore it. (b) Snap back next time. (c) Ask privately later, 'Earlier felt tense. Is everything okay?' (d) Complain to your manager first." The test scores your choice, not your confidence. Some SJTs ask what you would do; others ask what is most effective, which leans more toward knowledge.

"Would do" versus "should do" items

Some SJTs ask what you would actually do; others ask what the most effective response is. "Should do" items lean toward knowledge, and "would do" items lean toward self-description, with more room for wishful answers. When you read any SJT score, check which kind of question produced it.

Limits

Knowing the best answer on paper does not mean you will do it when tired or angry, and keys reflect a particular culture's idea of an effective response. SJT scores also partly track general reasoning, as the meta-analysis found (McDaniel and colleagues, 2001).

EQTiger uses 18 scenario judgment items alongside 18 self-report habit items, and reports descriptive 0 to 100 EQTiger scores rather than normed results. See the methodology, ability EI, and self-report bias.