Situational Judgement Test Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Situational Judgement Test facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. You have sent an important proposal but have not received any acknowledgment after several days. What is the BEST next step? → Follow up politely, confirming receipt and asking if they have any questions
2. After resolving a conflict with a colleague, the tension seems to have returned within a week. What is the best course of action? → Schedule a brief follow-up conversation to check in and address any lingering concerns
3. You need to deliver an important update about a project delay to your manager. What is the MOST effective approach? → Schedule a meeting, explain the cause, impact, and your plan to recover
4. You notice a coworker regularly leaving 30 minutes early without telling anyone. This has caused missed handoffs twice. What should you do first? → Speak privately with the coworker and explain the impact on the team.
5. Two colleagues propose contradictory solutions to an urgent problem. Both solutions have merit. What is the best way to proceed? → Run a small pilot test of each solution before full deployment
6. You overhear two colleagues making a discriminatory joke about a third colleague who is not present. What is the most appropriate action? → Calmly let the colleagues know the comment was inappropriate and is unwelcome
7. A new team member is struggling to complete tasks at the required pace. What is the MOST appropriate first step? → Check in privately, ask what challenges they are facing, and offer guidance
8. You are delegated a task you do not have the skills to complete competently. The deadline is tomorrow. What is the best approach? → Immediately inform your manager of your skills gap and discuss options
9. Your organization needs to solve a problem but no one has faced it before internally. What is the most effective strategy? → Research how analogous problems have been solved in similar industries or contexts
10. A client offers you a gift card worth $150 as thanks for your excellent service. Your company policy prohibits accepting gifts over $25. What do you do? → Politely decline, explaining your company's gift policy
11. Which of the following is the LEAST effective way to communicate empathy to a customer who has experienced a service failure? → "I've had a similar problem myself, so I know exactly how you feel."
12. Your supervisor asks for an immediate decision on a budget allocation you have not fully analyzed. What should you do? → Admit you need a few minutes to review the data before giving a responsible answer
13. You receive feedback from your supervisor that your recent report was too vague. What is the best response? → Ask your supervisor for specific examples of what was unclear so you can improve
14. Two team members have an ongoing personal feud that is slowing project delivery. As the project lead, what do you do? → Meet with each person individually, then bring them together to agree on working norms
15. During a competency-based interview, you are asked about a time you failed. You cannot think of a relevant professional example. What is the best response? → Use an academic or personal example and clearly relate the lesson learned to the workplace
16. You receive credit for a project outcome that was largely due to your teammate's work. What should you do? → Publicly redirect the credit to your teammate and acknowledge their contribution.
17. You are asked to present results that have been cherry-picked to look more favorable than the full data shows. What is the most appropriate response? → Refuse to present misleading data and request that the full results be shown
18. A coworker frequently makes sarcastic comments about your work style in front of others. What is the most constructive initial response? → Speak to them privately, describe the behavior, and explain how it affects you
19. During a high-stress period, a team member makes a significant error that affects a project. How do you address it? → Address the mistake privately, focusing on correction and learning rather than blame
20. You are completing an in-tray exercise and realize you have only 10 minutes left but still have five items to address. What should you do first? → Prioritize items by urgency and impact, then address the most critical ones
21. You are aware that a colleague is struggling with their workload but has not asked for help. What should you do? → Offer your assistance privately and let them decide whether to accept
22. Which of the following is the LEAST effective strategy for managing competing priorities on a daily basis? → Addressing tasks in the order they are received to ensure fairness to all requesters.
23. A colleague asks you to cover for them by saying they were in a meeting with you when they were not. What is the best response? → Refuse and explain that providing false information would compromise your integrity
24. You are asked to present a proposal you believe is flawed to senior leadership. What should you do? → Raise your concerns with your manager before the presentation and suggest modifications
25. You are asked to lead a new project but lack expertise in a key technical area. What should you do? → Accept the project and identify a subject-matter expert to partner with
26. You are asked to sign off on a safety inspection you did not actually perform. Your supervisor says it is just a formality. What do you do? → Refuse to sign and explain that you cannot certify work you did not perform
27. You notice your company's expense reporting policy is unclear, leading several employees to make honest mistakes. What do you do? → Bring the ambiguity to your manager's attention and suggest a policy clarification
28. During a meeting, you realize your manager has presented incorrect data to leadership without knowing it is wrong. What should you do? → Send your manager a private message after the meeting with the correct figures
29. You realize you made a significant error in a report that has already been submitted to a client. What is the best course of action? → Notify your manager immediately and work with them to correct and resubmit the report
30. You discover a coworker has been consistently taking credit for your team's ideas in meetings. What is the most effective first step? → Speak privately with the coworker about your observations