A firefighter situational judgement test presents realistic situations from fire and rescue work and asks candidates to choose the most and least appropriate responses. This guide explains what the Viewpoint Firefighter SJT measures, works through a generic example, looks at the research on situational awareness, and gives practical advice for employers and candidates.

What the Firefighter SJT measures

Firefighting depends on teamwork, on noticing what is changing at an incident, on being ready for whatever the shift brings and on following safety procedures even under pressure. Physical fitness and technical skills can be trained and tested separately; judgement in these areas needs its own measure.

The Viewpoint Firefighter SJT presents 16 realistic scenarios. For each one, candidates choose the most and least appropriate responses. It is untimed and takes up to 15 minutes. It measures four competencies:

• Teamwork

• Situational Awareness

• Operational Readiness

• Safety Discipline

Three reports come as standard, including an Interview Report.

A worked example

The following is a generic illustration written for this article, not an item from the Viewpoint test.

During a training exercise, you notice that a colleague has not fully secured a piece of equipment before a drill begins. The crew manager hasn't seen it. Four possible responses are:

• A. Say nothing, since it is only an exercise.

• B. Point it out to your colleague straight away so it can be fixed before the drill starts.

• C. Fix it yourself later, after the drill.

• D. Report your colleague to the crew manager after the exercise.

B would usually be seen as most appropriate: it deals with the safety risk immediately and supports the colleague. A is the clearest least appropriate, because safety discipline applies in training as well as at incidents. C leaves the risk in place during the drill, and D may have its place but does nothing about the immediate hazard.

What research says

Endsley's influential model describes situational awareness as perceiving what is happening, understanding what it means and anticipating what will happen next [1]. It is widely used in emergency services and other safety-critical work. Meta-analysis shows that SJTs predict job performance, and that tests built around clear competencies predict related performance well [2].

Using a firefighter SJT well

For fire and rescue services, use the SJT early in recruitment alongside fitness tests, ability tests and structured interviews. Interpret results in bands from Very Low to Very High, and use the Interview Report questions to explore competencies where results are lower.

For candidates, think about what a safe, alert and supportive team member would do. Safety comes first, and speaking up early is usually better than fixing problems later. Read every option before choosing.

See the Firefighter SJT page, our concentration test guide, or all our situational judgement tests.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the Firefighter SJT take?

It is untimed and takes up to 15 minutes, with 16 scenarios.

Does it test firefighting knowledge?

No. It measures judgement in realistic situations, not technical knowledge.

What does it measure?

Teamwork, Situational Awareness, Operational Readiness and Safety Discipline.

Is there a pass mark?

No. Results are shown in score bands and used alongside other evidence.

References

1. Endsley, M. R. (1995). Toward a theory of situation awareness in dynamic systems. Human Factors, 37(1), 32–64.
2. Christian, M. S., Edwards, B. D. & Bradley, J. C. (2010). Situational judgment tests: constructs assessed and a meta-analysis of their criterion-related validities. Personnel Psychology, 63(1), 83–117.