What do Situational Judgement Tests assess?
A Situational Judgement Test or SJT is a type of psychometric test that presents candidates with real-life work situations and then asks them to decide on the best response to that situation. The Retail Customer Service SJT is a situational judgement test that is specifically geared towards client-facing roles in the retail industry.
Typical roles that would use our Customer Service SJT are:
1. Shop Floor Assistants
2. Cashiers
3. Retail Advisors
Overview of the Situational Judgement Test (SJT)
Our Customer Service SJT presents candidates with 20 distinct situations that client-facing staff in retail may find familiar across a variety of organisations. For each situation, 4 possible responses are given, each presenting a feasible response someone in a role may take. Candidates are asked to review these responses and select 1 response they consider to be ‘most appropriate’ and another they think would be the ‘least appropriate’. As with all our SJTs, the Customer Service SJT is untimed but typically takes up to 15 minutes to complete.
Our SJT measures 5 competencies / behaviours:
1. Communicating: Ensuring the message is communicated clearly to customers.
2. Collaborating: Working closely with others to find and implement solutions to problems.
3. Understanding Customers: Listening to the customer and recognising what they need before delivering in a way that they want.
4. Showing Initiative: Being proactive and taking responsibility in sorting out an issue, rather than waiting for someone else.
5. Dealing with Challenge: Remaining cool under pressure from the customer or elsewhere and handling the matter effectively.
Each competency comprises of 4 behavioural indicators, and each indicator is measured by a specific question in the Customer Service SJT. This ensures a comprehensive and valid assessment of the competency. It also ensures that the interpretive reports provided are accurate and valid.
Example Customer Service SJT Question
Customer Service SJT – Sample Reports
On completion of the Customer Service SJT, you can download 2 reports as standard:
1. Recruitment Report, where the content is designed for an organisation and supports a recruitment decision. This report provides tests scores, behavioural interpretation and interview questions.
2. Candidate Report, where the content is designed for a candidate(s) and provides feedback on the test performance. This report provides behavioural interpretation and suggests development goals for improving their competencies.
Free Situational Judgement Test
Take a free situational judgement test. On completion you will be able to download a detailed report based on your results. We will not ask you for any personal information to be able to view your report.
How to do well in your Customer Service SJT
To do well in a Customer Service SJT, it is good to implement the following tips:
1. Read the passage: Make sure you fully read and understand the whole passage prior to looking at the responses, as the nuances of the situation will help decide which response is ‘most appropriate’.
2. Think about the next level up: The responses that are ‘most appropriate’ are often those which you would imagine being applicable, not only for the role being tested for, but also at levels higher up. Think about what qualities would not only enable you to do the job but be considered for promotion into a leadership role.
3. Avoid the reactive response: Similarly to looking at the next level up, while the ‘least appropriate’ response will not be obviously incorrect, it is likely to show a lack of initiative or leadership that will prevent someone from being considered for a future promotion.