Ecole nationale d’administration – ENA

National school of administration

Preparation for European Institutions

Open Competitions

Situational judgement test (SJT)

Presentation of the situational judgement test

 A multi-choice questionnaire

 One situation that could occur at work

 4 proposed statements

 Your target : to find the most effective action and the

least effective
Objective of the situational judgement test

to evaluate workplace-related
behaviour
Rating of the situational judgement test

 Basically 20 MCQ
 2 replies to find for 1 question : the most effective action and the
least effective action
 Each question is marked between 0 and 2 points
 2 right answers: the most effective and the least effective actions
= 2 points
 Each neutral reply = 0,5 point
 The only case in which the candidate could not earn some point :
when he reverse the most effective action with the least effective
 Minimum number of marks required : 24/40
 All elements have to be verified because they could change
from one open competition to another
The selection criteria (I) : the competency
framework

• Analysis and problem solving

• Quality and results
• Prioritising and organising
• Résilience
• Working with others

Aren’t assess in the situational judgement test :

• Learning and development
• Communicating
• Leadership
 The selection criteria (II)

I determine the options in reference with the values of the

european public administration
 Equality of opportunity
 Gender equality
 Integration of people with disabilities
 Ethnic diversity
 Anti-harrassment work
 Transparency
 Ethical conduct
 Moral and financial responsability for the civil servants
The selection criteria (III)

I determine the options in reference with expected

behaviours

• Focus on solution or focus on a «problem»

• Pro-activ approach or a reactive approach
• An approach based on transparency, openness and information
sharing or an approach based on secret, closure and retention
• To research a positive self-concept at the expense of others
• Degree of autonomy and initiative
• Leadership
•Sensitivity/insensitivity to the consequences of my actions
 Situational judgement test : reading suggestions

To put ourselves in the spirit of the exercice and to become

impregnated with the values of the european public
administration :

 Titles I and II of the staff regulation for the European Civil

Service
http://ec.europa.eu/civil_service/docs/toc100_fr.pdf

 The Code of good administrative behaviour

http://ec.europa.eu/civil_society/code/index_fr.htm
www.ombudsman.europa.eu/code/fr
 Situational judgement test : examples
Situation 13
You have recently been
appointed to a position in a
new project team. Although
you are experienced as far as
the technical aspects of your
job are concerned, there are
other aspects that you have yet
to get to grip with.
Your job will then involve
communicating and working
internally with other project
teams.
Although your director has
suggested that you undergo a
period of induction and
training, several of the tasks
for which you are responsible
require urgent attention.
Options + -
A. You immediately organise meetings
with the people with whom you think
you will have to work. 
B. You quickly try to establish how
your objectives will match up with the
objectives of your project manager.
C. In the initial stages you ensure that
you do your job as you understand it
should be done after reading your job 
description.
D. You take the time required to
ensure you understand perfectly the
team's future objectives.
 Situational judgement test : examples

Situation 5 Options + -
Your manager A. You ask your manager for permission to
has passed on an negotiate with the requesting department to
urgent request modify their request, either in terms of deadline 
from another or deliverables included.
department to
you. It is obvious B. You contact colleagues in the requesting
that with your department and explain that you are sorry but 
current workload you will not be able to meet their request.
and staff C. You confront your manager, stating that
numbers it will he/she is perfectly aware of your workload and
not be possible staff numbers and that he/she should have
to respond within refused the request.
the desired
deadline. D. You put your entire team to work on the
request, even if that means that their normal
work suffers.
 Situational judgement test : examples
Situation 7
You have just spent a lot of
time preparing a report that
is to be sent to a senior
manager.
A member of the team who is
more experienced than you
and highly respected by
his/her colleagues tells you
that he/she thinks that the
quality of the report would
be improved if changes were
made to some sections.
Options + -
A. You make some of the changes that
he/she suggests but keep those parts
of the report that you think are better.
B. You rely on your colleague's better
experience and make all the changes
that he/she suggests.
C. You thank your colleague for his/her
suggestions but say that you will rely
on your own judgement and will not 
make any changes to the report.
D. You discuss with your colleague the
changes he/she has suggested and
clarify the reasons for these changes.

Thank you for your attention
Anne-Catherine Gutknecht
Preparation for European Institutions'
Open Competitions
Mail: anne-catherine.gutknecht@ena.fr
https://www.facebook.com/Prepa.concours.UE