Free SJT Questions, Answers, and Explanations

1. Sara was given a list of tasks to complete two days ago. After working fast and efficiently she has now finished her tasks. Sara’s supervisor is working from a different location today.
What is the most effective response that Sara can take?

A. Sara could find a colleague that needs help with a task - this could be more interesting than sitting around the office 
B. Sara could call her supervisor and ask him what she could do next - so that her work is more efficient
C. Sara could go study materials that are generally relevant for her work
D. Sara could ask another member of the office if there's anything she could do to help - as it's important to help a teammate 

Answer: 

Primary: Working with supervision; prioritization
Secondary Competencies: Teamwork; proactivity; achievement

Correct response: B
Response B is the correct response. The supervisor is best informed to help Sara prioritize her goal, as he can be aware of more factors related to the productivity of the team as a whole. By being able to communicate directly with the supervisor, Sara is showing working with supervision skills. By understanding the importance of prioritizing- she is showing prioritization skills. Sara is also being proactive by initiating a call to the supervisor.

Explanation:
This question is about being able to prioritize tasks effectively, and knowing when it is appropriate to approach a supervisor for help.

Response A can be eliminated if we observe the rationalization offered by Sara. Notice that her reasoning for helping a colleague is to find something interesting to do- and not to effectively help the colleague. There is nothing wrong with wanting your work to be interesting – but in this context it shows Sara lacks prioritization skills.

Choosing to invest time in personal development (response C) can be a good thing for any employee. However, this should normally be done with some kind of coordination with a supervisor. Without such coordination with a supervisor, Sara might focus on less important topics – or topics that she is not yet ready to learn. It’s also possible that there are other important tasks that Sara should be doing right now – instead of focusing on her training. By choosing to invest time in undesignated training Sara is showing bad prioritization and working under supervision skills.

By seeking to help her teammate (response D), Sara is showing good teamwork skills, however, note that Sara’s rationalization is not effective in order to solve the problem at hand. It is certainly possible that the supervisor could use Sara for a different important task that doesn’t involve helping another teammate. Helping teammates is certainly important – but there could be more important priorities. Here Sara shows faulty prioritization skills.

2. Generally, while dealing with solving unfamiliar tasks at work you should:

A. Make sure your supervisor is updated on every step of your work process
B. Use the experience of your co-workers while encountering difficulties 
C. Apply methodologies that helped you solve former problems
D. Try to identify potential issues with the task and find efficient ways to solve it

Answer:

Primary: Adaptability
Secondary Competencies: Proactivity, independence, flexibility

Correct responses: D
Response D exemplifies proactivity in trying actively to identify ways of solving tasks that you haven't encountered before. This shows adaptability as this response shows an effective attitude for coping with a new situation. Since, unlike the other answer choices, you are actively trying to identify new solutions to an unfamiliar problem- you are showing that you are independent.

Explanation:
This question looks for a response that positively reflects being able to adapt to new situations (adaptability), while being proactive and independent. You should try to eliminate responses that negatively reflect these qualities and choose the response that reflects all qualities in the most effective way. Note that the question asks for what you would generally do- so you should consider what would be the case if each response was your usual response to dealing with new situations.

Making sure that your supervisor is involved in every step (Response A) shows an extreme lack of independence. Choosing this also lacks adaptability as you are revealing a difficulty with dealing with novel tasks. Making sure to involve experienced teammates (Response B) can be important and effective, as you can learn from their experience. However, note that the question asks you what you would do generally. This makes Response B very extreme- as it suggests that you always need the help of your team-members while dealing with new situations.

While sticking to work habits can have many benefits in terms of producing error free and high quality work when dealing with old and familiar tasks, applying this strategy to unfamiliar tasks is likely to achieve negative results. Therefore, response C shows an extreme lack of adaptability (the ability to adjust to new situations) and flexibility (the ability to respond creatively to new situations).

3. You and Travis from the sales department have been working on a presentation about a large and important client due by the end of the week. Your supervisor will present your work to the board of directors. Travis is responsible for gathering data related to the customer, while you are responsible for transforming his data into presentation slides. Accidentally, Travis has collected the data from a wrong document- which caused you to produce 30 inaccurate slides. Your manager is counting on the presentation to be ready on time for the weekend meeting.
What is the most effective response?

A. Explain to the supervisor that Travis has made an error gathering the data - which can cause a delay in the presentation. Ask Travis politely if he could amend the mistake - as it is mostly his doing
B. Tel the supervisor that you and Travis made an error while building the presentation from the data. Modify the inaccurate slides accordingly with the help of Travis
C. Don't tell the supervisor about the mistake. Hand him notes with some corrections to include while presenting the presentation
D. No need to bother the supervisor with this. You should talk to Travis about modifying the inaccurate slides as soon as possible

Answer: 

Primary Competency: Teamwork, responsibility
Secondary Competencies: Problem-solving; working under supervision; integrity; thoroughness/attention to detail.

Correct response: B
Response (B) employs the practice of admitting mistakes and sharing responsibility. Although Travis played a larger role in committing the mistake while gathering the data, by sharing the responsibility for the mistake, you are showing that you are a team player (teamwork). By telling the supervisor that both of you have made an error you are showing that you are responsible and have the integrity of admitting your mistakes – thus allowing your supervisor to take the possibility of being late for the deadline into account. By working together to amend the mistake – your team has the potential of solving the task effectively by the deadline.

Explanation:
This question tests for the ability to share responsibility in a team and the ability to admit mistakes while having the willingness to correct them. The trick for solving the question is to choose the response that employs both integrity and teamwork- while solving the problem effectively.

Response (A) may seem like the correct response as Travis is certainly responsible for the problem. However, by dropping all the blame on Travis and not offering to work together on solving the problem- you show that you are unwilling to share the responsibility- thus showing low teamwork competency. Also, by criticizing Travis behind his back you might cause unnecessary damage to his relationship with the supervisor- as he should be given a chance to explain himself.

Response (C) lacks responsibility and problem solving. Handing the supervisor notes is only a partial solution if the supervisor hasn't agreed to this solution- and is not prepared in advanced for this solution. The quality of your work here is diminished – so you are also showing a lack of thoroughness and attention to detail.

It is difficult not to choose response (D), as willing to work together with Travis in order to solve the problem on time shows a high level of teamwork. Since the intention communicated in this answer-choice is to “not bother” the supervisor- choosing this question reveals a low level of being responsible and a problem with working under supervision- as you are not allowing your supervisor access to valuable information which could affect his decision-making regarding the presentation and the deadline.

4. In the past week, you've noticed that Felix has been reading a newspaper while the supervisor is out of the office. Last week the supervisor was absent a lot, and Felix seems to be reading at work when he should be completing his tasks.
What would you do first?

A. Talk to Felix. Explain ththat meeting team deadlines important and that by reading the newspaper, he is preventing your team from reaching its goals
B. Don't intervene. This is between Felix and the supervisor
C. Talk to your supervisor. He should be aware of Felix not giving enough attention to his tasks
D. Circulate an Email regarding work ethics and productivity in order for your team to be more efficient in the future  

Answer: 

Primary Competency: Teamwork; communication skills
Secondary Competencies: Organizational understanding

Correct response: A
Explanation: Here, you are using a communication form which is direct and persuasive. You are giving a proper justification for your argument. In addition, you are trying to influence Felix by showing him that his actions are connected to the team’s performance and that he has a vested interest in solving this problem. This response shows a good level of communication skills, persuasion and teamwork. We therefore chose this as the best response.

B. This response is the equivalent of doing nothing, which is rarely the correct answer in SJT questions. Generally, in order for a passive response to be the best, a good justification needs to be given. Normally, the justification would be that choosing the other answer-choices would cause more harm than good. Note that the rationalization provided in this answer choice can be confusing. In this case, it does seem like the problem lies between Felix and the supervisor. However, although this doesn’t affect you directly, this situation still negatively affects the productivity of your team as a whole and the organization you work in more generally. Therefore, by choosing this response, not only are you not showing your communication and teamwork skills, but you are also showing a low level of organizational understanding. This is because you don’t see the connection between solving the problem with Felix and the productivity of your team.

C. Talking to your manager about the problem could be an appropriate and effective response. However, note that you were asked to choose the best first response. In general, criticizing another worker publicly without first doing so privately is considered inappropriate and not supportive of teamwork. By choosing this response first, you are showing low teamwork and communication skills. Instead, you should try to communicate with Felix first.

D. This answer-choice corresponds to the office practice of knowing what method of communication to choose for a given situation. Here, you are choosing a method that might not solve the problem effectively. Felix could simply ignore the email or fail to see how it relates to him. Choosing this response shows you understood that something needs to be done to amend Felix’s behavior, but you decided to avoid communication with him directly. This could show that you either wanted to avoid confrontation or didn’t understand that Felix’s behavior concerns you as part of the team. Therefore, by choosing this response, you are not showing a high level of communication and teamwork skills.

5. Two days ago, you were asked by your supervisor to gather important information from the internet, analyze it, and type it into a report. The report is due two days from now, and your supervisor says it’s very important for the team’s project. Yesterday, while cooking, you accidently hurt your left hand. The injury is nothing serious, but your typing speed has now decreased, and you are afraid you might not finish the report on time. Hannah is known at the office for her excellent typing skills. During lunch she mentions that she has just finished an important part of the project she was working on.
What is the most appropriate response?

A. Talk to your supervisor about assigning you to work with Hannah for the rest of the day. This way you could finish your project on time
B. Talk to Hannah about her helping you out for the rest of the day. You could be much more productive if she helps you type
C. No point in wasting resources and asking for help. If you work hard enough, you can probably finish the job yourself
D. Do what you can until the end of the day. You can finish this tomorrow

Answer: 

Primary Competency: Teamwork; working under supervision
Secondary Competency: Achievement; proactivity; problem solving

Correct response: A
Response A is the correct response. It is reasonable that you would have problems finishing your task on time. The supervisor should know if Hannah is available to help you and should also know that you have a problem finishing the report yourself. The supervisor should also be generally aware that you have an injury affecting your work, as he might need you for other similar tasks beyond the deadline of the current project. Being willing to seek Hannah’s help when it’s appropriate shows teamwork. In addition, the willingness to communicate with your supervisor shows working under supervision ability.

Explanation:
This question tests for your ability to work in a team and with supervision. The question deals with the dilemma of whether asking for team help is justified and whether it’s appropriate to ask your supervisor to do so. It also deals with meeting the deadline on time and recognizing that there could be a problem meeting the deadline. The correct response must balance between all of the above.

Response B shows that you understand that you have a problem finishing your task on time. It also shows your willingness to ask for help from a teammate - an important element of teamwork. Although it is justified to ask for help in this case, and though you have reason to believe Hannah will be able to help you with your work, not speaking with your supervisor could cause problems. The supervisor may have other tasks for Hannah to complete once she is done, and perhaps it might take you more time than you anticipated to finish the task. In this situation, it is best to approach the supervisor for guidance on how to prioritize, as he has a more informed understanding of the team’s work schedule. Here you are showing teamwork and proactivity skills but not working under supervision skills.

Response C seems to be motivated by one’s need to achieve tasks by one’s self while facing adversity. Not recognizing the need to ask for help may show a drive towards achievement but fails to show teamwork ability. Not recognizing that you might fail to complete the task on time shows a lack of problem-solving ability. Not understanding the need to approach the supervisor for help shows a lack of working under supervision skills.

Response D demonstrates a lack of understanding that you have may a problem finishing the task on time. This implies a problem with your attitude towards achieving tasks on time.

6. Each day at the office, David has a list of tasks he needs to finish by the end of that day. While he usually manages to finish his tasks on time, David sometimes finds that the day is nearly over and that he is unlikely to finish all of his tasks before heading home.
The best approach David could take is to:

A. David should try his best to finish what he can until the end of the day. He could always finish the rest of his tasks tomorrow
B. David should talk to his manager tomorrow - and see if he can help him organize his tasks better
C. David should ask another member of his team to complete some of the tasks
D. David should take time each morning to plan and organize the tasks that should be completed during that day

Answer: 

Primary Competencies: Prioritization
Secondary Competencies: Proactivity; responsibility; achievement

Correct response: D
Although this response does not offer a short-term solution to the problem, it does show the assessors that you understand the importance of organizing and prioritizing your tasks and how doing so could increase the efficiency of your work. That is why we picked this response as the best one to take in this context. Note that this response is better than response B, as you are showing more independence. Choosing this approach best demonstrates your prioritization skills.

Explanation:
Although this question describes a fictional character called David, when you encounter questions such as these, you should always assume that the question refers to how YOU would respond to the given situation. This is a clever way for the administrators to assess your decision-making tendencies by asking you about another person.

A. This might look like a good option, but in truth, you are not finishing your designated tasks. This holds the underlying assumption that you can always delay things for tomorrow. Note that you are also not really looking for an efficient way of completing the task. By not giving a high priority to completing your tasks on time, you are showing a low level of responsibility and achievement.

B. While answering SJT questions, you should always keep in mind what the question asked you. In this case, you were asked for the best response. Generally, there is nothing wrong in asking for guidance from your supervisor. However, here you are showing that you aren’t initially trying to handle the question yourself. Note that this could have been a good response if the supervisor was able to help you finish your tasks by the end of the day – but the meeting with him is scheduled for tomorrow. By not showing the willingness to try and prioritize your tasks yourself, you are showing a lack of prioritization skills and proactivity.

C. Generally, asking for help is OK in certain circumstances, but there needs to be a proper justification for it. Assigning away your tasks might solve the problem in the short term, but it shows that you might be comfortable with other people doing your work for you in the future. By feeling comfortable assigning away your tasks, you are not being dependable and are showing a low level of responsibility.

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