Situational Judgement and Interpersonal Skills
What this domain tests
Situational judgement presents workplace scenarios and asks you to rank or choose responses. It assesses service orientation, integrity, teamwork, and procedural judgment, not personality. The best answer is usually legal, timely, respectful, and proportionate.
Core rules and concepts
- Priority order: safety of life and public protection, then legality and policy, then service quality, then personal relationships.
- Act within your authority. Handle routine matters yourself; escalate decisions above your level.
- Report misconduct through the proper channel. Go outside the chain only for serious illegality, and use the designated whistleblowing route.
- Confidentiality: do not discuss citizen or colleague data outside those who need it.
- Own errors early: acknowledge, correct, inform your supervisor, and record what changed.
- Conflict with a colleague: raise it privately, factually, and with a proposed solution before escalating.
Worked example
You see a senior colleague showing a citizen's case file to a friend in the corridor.
Best response: politely ask the colleague to stop, remind them of the confidentiality policy, and report the incident to your supervisor because personal data has already been disclosed.
Why: the disclosure has occurred, so a private reminder alone is insufficient. Ignoring it tolerates a breach; reporting to the media is disproportionate and breaches confidentiality again.
Traps that cost marks
- Choosing the kindest option over the correct one.
- Covering for a colleague to protect team harmony.
- Escalating every minor issue or, conversely, never escalating.
- Taking unilateral action beyond your authority.
- Promising an outcome you cannot guarantee.
- Discussing the problem with uninvolved colleagues.