Everyone who has been in the work-force knows, that the most important part of keeping a business running smoothly is the administrative staff. Administrators are in charge of taking phone calls, handling correspondence, and some clerical work. Depending on the size of the business they may also need to do some light bookkeeping. With all that is involved in working as part of an administrative team, businesses need to be certain they are focusing their efforts on only the most qualified job-seekers. To make it easier to identify the candidates with the highest level of skill, applicants for these positions will often need to take an Administrative Situational Judgement Test.
What Is an Administrative Situational Judgement Test?
There are several challenging situation situations an administrator may have to deal with on an everyday basis. Angry clients, conflict among co-workers, and are just a few of the things administrative assistants or clerical staff may have to deal with. The Administrative Situational Judgement Test, or SJT, is designed to see how well individuals can handle these day to day situations. These tests give an idea of the candidate’s work style, and approach to conflict.
What to Expect from the Administrative SJT?
The Administrative SJT will be measuring your skills in several key areas that are important in being a successful administrator:
->Ability to plan and organize
->Dependability
->Integrity
->Communication
->Adaptability
->Teamwork
These are the areas that are important in effectively handling customer and client needs, and keeping an office running smoothly.
You will be given several scenarios, followed by sets of 3-5 responses. Depending on the specific test you may be asked to pick the most successful and least successful responses, rank the responses from best to worst, or pick the responses you are most likely or least likely to choose. While there are technically no right or wrong answers, there are answers that are considered more desirable. The test is untimed to allow test-takers to give careful consideration to their responses.
There are several formats the Administrative SJT may come in. Most tests are given on a computer and have a video component. There are some companies who prefer to give a paper and pencil test.
How to Prepare for the Administrative SJT?
The best way to prepare for The Administrative SJT is to be aware of the type of content that will be on the tests. If you are able to think your way through a situation and consider all angles, determining the best answers should be an easy task.
You can expect the situations described in the questions to look a little like this:
Example Question:
“You are a part of a group of front office administrators. Lately, one of your coworkers seems distracted and is not pulling their weight. It is causing problems because they keep misplacing client messages, and the rest of the front office team is having to deal with the fallout. Rank the responses from ineffective to most effective.
1. Talk to your boss about how your coworker is dropping the ball and have your talk to them.
2. Confront them about how they are not doing their job and tell them you will talk to your boss about disciplinary action if they do not improve.
3. Schedule a meeting with the coworker, and your boss. Explain to them that you have noticed they seem to be struggling lately and ask if they need any resources to help them.
Explained Answer:
Ineffective. This might help, but most likely will not lead to any long-term changes.
Least effective. This will only exacerbate the situation and lead to resentment.
Most effective. It shows empathy toward your coworker, while also addressing the issue.
Conclusion
Although the idea of psychometric testing can be nerve-wracking, there is no reason to worry if you are armed with information. With knowledge of what to expect, and which skills need to be on point, you should have no problems with the Administrative SJT. Success on the tests will keep you going through the hiring process and put you well on your way to a job offer.
