In this guide
Interviews and salary conversations
How to answer situational judgement questions
Hypothetical questions need a different structure from STAR: clarify, prioritise, act and follow up. With a worked answer and tips for written tests.
How these differ from behavioural questions
“Tell me about a time…” asks for a past example. “What would you do if…” asks for your judgement about a situation you may never have faced. You cannot prepare the exact answers, but you can prepare a way of thinking through them.
A four-step structure
- Clarify: what you would want to know or check first.
- Prioritise: what matters most, especially safety, the customer or service user, and any policy that applies.
- Act: the steps you would take, in order.
- Follow up: who you would inform, and what you would do to stop it happening again.
Illustrative example
Retail assistant manager
- Question: “A customer becomes angry at the till because a promotion has ended. There's a queue behind them. What would you do?”
- Answer: “First I'd check whether the promotion really has ended or whether the shelf label is out of date, because if our signage is wrong we should honour the price. I'd call a colleague to open another till so the queue isn't held up, and talk to the customer to one side. If the label was wrong I'd apply the price and fix the signage straight away; if it was correct I'd explain calmly and offer any current alternative. Afterwards I'd check other promotional labels to make sure it doesn't happen again.”
Written situational judgement tests
Some employers use written tests where you rank or rate possible responses to a scenario. They are usually scored against the responses the employer considers most effective, based on the role and its values.
| Usually rated effective | Usually rated less effective |
|---|---|
| Dealing with the problem directly and promptly | Ignoring it or hoping it resolves itself |
| Involving the right person at the right time | Escalating everything immediately |
| Following safety and policy requirements | Breaking a rule to save time |
| Considering the customer or service user | Prioritising your own convenience |
Read the employer's values and the role description before the test. The most effective response for a nurse may differ from the most effective response for a sales executive, because the priorities differ.
Common questions
Is there a right answer to a situational question?
Usually there are better and worse answers, depending on the role's priorities. Interviewers mostly assess whether your reasoning is sound and your priorities appropriate.
Can I use a past example in a situational answer?
Yes. Briefly mentioning that you handled something similar adds credibility, as long as you still answer the hypothetical question.
Put it into practice
Prepare with interview practiceDrafted with AI assistance and checked against Luceria’s editorial standards. Examples are illustrative, not real people’s results. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.