Situational Judgement Tests in Legal Graduate Recruitment: What You Need to Know

Jun 11, 2023

Written By Zara Arif

A variety of tests are used by legal graduate recruiters, but what is a situational judgement test and how is it different from the others?

What is a situational judgement test?

A situational judgement test, sometimes abbreviated to SJT, is an assessment in which you are presented with a variety of workplace situations and are asked to select how you would respond from a range of different options.

Often you have to designate which of the listed options you are most likely to do and which you are most unlikely to do. However, in other SJTs you might have to rank the options numerically.

On the day of the test, you will log into a portal and imagine that you are a trainee at the firm working on real tasks. Common situations which you might be presented with include: working with difficult colleagues, managing deadlines and different tasks, and responding to and prioritising emails.

To provide an example, you might find yourself presented with a situation in which you have a lot of work already on your plate, but a partner has invited you to a client dinner that evening. In this instance, you would be required to demonstrate an ability to prioritise and re-organise your work in order to take advantage of wider firm activities that would enrich your training. The key is to understand what skill each situation is asking you to demonstrate.

At the same time, it is a truly interactive and personal form of psychometric assessment, and it is important to respond honestly and accurately so that the firms can get to know you as a person.

Why are SJTs used in legal graduate recruitment?

SJTs are used in legal graduate recruitment because they are a chance for a firm to see if you are able to think like a lawyer who would thrive and succeed at their workplace.

They can present you with situations that you are likely to be faced with in your day to day life at the firm. Thus, they allow law firms to see how you would instinctively react and respond in such situations. This helps them to see if you have a natural ability to work in a legal environment, which might involve working on lots of different things at the same time with different deadlines or working under pressure.

By contrast, an SJT is different for every firm, so it can also help applicants to understand what role a trainee might play within a team and what is expected of them in their duties. Therefore, SJTs are equally beneficial for both sides in the application process, as it can help you figure out which firm is the best fit for you.

Can you fail an SJT?

Law firms don’t tend to publish or advertise pass marks for their SJTs. This is because, more often than not, they are looking for certain behaviours, traits and ways of thinking rather than for you to get above a certain pass mark.

For this reason, it is important to understand the values and cultures of each separate firm for which you undertake an SJT.

Therefore, it would be quite hard to say whether you have passed or failed an SJT, as legal graduate recruitment is most likely to be testing if the way you think aligns with what is expected of trainees at the firm which you have applied to.

Which firms use SJTs?

A lot of firms use different types of tests and some use multiple (Watson Glaser, verbal reasoning and SJTs) in one recruitment cycle.

Firms that definitely use SJTs are: Allen & Overy, Mayer Brown, Reed Smith and Simmons & Simmons, but this is by no means an exhaustive list. Thus, it’s worth checking the websites of the firm’s you’re thinking about applying to.

How to prepare for an SJT?

The best way to prepare is by carrying out in depth research into the firm which you are applying for.

This research should focus on the firm’s values, culture, and its approach to carrying out the work it does. Often this can be easily found on the careers section of a law firm’s website where they list the qualities which they look for in trainees.

Some firms, such as Linklaters, even have a framework, which they call the ‘agility mindset’, that details a range of qualities, skills, and attributes which they seek out.

Another way to prepare might be to attend career events with the firm or reach out to lawyers who already work there in order to be able to ask questions and understand the culture on a deeper level. You can also try out free online practice tests.

SJTs are nothing to be afraid of. They are simply a way for legal graduate recruitment to understand the way you think and how you would adapt to and overcome the challenges which might be presented to you as a trainee.

Selection & Assessment