Situational Judgment: An Alternative Approach to Selection Test Development,

This paper discusses the Situational Judgment Test SJT methodology for developing selection measures, and provides a brief review of some key research on this type of test. SJTs have been used as employee selection tools for several decades, but in recent years the situational judgment approach has become increasingly popular. These tests present realistic, job-related situations, usually described in writing. Examinees are typically asked to indicate, in a multiple choice format, what should be done to handle each situation effectively. These responses are often scored according to relative level of effectiveness, rather than simply right or wrong. The most common use of SJTs is for selecting managers and supervisors e.g., Motowidlo, Dunnette, Carter, 1990. However, SJTs have also been developed to predict success in other types of jobs, including insurance agent, police, and sales positions. This sort of test has become increasingly popular for selecting employees for work in customer service positions as well e.g., Motowidlo Tippins, 1993. The military has used SJTs for years e.g., Helme, 1968, and recently there seems to be an increase in military interest in this type of measure e.g., Arad Borman, in preparation Hanson Borman, 1995 Hedge, Hanson, Borman, Bruskiewicz, Logan, 1997 Legree, 1995.