Civil Service Judgement Test practice

What the real test usually looks like

The CSJT is one of the Civil Service's own online tests. GOV.UK describes it as a measure of judgment and decision-making on specific Civil Service Behaviours, chosen as important for the job you applied for (GOV.UK). Its guidance on selecting tests lists it as untimed and available for grades from AA/AO up to HEO/SEO, and for G7 (GOV.UK). Your job advert or test invitation says whether your role uses it.

There are two parts (GOV.UK):

• Self-assessment. You rate how ambitious, motivated and flexible you are in the workplace. This part makes up 15% of your overall CSJT score.
• Scenarios. You read, or watch, a workplace scenario and rate four possible actions. GOV.UK says there are three scenarios for each behavior, and you only see scenarios relevant to the job level you applied for. Scenarios for three of the behaviors are short videos; the rest are text.

The four ratings are defined by GOV.UK as follows (GOV.UK):

• Counterproductive: an unacceptable action that would make the situation worse.
• Ineffective: a poor action that would not help the situation.
• Fairly Effective: a useful action that would be of some help.
• Effective: a good action that would help to resolve the situation.

You rate each action on its own, and more than one action can share a rating. The test is not timed, but GOV.UK says most people take two to four minutes a scenario and recommends allowing at least an hour. Practice questions come at the start of the test, and no specialist knowledge is needed (GOV.UK). The Civil Service also publishes a free practice test and a short video about the test (GOV.UK).

What our mocks cover. Each full mock has 48 ratings in 45 minutes: 12 written scenarios with four actions each, in one section, rating actions. You rate every action on the same four-point scale, and you can go back and flag questions.

What our mocks leave out. They do not include the self-assessment part, because it asks about you and has no right answers. Every scenario is written, including the kinds the real test shows as video. The real test is untimed; our mocks add a 45-minute limit so you build a steady pace. Each of our actions has one keyed rating and is marked right or wrong, while GOV.UK does not publish exactly how each rating is scored, so treat our result as a guide.

Question types with worked examples

One worked example of each rating, with the trap most people fall into.

1. Effective. Scenario: a colleague in your team is struggling with a deadline you share. Action: offer to take one task off them and agree who does what. This resolves the problem and keeps the work moving. Trap: settling for "fairly effective" when the action fixes the situation fully. Ask whether the problem would actually be solved.

2. Fairly effective. Scenario: a member of the public emails a complaint you cannot answer yourself. Action: reply to say you have received it and will pass it on. That helps, but it gives no name, date or next step. Trap: rating every polite action as effective. Polite is not the same as resolving.

3. Ineffective. Scenario: a team process keeps causing errors. Action: mention it in passing to a colleague who has no part in the process. Nothing gets worse, but nothing improves either. Trap: calling it counterproductive. Ask whether the action makes things worse, or only fails to help.

4. Counterproductive. Scenario: you notice an error in a report that has already gone to a minister's office. Action: say nothing and hope nobody notices. Hiding a mistake lets it spread and harms trust. Trap: choosing "ineffective" because it looks like doing nothing. Staying silent here is a choice that makes the situation worse.

5. Two actions, the same rating. In one scenario, two different actions may both be effective, or both counterproductive. GOV.UK says you can rate more than one action the same (GOV.UK). Trap: spreading your ratings evenly because it feels balanced. Rate each action on its own.

How to prepare

1. Read your job advert first. It says which tests the role uses and which behaviors matter for the job. GOV.UK says the scenarios depend on the job level you applied for (GOV.UK).
2. Take the Civil Service's own practice test. It shows the real screens and rating buttons, and it is not scored (GOV.UK). Watch the short video about the test too.
3. Learn the four definitions by heart. Worse, no help, some help, resolves. Most mistakes come from mixing up neighboring ratings, not opposite ones.
4. Judge each action alone. Do not compare it with the other three. Imagine it is the only thing that happens next, and ask what changes.
5. Think like a fair, honest civil servant. Actions that are honest, inclusive, work with others, deliver results and follow guidance tend to rate well. Actions that hide problems, mislead people or ignore colleagues tend to rate badly.
6. Ask "how much does it help?" Many actions are reasonable. The question is whether they fully resolve the situation, help only part of the way, or do nothing at all.
7. Answer the self-assessment honestly. It asks about your typical behavior at work; there is nothing to rehearse.
8. Practice at a steady pace. The real test is untimed, but two to four minutes a scenario is what GOV.UK says most people take (GOV.UK). Take full mocks so you stay focused across all the scenarios.

How scoring usually works

GOV.UK explains the scoring in general terms (GOV.UK):

• The self-assessment part makes up 15% of your overall CSJT score.
• The number and difficulty of the questions are used to produce your score, which is compared with a representative group of applicants who took the test.
• Your score is shown as a percentile: how you did compared with that group.
• After the test deadline, the recruiter looks at all applicants' scores to decide the pass mark for that job.
• If you do not reach the minimum standard for a job level, you can take the test again in a future application.

GOV.UK also says that you receive your score and automatically generated feedback after the test (GOV.UK). There is no fixed pass mark you can aim for in advance.

Our practice score is the number of our own actions you rated with the keyed rating, out of 48 in a full mock, with an explanation for every action. It is a practice score: it is not a Civil Service score or percentile, and it does not predict whether you will pass.

Common mistakes on judgment ratings

• Rating the action you would choose, not the action in front of you. Each action stands alone. A decent action can still be only fairly effective.
• Treating "doing nothing" as harmless. Sometimes it is ineffective; when it lets a problem grow or hides a mistake, it is counterproductive.
• Rewarding confidence. Bold actions that skip colleagues or guidance often rate worse than calm, shared ones.
• Forgetting honesty. Any action that misleads a colleague, a manager or the public is a strong sign of counterproductive.
• Giving every scenario one of each rating. Two or three actions in one scenario can share a rating.
• Overthinking. Read the scenario, picture the action happening, and ask whether things end up worse, the same, a bit better or resolved.

A one-week study plan

• Day 1: Take the free sample above. Note which neighboring ratings you mixed up.
• Day 2: Read GOV.UK's guidance and take the Civil Service practice test. Write the four definitions on a card.
• Day 3: A full timed mock. Review every explanation, including the ones you got right.
• Day 4: Your weakest pair of ratings. For each wrong answer, write one sentence on why it is that rating and not the next one.
• Day 5: A second mock. Notice how many actions you rate on honesty and teamwork alone.
• Day 6: Read the job advert again and think about the behaviors it lists in your own past work.
• Day 7: A short review in the morning, then rest. Plan a quiet hour for the real test.