PSP Practice Corrections and How to Read Your Score
See the October SJT corrections, understand saved results and fresh questions, and query an answer with its reference. Independent PSP practice scoring.
Updated 17 October 2026. Some PSP SJT ratings were too mild for the actions described, and some wording and explanations were unclear. We corrected these in the 15 and 16 October reviews. Thank you to the candidates who questioned them.
What changed in the reported HEO examples?
| Practice reference | Action, summarised | Current PSP rating and reason |
|---|---|---|
| HEO 261, action C | Move specialist duties to untrained staff just to equalise case totals | 2: Inappropriate. Matching case counts does not justify assigning work without the required competence. The scenario now explains the two teams more clearly. |
| HEO 276, action B | Accept a redacted file despite knowing its hidden text is recoverable | 1: Highly inappropriate. A blank preview does not resolve the known confidentiality failure. |
| HEO 277, action A | Lower required evidence locally to record more applications as complete | 1: Highly inappropriate. The HEO lacks authority to bypass the scheme’s evidence requirements. The action wording now makes that decision explicit. |
The reviews also corrected other EO, HEO and AP ratings and explanations. They were AI editorial reviews with factual checks against primary sources, not human specialist approval or official publicjobs marking. Our suggested ratings remain independent PSP learning judgements.
Why an old result may show a different answer
Completed attempts retain the wording, answer key, explanation and score used when they were recorded. We do not silently rewrite or regrade your historical result. Fresh practice uses the corrected content. An unfinished saved attempt can also retain its original question version.
If an earlier explanation seems inconsistent with this page, use Query this answer beside the PSP feedback. Include what you think is wrong and why. The link adds the practice reference to a PSP Support ticket; you can check and edit the subject and message before sending it.
What the SJT percentage means
Each of the five actions is rated independently from 1 to 6. You can use a rating more than once; you do not have to spread the actions across the scale.
PSP awards two points for the suggested rating, one for an adjacent rating, and zero otherwise. An unanswered action earns zero. For example, a suggested rating of 5 earns two points for 5, one point for 4 or 6, and zero for 1, 2 or 3. The percentage is points earned divided by points available. It is not the percentage of scenarios answered perfectly.
These are PSP practice weights. The official HEO booklet describes credit for correct and near-correct ratings but does not disclose its proprietary weights. A PSP percentage cannot predict an official score, pass or order of merit. Historical ranking exercises use a different scoring method and should not be compared with six-point rating practice.
Read the explanation before changing your judgement
Identify the stated authority, the evidence available and the consequences of the action. A partial but useful response may deserve a different rating from knowingly breaching a control. Use the specific facts rather than a rule such as always escalating or always choosing the middle rating.
If you disagree, explain which fact supports your judgement. Do not memorise an answer you cannot justify. Read the SJT preparation method or query the preparation material.
Fresh questions and meaningful progress
New verbal, numerical and SJT sessions share question history across practice modes. For HEO numerical timed and adaptive practice, previously issued data blocks are also excluded from new tests. Unfinished work resumes; completed tests reopen for review. When there is not enough unseen material for a full test, the app should offer saved work or review rather than fill the gap with repeats.
Recognising a question can help revision but does not show how you will perform on unseen material. Compare sessions with the same grade, subject and practice style. Consider the mistakes you can now explain, the difficulty encountered and your accuracy on fresh questions. An adaptive test becoming harder is not, by itself, evidence of a particular result.
Reasoning accuracy and difficulty-weighted PSP points are different measures. Speed, accuracy and difficulty contribute to the official HEO reasoning result, but the official weighting is not published. There is no supported conversion from a practice percentage or minutes taken to an official mark.
After the assessment
You can cancel renewal in Account and billing and keep access until the paid period ends. You do not need an active subscription while waiting for a result. If invited to the next stage, use your own booklet and invitation to decide what preparation is useful. Keep the application and factual experience examples you submitted.
For the official assessment itself, follow the HEO test-day checklist. PSP can investigate its own practice material; publicjobs must confirm your official assessment status.