The majority of candidates who fail the Executive Officer competition fail on the SJT, not the verbal or numerical tests. Yet most of the practice material you can find online is UK-built, uses pound sums, and has no idea the 2024 Capability Framework exists.

That is the problem PublicServicePathway fixes.

Not sure what the SJT is yet? Start with what the publicjobs SJT actually involves.

What the publicjobs SJT actually looks like

The Situational Judgement Test (candidates on boards.ie also call it the “job simulation” or “SJ test”) is the component that catches most people out. It sits within the Stage 2 online assessment alongside verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, and a 500-word written exercise.

Each question presents a workplace scenario as a short paragraph. You then rate a series of possible responses on a 1-5 effectiveness scale, from poor practice to excellent. You are not choosing the single best answer; you are judging every option. Partial credit is awarded the closer your rating sits to the expert-validated correct answer, so fence-sitting in the middle of the scale tends to cost you points. For a detailed breakdown of how that partial-credit model works, see how SJT ranked-answer scoring actually works.

A second format also exists where a scenario arrives in instant-message style and you select one of three responses. The format can vary by competition year, so check the publicjobs.ie test advice page before your sitting.

Publicjobs does not publish exact question counts or pass marks. From candidate reports, the SJT contains somewhere between 25 and 50 questions. There is no advertised time limit, but the full online assessment (SJT, verbal, numerical, written exercise) is substantial. Do not underestimate the 500-word written section; it often surprises people who prepared only for the SJT.

Why only the SJT and verbal count toward your ranking

This is the piece of information that changes how you should allocate your preparation time.

For the Executive Officer competition, only your SJT score and your verbal reasoning score feed into the Order of Merit. The numerical reasoning test is pass/fail only: you need to clear a threshold, but your exact score does not affect your ranking. Candidates who over-invest in numerical practice at the expense of SJT preparation are at a real disadvantage.

The Order of Merit matters because the process is demand-led. Vacancies are filled in score-ranked batches, so a high SJT score does not just mean you pass; it means you are called for interview significantly sooner.

If you are applying to understand which grades use the SJT and which do not, it is worth knowing that not every grade includes this component. The HEO Stage 1 assessment, for example, has been reported to use verbal and numerical only, with no SJT.

What the SJT is actually testing

The scenarios are mapped to the 2024 Capability Framework, which replaced the older Competency Framework. The relevant capability clusters at Executive Officer level include Evidence Informed Delivery (making balanced, objective judgements and following procedures) and Communicating and Collaborating (working across teams, handling conflict, escalating appropriately). For a full breakdown of how each capability dimension shapes the scenarios, see the 2024 Capability Framework behind every SJT scenario.

The values the test assesses are stated plainly on publicjobs.ie: integrity, honesty, objectivity, and impartiality. When you read a scenario and two options look equally reasonable, ask yourself which one better demonstrates those values while also being proportionate and timely. If you are wondering whether there is ever a single correct answer, the answer is yes - and here is why.

Common traps:

Escalating when you should act. If a deadline is involved and the action is within your authority, waiting to ask a manager tends to score poorly.
Acting when you should escalate. If the situation involves a senior stakeholder, potential misconduct, or something clearly outside your remit, going it alone is equally penalised.
Middle-of-the-road ratings. Rating everything a 3 feels safe but costs you points. The model answers are often at the extremes.

The first time I sat the SJT I ranked on instinct without understanding the framework behind it. Working out the logic of what the assessors are looking for changed everything about how I approached the scenarios.

For worked examples with the reasoning explained, see SJT examples mapped to real public service scenarios.

Why generic UK prep does not work here

	UK prep packs (SHL-style, JobTestPrep)	PublicServicePathway
Response format	Most/least effective binary pick	Rated 1-5 scale, matching the publicjobs format
Framework mapped to	UK Civil Service Competency Framework	2024 Irish Capability Framework
Currency in numerical questions	Pound sterling	Euro
Scenario context	UK government departments, UK legislation	Irish public sector scenarios
Price	Typically subscription to a large generic bank	Free taster; €39/month or €149/year

JobTestPrep does cover publicjobs assessments, but the SJT content is adapted from UK material and does not reflect the rated-response format or the 2024 Irish framework. Careerservices.ie is genuinely Irish but runs at around €199 per year for a single grade level, and the format leans toward workbook preparation rather than timed interactive practice. The full comparison of where the two systems diverge is in Irish SJT vs UK Civil Service SJT.

Who this is for

If you are a Clerical Officer aiming for Executive Officer: the EO competition is competitive and the SJT is the primary elimination stage. Practising the rated-response format until the scoring logic becomes intuitive is the highest-leverage thing you can do. See also how the verbal reasoning test fits into your preparation. If you are unsure whether preparation genuinely moves your score, the answer is yes - and this is what changes.

If you are a graduate entering for the first time: you may not have a colleague who has been through this to ask. The scenarios assume civil service context you have not lived yet. Working through Irish public sector scenarios before your sitting closes that gap. The numerical reasoning pass/fail threshold is a good place to start if maths is your anxiety, but do not neglect the SJT. Even capable candidates get caught out - here is why smart people still fail the SJT.

If you are already in the process and preparing for interview: the capability clusters the SJT tests carry directly into the competency interview. Reviewing how the 2024 framework describes each capability helps you build examples for both. The public service interview preparation section covers this. The same framework also drives the job simulation test at higher grades.

Pricing

There is a free taster with no card required. It gives you a realistic feel for the format before you commit to anything.

If you want the full question bank:

€39/month - cancel anytime. Most people only need a few weeks of focused practice before their test, so you are not locked into a long subscription.
€149/year - better value if you are applying to multiple competitions or want to keep access across a longer cycle.
Interview mock add-on - €49. A structured mock interview mapped to the 2024 Capability Framework, useful once you have cleared the online tests.

Both undercut the €199/year incumbent, and unlike the workbook-style alternatives, the practice is interactive and timed.

Full details are on the pricing page.

Start with the free taster tonight

The boards.ie threads are full of people who scored well on verbal and numerical but landed in the lower third on the SJT. The format is learnable once you understand the logic behind it.

Try the free taster, no card needed and see how the rated-response format feels before your actual sitting.

When you are ready for the full bank, the pricing page has everything in one place.

Situational Judgement Test Practice Built for the Irish Civil Service