Updated: 19 March 2026
The Civil Service Management Judgement Test (CSMJT) is the managerial version of the Civil Service Judgement Test (CSJT) and a key part of the recruitment process for UK civil service management roles. As a Situational Judgement Test (SJT), it evaluates your decision-making, leadership, and analytical skills at a managerial level.
Maya Strauss, Psychometric Test Developer at JobTestPrep
Below, you'll find free CSMJT practice questions, along with links to comprehensive preparation resources for those seeking more in-depth practice and increased chances of success.
The Civil Service Management Judgement Test (CSMJT) is used in the recruitment process for managerial roles within the UK Civil Service.
As the managerial version of the Civil Service Judgement Test (CSJT), the CSMJT is specifically designed to assess the decision-making, leadership, and management skills needed for senior roles within the Civil Service.
Unlike the CSJT, which focuses on general judgement skills, the CSMJT evaluates how candidates approach situations involving team leadership, conflict resolution, and strategic decision-making.
Behaviours are one of the five elements in the Success Profiles Framework, used in the Civil Service to provide a flexible and reliable assessment of their candidates.
The five behaviours measured in the CSMJT are:
This free CSMJT practice page provides Civil Service Management Judgement Test questions and answers to help you prepare for the assessment, along with links to comprehensive resources for more in-depth preparation.
In the CSMJT, you'll be presented with 15 workplace scenarios, each with four possible actions. For each scenario, you must choose the action you are most likely to take and the action you are least likely to take.
This is an online test and it includes both text-based and video-based scenarios. It is not timed, but most candidates take between two and four minutes to answer each scenario.
While no specialist knowledge is required to take the test, practising for the CSJT and CSMJT is still beneficial. Proper preparation helps improve your ability to make decisions quickly, understand situational judgment principles, and refine your approach to real-world management challenges.
Dive deep into CSJT preparation with our expert-developed PrepPack.
The CSMJT presents you with a series of workplace scenarios, each followed by a set of possible actions you might take. For each scenario, your task is to carefully read the description, understand the context, and then choose the actions that best reflect how you would handle the situation.
For each scenario, you will be asked to answer two questions:
Let's go through some Civil Service Management Judgement Test sample questions.
Please read the following and answer the question that follows:
You are training a new employee. You meet with him to go over some tasks the team usually performs. During this meeting, he seems to have a hard time with one of the team’s regular procedures, making errors again and again when you ask him to perform this task. You consider this task very easy and are surprised at his difficulty in performing it.
Which of the following actions would you be MOST likely to take?
Which of the following actions would you be LEAST likely to take?
Please choose your responses before looking at the explanation below.
The answer to the MOST question is B and the answer to the LEAST question is D.
The key takeaway is that patience and effective communication are crucial in overcoming challenges like this, and with the right approach, you can help the employee succeed and grow in their role.
Please read the following and answer the question that follows:
Nellie is your most competent employee. She has the lowest error rate, always meets her deadlines, and is very knowledgeable. She is aware of her value to the department and isn’t afraid to use it in arguments with other employees, even when it’s irrelevant. Other employees say that she thinks she "knows it all" and avoid any interaction with her, both professionally and socially.
What should you do?
Which of the following actions would you be MOST likely to take?
Which of the following actions would you be LEAST likely to take?
Please choose your responses before looking at the explanation below.
The answer to the MOST question is B, and the answer to the LEAST question is A.
In this scenario, you are faced with a conflict between team members. While you are not explicitly told how this affects their work, it is clear that team cooperation is impacted (as employees avoid Nellie on professional matters), and the overall workplace atmosphere is also suffering. As you are responsible for both your employees and the quality of their work, you should address this issue.
Ultimately, addressing the issue head-on with clear communication and a balanced approach is key to fostering a positive and collaborative team environment.
Please read the following and answer the question that follows:
You manage a Quality Assurance (QA) team at a telecommunications company. Your boss, the head of the QA department, holds weekly meetings with all the team managers, including yourself. The purpose of these meetings is to provide guidelines for the upcoming week.
Your boss is charismatic and ambitious, often speaking about his vision for the department, future goals, and long-term objectives. However, when it comes to the specific tasks of each manager, his requests are somewhat vague. You feel frustrated because you are not receiving clear, actionable guidelines to effectively manage your team's tasks.
What would you do in this situation?
Which of the following actions would you be MOST likely to take?
Which of the following actions would you be LEAST likely to take?
Please choose your responses before looking at the explanation below.
The answer to the MOST question is A, and the answer to the LEAST question is D.
In this situation, you are faced with ambiguity due to your boss’s management style. The main objective of this question is to assess your ability to work under management.
Let’s consider each response individually:
The two positive responses are A and B, as both attempt to resolve the problem and find a suitable solution. Response A is the better choice, as it demonstrates your ability to work effectively under management and addresses the core issue (seeking clarification from your manager about the goals).
The two negative responses are C and D, as neither directly addresses the problem nor actively seeks a solution. Response D is the worst option due to its passive nature.
Worth noting: While Response A is marked as the best option, the choice between A and B should be based on the company’s culture. Some organisations may place more value on autonomy than collaboration, in which case Response B might be preferred. Therefore, it's important to consider the organisation's values when answering Situational Judgement Test (SJT) questions.
⭐️ Golden Tip: When answering situational judgement questions, it's important to consider the organisation's values and culture. Look for responses that demonstrate clear communication, problem-solving, and the ability to balance independence with teamwork. Strong answers typically reflect leadership qualities, emotional intelligence, and a proactive approach to resolving issues, all while aligning with the organisation's expectations and priorities.
Want more practice? Improve your chances of success with our targeted Civil Service Judgement Test PrepPack.
Proper preparation is crucial to performing well in the CSMJT. By preparing thoroughly, you ensure you're well-equipped to handle the test's scenarios with confidence and clarity.
Here some key Civil Service Management Judgement Test tips:
Our expert-created CSJT PrepPack provides a complete range of resources designed to give you the best chance of success. These include detailed test simulations, focused practice questions, and expert tips to guide your preparation every step of the way.
Don't leave your Civil Service Judgement Test results to chance: Prepare with our all-inclusive CSJT PrepPack and approach your test with confidence.
The CSJT is a Situational Judgement Test designed to assess your decision-making, problem-solving, and judgement skills in relation to specific workplace scenarios. It's used to evaluate how well you align with the core competencies required for various roles within the UK Civil Service.
While both tests assess similar skills, the CSJT is for non-managerial or entry-level roles, whereas the CSMJT is specifically designed for managerial positions. The CSMJT focuses on leadership, team management, and higher-level decision-making.
The CSMJT is scored based on how well your responses align with the Civil Service’s core competencies. There is no "right" or "wrong" answer; instead, your responses are assessed to see how well they reflect the skills and qualities needed for the role you're applying for.
The CSMJT typically consists of 15 scenarios, each with four possible responses. You are asked to choose which response you are most likely to take and which you are least likely to take.
The CSJT and CSMJT are not timed.
The best way to prepare for the CSMJT is through practice. Familiarise yourself with the types of scenarios you’ll encounter and reflect on how you would respond in those situations. Our free practice questions and expert-created CSJT PrepPack provides a great starting point to help you get ready.
Generally, you are only allowed to take the CSMJT once per recruitment process. If you fail to meet the required standard, you may not be invited to proceed further in that application. It’s important to be well-prepared before taking the test.
Practising for the CSJT helps you become more comfortable with the test format, improve your decision-making speed, and enhance your ability to recognise patterns in the scenarios. Regular practice can also reduce test-day anxiety and increase your chances of success.
If you're preparing for UK Civil Service assessments, you might find these resources helpful:
Also check out our info guides on the Civil Service Fast Stream Assessment and Civil Service Success Profiles, as well as our other FREE practice pages for Civil Service Online Tests and the Civil Service Work Strengths Test.
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