SJT and BSQ Format Overview

Two Exercises, One National Standard

The College of Policing national sift is the early online filter used by many forces in England and Wales. It is not a general knowledge quiz and not a law exam. It consists of exactly two exercises:

1. Situational Judgement Test (SJT) — decision quality in realistic policing-related situations.
2. Behavioural Styles Questionnaire (BSQ) — typical workplace behaviours, preferences, and attitudes.

Together they test whether your judgements and day-to-day behavioural style fit Competency and Values Framework (CVF) Level 1 expectations for entry. You are assessed on your responses in the exercises, not on your CV, age, background, or previous policing experience. No prior policing knowledge is required to succeed.

Treat this chapter as logistics and format mastery. Later chapters dig into CVF values, competencies, and SJT decision strategy. Here the goal is simple: never lose marks because you misunderstood how the platform asks you to respond.

SJT Structure at a Glance

In the SJT you see scenarios that reflect challenging situations you could face in a constable-type role. For each scenario you are given four possible actions. Your task is not to pick a single “best answer.” Instead, you rate every action for how effective it would be as a first response to that scenario.

Timing figures are estimates, not countdowns. The platform does not impose a hard clock, but you should still plan a quiet block and aim to finish in one sitting so fatigue and distraction do not distort later scenarios.

The Five-Point Effectiveness Scale (Official Meanings)

College of Policing candidate guidance defines the scale as follows. Internalise these labels so you do not invent private meanings under pressure:

The scale descriptions remain available on screen throughout the exercise. Use them. “Slightly effective” is still a positive contribution, just a modest one. “Ineffective” fails to help; “counterproductive” actively harms. Those distinctions matter.

Independent Rating Rules (Non-Negotiable)

Several mechanical rules appear again and again in official guidance. Learn them as fixed process, not optional tips:

• Rate each action independently of the other three. Do not force a forced-choice ranking unless the platform later asks for ranking on the BSQ.
• You may give the same rating to more than one action in a scenario if that is what the situation warrants.
• You do not have to use the full range of the scale on every scenario. Four “effective” ratings is allowed if that is your honest judgement of the four options provided.
• Base ratings only on information in the scenario. Do not invent facts, assume unstated policies, or rely on a procedure you “know from TV.”
• You may personally prefer a fifth action that is not listed. Still rate the four given actions. Do not refuse to rate them because you would do something else.
• Focus on what is most professional, respectful, and appropriate for the situation as written.

A practical habit: read the full scenario once for context, re-read the key constraints (who is affected, what is known, what is not criminal, what has already been tried), then rate action one through four against the official scale—not against each other as a forced ladder.

What the SJT Is Measuring

Official guidance lists the six CVF competencies assessed in the SJT (all at Level 1 for the sift):

• We analyse critically
• We are innovative and open-minded
• We take ownership
• We are emotionally aware
• We collaborate
• We support and inspire

You do not need to label each action with a competency name while you sit the test. The scoring model maps your effectiveness ratings to those dimensions. Your job is sound judgement on the scenario facts.

BSQ Structure at a Glance

The Behavioural Styles Questionnaire measures typical behaviour and preferences at work. It asks whether your usual attitudes and habits align with effective policing behaviours. The College of Policing Online assessments candidate guide and Join the Police both describe 80 statements, and the national sift guidance expects roughly 20 minutes of work; the exercise is still untimed.

For each statement you use a seven-point agree scale:

Example style (not a live item): “I enjoy having to solve complex problems.” You rate how true that is of your typical work behaviour.

Ranking Follow-Ups

Depending on your pattern of responses, the platform may also ask you to rank statements by which is most like you. A typical pattern is: choose which of three statements is most like you, then choose which of the remaining two is more like you. Ranking is about relative self-description, not about inventing an ideal police officer persona.

Honesty Is the Strategy

College guidance is blunt: answer based on how you genuinely behave at work, not how you think a perfect candidate should answer. Over-polished or inconsistent “ideal answers” are a common self-sabotage. The BSQ is looking for a coherent behavioural style across many statements, not theatrical agreement with every virtuous-sounding line.

Competencies and Values on the BSQ

The BSQ assesses the six competencies plus the three CVF values:

• Courage
• Respect and empathy
• Public service

Again, you will not tick boxes labelled “courage.” You will rate behavioural statements; the model maps those ratings onto the framework.

Devices, Support, and Practical Setup

Both exercises work on laptop, desktop, tablet, or mobile. Choose the device where you can read carefully and avoid fat-finger mistakes on rating scales. Prefer a stable connection and a quiet room.

If connectivity drops, you can usually re-enter via the assessment link in your invitation email. For platform technical issues, official guidance points to supportservicesintl@talogy.com (Monday–Friday, 9:00–17:30, excluding bank holidays), with responses expected within four support hours. For assessment-affected technical problems or wider queries, recruit@college.police.uk is also listed; force-specific process questions go to your recruiting force.

If the platform asks for an unexpected access code, clear browser cache/cookies/temporary files and reopen the invitation link—common fix noted in College technical guidance.

How the Two Exercises Fit Together

Think of the SJT as “what would be effective here?” and the BSQ as “how do you usually operate?” Both feed a combined overall score (covered in the scoring section). Completing only one exercise is not the design intent of a full national sift attempt; when you resit later, you redo both.

Preparation that actually helps before format drills:

• Read the CVF so professional language feels natural.
• Practise reading scenarios slowly and identifying priority, consequences, and who is affected.
• Practise BSQ honesty: answer about real typical behaviour, not a fantasy persona.
• Plan one continuous sitting per exercise so you do not abandon mid-stream.

Exam-Style Format Traps to Avoid

• Treating the SJT like a single best-answer multiple-choice item.
• Ranking the four SJT actions from 1–4 when the task is independent rating.
• Assuming you must use all five scale points on every scenario.
• Adding unstated legal powers or force policies to “fix” a scenario.
• Racing because an older source says “about 30 minutes”—that is guidance, not a timer, and the current guidance says about 45.
• Gaming the BSQ with what you think recruiters want instead of consistent self-report.

Master the mechanics now so later chapters on CVF and scenario strategy land on a clean interface model.