Police Online Situational Judgement Test FAIL

Eebahgum

Just wondered if anyone has ever been disappointed by their feedback results from these tests?

I recently applied for a call handlers job for the police and had to sit one.

I thought I was well prepared, reading up on them, I even did a mock test which was actually on the police site and received a score of 86. I must be on the right track, I'll smash this...or so I thought.

Imagine my horror on receiving the results from the test proper - a score of 16!?

I couldn't believe it and still don't.

I thought I had answered in such a way that would help the caller and conclude the call in the most efficient manner.

I feel if I'd answered opposite to how I did, that is having no empathy and just hanging up, I'd have scored more highly and passed?

I have tried to reach out to them but they can't comment further.

I would like to hear anyone else's stories from these tests, good or bad, fails and passes. Just any feedback at all really.

Thank you...

marliepanda

I havent done the test but just looking at this bit:

I feel if I'd answered opposite to how I did, that is having no empathy and just hanging up, I'd have scored more highly and passed?

I'm assuming there were occasions which were not appropriate for a 999 call? I also assume that with a 999 call handler you are there to assess the situation, get the person help and keep them calm in an emergency (all as quickly as possible), you are not really there as a counsellor or to empathise.

Les79

Eebahgum wrote: »

I feel if I'd answered opposite to how I did, that is having no empathy and just hanging up, I'd have scored more highly and passed?

Well, very hard for anyone to comment because we don't know precisely what has happened in your test and the reasons for a low mark. May be beneficial to ask directly for feedback as they may comply.

Zooming in on this bit, though, I would just point out that someone in a life threatening situation may be waiting to speak to you. So limiting empathy/rapport and "just hanging up" would probably result in you picking up said call quicker.

perfectspiral

This will be of little comfort to you right now, but having done both emergency and non-emergency call handling for the police, I can inform you it is very poorly paid, long hours with minimum breaks, and there is nothing as stupid as the general public.


If you can give what the siutation was, and how you responded, I can try to give feedback...

Eebahgum

Thanks for all your input so far.

I just don't know where I went wrong? I could understand and maybe accept a 50 point mark, but not 16.

It just says to me that the unacceptable choices I rated as counterproductive, in my eyes, should have been rated as most effective.

I was just using common sense but I'm guessing that's not what they were after. You had to be honest - and that was probably my downfall.

Guess I'll just have to move on and accept it, but it has really dented my confidence if ever I'm faced with an assessment in future now and will make me second guess my answers.

Thanks again.

marliepanda

Eebahgum wrote: »

Thanks for all your input so far.

I just don't know where I went wrong? I could understand and maybe accept a 50 point mark, but not 16.

It just says to me that the unacceptable choices I rated as counterproductive, in my eyes, should have been rated as most effective.

I was just using common sense but I'm guessing that's not what they were after. You had to be honest - and that was probably my downfall.

Guess I'll just have to move on and accept it, but it has really dented my confidence if ever I'm faced with an assessment in future now and will make me second guess my answers.

Thanks again.

Don’t worry too much. I failed the personality test for a Tesco job in my yoof!

xapprenticex

definitely an injustice, I'd call the police if i were you.

General_Grant

If you scored 86 in the practice and 16 for real, was there a difference in your approach?

pmduk

Perhaps it's just not the job for you?

Sadie92

Hi

I went through exactly the same experience (last month) when I completed the test to join the police force. I did so much research in the upcoming weeks to the test, completed lots of mock tests and always scored highly. It comes to the test and there’s a couple of questions I struggled with slightly but 90% I felt very comfortable with.

I get the response a week later and I scored ‘Well Below Average’ - I couldn’t believe it! I asked them to check the results again and I got the below response:

“The scoring system used for this assessment is percentile not percentage. What this effectively means is that it is a score of the amount of candidate in the comparison group you scored higher than as opposed to the percentage of ‘correct answers’. “

I’m unsure what to do! I’m going to a Special Constable evening next week to see if that might be a better approach.

But yes - very frustrating! I honestly don’t know how I should have answered. The role in the test was an Event Faciliator (customer service role, very similar to the role of a PC day to day). So of course I catered the responses to how the public should be treated under the varying situations for both a PC and a CS role.

Anyway, I’ll see how next week goes. Sorry it didn’t go well for you either!

ElefantEd

What that means is that they look at the scores of everyone who took the test and then employ (or look more closely at) the top marks.


So for example if you score 90% but the other nine candidates score 89%, 91%, 95%, 95%, 96%, 98%, 98%, 99%, 100%, 100% then you were actually second from bottom. It's not your absolute score that matters but how you did relative to everyone else.