Teach First says you cannot prepare for its judgement test. Here is how to prepare for everything around it

Teach First says its situational judgement test cannot be prepared for, and its follow-up task-based assessment is written, not numerical. Our reasoning test offers only general comfort with reading carefully under time.

Teach First says it is not possible to prepare for the situational judgement test. The task-based assessment is a task, not a multiple-choice test, and our practice test has no equivalent. This page exists mainly to help you plan the process, with practice a small part of it.

Teach First does not send a separate link for its situational judgement test. It is part of the application form. The test presents scenarios that teachers encounter and possible responses, is untimed, but must be finished in one sitting.

One sitting is the practical constraint. Open the form only when you have the time to answer in full, with no interruptions. The form also holds your competency answers, so allow time for that as well.

Teach First says it is not possible to prepare for the test and that you should answer honestly based on the information given. That is an unusually plain statement and it deserves to be believed. If a drill cannot help, the preparation is understanding the role.

Read about the realities of teaching in a school with high needs, think about what you would do when a pupil is upset, a colleague disagrees with you or a parent is angry, and then trust yourself. Scenarios in a test like this rarely have a trick; they have a sensible, caring and professional option.

After you submit, you get an email the next working day inviting you to a task-based assessment, which must be done within five days. The pages we read do not describe the task in detail. Plan for it by keeping those five days clear, as far as you can.

Treat it like a short piece of professional work. Read the brief twice, write a plan, draft, then reread for clarity. If it asks for written reasoning, keep paragraphs short and give reasons.

Screening is carried out by two trained assessors who do not have access to your personal details. That reduces some forms of bias, and it also means your words alone make the case. You should hear within twenty working days.

Use that to your advantage. Be specific: name the situation, say what you did and what changed. Avoid phrases that could apply to any applicant.

Successful applicants attend a Development Centre with a competency-based interview, a group case study, a teaching episode you conduct yourself, and two self-evaluation exercises. The centre rewards reflection as much as performance.

For the teaching episode, pick a short topic you know well and practise explaining it in five minutes to someone who does not. For self-evaluation, practise saying what went well, what did not and what you would change. See how other public-sector processes compare in our public sector assessment guide.