The Test of Judgement is the Public Service Commission of Canada's test for officer-level jobs in the federal public service. Since July 22, 2025 it comes in two versions: the Unsupervised Test of Judgement 376 and the Supervised Test of Judgement 377. Here is what each one looks like, and how it is scored.
Two tests, one format
- TOJ 376: 52 questions in 90 minutes, online and unsupervised, wherever you are. It is usually the first step, used to screen many candidates.
- TOJ 377: 40 questions in 60 minutes, supervised, in person in a federal building. It can be the second step after the 376, or used alone.
- Both are by invitation: a department or agency emails you a Test Access Code through the Candidate Assessment Tool.
- You need a desktop or laptop computer; tablets and phones are not supported.
If a process uses both tests, you must pass the 376 to be invited to the 377, and you must pass both to qualify. A valid 377 result does not exempt you from the 376.
What a question looks like
Each question is one work situation followed by one possible response. You rate how effective that response is, on a six-point scale. The same situation can come back later with a different response. Questions appear in random order, not by difficulty.
- 1 · Very ineffective
- Will make the situation worse.
- 2 · Ineffective
- May not make it worse, but will not help solve the problem.
- 3 · Somewhat ineffective
- May not help solve the problem.
- 4 · Somewhat effective
- May help solve the problem.
- 5 · Effective
- Will help solve the problem.
- 6 · Very effective
- Will solve the problem or make a very important contribution to solving it.
The situations involve communication, interpersonal skills, initiative, decision making, analytical thinking and action management. No specialized training, knowledge or experience is needed: the test measures judgement, drawing on general knowledge and life experience.
During the test
- You can move to any question at any time, change answers and mark questions for review.
- You can show or hide the timer; the test is submitted automatically when time runs out.
- You can switch between English and French at any time.
- An electronic notepad is available; what you write there is not scored.
How it is scored
Some answers earn partial marks, and there is no penalty for guessing, so answer every question. The Commission does not publish its key or its scoring formula.
Your result is a level from J-01 to J-10, based on percentile bands compared with a large sample of past test takers: J-01 is below the 10th percentile, each level after that covers five percentiles, and J-10 is the 50th percentile or higher. Each department sets its own pass mark, between J-02 and J-07.
- Results appear in the "My Tests" section of the Candidate Assessment Tool 48 hours after the test deadline.
- There is no rescoring and no detailed feedback.
- A result stays valid and portable across federal jobs, unless a process asks for a new one.
- You must wait 180 days before retaking a test; a retake inside that period is invalid.
How to practise
The Commission offers a free sample test with four questions, so you can try the screen, the language switch and the font size settings. It shows no score. For more volume, practise on original situations in the same format, at roughly the real pace: about 100 seconds per question for the 376 and 90 seconds for the 377.
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