How to Pass the NFA Situational Awareness & Problem Solving Test

What the test involves

Our NFA-style practice version lasts 35 minutes and contains 30 scenarios. Each places you in the role of a firefighter or trainee and gives several possible responses; you select the most appropriate and least appropriate. (In the original NFA test you chose the single option out of four that best described what you would do; most-and-least is our own variant.) Newer SJTs may instead ask you to rate every response on an effectiveness scale, such as from counter-productive to effective.

The scenarios cover a wide range of situations: responding to a team disagreement, deciding how to handle a safety concern, dealing with a member of the public, choosing how to prioritise tasks, or navigating a situation involving procedures and rules. They are designed to assess your alignment with the values and behaviours fire services expect of their staff.

Values behind the answers

The NFA tests were built around the Personal Qualities and Attributes (PQAs). The NFCC says its Leadership Framework has since replaced the PQAs, and many services also use the Core Code of Ethics. Understanding these values is the most important preparation for any firefighter SJT.

The Core Code of Ethics sets out five principles: putting our communities first; integrity; dignity and respect; leadership; and equality, diversity and inclusion. The Leadership Framework's 'Leading Yourself' level adds behaviours such as speaking out promptly about safety risks, recognising and challenging inappropriate behaviour, and working within policies and procedures.

When judging which response is most appropriate, ask: which response best demonstrates these values? Which response is safest, most respectful, most honest, and most likely to be recommended by an experienced watch manager?

Common traps to avoid

The most common mistake in SJT tests is choosing the response that sounds most action-oriented or decisive without checking whether it is actually the safest and most professional option. Fire services value following procedures and reporting concerns through the right channels — not taking independent action that bypasses established safety processes.

Responses that involve ignoring a problem, hoping it resolves itself, or keeping concerns to yourself are almost always incorrect. Equally, responses that involve confrontational or aggressive behaviour — even if 'justified' in the situation — are rarely the most appropriate choice.

The least appropriate response is not always obviously bad. It might be a response that is technically reasonable but misses a safer or more professional option available elsewhere in the list. Read all options before deciding.

How to prepare

Start by reading the Core Code of Ethics and the 'Leading Yourself' statements in the NFCC Leadership Framework — both are publicly available. Understanding the values behind them helps you reason about answers rather than guess.

Practice timed SJT questions in a firefighter context. The discipline of committing to answers under time pressure, and reasoning through why certain responses are better than others, develops with repetition. Review every practice answer in detail — the rationale provided for each answer is as valuable as the score.

When you encounter a practice question where you are uncertain, ask yourself: what would keep everyone safe? What would a watch manager want their crew to do? What response shows respect, honesty, and teamwork? These questions cut through most ambiguity.