Situational judgement: Practice 1

10 original teaching questions with answers and explanations.

Instructions for this set

Choose the best first action under the stated policy and objective. These are contextual teaching recommendations, not official employer answers or a validated personality assessment.

Feedback mode has no time limit or negative marking. The optional timed challenge allows 15 minutes and uses the scoring shown on its rules screen. Those settings are not official assessment rules.

Practise with feedback Optional timed challenge

  1. 1. You are authorised to correct figures in a client report. You notice a total is wrong minutes before it is due, and the source can be checked quickly. What is the best first action?
    1. Send it unchanged to meet the deadline
    2. Check the source, correct the error and tell the report owner about any timing impact
    3. Hide the affected row
    4. Blame the previous analyst publicly

    Reference: q-63cc3454-182 · Report this question

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    Answer: B. Check the source, correct the error and tell the report owner about any timing impact

    Within the stated correction authority, verify and correct the known risk while keeping the report owner informed. Sending or hiding an error undermines the report.
  2. 2. A customer asks you to waive a fee. Policy requires supervisor approval, which you do not have. What should you do first?
    1. Promise the waiver
    2. Explain the approval requirement and refer the request through the authorised process
    3. Delete the fee record
    4. Tell the customer no exception is ever possible

    Reference: q-29bec4c2-122 · Report this question

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    Answer: B. Explain the approval requirement and refer the request through the authorised process

    Use the stated approval route without making an unauthorised promise or falsely ruling out an exception.
  3. 3. Two urgent tasks have conflicting deadlines. You cannot finish both and your manager sets priorities. What is the best first action?
    1. Silently choose the easier one
    2. Explain the conflict, estimated work and consequences, and ask the manager to prioritise
    3. Mark both complete
    4. Ignore both until tomorrow

    Reference: q-bcb5b6b9-133 · Report this question

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    Answer: B. Explain the conflict, estimated work and consequences, and ask the manager to prioritise

    A clear early escalation lets the person with priority authority make an informed tradeoff.
  4. 4. A shared file contains personal client details. A colleague authorised to access the file asks you to send it to their personal email for convenience, contrary to policy. What should you do?
    1. Send it because they are a colleague
    2. Use an approved access method and explain why personal email cannot be used
    3. Post a public download link
    4. Remove only the file title and send it

    Reference: q-7f64eef6-191 · Report this question

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    Answer: B. Use an approved access method and explain why personal email cannot be used

    The colleague is authorised to access the file, but personal email is prohibited. Offer an approved access method rather than bypassing the stated data-handling policy.
  5. 5. A new colleague keeps missing a documented processing step. There is no immediate safety risk. What is the best first response?
    1. Privately review the step with them and check whether the instructions or training are unclear
    2. Criticise them in a group chat
    3. Redo their work forever without discussion
    4. Assume they are deliberately failing

    Reference: q-916932b5-128 · Report this question

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    Answer: A. Privately review the step with them and check whether the instructions or training are unclear

    A private, factual discussion addresses the cause without blame. Later escalation may be appropriate if the problem persists.
  6. 6. A machine guard is damaged. Site policy says to stop using the machine and notify the supervisor. What is the best immediate action?
    1. Finish the batch first
    2. Stop using it and notify the supervisor under the policy
    3. Repair it while running
    4. Ask another employee to use it

    Reference: q-8664e217-133 · Report this question

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    Answer: B. Stop using it and notify the supervisor under the policy

    The stated safety procedure determines the immediate action. Speed and transferring the risk do not override it.
  7. 7. You discover that your own email sent an outdated delivery date. The correct date is confirmed. What should you do next?
    1. Wait to see whether anyone notices
    2. Send a clear correction to the affected recipients and flag any operational impact
    3. Delete your sent copy only
    4. Claim the date never changed

    Reference: q-daa2ba0d-121 · Report this question

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    Answer: B. Send a clear correction to the affected recipients and flag any operational impact

    Prompt correction helps recipients update their plans and avoids concealing the mistake.
  8. 8. A meeting is discussing an unfamiliar technical issue. You need to act on the outcome but a key term is unclear. What is the best response?
    1. Pretend to understand
    2. Ask a focused clarification and confirm the action you are expected to take
    3. Leave without explanation
    4. Agree to an unspecified action

    Reference: q-bbbcdbdc-140 · Report this question

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    Answer: B. Ask a focused clarification and confirm the action you are expected to take

    Clarification prevents a wrong action and can be concise and relevant to your responsibility.
  9. 9. A client complains that a promised callback did not happen. You can check the service record. What should you do first?
    1. Argue that the team is busy
    2. Acknowledge the issue, check the record and arrange the next step within your authority
    3. Promise compensation without approval
    4. Close the complaint immediately

    Reference: q-2d6995f3-120 · Report this question

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    Answer: B. Acknowledge the issue, check the record and arrange the next step within your authority

    Acknowledge, establish the facts and take an authorised service step rather than dismissing or overpromising.
  10. 10. You receive useful critical feedback on a draft. The deadline allows revision. What is the best next step?
    1. Reject it because you wrote the draft
    2. Clarify any unclear point and revise against the agreed objective
    3. Remove the reviewer from the project
    4. Submit the unchanged draft silently

    Reference: q-782962cb-107 · Report this question

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    Answer: B. Clarify any unclear point and revise against the agreed objective

    Use relevant feedback to improve the work, checking uncertainty rather than reacting defensively.

Review your method

Return to the situational judgement lesson and identify the reasoning step behind each mistake before repeating the set.

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