Bus Driver Tests

Bus Driver Online Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a science technician at a secondary school. Preparing for a practical lesson you find a bottle of concentrated acid in the general chemicals cupboard rather than the locked cabinet, with a loose cap. The lesson starts in twenty minutes and thirty pupils will be in the room. The head of science is teaching but the department office is next door and the site manager is available. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Move the bottle to the locked cabinet, tighten the cap, and tell the head of science about it after the lesson when she is free.
   2. Secure the bottle in the locked cabinet now, and interrupt the head of science briefly to tell her before thirty pupils come into the room.
   3. Leave the bottle where it is and mention it to the head of science at break, since the cupboard is at the back of the room and pupils are not allowed to open it.
   4. Cancel the practical and tell the class teacher the lesson cannot go ahead until the chemical storage has been checked properly.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Secure the bottle in the locked cabinet now, and interrupt the head of science briefly to tell her before thirty pupils come into the room.

   Least effective: C. Leave the bottle where it is and mention it to the head of science at break, since the cupboard is at the back of the room and pupils are not allowed to open it.

   A: Delays the decision: securing the bottle is right and it leaves unanswered how concentrated acid came to be in an unlocked cupboard, which the head of science needs to know before the next lesson, not after this one.

   C: Stays silent about a known safety risk: concentrated acid with a loose cap is left in an unlocked cupboard while thirty pupils work in the room, on the assumption that a rule about not opening cupboards will hold. That is a safety failure of a different order from the others.

   D: Escalates beyond the problem: one misplaced bottle can be secured in two minutes, and cancelling a lesson for thirty pupils is a decision for the head of science rather than a technician.

   The most effective response is to secure the bottle in the locked cabinet now and interrupt the head of science briefly before thirty pupils come in: putting it away takes two minutes, and she needs to know before the room fills because a misplaced bottle implies something wrong with how chemicals are being stored. Both fit in twenty minutes. It beats moving the bottle and telling her after the lesson when she is free, because that leaves the storage question unexamined through a lesson with thirty pupils in the room. It beats cancelling the practical until chemical storage has been checked, because that is a bigger decision than the problem needs, and is not a technician’s to take when securing the bottle solves the hazard. The least effective response is leaving the bottle where it is and mentioning it at break: it leaves concentrated acid with a loose cap in an unlocked cupboard during a practical, relying on pupils following a rule. That is worse than securing it and telling her later, which at least secures it, and worse than cancelling, which at least stops the lesson. The principle: remove the hazard immediately, then tell the responsible person before the risk period starts.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are an instructor at an outdoor activity centre. Checking equipment before a climbing session for a school group you find a harness with a frayed stitch on a load-bearing strap. There are enough harnesses without it. The group arrives in fifteen minutes. Centre procedure requires damaged equipment to be quarantined and logged by the technical manager, who is on site. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Put the harness back at the end of the rack so it is not used today, and tell the technical manager after the session when he has more time.
   2. Set the harness aside and log it in the equipment book yourself, so the record exists and the technical manager can review it at the next equipment check.
   3. Use the harness for the session but give it to one of the lighter pupils, since the stitching is only frayed and there is no sign it is close to failing.
   4. Take the harness out of use, put it aside where it cannot be picked up, and tell the technical manager before the group arrives.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Take the harness out of use, put it aside where it cannot be picked up, and tell the technical manager before the group arrives.

   Least effective: C. Use the harness for the session but give it to one of the lighter pupils, since the stitching is only frayed and there is no sign it is close to failing.

   A: Acts on assumptions without checking: a damaged harness left on the rack can be picked up by anybody, and the placement relies on everyone knowing what you know.

   B: Acts outside own authority: the procedure names the technical manager because he decides whether a fault is repairable or the batch needs checking, and a self-made log entry replaces that judgement with a record.

   C: Uses equipment known to be damaged: a frayed load-bearing strap on a climbing harness is the failure the inspection exists to catch, and putting a child in it on a judgement about weight is a safety decision nobody is qualified to take that way.

   The most effective response is to take the harness out of use, put it aside where it cannot be picked up, and tell the technical manager before the group arrives: a frayed load-bearing strap makes it unusable, spares exist so nothing is lost by removing it, and he is on site and is the person the procedure names. Both steps fit inside fifteen minutes. It beats putting it back at the end of the rack and telling him after the session, because a damaged harness left on the rack can be picked up by anyone who does not know, so its position is not a control. It beats setting it aside and logging it in the equipment book yourself, because that substitutes a record for his judgement about whether other harnesses in the batch need checking. The least effective response is using it for one of the lighter pupils because the stitching is only frayed: it puts a child into a harness with a damaged load-bearing strap on a personal judgement about weight. That is worse than the other two, which handle the procedure imperfectly but take the harness out of use. The principle: remove damaged safety equipment from use immediately, then tell the person the procedure names, before the activity starts.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are an area support assistant for a restaurant chain, visiting a branch to help with stock counts. In the kitchen you notice the fridge temperature log has identical readings written in for the past two weeks, including for a day the branch was closed. Food safety is not your role and you have no authority here. The branch manager is on site. Your area manager is contactable by phone. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say nothing, since food safety is not your role, you have no authority at this branch, and the branch manager will have his own reasons for how the log is kept.
   2. Raise it with the branch manager, ask him to check the fridges now, and ring your area manager today because the log for two weeks cannot be relied on.
   3. Mention it to the branch manager and suggest he starts recording the readings properly from now on, then get on with the stock count you came to do.
   4. Photograph the log and include it in your visit report, so that the area manager sees the evidence when the report is circulated next week.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Raise it with the branch manager, ask him to check the fridges now, and ring your area manager today because the log for two weeks cannot be relied on.

   Least effective: A. Say nothing, since food safety is not your role, you have no authority at this branch, and the branch manager will have his own reasons for how the log is kept.

   A: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: identical readings including a closed day mean the log is not a record of anything, so nobody knows whether food has been held safely. Having no authority is a reason to tell someone who has, not to say nothing.

   C: Treats a safety failure as a paperwork fix: recording properly from now on corrects the form and leaves two weeks in which nobody knows whether the fridges held temperature, with that food still in them.

   D: Delays the decision: the evidence is captured and the food is still being served. A report next week arrives long after the fortnight it describes.

   The most effective response is to raise it with the branch manager, ask him to check the fridges now, and ring your area manager today: identical readings across a fortnight including a day the branch was shut mean the log records nothing, so nobody knows whether the fridges have held temperature, and food is being served now. Getting the fridges checked today and telling the area manager addresses both the immediate risk and the recording failure. It beats suggesting he starts recording the readings properly from now on, because that leaves the last two weeks, and the food from them, entirely unexamined. It beats photographing the log for your visit report next week, because that is far too slow for a live food safety question. The least effective response is saying nothing because you have no authority at this branch: it leaves an unreliable food safety record and possibly mishandled food untouched, on grounds that are precisely why it should go to someone who does have authority. That is worse than the other two, which act too slowly but do act. The principle: when a control turns out not to be working, get the immediate check done and tell the person with authority the same day.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a junior designer at a graphic design studio. You and a colleague, Ines, are producing a brand pack due to the client on Friday. It is Wednesday. Ines has been given a second urgent project and tells you she can now only do about half her share of the brand pack. You have capacity for some but not all of the rest. Your studio manager assigns work and is in the office. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Take on all of Ines's remaining share and work late Wednesday and Thursday so the brand pack is delivered on Friday as promised.
   2. Work out with Ines exactly what is left, then tell the studio manager today what the two of you can cover and what still needs someone, before Friday.
   3. Tell Ines the brand pack has to come first since it has a client deadline on Friday, and ask her to push back on the second project herself.
   4. Carry on with your own share and let Ines deliver what she can, and raise it on Friday if the brand pack turns out to be incomplete.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Work out with Ines exactly what is left, then tell the studio manager today what the two of you can cover and what still needs someone, before Friday.

   Least effective: D. Carry on with your own share and let Ines deliver what she can, and raise it on Friday if the brand pack turns out to be incomplete.

   A: Hides the strain until failure: it absorbs a shortfall the studio manager created and never learns about, so she keeps assigning on the assumption that both projects fit.

   C: Passes responsibility to others: the studio manager assigns the work, so asking Ines to argue about her own workload leaves the person who made the clash out of the conversation.

   D: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: it is known on Wednesday that the pack will be short, and the plan is to mention it on the day it is due, when nothing can be done. Waiting to report a certainty is concealment.

   The most effective response is to work out with Ines exactly what is left, then tell the studio manager today what the two of you can cover and what still needs someone: the shortfall is known on Wednesday, its size can be worked out in ten minutes, and she both created the clash and is the only person who can resolve it. Bringing her the specifics rather than the problem lets her act. It beats taking on all of Ines’s remaining share and working late, because quietly absorbing the gap hides from the manager that two projects were assigned into one person’s week, so she does it again. It beats telling Ines to push back on the second project herself, because that leaves the person who assigns the work out of a conversation about her own assignment. The least effective response is letting Ines deliver what she can and raising it only if the pack turns out incomplete: it knows on Wednesday that Friday will fall short and plans to mention it when no resource can be added. That is worse than absorbing the work, which delivers, and worse than asking her to push back, which at least raises it. The principle: size the gap, then take it to whoever controls the resource while there is still time to fill it.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You work in a pet shop. Your colleague Ryan is cleaning out the small animal enclosures, a job that takes two people to do safely because the animals must be held in a carrier while the enclosure is moved. He has started alone and is struggling to manage both. You have finished restocking the shelves and the shop is quiet. The manager is in the stockroom. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell the manager that Ryan is doing the enclosures single-handed so that she can decide whether someone should be helping him.
   2. Ask Ryan whether he wants help, and get on with something else if he says he is managing, since he knows the animals better than you do.
   3. Go over and tell Ryan you have finished the shelves and will hold the carrier, and work through the enclosures with him.
   4. Leave him to it, since he chose to start the job on his own and stepping in might suggest you do not think he can manage the animals.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Go over and tell Ryan you have finished the shelves and will hold the carrier, and work through the enclosures with him.

   Least effective: D. Leave him to it, since he chose to start the job on his own and stepping in might suggest you do not think he can manage the animals.

   A: Escalates prematurely: you are standing free in a quiet shop and the task simply needs a second person. Referring it to the manager adds a step to something you can solve immediately.

   B: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: someone already committed to a job and coping badly will usually say he is managing, so the question predictably leaves him doing a two-person task alone.

   D: Leaves a two-person job to one person: a two-person job is being done by one person with live animals involved, and the reason for not helping is a worry about how it might look. That leaves both Ryan and the animals at risk.

   The most effective response is to go over and tell Ryan you have finished the shelves and will hold the carrier, then work through the enclosures with him: the enclosures need two people to be done safely, you are free, and the shop is quiet, so joining him is both the obvious and the safest answer. Saying your own work is done removes any need for him to ask. It beats asking him whether he wants help and getting on with something else if he says he is managing, because a colleague mid-task will usually say he is coping, and the animals are still being handled by one person afterwards. It beats telling the manager he is doing the enclosures single-handed, because she would only send you, and asking her first delays the help for no gain. The least effective response is leaving him to it because he chose to start on his own: it leaves a two-person job with live animals being done alone, and the reason given is a concern about how offering might be taken. That is worse than telling the manager, which at least raises it, and worse than asking him, which at least offers. The principle: when a task needs two people and you are free, join in rather than asking or referring it upwards.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are an administrator at an occupational health clinic. At 2pm three things need you. A manager is waiting on a fitness-for-work report needed for a return-to-work meeting at 3pm, which takes twenty minutes to prepare. A nurse has asked you to book six routine health surveillance appointments this week. And your manager wants the quarterly activity figures by 5pm, taking an hour. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Send the manager the previous fitness-for-work report on file so the 3pm meeting has something to work from, and prepare the current one afterwards.
   2. Book the six surveillance appointments first since they are quick and the nurse is waiting on them, then do the report and the quarterly figures.
   3. Prepare the fitness-for-work report for the 3pm meeting, then do the quarterly figures before 5pm, and book the surveillance appointments afterwards or tomorrow.
   4. Start the quarterly figures since they are the longest job and are due at 5pm, and fit the report and the bookings around them during the afternoon.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Prepare the fitness-for-work report for the 3pm meeting, then do the quarterly figures before 5pm, and book the surveillance appointments afterwards or tomorrow.

   Least effective: A. Send the manager the previous fitness-for-work report on file so the 3pm meeting has something to work from, and prepare the current one afterwards.

   A: Supplies a document known to be out of date: a return-to-work meeting decided on a superseded fitness assessment risks an employee being put back to work on the wrong basis, which is a clinical harm rather than a scheduling error.

   B: Splits effort so nothing finishes: six bookings ahead of a twenty- minute report leaves a return-to-work meeting at 3pm relying on whatever time is left, for appointments that have all week.

   D: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: an hour of internal reporting with three hours of room is put ahead of a report an employee's return-to-work meeting depends on in one hour.

   The most effective response is to prepare the fitness-for-work report for the 3pm meeting, then do the quarterly figures before 5pm, and book the surveillance appointments afterwards: the meeting is fixed and depends on a twenty-minute report, the figures have three hours for an hour of work, and the bookings have the week. Everything fits if the fixed appointment goes first. It beats booking the six surveillance appointments first because they are quick and the nurse is waiting, since six bookings with a week of slack should not precede a report a meeting depends on in an hour. It beats starting the quarterly figures as the longest job due at 5pm, because that leaves the one immovable deadline dependent on what is left over. The least effective response is sending the previous fitness-for- work report from the file so the meeting has something: it supplies a superseded assessment for a live return-to-work decision, risking an employee being returned on the wrong medical basis. That is worse than the other two, which sequence badly but produce the correct document. The principle: do the short task the fixed meeting depends on first, and never substitute an out-of-date document for a current one.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a warehouse administrator at a medical devices distributor. Reconciling stock you notice that a batch of single-use surgical instruments recorded as quarantined has been picked and despatched to two hospitals. The quarantine was applied last month and you do not know why. The person who applied it has left. Your quality manager is on site. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Take the records to your quality manager immediately, showing that quarantined stock has gone to two hospitals, and let her decide what happens next.
   2. Find out first why the quarantine was applied, since the reason may be administrative, and take it to the quality manager once you know what you are reporting.
   3. Contact the two hospitals to ask them to hold the batch until its status has been confirmed, then report it to the quality manager.
   4. Correct the stock record to show the batch as despatched and let the quarantine flag lapse, since the goods have already gone and the person who applied it is no longer here.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Take the records to your quality manager immediately, showing that quarantined stock has gone to two hospitals, and let her decide what happens next.

   Least effective: D. Correct the stock record to show the batch as despatched and let the quarantine flag lapse, since the goods have already gone and the person who applied it is no longer here.

   B: Delays the decision: quarantined stock is already in two hospitals, and establishing the reason yourself postpones a decision the quality manager is qualified to make today.

   C: Acts outside own authority: contacting customers about potentially unsafe medical devices is a regulated communication, and a warehouse administrator making it first commits the company before anyone qualified has assessed the batch.

   D: Conceals a potential safety failure: it tidies away the only evidence that quarantined medical devices reached two hospitals, so nobody can assess whether patients are at risk. That is a different order of wrong from acting too slowly.

   The most effective response is to take the records to your quality manager immediately, showing that quarantined stock has gone to two hospitals, and let her decide what happens next: the reason for the quarantine is unknown and may be a safety matter, and she is on site and decides about recall and about telling the customers. Speed matters because the devices may be used. It beats finding out first why the quarantine was applied, because researching it yourself delays a decision she can take now, on stock already in clinical settings. It beats contacting the two hospitals to ask them to hold the batch, because a communication about potentially unsafe devices is regulated and must come from the company’s quality function. The least effective response is correcting the stock record to show the batch as despatched and letting the flag lapse: it removes the quarantine and the evidence, so nobody can establish whether patients are at risk. That is worse than the other two, which act slowly or beyond their authority but keep the problem visible. The principle: when a control has failed on something already with customers, go straight to the person who owns the control, and change nothing yourself.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You work behind the counter of a bakery. A customer ordered a birthday cake for collection at noon today with ‘Happy Birthday Amelie’ piped on it. It is 11am and you notice the cake in the fridge reads ‘Happy Birthday Amelia’. The decorator is in until 1pm and could re-pipe the inscription in twenty minutes. The customer’s phone number is on the order. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Hand the cake over at noon as it is, since the difference is one letter, the customer may not notice and it is too late to change it now.
   2. Ring the customer, explain the spelling error, and ask whether she would like it corrected or would rather collect the cake as it is.
   3. Have the decorator re-pipe the inscription and say nothing about the error, since the cake will be correct by the time the customer collects it at noon.
   4. Ask the decorator to re-pipe the inscription now, and ring the customer to let her know it is being corrected and will be ready at noon as arranged.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ask the decorator to re-pipe the inscription now, and ring the customer to let her know it is being corrected and will be ready at noon as arranged.

   Least effective: A. Hand the cake over at noon as it is, since the difference is one letter, the customer may not notice and it is too late to change it now.

   A: Ignores the customer's actual need: a misspelled name on a child's birthday cake is the whole point of the order, and it is not too late, since the decorator is in and there is an hour. Relying on her not noticing is concealment of a known defect.

   B: Delays the decision: it hands her a choice she does not need to make. The name is simply wrong, the decorator is in, and twenty minutes is available before noon.

   C: Hides the problem: the outcome is right and the customer is never told that a cake with her daughter's name misspelled nearly went out, so she cannot check the spelling on the order for next time.

   The most effective response is to ask the decorator to re-pipe the inscription now and ring the customer to say it is being corrected and will be ready at noon: the name is wrong, there is an hour and a decorator on site, so it can be put right and still be ready. Telling her means she is not surprised and can confirm the spelling. It beats ringing to ask whether she would like it corrected or would rather collect it as it is, because that puts a decision to her that does not need making, when the fix is already possible. It beats having it re-piped and saying nothing about the error, because that gets the cake right but leaves her unaware of a mistake that came from the order itself. The least effective response is handing it over as it is on the grounds that the difference is one letter she may not notice: it claims the change is too late when an hour and a decorator are available, and relies on a misspelled name on a child’s birthday cake going unremarked. That is worse than the other two, which both produce a correct cake. The principle: when there is time to put a mistake right, put it right and tell the customer you have.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a sales administrator at a car dealership, responsible for recording confirmed orders. Monthly sales figures close at 5pm today, and staff bonuses are based on them. Priya, a salesperson you get on well with, asks you to record one of her deals as a confirmed order even though the customer has not signed, saying the customer will definitely sign early next week and that the deal would take her past her monthly target. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Record the deal as a confirmed order, reasoning that the customer is very likely to sign next week and a few days' difference is unlikely to be noticed by anyone.
   2. Tell Priya directly that you cannot record an unsigned deal as confirmed, and suggest she asks the sales manager whether the almost-completed sale can be recognised another way.
   3. Put Priya off by saying you are too busy to update the system this afternoon, hoping the 5pm deadline passes without you having to refuse her outright.
   4. Report Priya to the sales manager for attempted fraud straight away, on the basis that she has probably inflated her figures in previous months as well.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell Priya directly that you cannot record an unsigned deal as confirmed, and suggest she asks the sales manager whether the almost-completed sale can be recognised another way.

   Least effective: A. Record the deal as a confirmed order, reasoning that the customer is very likely to sign next week and a few days' difference is unlikely to be noticed by anyone.

   A: Falsifies a business record: entering an unsigned deal as confirmed misstates figures that bonuses are paid on, and makes you personally complicit in dishonesty, a different kind of wrong from the weaker but honest alternatives.

   C: Prioritises harmony over honesty: inventing an excuse to avoid refusing a friend dodges the falsification but never addresses the request, and leaves Priya free to ask someone else before 5pm.

   D: Acts on assumptions without checking: escalating a single request as probable repeated fraud treats suspicion as fact. The immediate situation needs a clear refusal and a legitimate route, not an accusation built on guesswork.

   The most effective response is to tell Priya directly that you cannot record an unsigned deal as confirmed: it refuses the request honestly, explains the real reason, and points her to a legitimate route by suggesting she ask the sales manager whether an almost-completed sale can be recognised another way, so the record stays true without wrecking the working relationship. It beats putting her off with a claim that you are too busy this afternoon, because that hides behind an invented excuse, never addresses the request, and leaves her free to try someone else before the 5pm close. It beats reporting her for attempted fraud straight away, because that turns one improper request into an unevidenced accusation of repeated dishonesty when a proportionate refusal resolves the situation. The least effective response is recording the deal as a confirmed order: unlike stalling, which falsifies nothing, and unlike going straight to the sales manager, which is heavy-handed but honest, it makes the record itself false and misstates figures that pay is based on. The category failure here is dishonesty, and it makes you complicit. The principle: when loyalty or convenience pulls against honest records, decline clearly and point to a legitimate route instead.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are an administrator in a college admissions office. It is results week, your colleague who shares the enquiry inbox is off sick, and incoming enquiries have roughly doubled since Monday. You have also promised the finance office an enrolment reconciliation they need before they can start invoicing tuition fees. This morning the queue of unanswered enquiries is growing visibly, and your team leader asks how you plan to manage the day. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Assure your team leader you will cover the doubled enquiries and still deliver the reconciliation today, so nobody needs to worry about the absence.
    2. Set the reconciliation aside for the week and put all your time into the enquiry queue, assuming the finance office can start invoicing a little later.
    3. Take a few minutes to assess the workload, tell your team leader realistically what you can cover today and where support is needed, then work through the enquiries steadily.
    4. Tell your team leader, in front of the rest of the team, that the situation is unmanageable and management should have arranged cover, and continue only with your normal workload.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: C. Take a few minutes to assess the workload, tell your team leader realistically what you can cover today and where support is needed, then work through the enquiries steadily.

    Least effective: D. Tell your team leader, in front of the rest of the team, that the situation is unmanageable and management should have arranged cover, and continue only with your normal workload.

    A: Over-promises: committing to absorb a doubled enquiry load and still deliver the reconciliation today gambles on a pace one person is unlikely to sustain, and sets up a late failure that is harder to manage than an honest assessment now.

    B: Abandons own committed work: dropping the reconciliation on an assumption leaves the finance office unable to start invoicing, without checking what they actually need, a promise quietly shelved rather than pressure honestly managed.

    D: Blames others publicly: announcing in front of the team that the situation is unmanageable, while refusing to adapt, turns pressure into complaint; it does nothing to reduce the queue and undermines the team leader and colleagues who still have to cope.

    The most effective response is to assess the workload, tell your team leader realistically what you can cover and where support is needed, then work the queue steadily: it meets the spike calmly and gives an honest picture of what one person can and cannot do, which keeps output up without pretending the pressure away. It beats assuring your team leader you will cover everything, because that promises a pace one person is unlikely to sustain, and the resulting failure would surface late in the day when it is hardest to fix. It beats setting the reconciliation aside for the week, because that quietly shelves a commitment the finance office is relying on, based on an assumption about their timetable rather than a conversation. The least effective response is declaring the situation unmanageable in front of the rest of the team and doing only your normal workload: unlike over-promising, which at least throws effort at the problem, and unlike shelving the reconciliation, which at least keeps the enquiry queue moving, it converts pressure into public blame and refusal, helping nobody and souring the team on a difficult day. The principle: under a workload spike, stay composed. Assess honestly, tell people what is realistic, and keep working, rather than over-promising, quietly dropping commitments, or blaming.