Engineering Tests

Engineering Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You work in a hospital pharmacy stores team. Your colleague Amir is checking a large delivery against the order alone, a job normally done by two people so that quantities are double checked. He is halfway through and the fridge lines still need putting away within the hour. You have finished your own tasks. The stores supervisor is at a meeting until midday. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Carry on with your own area and leave Amir to finish, since he started the check and interrupting halfway through might cause him to lose his place.
   2. Put the fridge lines away yourself while Amir finishes the check, so that the cold chain is protected and he is not interrupted.
   3. Tell Amir you are free and join him on the check so it is properly double checked, then put the fridge lines away together.
   4. Ring the stores supervisor out of her meeting to ask whether the delivery check should be paused until two people are available.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell Amir you are free and join him on the check so it is properly double checked, then put the fridge lines away together.

   Least effective: A. Carry on with your own area and leave Amir to finish, since he started the check and interrupting halfway through might cause him to lose his place.

   A: Lets a two-person control run with one: a double-check that exists to catch quantity errors in medicines is being done by one person, and the reason for not helping is a worry about interrupting. Standing by a known control failure is the failure here.

   B: Splits the wrong task: it protects the fridge lines and leaves the single-person check running, so the control designed to catch quantity errors stays broken for the rest of the delivery.

   D: Escalates prematurely: you are the second person, you are free, and the answer she would give is obvious. Interrupting a meeting to be told to do what you can already do costs time the fridge lines do not have.

   The most effective response is to tell Amir you are free and join him on the check so it is properly double checked, then put the fridge lines away together: the check is a two-person control precisely because one person miscounts, you are free, and joining him restores the control for the rest of the delivery and still gets the fridge lines away in time. It beats putting the fridge lines away yourself while he finishes the check, because that protects the cold chain and leaves the quantity check still being done by one person, which is the more serious gap. It beats ringing the stores supervisor out of her meeting to ask whether the check should be paused, because you are the second person she would send, so the call only delays it. The least effective response is carrying on with your own area and leaving him to finish alone: it lets a medicines quantity check run without its double-check, and the reason offered is a concern about interrupting him. That is worse than the other two, which act on part of the problem. The principle: when a two-person control is running with one person and you are free, become the second person.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are an assistant at a children’s after-school activity club. A parent has paid for her son to attend a climbing session on Thursday. This morning the instructor tells you he is unwell and Thursday’s climbing will be replaced by indoor games. The parent chose the club specifically for the climbing. She can be reached by phone or email. The club manager is on leave until Friday. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Email all parents on Wednesday evening with the amended timetable, so that everyone is told at the same time and the message is consistent.
   2. Ring the parent to say Thursday's session is changing, and tell her you will confirm what it is being replaced with once the timetable has been sorted out.
   3. Say nothing and let Thursday go ahead as indoor games, since the children enjoy those too and the parent may not mind once her son has had a good afternoon.
   4. Contact the parent today, explain the instructor is unwell and Thursday will be indoor games instead, and tell her what the alternatives are including a refund or a later climbing session.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Contact the parent today, explain the instructor is unwell and Thursday will be indoor games instead, and tell her what the alternatives are including a refund or a later climbing session.

   Least effective: C. Say nothing and let Thursday go ahead as indoor games, since the children enjoy those too and the parent may not mind once her son has had a good afternoon.

   A: Delays the message: a Wednesday evening notice reaches her the night before, when she has already arranged her Thursday around a session that is not happening.

   B: Delays the decision: it reaches her today, which is right, and withholds the two facts she needs, what is happening instead and what her options are, so she still cannot decide anything.

   C: Hides the problem: she paid for climbing specifically and is left to discover the change at collection, with no chance to decide whether she still wanted the session. Assuming she will not mind is not her decision to make.

   The most effective response is to contact the parent today, explain the instructor is unwell and Thursday will be indoor games, and set out the alternatives including a refund or a later climbing session: she chose and paid for climbing specifically, the substitution changes what she bought, and telling her today lets her decide whether her son still attends. It beats ringing to say only that Thursday is changing and you will confirm the replacement later, because that leaves her unable to act when you already know what it changes to. It beats emailing all parents on Wednesday evening with the amended timetable, because a general notice the night before arrives after she has organised her Thursday. The least effective response is saying nothing and letting Thursday go ahead as indoor games: it lets her pay for climbing, send her son to something else, and find out afterwards, on the assumption that she will not mind. That is worse than the other two, which tell her late or partially but do tell her. The principle: when what someone paid for changes, tell them promptly, tell them what it changes to, and give them the choice.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You work in a shoe repair and key cutting shop. A customer collects a key cut yesterday and says it does not turn in her front door; she has been locked out once already. Recutting takes ten minutes and there is no queue. She is annoyed and says she has wasted a morning. Your shop manager is in the back and can authorise refunds. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain that keys sometimes need easing in older locks, and suggest she try a little lubricant on the lock before assuming the key was cut incorrectly.
   2. Apologise, take the key and the original back, and ask her to return this afternoon once it has been recut and checked properly.
   3. Recut the key straight away and hand it over with an apology, since the fastest fix is the best answer and she plainly wants to get on with her day.
   4. Apologise, recut the key now while she waits since it takes ten minutes, and ask the manager about refunding the original charge for the trouble.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Apologise, recut the key now while she waits since it takes ten minutes, and ask the manager about refunding the original charge for the trouble.

   Least effective: A. Explain that keys sometimes need easing in older locks, and suggest she try a little lubricant on the lock before assuming the key was cut incorrectly.

   A: Ignores the customer's actual need: it explains away a key that does not work, puts the remedy back onto a customer who has already been locked out, and never offers the ten-minute recut that would settle it.

   B: Adds a second journey: the recut takes ten minutes and there is no queue, so asking her to come back a second time adds another journey to a morning she has already lost.

   C: Ignores part of the customer's actual need: the recut solves the key and not the wasted morning, when a manager who could offer a refund is a few steps away and has not been asked.

   The most effective response is to apologise, recut the key now while she waits since it takes ten minutes, and ask the manager about refunding the original charge: the key does not work, there is no queue, and she has lost a morning, so both the practical fix and the goodwill question can be dealt with while she is here. It beats recutting the key straight away and handing it over with an apology, because that addresses the key and not the wasted morning, when a manager who could refund the charge is a few steps away. It beats taking the key back and asking her to return this afternoon, because a second journey for a ten-minute job adds to exactly the cost she is complaining about. The least effective response is suggesting she tries a little lubricant because older locks need easing: it offers a theory instead of a working key, and makes the customer responsible for solving a fault the shop created. That is worse than the other two, which both end with a key that turns. The principle: fix the fault on the spot when you can, and use the authority above you for the part that is about the customer’s lost time.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You work in the admissions office of a private college. Applicants must provide original qualification certificates. An agent who recruits students for the college submits a photocopy for one applicant, saying the original is with the embassy, and asks you to record it as verified so the offer can go out this week. The agent brings the college a lot of business. Your admissions manager is available. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Record the certificate as verified so the offer can go out this week, since the photocopy looks genuine and the agent brings the college a great deal of business.
   2. Tell the agent you cannot record a photocopy as verified, and ask your admissions manager what alternative evidence the college accepts when an original is with an embassy.
   3. Reject the application until the original certificate is produced, and tell the agent that the offer cannot proceed this week whatever the reason for the delay.
   4. Send the offer out marked as conditional on the original certificate being produced later, and record the photocopy as received rather than verified.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell the agent you cannot record a photocopy as verified, and ask your admissions manager what alternative evidence the college accepts when an original is with an embassy.

   Least effective: A. Record the certificate as verified so the offer can go out this week, since the photocopy looks genuine and the agent brings the college a great deal of business.

   A: Falsifies a verification record: recording a document as verified when you have not seen the original is a false statement in the college's own admissions record, and the reason given is the agent's commercial value. That is dishonesty, not pragmatism.

   C: Applies the rule without using it: the college may well have a route for certificates held by an embassy, and refusing outright forecloses a legitimate application without asking anyone who would know.

   D: Acts outside own authority: making an offer conditional is a decision about admissions terms, not a records entry, and issuing one to work around a verification rule commits the college on your own judgement.

   The most effective response is to tell the agent you cannot record a photocopy as verified, and ask your admissions manager what alternative evidence the college accepts when an original is with an embassy: you cannot record something as verified that you have not verified, but the applicant’s problem is a common one the college may well have a route for. Refusing the false entry and asking the right question does both jobs. It beats rejecting the application until the original is produced, because outright rejection forecloses a legitimate application without asking whether alternative evidence is accepted. It beats sending a conditional offer and recording the photocopy as received, because inventing that condition to work around the rule is an admissions decision you have no authority to take. The least effective response is recording the certificate as verified so the offer can go out this week: it records an unverified document as checked, and the reason offered is how much business the agent brings, which is precisely the pressure the verification rule exists to resist. That is worse than the other two, which act beyond or below their authority but keep the record true. The principle: never record a check you did not perform, and take the underlying problem to whoever can authorise an alternative.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You work on the security desk of an office building. A contractor asks to be let into the server room, saying he is booked to replace a faulty switch and is running late. He has no work order and is not on today’s authorised list, but he knows the IT manager’s name and is wearing a company uniform. The IT manager is contactable by phone. Your security supervisor is on site. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Escort him to the server room and stay with him while he works, so that access is supervised even though he is not on the authorised list.
   2. Let him in, since he knows the IT manager by name, is in company uniform and is clearly expected, and note the visit in the log for the record.
   3. Turn him away and tell him to rebook through the proper channel, since he is not on the authorised list and has no work order.
   4. Ask him to wait in reception while you ring the IT manager to confirm the visit, and tell your security supervisor what you are doing.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ask him to wait in reception while you ring the IT manager to confirm the visit, and tell your security supervisor what you are doing.

   Least effective: B. Let him in, since he knows the IT manager by name, is in company uniform and is clearly expected, and note the visit in the log for the record.

   A: Breaches confidentiality or process: supervision is not authorisation. An unverified visitor is in the server room either way, and standing beside him does not establish that he should be there.

   B: Acts on assumptions without checking: a name and a uniform are precisely what someone seeking unauthorised access would present, and the one person who could confirm it is a phone call away. Logging it afterwards records the failure rather than preventing it.

   C: Applies the rule without using it: the list is a control, not the only source of truth, and a genuine engineer is sent away with a failed switch unfixed when a two-minute call would have settled it.

   The most effective response is to ask him to wait in reception while you ring the IT manager to confirm the visit, and tell your security supervisor what you are doing: the authorised list is the control and the IT manager can extend it, so a short wait and a phone call resolves the question either way. Telling your supervisor means the decision is not yours alone. It beats turning him away and telling him to rebook through the proper channel, because that applies the rule correctly and wastes a genuine visit when verification takes two minutes. It beats escorting him to the server room and staying with him, because that grants the access first and verifies nothing; being watched is not the same as being authorised. The least effective response is letting him in because he knows the IT manager by name and is in uniform: it grants server room access on the strength of the two things easiest for an unauthorised visitor to produce, and records it afterwards. That is worse than escorting him, which at least supervises, and worse than turning him away, which at least refuses. The principle: when someone falls outside a control, verify with the person who owns it before deciding either way.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You volunteer as an assistant manager in a charity shop. Sorting donations you notice that a batch of electrical items has been put straight onto the shop floor without the safety testing the charity requires. Nobody has asked you to check this. The shop manager is on holiday for a week and the area manager covers by phone. The shop is open and the items are priced and on display now. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ring the area manager to report that untested electrical items are on sale and ask whether she wants them removed before you touch anything.
   2. Take the untested electrical items off the shop floor now and ring the area manager to tell her what you have found and ask how testing should be arranged.
   3. Leave the items on display but attach a note to each saying it has not been safety tested, so that customers can decide for themselves whether to buy them.
   4. Leave them as they are, since a volunteer putting stock out is not your responsibility and the manager will sort out the testing when she is back next week.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Take the untested electrical items off the shop floor now and ring the area manager to tell her what you have found and ask how testing should be arranged.

   Least effective: D. Leave them as they are, since a volunteer putting stock out is not your responsibility and the manager will sort out the testing when she is back next week.

   A: Delays the decision: the phone call is right and the items stay on sale while it happens. Removing them first costs nothing and is reversible if she disagrees.

   C: Passes responsibility to the customer: the charity's testing rule exists because a buyer cannot assess an appliance's safety from a label. Disclosing the gap does not close it.

   D: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: untested electrical goods stay on sale to the public for a week because the person who noticed decided it was not her job. The reason for silence is precisely why nobody else will catch it.

   The most effective response is to take the untested electrical items off the shop floor now and ring the area manager to tell her what you found: untested electrical goods on sale are a risk to whoever buys them, removing them is immediate, reversible and within your reach, and she needs to know so testing can be arranged properly. It beats ringing her first to ask whether she wants them removed, because that leaves the items on sale during the call and afterwards, when removing them costs nothing and can be undone if she disagrees. It beats attaching a note to each saying it has not been safety tested, because a label does not make an appliance safe, and it moves the judgement onto customers who cannot make it. The least effective response is leaving them as they are until the manager is back next week: it leaves untested electrical items on public sale for a week on the basis that someone else put them there. That is worse than ringing first, which reports it, and worse than labelling them, which at least warns buyers. The principle: when you find a live risk, remove it first if removing it is cheap and reversible, then tell whoever owns the process.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a sales assistant at a garden centre. Your manager asked you this morning to price and shelve a delivery of spring bulbs before you finish at 5pm; the bulbs are not on promotion and no customer is waiting for them. At 2pm the till supervisor tells you the card terminal on the main till has failed, a queue is building at the single working till, and you are the only other member of staff trained to open the second one. Your manager is running a planting workshop outside for the next hour. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Open the second till straight away to clear the queue, then go back to the bulbs and let your manager know afterwards that the pricing may run past 5pm.
   2. Carry on pricing the bulbs because your manager asked for them personally, and leave the till supervisor to manage the queue without mentioning that you are trained on the second till.
   3. Serve at the second till between trips to the stockroom, pricing a few trays of bulbs each time the queue drops, so that both jobs keep moving through the afternoon.
   4. Interrupt your manager's planting workshop to ask whether the bulbs or the till queue should come first, and wait for her decision before doing anything else.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Open the second till straight away to clear the queue, then go back to the bulbs and let your manager know afterwards that the pricing may run past 5pm.

   Least effective: B. Carry on pricing the bulbs because your manager asked for them personally, and leave the till supervisor to manage the queue without mentioning that you are trained on the second till.

   B: Hides the problem: you hold the one fact that would fix the queue and you withhold it, so the supervisor cannot solve a problem she does not know is solvable. That is concealment, not a priority call.

   C: Splits effort so nothing finishes: customers are waiting now and the queue only clears if someone stays on the till, so stepping away repeatedly leaves the queue growing and the bulbs still unpriced.

   D: Escalates prematurely: a queue at the only working till against unpriced stock nobody is waiting for is a call you can make yourself, and interrupting a customer workshop costs more than it settles.

   The most effective response is to open the second till straight away and tell your manager afterwards: customers are waiting now, the bulbs are waiting for nobody, and the pricing deadline is internal and movable while the queue is neither. Telling her afterwards keeps her informed without pulling her out of a workshop. It beats serving at the second till between trips to the stockroom, because serving in bursts never clears a queue; the till needs someone sitting at it, and dividing yourself leaves both jobs half done. It beats interrupting her planting workshop to ask which comes first, because this is a straightforward call between a waiting customer and a task nobody is waiting on, and it does not need a manager pulled away from a customer event to make it. The least effective response is carrying on with the bulbs without mentioning that you are trained on the second till: you are the only other trained operator and you keep that to yourself, so the supervisor is left unable to fix something you could have fixed in seconds. That is worse than serving in bursts, which at least serves some customers, and worse than asking your manager, which at least surfaces the clash to someone. The principle: when one task has people waiting on it and the other does not, serve the people, then tell the person whose deadline slipped.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a scheduler at a double glazing company. A customer has taken a day off work on Thursday for a full house installation booked eight weeks ago. On Tuesday the factory tells you three of the eight windows are the wrong size and will take three weeks to remake. The fitters could install the five correct windows on Thursday. The customer is contactable. Your operations manager is available today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Send the fitters on Thursday to install the five correct windows, and tell the customer when they arrive that the other three will follow in three weeks.
   2. Ring the customer today, explain that three windows are wrong and will take three weeks, and ask whether she wants the five fitted on Thursday or the whole job moved.
   3. Cancel Thursday without explanation and rebook the whole installation for three weeks' time, since it is simpler to fit all eight windows in one visit.
   4. Ring the customer today to say there is a problem with the order and that you will come back to her tomorrow once the operations manager has decided what to do.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Ring the customer today, explain that three windows are wrong and will take three weeks, and ask whether she wants the five fitted on Thursday or the whole job moved.

   Least effective: C. Cancel Thursday without explanation and rebook the whole installation for three weeks' time, since it is simpler to fit all eight windows in one visit.

   A: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: it decides for her that a partial installation is worth her day off, and tells her on the doorstep when she has already committed the day.

   C: Hides the problem: a customer who has booked a day off eight weeks in advance is cancelled with no reason given and no choice offered. The silence about why is what makes this worse than the other options.

   D: Delays the decision: it reaches her in time and gives her nothing to act on, when you already know precisely which windows are wrong, how long they will take and that Thursday could still be partly used.

   The most effective response is to ring the customer today, explain that three windows are wrong and will take three weeks, and ask whether she wants the five fitted on Thursday or the whole job moved: she has committed a day off, Tuesday still leaves her time to change her plans, and only she can decide whether five windows are worth the day. Giving her the facts and both options is what makes the day off recoverable. It beats sending the fitters on Thursday and telling her on the doorstep, because that takes the decision about her own day out of her hands. It beats ringing to say there is a problem and that you will come back tomorrow, because you already know everything she needs, so withholding it serves no purpose. The least effective response is cancelling Thursday without explanation and rebooking the whole installation: it cancels a day she booked eight weeks ago with no explanation and no alternative, purely because one visit is tidier for the company. That is worse than fitting five, which at least fits five, and worse than the holding call, which at least makes contact. The principle: when a failure affects a day someone has already committed, tell them at once, tell them the whole of it, and let them choose.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a customer service assistant at a railway station. Severe weather has cancelled three services and the concourse is crowded. You have been answering questions for two hours without a break. A passenger who has already asked you twice returns and tells you, angrily, that you clearly do not know what you are talking about and asks for someone competent. Your supervisor is on the concourse. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say nothing, look past him and start serving the next passenger in the queue, since he has already been given the information twice and the concourse is full of people who need help.
   2. Tell him you have given him the information you have, that the delays are caused by the weather rather than by staff, and ask him to let you help the passengers waiting behind him.
   3. Apologise and fetch your supervisor to deal with him, then carry on with the queue while she takes over the conversation.
   4. Acknowledge that the information has kept changing, tell him what is confirmed right now and when the next update is due, and offer to take him to your supervisor if he wants more.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Acknowledge that the information has kept changing, tell him what is confirmed right now and when the next update is due, and offer to take him to your supervisor if he wants more.

   Least effective: A. Say nothing, look past him and start serving the next passenger in the queue, since he has already been given the information twice and the concourse is full of people who need help.

   A: Avoids the difficult conversation: ignoring a passenger mid- complaint in a crowded concourse turns one angry man into a scene and tells everyone watching that staff disengage under pressure.

   B: Personalises the conflict: it is accurate and it answers his tone rather than his problem, which invites him to escalate in front of a crowded concourse.

   C: Passes responsibility to others: handing him straight over confirms his view that you could not help, and takes a supervisor off the concourse during a disruption when you can answer him yourself.

   The most effective response is to acknowledge that the information has kept changing, tell him what is confirmed right now and when the next update is due, and offer to take him to your supervisor: what he is actually short of is reliable information, so giving him that, and offering the supervisor as a route rather than a rescue, answers the complaint without conceding the insult. It beats telling him the delays are caused by the weather rather than by staff, because defending yourself, however fairly, engages with his tone instead of his problem, in front of a crowd. It beats fetching your supervisor to deal with him while you carry on with the queue, because that confirms his claim that you could not help and removes a supervisor from the concourse during disruption. The least effective response is looking past him and starting to serve the next passenger: ignoring a passenger who is mid-complaint on a crowded concourse escalates it into a scene and signals to everyone watching that staff stop engaging when it gets hard. That is worse than defending the airline, which engages badly, and worse than fetching the supervisor, which at least routes him. The principle: under personal criticism, answer the need rather than the tone, and give the person the next concrete thing they can rely on.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a shop floor assistant in a supermarket. You have finished facing up your aisle. Your colleague Dev is alone on the fresh produce aisle with three cages of stock to put out before the evening rush in an hour, and is clearly not going to finish. He has not asked for help. Your section manager is on a break for another twenty minutes. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Ask Dev whether he would like a hand, and find something else to do if he says he is fine, since he may have a system for working through the cages.
    2. Go over to produce, tell Dev your aisle is done and you will take one of the cages, and work alongside him until the stock is out.
    3. Wait for the section manager to come back from her break in twenty minutes and suggest that someone is moved onto produce to help Dev clear the cages.
    4. Find another job in your own section, since produce is Dev's aisle tonight and stepping in without being asked might look as though you are checking up on him.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: B. Go over to produce, tell Dev your aisle is done and you will take one of the cages, and work alongside him until the stock is out.

    Least effective: D. Find another job in your own section, since produce is Dev's aisle tonight and stepping in without being asked might look as though you are checking up on him.

    A: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: a colleague halfway through three cages with an hour to go will usually say he is managing, so the question is polite and predictably leaves him alone with them.

    C: Delays the decision: it spends a third of the remaining hour waiting to ask someone else to do what you could start now, and the cages are no smaller when she returns.

    D: Invents a reason not to help: it invents a reason not to help while three cages of fresh produce miss the evening rush. Manufacturing a concern about appearances to justify standing by is the failure here.

    The most effective response is to go over to produce, tell Dev your aisle is done and you will take one of the cages, and work alongside him: your aisle is finished, he has an hour and more stock than he can move, and the fastest fix is a second pair of hands. Saying your aisle is done removes any need for him to admit he is behind. It beats asking whether he would like a hand and finding something else if he says he is fine, because putting that question to a colleague mid-task invites the polite refusal, and the cages remain. It beats waiting for the section manager to come back from her break, because that spends a third of the available time arranging what you could simply do. The least effective response is finding another job in your own section: it leaves a colleague to miss the evening rush while you look for other work, and the justification is a worry about how helping might look. That is worse than offering, which at least asks, and worse than waiting for the manager, which at least seeks help. The principle: when your own work is done and a colleague plainly cannot finish, start helping rather than asking or waiting.