Matrigma Test

Matrigma Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a waiter in a restaurant. Your colleague Tomasz has been given a large party of sixteen on top of his own section and is visibly falling behind; starters have not gone out and the party has been seated twenty minutes. Your own tables are all served and content. The restaurant manager is dealing with a supplier at the door. Tomasz has not asked for help. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ask Tomasz whether he would like help with the party and stay with your own section if he says he has it, since he knows what the party has ordered.
   2. Go to Tomasz, tell him your tables are settled, and take the drinks and starters for the party of sixteen while he works his own section.
   3. Stay with your own section and let Tomasz manage, since the party was assigned to him and stepping in might confuse who is serving which table.
   4. Interrupt the restaurant manager at the door to tell her that the party of sixteen is not being served and that Tomasz needs someone put on it.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Go to Tomasz, tell him your tables are settled, and take the drinks and starters for the party of sixteen while he works his own section.

   Least effective: C. Stay with your own section and let Tomasz manage, since the party was assigned to him and stepping in might confuse who is serving which table.

   A: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: a waiter twenty minutes behind on a party of sixteen will usually say he has it, so the offer is courteous and leaves the party waiting.

   C: Stands available and does nothing: a party of sixteen has waited twenty minutes for starters while a waiter with nothing to do stands by, and the reason given is a worry about table allocation. Standing idle beside a visible failure is the worst of the four.

   D: Escalates prematurely: you are the person she would send, she is with a supplier, and the walk over costs minutes that the party has already spent waiting.

   The most effective response is to go to Tomasz, tell him your tables are settled, and take the drinks and starters for the party of sixteen: they have waited twenty minutes, and splitting the work that way is the fastest route back to a normal service. Telling him your section is done removes any need for him to admit he is behind. It beats asking whether he would like help and staying with your own section if he says he has it, because a colleague that far behind will usually decline a general offer, and the party waits regardless. It beats interrupting the restaurant manager at the door to say the party is not being served, because you are the resource she would assign, and fetching her costs minutes. The least effective response is staying with your own section and letting him manage: it leaves sixteen covers unserved while you stand available, justified by a concern about who is assigned to which table. That is worse than offering, which at least asks, and worse than telling the manager, which at least raises it. The principle: when your own section is settled and a colleague is visibly drowning, take a defined part of his work and start.

2. Question 2 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.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You work in a freight forwarding office. Your colleague Ben handles customs paperwork and is off sick today. A shipment he was preparing must be lodged with customs by 4pm or it misses its vessel and waits a week. You have done the paperwork before but not for this commodity. It is 1pm. Your office manager is on site and there is a customs broker the company uses. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Leave the shipment for Ben to lodge when he is back, since the paperwork is his responsibility and it would be worse to submit a customs entry that turns out to be wrong.
   2. Start the paperwork yourself and work through it carefully, asking the office manager only if you reach something you genuinely cannot resolve before 4pm.
   3. Ring the customs broker and ask them to lodge the entry, since they handle this commodity routinely and the deadline leaves no room for a mistake.
   4. Tell the office manager now that Ben is off and the 4pm customs deadline is at risk, say what you can do, and agree whether you proceed or the broker is used.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell the office manager now that Ben is off and the 4pm customs deadline is at risk, say what you can do, and agree whether you proceed or the broker is used.

   Least effective: A. Leave the shipment for Ben to lodge when he is back, since the paperwork is his responsibility and it would be worse to submit a customs entry that turns out to be wrong.

   A: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: the shipment misses its vessel and waits a week, and nobody with the power to prevent it is told. Caution about accuracy does not explain the silence.

   B: Acts on assumptions without checking: three hours is enough only if nothing goes wrong on a commodity you have never handled, and the point at which you find out is likely to be too late to change course.

   C: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: using the broker incurs a cost the office manager has not agreed, and she is on site and able to decide in a minute.

   The most effective response is to tell the office manager now that Ben is off and the 4pm customs deadline is at risk, say what you can do, and agree whether you proceed or the broker is used: there are three hours, two possible routes and a cost decision attached to one of them, and she is on site and owns that choice. Telling her what you can and cannot do lets her pick quickly. It beats starting the paperwork yourself and asking only if you reach something you cannot resolve, because pressing on alone with an unfamiliar commodity risks discovering the problem when neither route is available any more. It beats ringing the customs broker to lodge the entry, because that commits the company to a cost that is not yours to authorise, when she is a minute away. The least effective response is leaving the shipment for Ben to lodge when he is back: it lets it miss its vessel and wait a week without telling anyone who could have prevented it, using the absent colleague’s ownership as the reason. That is worse than the other two, which pick a route without permission but keep the shipment moving. The principle: when a deadline is at risk and the choice of route has a cost, raise it with the person who decides while both routes are still open.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are an account executive at a video production company. Your client’s marketing director, Elena, is launching a product at a trade show on Friday and opens her presentation with a film you are producing, promised for Wednesday so her team can rehearse with it. Today, Monday, your animator tells you the final effects cannot be finished before Thursday evening. Your account director is due at Elena’s offices on Thursday for the final run-through. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Hold the news until Thursday's run-through, when the account director can explain the delay face to face and walk Elena's team through how the finished film will arrive that evening.
   2. Phone Elena today, explain plainly that the film cannot arrive before Thursday evening, apologise, and ask what would help most: a simpler cut for rehearsals or trimming the effects to deliver sooner.
   3. Email Elena today that the final effects are taking slightly longer than planned but the film will be with her in good time for Friday, so her team is not alarmed while the animator catches up.
   4. Say nothing to Elena, press the animator to finish faster, and deliver whatever is ready on Wednesday, treating the delay as an internal production matter unless her team notices and asks.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Phone Elena today, explain plainly that the film cannot arrive before Thursday evening, apologise, and ask what would help most: a simpler cut for rehearsals or trimming the effects to deliver sooner.

   Least effective: D. Say nothing to Elena, press the animator to finish faster, and deliver whatever is ready on Wednesday, treating the delay as an internal production matter unless her team notices and asks.

   A: Delays the message: a senior person explaining difficult news in person is appealing, but Elena's team spends Monday to Thursday rehearsing around a Wednesday delivery that is not coming, and by the run-through there is no time left to adapt the launch plan.

   C: Over-reassures the stakeholder: it contacts Elena promptly, which is right, but "in good time for Friday" dresses a Thursday-evening delivery as comfortable, so her team keeps rehearsal plans built on Wednesday and the real impact lands later, when nothing can be adjusted.

   D: Hides the problem: handing over incomplete work as though it were the promised film, and telling the client nothing unless she notices, conceals a delay that directly affects her launch, a concealment failure unlike the other options, which all inform her eventually.

   The most effective response is to phone Elena today, explain plainly that the film cannot arrive before Thursday evening, and ask what would help most: she is relying on Wednesday to rehearse the opening of a Friday launch, so the delay is her news now, and a call delivers it with an apology and real choices while four days remain to adapt. It beats holding the news until Thursday’s run-through, because that buys a better messenger at the cost of the four days in which she could actually re- plan; by Thursday the information is accurate but useless. It beats emailing that the effects are taking slightly longer but the film will arrive in good time, because that tells her promptly and trades accuracy for comfort: it invites her team to keep a rehearsal schedule you already know is broken, so the honesty is only partial. The least effective response is saying nothing and delivering whatever is ready on Wednesday: unlike waiting for the run-through, which ensures she hears the truth from a senior person before the launch, and unlike the softened email, which at least discloses that a delay exists, it conceals the problem entirely and passes off incomplete work, leaving her to discover at the trade show what you knew on Monday. The principle: transparency before comfort. Give a stakeholder bad news while they can still act on it, stated at its real size, with options.

5. Question 5 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.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a project coordinator for a kitchen installation company. A customer’s kitchen is being fitted this week, with worktops due to be templated today and fitted Friday. This morning the fitter finds the floor is not level enough for the units and it needs a screed, taking three days to dry. The customer has family staying from Saturday. She is on site. Your installations manager is contactable. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Have the fitter pack up and tell the customer the installation is on hold until the floor has been screeded and dried.
   2. Arrange the screed straight away so the floor is ready as soon as possible, and tell the customer what has been booked once the dates are confirmed.
   3. Fit the units on the existing floor and level them with packers, and say nothing about the screed since the customer has family coming and the difference will not be visible once the units are in.
   4. Explain the floor problem to the customer now, ring your installations manager about options and timings, and go through what can realistically be done before Saturday.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Explain the floor problem to the customer now, ring your installations manager about options and timings, and go through what can realistically be done before Saturday.

   Least effective: C. Fit the units on the existing floor and level them with packers, and say nothing about the screed since the customer has family coming and the difference will not be visible once the units are in.

   A: Delays the decision: it states the problem and offers no route through, when packing up without a plan leaves a customer with no kitchen and family arriving on Saturday.

   B: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: three days of drying against family arriving Saturday is her trade-off to make, and booking it first presents her with a decision already taken.

   C: Hides the problem: units packed level on an unlevel floor are a concealed defect that shows in doors and worktops later, and the customer is deliberately not told so that Saturday is protected. That is building in a fault, not managing a deadline.

   The most effective response is to explain the floor problem to the customer now, ring your installations manager about options and timings, and go through what can realistically be done before Saturday: she is standing there, the floor genuinely needs screeding, and three days of drying collides with family arriving, so she needs the facts and the real options while there is still a week to work with. Involving the manager means the options are ones the company can deliver. It beats arranging the screed straight away and telling her once the dates are confirmed, because that decides how her week goes without asking. It beats having the fitter pack up and putting the installation on hold, because that leaves her with a stripped kitchen and no route through. The least effective response is fitting the units on the existing floor and levelling them with packers: it hides a concealed defect that emerges later in doors and worktops, to protect a date. That is worse than the other two, which handle the decision badly but do not build in a fault. The principle: when a problem forces a trade-off between quality and a date the customer cares about, give them the facts and the options and let them choose.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You work for a bespoke furniture maker. A customer commissioned a dining table for delivery before a family celebration in three weeks. Today the workshop tells you the timber has moved during drying and the top must be remade, which takes five weeks. A simpler design in a different timber could be made in three. The customer is contactable. Your workshop manager is available today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ring the customer today, explain the timber has moved and the original top now takes five weeks, and set out the simpler alternative so she can choose which she wants.
   2. Start the simpler design straight away so that something is ready for the celebration, and tell the customer what has been done once it is under way.
   3. Tell the customer there has been a problem with the timber and that you will come back to her once the workshop has worked out the options.
   4. Say nothing yet and press on with remaking the original top, since the workshop may make up time and telling her now would spoil the celebration she is planning.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Ring the customer today, explain the timber has moved and the original top now takes five weeks, and set out the simpler alternative so she can choose which she wants.

   Least effective: D. Say nothing yet and press on with remaking the original top, since the workshop may make up time and telling her now would spoil the celebration she is planning.

   B: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: she commissioned a specific table, and choosing a different design and timber for her removes the decision that the commission was about.

   C: Delays the decision: the options are already known, five weeks for the original or three for a simpler design, so withholding them leaves her unable to decide anything and shortens the time she has to.

   D: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: she is planning a family celebration around a table that will arrive two weeks late, and the plan is to let her find out. Withholding it to protect her mood removes every option she has.

   The most effective response is to ring the customer today, explain the timber has moved and the original top now takes five weeks, and set out the simpler alternative so she can choose: she commissioned this table for a specific date, the original now misses it by two weeks, and there is a genuine alternative. Only she can decide whether the date or the design matters more, and today is when that choice is still open. It beats starting the simpler design straight away and telling her once it is under way, because that decides the substance of her commission without asking. It beats telling her there has been a problem and that you will come back once the workshop has worked out the options, because both options are already known, so withholding them runs her time down for nothing. The least effective response is pressing on with remaking the original top and saying nothing: it leaves her planning a celebration around a table that will not arrive, in order to avoid spoiling her mood, which removes every choice she had. That is worse than the other two, which act or communicate imperfectly but do not conceal. The principle: when a commission cannot be met as agreed, put the real alternatives to the customer at once and let the choice be theirs.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are an adviser in an insurance company’s customer contact centre. Your colleague Marta, who sits beside you and often helps you with tricky cases, has been locked out of the customer-records system; the IT helpdesk resets locked accounts within about half an hour. Calls are queueing. Company policy says logins must never be shared, because every change to a customer’s record is logged against the account that made it, and sharing one is treated as a disciplinary matter. Marta asks you to give her your login so she can keep working while she waits. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell Marta you cannot share your login, and suggest she asks the team leader to help cover the queue until her account is reset.
   2. Give Marta your username and password so she can keep taking calls, planning to change the password once her own account has been restored.
   3. Sidestep the request by saying you are about to need the system yourself for back-to-back calls, hoping she asks somebody else instead of you.
   4. Keep hold of your own session and enter Marta's record updates yourself as she reads them out, so her customers are still served while she waits.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Tell Marta you cannot share your login, and suggest she asks the team leader to help cover the queue until her account is reset.

   Least effective: B. Give Marta your username and password so she can keep taking calls, planning to change the password once her own account has been restored.

   B: Breaches confidentiality or process: handing over your login gives untracked access to customer records under your name, in knowing breach of a stated disciplinary rule, to save part of a half-hour wait, a deliberate policy breach rather than a judgement call about helpfulness.

   C: Avoids the difficult conversation: an invented excuse dodges saying no on principle, leaves Marta free to ask a colleague who may agree, and does nothing about the queue or her locked account.

   D: Bends process on good intentions: keeping the password to yourself looks safer, but it records Marta's judgements against your name (the accountability the policy exists to protect) while halving your own call handling and fixing nothing about her account.

   The most effective response is to tell Marta you cannot share your login and suggest she asks the team leader to help cover the queue: it declines plainly, keeps the audit trail the policy exists to protect, and deals with the real pressure through a legitimate route, for a lockout the helpdesk will clear within about half an hour. It beats saying you are about to need the system yourself, because that ducks the refusal behind an invented excuse, leaving Marta free to ask someone else and the queue problem unraised. It beats keying her record updates yourself as she reads them out, because that, though well meant, enters her judgements on customer records under your name, which is precisely the accountability the logging rule protects, and it halves your own call handling while doing nothing to restore her access. The least effective response is giving her your username and password: unlike the invented excuse, which shares nothing, and unlike typing her updates yourself, which keeps you in control of your own session, it hands untracked access to customer records in knowing breach of a stated disciplinary rule, all to shave minutes off a half-hour wait. The principle: when loyalty or convenience pulls against a clear protective rule, decline plainly and solve the pressure through a legitimate route.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are an assistant at a photography studio. A couple booked a portrait session for their parents’ anniversary and the prints were promised for Friday. On Wednesday the printer jams and damages the whole set; a reprint takes until Monday. The anniversary is on Saturday. The couple can be reached by phone. Your studio manager is away until Friday. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Reprint the set for Monday and say nothing until Friday, since the studio manager is back then and may be able to find a faster option than you can.
   2. Email the couple to say there has been a production problem with the prints and that you will update them as soon as you know more about the new timescale.
   3. Ring the couple and promise that the studio will find a way to have the prints ready by Friday, then look into express printing options once you have reassured them.
   4. Ring the couple today, explain the prints are damaged and cannot be ready before Monday, and go through what could still be done in time for Saturday.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ring the couple today, explain the prints are damaged and cannot be ready before Monday, and go through what could still be done in time for Saturday.

   Least effective: A. Reprint the set for Monday and say nothing until Friday, since the studio manager is back then and may be able to find a faster option than you can.

   A: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: the couple expect prints on Friday for an anniversary on Saturday and are told nothing until the day itself. Waiting for the manager removes every alternative they might have arranged.

   B: Delays the message: it reaches them in time and withholds the fact they need, that the prints will not exist before the anniversary, so they cannot arrange anything else.

   C: Over-promises: it commits to a Friday delivery before checking that any express option exists, which risks breaking the same promise a second time on the day of the anniversary.

   The most effective response is to ring the couple today, explain the prints are damaged and cannot be ready before Monday, and go through what could still be done for Saturday: the prints were for a specific event, they will not exist until Monday, and on Wednesday the couple still have two days to arrange something else. Telling them today with the options is what makes those two days usable. It beats emailing that there has been a production problem and you will update them, because that withholds the one fact that matters, that nothing will be ready before the anniversary. It beats promising the studio will find a way to have them ready by Friday, because committing to that before knowing whether express printing is possible risks a second broken promise at the worst moment. The least effective response is reprinting for Monday and saying nothing until Friday: it leaves them believing prints are coming for a Saturday anniversary and tells them only when nothing can be arranged. That is worse than the other two, which communicate imperfectly but in time. The principle: when a promise tied to a date is going to break, tell the people affected while the date is still far enough away to do something about it.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are an account handler at an insurance brokers. You and your colleague Priti share a book of commercial clients. She has twice contacted clients you look after without telling you, and one client has now asked which of you is actually handling his renewal. Renewals for eight of these clients fall in the next three weeks. Priti is senior to you but not your manager. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Email the client to confirm that you are his handler and copy Priti in, so that the position is clear to everyone at the same time.
    2. Speak to Priti this week, agree which of you handles which clients through the renewal period, and confirm it to the client who asked.
    3. Raise it with your manager, explaining that Priti has been contacting your clients and that one has now questioned who is handling his renewal.
    4. Leave it, since Priti is senior and challenging her could be awkward, and simply work round any duplication as the eight renewals come up.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: B. Speak to Priti this week, agree which of you handles which clients through the renewal period, and confirm it to the client who asked.

    Least effective: D. Leave it, since Priti is senior and challenging her could be awkward, and simply work round any duplication as the eight renewals come up.

    A: Personalises the conflict: it settles the question by staking a claim in front of the client, which makes an internal muddle visible to the customer and puts Priti on the spot publicly.

    C: Escalates prematurely: Priti has not been told there is a problem, and the first she would hear of it is from a manager, over something two colleagues could settle before the renewals start.

    D: Avoids the difficult conversation: it accepts that clients will keep receiving conflicting contact through eight renewals, because raising it with a senior colleague feels uncomfortable. The client's confusion is left in place deliberately.

    The most effective response is to speak to Priti this week, agree which of you handles which clients through the renewal period, and confirm it to the client who asked: eight renewals are coming, a client has already noticed the confusion, and the fix is an agreement between two people about who handles what. Confirming it afterwards closes the loop cleanly. It beats raising it with your manager and explaining that she has been contacting your clients, because she has never been told this is causing a problem, and going to a manager first turns a workable conversation into a complaint about a senior colleague. It beats emailing the client to confirm you are his handler and copying her in, because settling it in front of the customer exposes the muddle rather than resolving it. The least effective response is leaving it and working round the duplication because challenging her would be awkward: it lets clients receive conflicting contact through eight renewals, so the problem the client has already flagged is knowingly allowed to continue. That is worse than the other two, which raise it in the wrong place but do raise it. The principle: agree the working boundary directly with the colleague, then tell the client, before the busy period makes it worse.