Admiral Assessment Tests

Admiral Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a reconciliations clerk. Four breaks need clearing before the 2pm cut-off and each takes about an hour. It is 10am. Three desks have each told you theirs is the priority. Your supervisor is uncontactable this morning. One of the four affects a client payment; the other three affect internal reporting only. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Work the four breaks in the order the desks contacted you, and tell all three desks plainly that arrival order is the rule you are applying today.
   2. Clear the client payment break first, then wait for your supervisor to become contactable before deciding the order of the remaining three breaks.
   3. Clear the client payment break first, tell all three desks the order you are working in and why, and say which break will not make the cut-off.
   4. Send the three internal breaks over to another team without telling them which one is urgent, and treat all four as no longer yours to worry about.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Clear the client payment break first, tell all three desks the order you are working in and why, and say which break will not make the cut-off.

   Least effective: D. Send the three internal breaks over to another team without telling them which one is urgent, and treat all four as no longer yours to worry about.

   A: Treats order of arrival as priority: it is at least transparent, and a client payment is not more or less urgent for having been raised second.

   B: Stops after the easy call: the hard part is the other three, and waiting spends the morning that could have cleared two of them.

   D: Moves the work rather than the decision: another team has no context on three breaks, the ordering problem is untouched, and three desks still do not know where they stand.

   The most effective response is to clear the client payment break first, tell all three desks the order you are working in and why, and say which break will not make the cut-off: the client payment is the only one with an outside party behind it, and telling the desks the order and the casualty makes it a decision rather than a queue. It beats working the four in the order the desks contacted you and telling them arrival order is the rule, because arrival order has nothing to do with consequence. It beats clearing the client payment and waiting for your supervisor before deciding the rest, because waiting burns the hours that would have cleared two more. The least effective response is sending the three internal breaks to another team without saying which is urgent: they go to people who cannot judge them, nobody is told anything, and the decision that had to be made is simply not made. That is passing it on rather than sequencing it wrongly. The principle: rank by consequence, then tell the people who lose.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are an accounts assistant. A supplier payment run has to be approved by 3pm or the supplier will not be paid until Monday, and they have said they will hold a delivery until they are. It is 2:15pm. A colleague asks you to reformat last month’s expenses spreadsheet, which is wanted for a meeting next week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Start on the expenses spreadsheet and leave the payment run alone until it is done, on the grounds that somebody more senior would have said something if the 3pm deadline really mattered today.
   2. Ask a colleague to take the payment run so that you can make a proper start on the expenses spreadsheet while the request is still fresh in your mind.
   3. Get the payment run approved before 3pm, then tell your colleague you will reformat the expenses spreadsheet afterwards and give them a time when it will be with them.
   4. Work on the expenses spreadsheet and the payment run in turn through the afternoon, giving each of them a few minutes at a time, so that your colleague sees progress and the payment is not left untouched.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Get the payment run approved before 3pm, then tell your colleague you will reformat the expenses spreadsheet afterwards and give them a time when it will be with them.

   Least effective: A. Start on the expenses spreadsheet and leave the payment run alone until it is done, on the grounds that somebody more senior would have said something if the 3pm deadline really mattered today.

   A: Assumes the deadline away: nobody has been asked and nothing has been checked, so a delivery is put at risk on the strength of a silence that means nothing at all.

   B: Hands off the urgent job: the deadline stays yours, and the harder task goes to somebody who has not been following it, to protect work that is not wanted until next week.

   D: Splits effort so nothing finishes: the payment run needs a clear run at it before 3pm, and alternating is the one approach that risks missing a deadline nothing else in the day competes with.

   The most effective response is to get the payment run approved before 3pm, then tell your colleague you will reformat the expenses spreadsheet afterwards and give them a time: 3pm is the only fixed point in the day, the spreadsheet is wanted next week, and a word means they are not left wondering. It beats working on both in turn through the afternoon, because dividing the next forty-five minutes is exactly how the payment run misses 3pm. It beats asking a colleague to take the payment run so you can start the spreadsheet, because moving the urgent work to somebody unfamiliar with it buys time on a task nothing is waiting for. The least effective response is starting on the expenses spreadsheet and leaving the payment run on the assumption that somebody would have said if 3pm mattered: it puts a delivery at risk on a premise nobody was asked to confirm. That is avoidance rather than a defensible ordering of work. The principle: protect the deadline the outside world is holding you to, and tell the person whose work waits.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a reconciliations clerk. Your daily check of forty routine items normally takes an hour and is due by lunchtime. This morning one item is a £9,000 break that a client’s adviser has already telephoned about twice. Investigating it will take most of the morning. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Call the adviser now to say the break is in hand, then decide between the two jobs once you have seen how long the routine items are taking today.
   2. Investigate the £9,000 break first, tell the adviser what you find by lunchtime, and let your team leader know the routine check will run into the afternoon.
   3. Work through the forty routine items as usual and leave the break where it is, on the basis that a client adviser ringing twice is not the same as a formal instruction to investigate.
   4. Do the routine check first because it has a fixed lunchtime deadline, then start on the break in the afternoon and call the adviser back when you know more.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Investigate the £9,000 break first, tell the adviser what you find by lunchtime, and let your team leader know the routine check will run into the afternoon.

   Least effective: C. Work through the forty routine items as usual and leave the break where it is, on the basis that a client adviser ringing twice is not the same as a formal instruction to investigate.

   A: Buys time without deciding anything: the call is useful, and the choice between the two jobs is exactly what is being deferred.

   C: Declines to look at the exception: the one item with a person waiting behind it is the one left untouched, and no instruction was ever needed to look at a £9,000 break.

   D: Ranks by deadline rather than consequence: the routine check has slack in the day and the break has a client waiting on it.

   The most effective response is to investigate the £9,000 break first, tell the adviser what you find by lunchtime, and let your team leader know the routine check will run into the afternoon: the break is the item with an outside party behind it, the routine check has slack, and telling your team leader turns a slip into a managed one. It beats doing the routine check first because it has a fixed lunchtime deadline, since a deadline with slack does not outrank a client waiting on £9,000. It beats calling the adviser to say the break is in hand and deciding later, because a holding call still leaves the decision unmade. The least effective response is working through the forty routine items and leaving the break because nobody formally instructed you: the one item that needed judgement is passed over in favour of routine work. That is avoidance rather than a defensible ordering. The principle: the exception is the work, and the routine is what has slack in it.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are an audit associate. A colleague is meeting the client’s financial controller tomorrow to ask for a schedule. Last week the same controller told you sharply that she had already sent it and would not be sending it twice. Your colleague does not know this and has not asked. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Send him a message tomorrow morning just before he goes into the meeting, so that the warning is at least fresh in his mind when he walks in there.
   2. Go and ask the controller yourself whether she ever sent the schedule, without telling your colleague that you are doing it.
   3. Tell your colleague today what the controller said last week, and check together whether the schedule did arrive before he goes and asks for it again.
   4. Let him go into the meeting without mentioning what she said, since he has not asked and she may well be in a better mood about it tomorrow.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell your colleague today what the controller said last week, and check together whether the schedule did arrive before he goes and asks for it again.

   Least effective: D. Let him go into the meeting without mentioning what she said, since he has not asked and she may well be in a better mood about it tomorrow.

   A: Times it too late to act on: checking whether the schedule arrived takes longer than the walk to the meeting room.

   B: Duplicates the approach: she now hears from two of you about the same schedule, which is precisely what annoyed her.

   D: Lets a colleague walk into it: a two-minute warning would have changed how he opens the meeting, and the client's goodwill is spent for nothing.

   The most effective response is to tell your colleague today what the controller said last week, and check together whether the schedule did arrive: it gives him the warning while there is still time to check, and checking is what prevents the second ask altogether. It beats messaging him tomorrow morning just before he goes into the meeting, because that leaves no time to look. It beats going to ask the controller yourself whether she ever sent it, because a second approach from a different person is the thing she objected to. The least effective response is letting him go into the meeting without mentioning what she said: he walks in without a fact you hold that would have changed how he ran it. That is withholding it rather than giving it late or acting on it clumsily. The principle: warn the person early enough that the warning is still useful.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a personal banking assistant. A customer’s account will go overdrawn on Friday when a direct debit leaves, and charges will follow. The standard warning is an automated text. She told you last month that she finds texts confusing and misses them, and she is caring for her mother. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Telephone her today to explain the position, and leave the account preference as it is since the automated text is the standard for everybody.
   2. Write to her by post explaining the position, so she has it in a form she can read carefully rather than a message on a telephone.
   3. Send the automated text over to her in the usual way and leave it to the standard process, since that is what it is there for and the warning will have been given.
   4. Telephone her today, explain what will happen on Friday and what she can do about it, and note on the account that she prefers a call to a text.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Telephone her today, explain what will happen on Friday and what she can do about it, and note on the account that she prefers a call to a text.

   Least effective: C. Send the automated text over to her in the usual way and leave it to the standard process, since that is what it is there for and the warning will have been given.

   A: Fixes this week and not next: the same problem recurs every time, because nothing about how she is contacted has changed.

   B: Chooses a channel slower than the deadline: Friday is two days away and post may not arrive in time to act on.

   C: Passes the customer to a process you already know does not reach her: the warning is technically issued, and she told you last month that she misses exactly this.

   The most effective response is to telephone her today, explain what will happen on Friday and what she can do about it, and note that she prefers a call to a text: a call reaches her before Friday, it explains what she can actually do, and the note means the next warning reaches her too. It beats writing to her by post, because post may miss Friday. It beats telephoning today but leaving the account preference as it is, because that guarantees a repeat. The least effective response is sending the automated text in the usual way: she is handed to a process you have been told does not work for her, so the warning is issued and not received. That is passing her to the process rather than choosing a slower or narrower channel. The principle: reach the customer by the route that actually reaches them, and record it.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a financial crime analyst. A colleague asks you to take twelve of her cases this week because she has “a lot on”. She asked the same last month and you agreed. Your own queue is full but manageable. Your team leader allocates cases and does not know about either request. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell her you cannot take any of them this week, and leave it there without suggesting anything about the allocation.
   2. Tell her you can take a few but that this is the second time, and that the two of you should put the allocation to your team leader rather than rearranging it privately.
   3. Take a few of them without saying anything, since you managed last month and she would not ask twice without a reason for it.
   4. Send the twelve cases straight over to your team leader to reallocate, without telling your colleague that you have done so or that you were asked.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell her you can take a few but that this is the second time, and that the two of you should put the allocation to your team leader rather than rearranging it privately.

   Least effective: D. Send the twelve cases straight over to your team leader to reallocate, without telling your colleague that you have done so or that you were asked.

   A: Refuses without a route: she still has a queue she cannot manage and nothing has been raised with anybody who could change it.

   C: Prioritises harmony over honesty: a few cases move, the allocation stays hidden from the person who owns it, and the pattern is set for a third time.

   D: Hands the request to a manager behind the colleague's back: she asked you directly, and the first she hears is a reallocation she did not expect.

   The most effective response is to tell her you can take a few but that this is the second time, and that the two of you should put the allocation to your team leader: it helps a little, names the pattern honestly to her face, and takes the question to the person whose job it is. It beats taking a few without saying anything because you managed last month, since absorbing it twice hides a real allocation problem. It beats telling her you cannot take any this week and leaving it there, because a flat refusal leaves her exactly where she was. The least effective response is sending the twelve cases to your team leader to reallocate without telling her: the request is escalated over her head, so she is blindsided and the conversation you could have had is now a management one. That is going around a colleague rather than being too soft or too hard. The principle: say it to her, then take the allocation where it belongs, together.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a research assistant. A colleague has left for two weeks and his half-finished sector note is now yours, due Friday. You already have your own note due Friday. The two together are four days of work and there are three days left. Your manager is available this afternoon. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Work on both notes in parallel and get as far as you can with each, so that neither is completely missing on Friday.
   2. Prioritise your own note and finish it properly on Friday, then make a start on his the following Monday once the week's pressure has come off.
   3. Take both notes and the four-days-in-three problem to your manager this afternoon, with a suggestion for which one should move and why.
   4. Say in front of the team that this is what happens when people go on leave with work half done, and that your own note will be late because of somebody else's planning.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Take both notes and the four-days-in-three problem to your manager this afternoon, with a suggestion for which one should move and why.

   Least effective: D. Say in front of the team that this is what happens when people go on leave with work half done, and that your own note will be late because of somebody else's planning.

   A: Splits effort so nothing finishes: two half-notes on Friday are worth less than one finished one, and the choice is still not made.

   B: Decides between two commitments alone: which note matters more is your manager's judgement, and his may be the one somebody is waiting for.

   D: Makes an absent colleague the subject instead of the work: the four days still do not fit into three, and the team hears a complaint rather than a choice that needs making.

   The most effective response is to take both notes and the four-days-in- three problem to your manager this afternoon, with a suggestion for which should move: four days do not fit in three, only she can drop one, and arriving with a proposal makes it a decision rather than a complaint. It beats working on both notes in parallel and getting as far as you can, because two unfinished notes help nobody. It beats prioritising your own note and starting his on Monday, because the ranking is not yours to make alone. The least effective response is saying in front of the team that this is what happens when people go on leave with work half done: it turns a scheduling problem into a public grievance about a colleague who is not there, and the decision is no closer. That is personalising it rather than ordering the work badly. The principle: take the arithmetic and a proposal to the person who can change the scope.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a payments assistant. A large client payment has failed and the client’s finance director needs to know within the hour. The approved route is through their relationship manager, who is on a flight. You have the finance director’s mobile number on a file you are not supposed to use for contact details. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Call the relationship manager's team now for another contact route, and tell your manager the clock so somebody with authority can decide how to reach the client.
   2. Take the finance director's mobile number from the file and telephone him directly, since he needs to know within the hour and the number is right there in front of you.
   3. Ask a colleague to telephone the client's main switchboard and try to reach the finance director without saying what it is about.
   4. Email the relationship manager and wait for her to land, since she is the approved route and the client is hers to contact.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Call the relationship manager's team now for another contact route, and tell your manager the clock so somebody with authority can decide how to reach the client.

   Least effective: B. Take the finance director's mobile number from the file and telephone him directly, since he needs to know within the hour and the number is right there in front of you.

   B: Uses a record for a purpose it is not permitted for: the restriction exists whatever the reason, and urgency is exactly the circumstance it was written to cover.

   C: Sends somebody to make a call they cannot explain: a vague approach from an unnamed colleague will not reach him inside an hour.

   D: Follows the route past the deadline: an hour is the whole window and a flight is longer than that.

   The most effective response is to call the relationship manager’s team now for another contact route, and tell your manager the clock so somebody with authority can decide how to reach the client: her team almost certainly has another route, and your manager can authorise whatever is needed if it does not. It beats emailing the relationship manager and waiting for her to land, because the flight is longer than the hour. It beats asking a colleague to ring the client’s switchboard without saying what it is about, because a call nobody can explain will not get through. The least effective response is taking the finance director’s mobile number from the file and telephoning him directly: contact details are used from a source you are specifically not permitted to use for that, on your own judgement that the circumstances justify it. That is breaching a stated restriction rather than being too slow or too indirect. The principle: when the approved route will not make the deadline, get authority for another one.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are an onboarding analyst. Two colleagues are in dispute about a missed client deadline, and your team leader is deciding between their accounts. You saw the email that settles it: one of them did send the information on time. That colleague is the one you get on with least. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Keep what you saw to yourself and let your team leader decide on the two accounts, since it is not your dispute and you have no wish to be drawn into it.
   2. Forward the email to your team leader with no explanation, so the facts are available without you appearing to take a side.
   3. Tell your team leader today that you saw the email and when it was sent, and offer to forward it so the decision rests on the record rather than on recollection.
   4. Tell the colleague you get on with least that you saw the email, and leave it to him to raise it with your team leader himself.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell your team leader today that you saw the email and when it was sent, and offer to forward it so the decision rests on the record rather than on recollection.

   Least effective: A. Keep what you saw to yourself and let your team leader decide on the two accounts, since it is not your dispute and you have no wish to be drawn into it.

   A: Withholds the fact that settles it: a colleague is blamed for something the record shows he did not do, and the one person who could correct that has chosen not to.

   B: Supplies the document and not the context: an unexplained email in a dispute is easy to misread and invites a question you have avoided answering.

   D: Routes the evidence through the interested party: it arrives as his claim rather than as your observation, which is exactly what is in doubt.

   The most effective response is to tell your team leader today that you saw the email and when it was sent, and offer to forward it: it puts the decisive fact in front of the person deciding, in your own words, and offers the document behind it. It beats telling the colleague you get on with least and leaving him to raise it, because evidence relayed by the person it helps carries less weight. It beats forwarding the email with no explanation, because a bare forward leaves your team leader guessing what it shows. The least effective response is keeping what you saw to yourself because it is not your dispute: a colleague is found at fault for something the record disproves, because the only witness preferred not to be involved. That is silence rather than an awkward or indirect way of speaking up. The principle: if you hold the fact that settles it, say so plainly, whoever it helps.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a research assistant. The team’s shared model has an error in one formula that overstates a total by about 2%. You know how to fix it. Four colleagues have live client work open in copies of that model, and the model is version controlled by another team. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Fix the formula in your own copy only, and say nothing to anybody else since their work is theirs to check.
    2. Tell the owning team and your four colleagues today what the error is and what it does, and let the owning team issue a corrected version properly.
    3. Correct the formula in the shared model yourself this afternoon, so that everybody is working from the right figures from now on without any fuss.
    4. Raise it at the team meeting in a fortnight's time, when the owning team is present and the change can be discussed properly with everybody in the room at once.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: B. Tell the owning team and your four colleagues today what the error is and what it does, and let the owning team issue a corrected version properly.

    Least effective: C. Correct the formula in the shared model yourself this afternoon, so that everybody is working from the right figures from now on without any fuss.

    A: Keeps the fix to yourself: four people continue to produce client work with a 2% overstatement you have already identified.

    C: Changes a controlled artefact outside its control: four colleagues' open work shifts under them mid-task, and the change has no version, no notice and no owner.

    D: Delays a live error: a fortnight of client work goes out on a formula you know is wrong.

    The most effective response is to tell the owning team and your four colleagues today what the error is and what it does, and let the owning team issue a corrected version: everybody exposed hears today, and the correction is made by the people who own the version history. It beats fixing the formula in your own copy and saying nothing, because four colleagues keep shipping a known error. It beats raising it at the team meeting in a fortnight, because that is a long time for a live overstatement. The least effective response is correcting the formula in the shared model yourself this afternoon: a controlled model is edited outside its control while four people have work open in it, so their figures move mid-task with nothing to explain why. That is bypassing the control rather than acting too narrowly or too slowly. The principle: tell everyone exposed today, and let the owner make the change.