BBC Assessment Tests

BBC Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a property manager for a block of flats. A leaseholder has been chasing you for three weeks about a leak into her flat from the roof. Today the contractor confirms the roof needs a full repair costing more than the reserve fund holds, which means a consultation with all leaseholders and no repair for at least two months. She has already reported damage to her ceiling. Your director is available. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ring the leaseholder today, explain the roof needs full repair, that consultation means at least two months, and what will be done about her ceiling and the leak meanwhile.
   2. Wait until the consultation is under way before contacting her, so that you can give her firm dates rather than an open-ended answer she will only chase you about again.
   3. Write to all leaseholders with the consultation notice, so that everyone including her receives the same information about the roof at the same time.
   4. Tell her the roof repair has been approved in principle and that you will confirm timescales once the consultation process has been worked through.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Ring the leaseholder today, explain the roof needs full repair, that consultation means at least two months, and what will be done about her ceiling and the leak meanwhile.

   Least effective: B. Wait until the consultation is under way before contacting her, so that you can give her firm dates rather than an open-ended answer she will only chase you about again.

   B: Hides the problem: she has water entering her flat and has chased for three weeks. Waiting for tidier information leaves her with no information at all, and the silence is chosen to avoid being chased rather than to help her.

   C: Tells the wrong audience first: she has been chasing for three weeks and has water coming into her flat, so receiving a standard notice with everyone else answers none of her particular questions.

   D: Over-promises: describing it as approved in principle implies more certainty than a consultation that has not started, and it withholds the two-month timescale she needs to plan around.

   The most effective response is to ring the leaseholder today, explain the roof needs full repair, that consultation means at least two months, and what will be done about her ceiling and the leak meanwhile: she has been chasing for three weeks, has an active leak and ceiling damage, and the news is bad in a specific way she needs to plan around. That treats her as someone with a live problem rather than one of a list. It beats writing to all leaseholders with the consultation notice, because a general notice answers the block’s question and not hers. It beats telling her the repair is approved in principle with timescales to follow, because that overstates where things stand and still leaves out the timescale. The least effective response is waiting until the consultation is under way so you can give her firm dates: it delays telling her anything until the information is neater, while water continues to come into her flat, and the reason is to avoid being chased. That is worse than the other two, which communicate partially but do communicate. The principle: tell the person carrying the consequence directly, give them the timescale even when it is bad, and say what happens in the meantime.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You work on the service desk of a bicycle hire scheme. A customer has been charged a £120 late return fee. The app’s GPS shows his bike was returned two hours late, but he says he docked it on time and the dock was faulty. Docking faults are logged by the system and you can see the maintenance log. Your supervisor can authorise refunds. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain that the system shows the bike as returned two hours late and that the charge is applied automatically, and give him the address for written appeals.
   2. Tell him the GPS data is definitive, that the system does not make mistakes of this kind, and that the charge will stand.
   3. Refund the £120 now, since a faulty dock is a plausible explanation and £120 is a lot to charge a customer for a fault that may not be his.
   4. Apologise, check the maintenance log for a fault on that dock at that time, and take the result to your supervisor so the charge can be refunded if the dock failed.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Apologise, check the maintenance log for a fault on that dock at that time, and take the result to your supervisor so the charge can be refunded if the dock failed.

   Least effective: B. Tell him the GPS data is definitive, that the system does not make mistakes of this kind, and that the charge will stand.

   A: Ignores the customer's actual need: the maintenance log that would test his account is available to you now, and he is sent to write a letter about something you could check in a minute.

   B: Acts on assumptions without checking: it asserts the system is infallible while a maintenance log exists precisely because docks fail, and it rules against the customer without opening the one record that would test his account.

   C: Breaches confidentiality or process: refunds need supervisor authorisation, and granting one on plausibility rather than on the log that would settle it removes the control and skips the evidence.

   The most effective response is to apologise, check the maintenance log for a fault on that dock at that time, and take the result to your supervisor so the charge can be refunded if the dock failed: he has made a specific, checkable claim, the log will show whether that dock faulted, and your supervisor can refund on the strength of it. Checking first means the decision rests on evidence rather than on who insists harder. It beats explaining that the charge is automatic and giving him the address for written appeals, because that defers a check you can do immediately. It beats refunding the £120 now because a faulty dock is plausible, since that skips both the evidence and the authorisation, so a genuine dock fault still goes unrecorded and unfixed. The least effective response is telling him the GPS data is definitive and the system does not make such mistakes: it declares the system incapable of the error he describes, when the maintenance log exists because docks do fail, and refuses him without looking. That is worse than the appeals address, which at least leaves a route, and worse than the immediate refund, which at least resolves it in his favour. The principle: when a customer’s account is checkable, check it, then take the evidence to whoever authorises the outcome.

3. Question 3 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.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You work in the billing team of an energy supplier. A customer rings about a bill for £520 covering nine months, caused by the supplier failing to bill her since she moved in. She says that even the standard twelve-month plan would be more than she can manage each month. Company policy allows a repayment plan over twelve months for billing errors of this kind, and a longer plan needs a team leader’s approval. Your team leader is at her desk. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Apologise for the nine months of missed billing, set out the twelve- month plan, and ask your team leader now whether a longer plan can be approved given the supplier's error.
   2. Explain that the energy was used and the bill is correct, and set up the standard twelve-month repayment plan the policy allows.
   3. Tell her the bill stands and must be paid within the usual payment terms, since the energy was genuinely used and the debt is hers regardless of when it was billed.
   4. Reduce the bill by the amount covering the first three months, since the supplier's failure to bill caused the problem and the customer should not pay for the company's error.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Apologise for the nine months of missed billing, set out the twelve- month plan, and ask your team leader now whether a longer plan can be approved given the supplier's error.

   Least effective: C. Tell her the bill stands and must be paid within the usual payment terms, since the energy was genuinely used and the debt is hers regardless of when it was billed.

   B: Treats the policy floor as the ceiling: the twelve-month plan is offered as the only option when a longer one exists and a team leader who can approve it is at her desk, and she has not been asked.

   C: Ignores the customer's actual need: it demands full payment on normal terms for the supplier's own nine-month failure, and withholds a repayment plan the policy explicitly provides. That is a refusal of a remedy she is entitled to.

   D: Breaches confidentiality or process: writing off part of a bill is not a decision the billing team takes, and doing it unilaterally replaces an approval route with a personal judgement about fairness.

   The most effective response is to apologise for the nine months of missed billing, set out the twelve-month plan, and ask your team leader now whether a longer plan can be approved: the supplier caused this by not billing, the policy provides a repayment plan, and a longer one is available through a team leader sitting at her desk. That gives the customer the best the company actually allows. It beats explaining that the energy was used and setting up the standard twelve-month plan, because that treats it as the only option when a longer one exists and can be approved in minutes. It beats reducing the bill by the first three months, because that is not the billing team’s decision, however sympathetic the case. The least effective response is telling her the bill must be paid within the usual payment terms: it insists on normal terms for a debt created by the supplier’s own failure, and withholds a repayment plan the policy provides. That is worse than the standard plan, which at least offers one, and worse than the reduction, which at least tries to help. The principle: when your organisation caused the problem, find the most the policy allows and use the approval route for anything beyond it.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You work for a tour operator. A group of twenty-four is flying out on Saturday on a walking holiday. On Wednesday the mountain hut booked for two nights closes after a water supply failure. An alternative hut is available but is four hours’ walk further on, which changes two days of the itinerary. The group leader is contactable. Your operations manager is available today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Rebook the alternative hut and send the group leader a revised itinerary, so the holiday is secured and everyone knows the new plan before they fly.
   2. Wait until the water supply position is clearer later in the week, since the hut may reopen before Saturday and a change of itinerary would unsettle the group unnecessarily.
   3. Let the group travel as booked and have the guide explain the change of route when they reach the mountain, since the alternative hut will be arranged by then anyway.
   4. Ring the group leader today, explain the hut closure and what the alternative would mean for two days of walking, and agree the plan before anything is rebooked.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ring the group leader today, explain the hut closure and what the alternative would mean for two days of walking, and agree the plan before anything is rebooked.

   Least effective: C. Let the group travel as booked and have the guide explain the change of route when they reach the mountain, since the alternative hut will be arranged by then anyway.

   A: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: adding four hours' walking to two days changes what the group signed up for, and some members may not be able to do it. That is the group leader's call, not a booking amendment.

   B: Delays the decision: the alternative hut may be taken by another group while you wait, and the leader loses the days in which walkers could have prepared or withdrawn.

   C: Hides the problem: twenty-four people are told on the mountain that two days now involve four hours' more walking, when some may be unable to manage it and none of them can do anything about it there. That is concealment with a safety dimension.

   The most effective response is to ring the group leader today, explain the hut closure and what the alternative would mean for two days of walking, and agree the plan before anything is rebooked: four extra hours on two days is a material change, some of twenty-four people may not manage it, and only he can judge that for his group. Wednesday leaves time to prepare, adjust or withdraw. It beats rebooking the alternative hut and sending a revised itinerary, because that presents the change as settled when its acceptability depends on the group. It beats waiting until the water supply position is clearer later in the week, because that risks losing the alternative hut and burns the days the group needs. The least effective response is letting them travel as booked and having the guide explain the change of route on the mountain: it tells twenty-four walkers the route has lengthened substantially at the one point where nobody can opt out. That is worse than the other two, which decide or delay but do not spring it on people in the field. The principle: when a change affects what people are physically committing to, tell whoever speaks for them while they can still choose.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a funeral arranger. You have had an emotionally difficult week and today have taken three arrangement meetings back to back. A family arrives for the fourth, an hour early, and the son tells you at the door that the arrangements you sent contain the wrong name for his mother. You are tired and know you are close to your limit. Your funeral director is in the office. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Apologise for the mistake and start the meeting straight away without mentioning the error to anyone else, since raising it would only draw attention to a failing in your own work.
   2. Apologise, correct the paperwork immediately and start the meeting an hour early, since the family are here and have already been let down once.
   3. Apologise for the error, settle the family with a short wait, and tell your funeral director now so the paperwork is corrected and she can take the meeting if that is better.
   4. Apologise, correct the name, and ask the family to wait until the original appointment time so that you have a short break before the meeting begins.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Apologise for the error, settle the family with a short wait, and tell your funeral director now so the paperwork is corrected and she can take the meeting if that is better.

   Least effective: A. Apologise for the mistake and start the meeting straight away without mentioning the error to anyone else, since raising it would only draw attention to a failing in your own work.

   A: Hides an error to protect yourself: a family's mother's name was wrong on their arrangements, and the reason for not telling the funeral director is how it reflects on you. That leaves the error unexamined and the family with a tired arranger.

   B: Abandons own limits at the family's expense: starting an hour early when you know you are close to your limit takes the most demanding meeting of the week at the worst moment, and this family need you at your best.

   D: Hides the strain until failure: it buys a few minutes without telling anyone how the week has gone, so the funeral director cannot judge whether you should be taking this meeting at all.

   The most effective response is to apologise for the error, settle the family with a short wait, and tell your funeral director now so the paperwork is corrected and she can take the meeting if that is better: the family need the error put right and they need an arranger who is not at the end of a very hard week, and she can do both. Settling them first means the apology is not delayed by the internal question. It beats correcting the name and asking them to wait until the original time so you get a short break, because a break nobody knows about leaves her unable to judge whether you should be taking the meeting. It beats correcting the paperwork and starting an hour early, because beginning while you know you are close to your limit gives this family the least of you at the point they need the most. The least effective response is starting the meeting straight away without mentioning the error to anyone: it hides a mistake on a family’s arrangements to stop it reflecting badly on you. That is worse than the other two, which handle the pressure badly but put the error right openly. The principle: fix what the person in front of you needs, and tell whoever can rebalance the work the truth about your own capacity.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a visitor services assistant at a museum. A family arrives having booked online for a dinosaur exhibition that closed permanently last week; the website page was taken down but their booking email still shows today’s date. They have travelled two hours and the children are visibly disappointed. Your supervisor is at lunch for another thirty minutes. Refunds require a supervisor. The museum’s other galleries are open. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain that the exhibition closed last week and that refunds have to be authorised by a supervisor, and ask them to come back to the desk in half an hour when she is off her lunch break.
   2. Apologise and process a refund from the till yourself, since the museum is plainly at fault and making the family wait for a supervisor would add insult to a wasted journey.
   3. Apologise, take their details and tell them the museum will investigate how the booking was allowed to go through and will write to them once the cause has been established.
   4. Apologise for the booking error, explain what is open today, offer to show them straight through to the other galleries, and take their details so the refund is processed when your supervisor returns.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Apologise for the booking error, explain what is open today, offer to show them straight through to the other galleries, and take their details so the refund is processed when your supervisor returns.

   Least effective: A. Explain that the exhibition closed last week and that refunds have to be authorised by a supervisor, and ask them to come back to the desk in half an hour when she is off her lunch break.

   A: Ignores the customer's actual need: a family two hours from home with disappointed children is given a rule and a wait. It offers them nothing they can do in the next half hour, which is the one thing the situation calls for.

   B: Breaches confidentiality or process: refunds need a supervisor for good reason, and the strength of the family's case is not authority to take money out of the till. The right outcome by the wrong route.

   C: Delays the decision: an investigation into the website answers a question nobody in front of you is asking. The family are standing in the foyer now with a day to rescue.

   The most effective response is to apologise, explain what is open today, show them straight through to the other galleries, and take their details for the refund: it fixes what can be fixed today, a day out that still happens, and sets the refund running through the proper route without making the family wait in the foyer for it. It beats processing a refund from the till yourself, because a supervisor’s authorisation is the control on money leaving the till, and however deserving the case, that is not yours to override. It beats promising to investigate how the booking went through and write to them, because that is the museum’s problem, not the family’s, and it gives four people standing in front of you nothing to do with their afternoon. The least effective response is asking them to come back in half an hour when the supervisor is off her lunch break: it is the only response that offers the family nothing at all in the meantime, after a two-hour journey, when the museum is at fault and other galleries are open. That is worse than refunding from the till, which errs by helping too freely, and worse than the investigation, which at least takes their details. The principle: rescue what can be rescued now, and route the part you cannot authorise through the person who can.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a keeper at an aquarium. Checking a display tank that is not on your round you notice the water level has dropped noticeably since yesterday and there is a damp patch on the floor behind it. The tank is not your responsibility and the keeper who looks after it is off today. Your curator is on site. The aquarium opens to visitors in an hour. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Leave it, since the tank is not on your round, the keeper responsible knows its normal levels better than you and evaporation can account for a lot in warm weather.
   2. Top the tank up to its normal level so the fish are not stressed, and mention the damp patch to the curator when you next see her.
   3. Note it in the tank's daily record so the keeper responsible sees it when he is back on shift tomorrow.
   4. Tell the curator now, showing her the drop in level and the damp patch, so a possible leak can be assessed before the aquarium opens.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell the curator now, showing her the drop in level and the damp patch, so a possible leak can be assessed before the aquarium opens.

   Least effective: A. Leave it, since the tank is not on your round, the keeper responsible knows its normal levels better than you and evaporation can account for a lot in warm weather.

   A: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: a falling level with a damp patch behind the tank is a leak until someone qualified says otherwise, and the reason for silence is that it belongs to a keeper who is not there.

   B: Treats the symptom and hides the cause: refilling the tank conceals the evidence of a leak that is still leaking, and makes the rate of loss impossible to judge.

   C: Delays the decision: the record reaches the right person on the wrong day. A tank losing water overnight may not hold until tomorrow, and visitors arrive in an hour.

   The most effective response is to tell the curator now, showing her the drop in level and the damp patch, so a possible leak can be assessed before opening: a falling tank with damp behind it suggests a leak, that risks the animals and the public floor, and she is on site and can assess it in the hour available. Showing her the evidence is what makes it actionable. It beats topping the tank up to its normal level and mentioning the damp patch later, because that removes the very evidence needed to judge whether there is a leak and how fast it is losing water. It beats noting it in the tank’s daily record for the keeper tomorrow, because that is far too slow for a tank that may not hold overnight. The least effective response is leaving it because the tank is not on your round and evaporation can account for a lot: it attributes the loss to evaporation without checking and ignores the damp patch entirely. That is worse than the other two, which act on it imperfectly but do act. The principle: when you see evidence of a developing fault, preserve it and get it in front of someone qualified before the next thing happens.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are an administrator at a day nursery. A child has had a minor fall in the garden this morning, was checked by the room leader and is fine, and an accident form has been completed. The room leader is busy with the children and asks you to let the parent know. The parent collects at 5pm. It is 11am and you have the parent’s phone number. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ring the parent now, tell her what happened, that her child was checked and is fine, and that the accident form will be ready to sign at collection.
   2. Leave it to the room leader to mention at collection if she gets the chance, since the child is fine and the accident form is on file if the parent asks to see it.
   3. Wait until 5pm and tell the parent at collection, handing over the accident form then so she can hear what happened and see her child at the same time.
   4. Send the parent a short text saying there has been a minor accident and that staff will explain everything when she collects her child at 5pm.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Ring the parent now, tell her what happened, that her child was checked and is fine, and that the accident form will be ready to sign at collection.

   Least effective: B. Leave it to the room leader to mention at collection if she gets the chance, since the child is fine and the accident form is on file if the parent asks to see it.

   B: Hides the problem: it makes telling the parent optional and depends on a busy colleague remembering. A parent who later learns of a fall nobody mentioned has been kept in the dark by default.

   C: Delays the message: it is defensible and it means the parent spends six hours not knowing. A child's fall is something most parents would rather hear about at once, and the call costs a minute.

   D: Alarms without reassuring: it sends the frightening half of the message and holds back the half that settles it, so a parent spends six hours worrying about something already resolved.

   The most effective response is to ring the parent now, tell her what happened, that her child was checked and is fine, and that the form will be ready to sign at collection: she wants to know, the news is reassuring once she has all of it, and a call carries the fall and the reassurance together. It beats sending a short text saying there has been a minor accident, because announcing an accident without the reassurance is the worst possible half of the message, and leaves her anxious all afternoon for no reason. It beats waiting until 5pm and telling her at collection, because six hours of not knowing is avoidable at the cost of a one-minute call. The least effective response is leaving it to the room leader to mention at collection if she gets the chance: it leaves telling the parent to chance and to a colleague busy with children, so a fall may never be mentioned at all. That is worse than the other two, which tell her late or partially but do tell her. The principle: when something has happened to someone’s child, tell them promptly and tell them the whole of it, including the part that reassures.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a project coordinator at a web design agency. A client’s new site is due to go live on Friday for a product launch. On Wednesday your developer tells you the payment integration will not be ready and the site can only go live taking enquiries rather than orders. The client’s marketing manager has booked advertising for Friday. She is contactable. Your account director is available today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Go live on Friday with the enquiry form in place of the payment pages, and explain the change to the client after the launch when the position is clearer.
    2. Email the client's marketing manager to say there is a technical issue with Friday's launch and that the agency will confirm the position as soon as it can.
    3. Ring the client's marketing manager today with your account director, explain that payments will not be ready and what going live without them means, and agree what happens to Friday.
    4. Postpone the launch to the following week so the site goes live complete, and tell the client the new date.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: C. Ring the client's marketing manager today with your account director, explain that payments will not be ready and what going live without them means, and agree what happens to Friday.

    Least effective: A. Go live on Friday with the enquiry form in place of the payment pages, and explain the change to the client after the launch when the position is clearer.

    A: Hides the problem: she has bought advertising to drive people to a shop that will not take orders, and is told after the money has been spent. Launching a different site than the one agreed and explaining afterwards is concealment.

    B: Delays the message: it reaches her on Wednesday and withholds the specific fact she needs, that the site cannot take orders, so she cannot decide about advertising she has already booked.

    D: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: her advertising is booked for Friday, so whether to launch without payments or move the whole campaign is a commercial decision that belongs to her.

    The most effective response is to ring the client’s marketing manager today with your account director, explain that payments will not be ready and what going live without them means, and agree what happens to Friday: she has paid for advertising pointing at a shop that cannot take orders, only she can decide whether to launch for enquiries or move the campaign, and Wednesday still leaves time to change either. Involving the account director means the options offered are ones the agency can stand behind. It beats postponing the launch to the following week and telling her the new date, because that decides the fate of her booked advertising without asking. It beats emailing that there is a technical issue and the agency will confirm the position, because a vague notice withholds the one fact she needs. The least effective response is going live on Friday with the enquiry form in place of the payment pages and explaining afterwards: it launches a site that cannot do what was agreed, against advertising she has already paid for. That is worse than the other two, which communicate or decide imperfectly but do not spend her money on a silent substitution. The principle: when a failure will cost the client money they have already committed, tell them at once and let them decide what happens.