IBM Assessment Tests

IBM Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a support analyst. A customer has rung four times about a fault that stops her taking card payments at one till. Engineering has had it a fortnight and will not commit to a date. On this call she says she is deciding today whether to move her business to another supplier, and asks you plainly when it will be fixed. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell her you will chase engineering today and come back to her with a date before close of play, whatever it is that they end up telling you.
   2. Explain that engineering does not give dates on faults of this kind, and apologise that there is nothing further you are able to do to help her.
   3. Tell her it will be fine and that these things are usually sorted inside a fortnight, since she is about to leave and a reassurance now buys time to fix it.
   4. Tell her plainly that there is no date and that you cannot get one today, and offer to put her in front of somebody senior this afternoon, so that she decides on what is real.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell her plainly that there is no date and that you cannot get one today, and offer to put her in front of somebody senior this afternoon, so that she decides on what is real.

   Least effective: C. Tell her it will be fine and that these things are usually sorted inside a fortnight, since she is about to leave and a reassurance now buys time to fix it.

   A: Promises a date you have no way to obtain: engineering has refused one for a fortnight, so the commitment is yours alone and it will fail this afternoon.

   B: Hides behind a process she never agreed to: it is accurate and it hands her nothing at all to weigh on the day she has to decide.

   C: Gives a certainty to keep a customer: it trades her ability to plan for your comfort on this call, and the fortnight it invokes has already passed.

   The most effective response is to tell her plainly that there is no date and that you cannot get one today, and offer to put her in front of somebody senior this afternoon. She has a decision to make today, the honest input is that nobody can promise her a fix, and access to somebody who can commit the company is what you can add. It beats promising to chase engineering and come back with a date before close of play, because a date invented this afternoon fails this evening. It beats explaining that engineering does not give dates on faults of this kind, because she is asking what to do, not about process. The least effective response is telling her these things are usually sorted inside a fortnight: it is worse than either of the other two, because both leave her knowing where she stands, while this manufactures a reassurance out of a fortnight that has already gone by. The principle: when a customer is deciding, give them the truth and the most senior person you can reach, not comfort.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are an operations analyst. A colleague told you in confidence that she is applying for a job elsewhere and asked you not to say anything. Your team is now planning who covers the on-call rota for the next six months, and the plan being drawn up assumes she is on it throughout. You are the only person who knows. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell her the six-month rota is being drawn up around her, and ask her to say something to the planner herself, or to let you say that her availability is uncertain.
   2. Tell the person drawing up the rota that she may not be here in six months, and the six-month plan is then built on something realistic rather than an untested assumption.
   3. Say nothing and let the rota be drawn up as it stands, since her application may come to nothing and the plan can be changed if it does not.
   4. Suggest to the planner that six months is too long a horizon for any rota, and press for a three-month plan without giving any reason for it.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Tell her the six-month rota is being drawn up around her, and ask her to say something to the planner herself, or to let you say that her availability is uncertain.

   Least effective: B. Tell the person drawing up the rota that she may not be here in six months, and the six-month plan is then built on something realistic rather than an untested assumption.

   B: Breaches a confidence because repeating it would be useful: it was given to you privately, and passing it on may cost her the job she currently has.

   C: Leaves a plan built on a fact only you hold: six months of cover is being committed on an assumption you know may not survive the month.

   D: Argues for a change you cannot justify: the reasoning stays hidden, so the planner weighs an odd request rather than a real risk.

   The most effective response is to tell her the six-month rota is being drawn up around her, and ask her to say something to the planner herself or to let you say her availability is uncertain. The confidence is hers to lift and the rota problem is real, so the move that respects both is to let her choose how it is handled. It beats saying nothing and letting the rota be drawn up as it stands, because a six-month commitment is being made on a fact only you know. It beats pressing the planner for a three- month horizon without giving any reason, because that asks them to weigh a preference instead of a risk. The least effective response is repeating what she told you so the plan rests on something realistic rather than an untested assumption: it is worse than either of the other two, because both leave her confidence intact, while this passes on a private disclosure and may cost her the job she currently holds. The principle: when a confidence collides with a plan, take it back to the person who gave it and let them choose, rather than deciding on their behalf in either direction.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a deployment assistant. Before each release you run a performance check and record one result. Today it failed twice and passed on the third attempt, after you restarted the service between runs. The release goes tonight and the people running it read the result field and nothing else. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Record the passing run as the result and put the two failures in the free-text notes, so the number is clean and the detail is there for anyone who opens the record.
   2. Record the first failure as the result, since the first run shows how the service behaves when nobody has just restarted it for you.
   3. Record that the check failed twice and passed once after a restart, and tell whoever owns tonight's release what the pattern means, so that they decide on it.
   4. Record the check as complete on the third run, since that is the one performed under the conditions it is meant to measure and the other two are noise.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Record that the check failed twice and passed once after a restart, and tell whoever owns tonight's release what the pattern means, so that they decide on it.

   Least effective: D. Record the check as complete on the third run, since that is the one performed under the conditions it is meant to measure and the other two are noise.

   A: Puts the finding where the readers do not go: the stem says they read the result field, so a pass is what tonight's release will be told.

   B: Picks the worst run on principle: it is as arbitrary as picking the best, and it reports one figure where the real finding is that the answer changes.

   D: Writes up the run that suited: two failures are the finding, and the record will tell tonight's release that the service passed its performance check.

   The most effective response is to record that the check failed twice and passed once after a restart, and tell whoever owns tonight’s release what the pattern means. The finding is not a single figure, it is that the check only passes after a restart, and the people releasing need that rather than a pass or a fail. It beats recording the passing run as the result with the two failures in the notes, because the stem says they read the result field. It beats recording the first failure as the result, because choosing the worst run is as arbitrary as choosing the best and still hides the variation. The least effective response is recording the check as complete on the third run and calling the other two noise: it is worse than either of the other two, because one leaves the failures written down somewhere and the other reports a real failing run, while this records a pass on the evening of the release. The principle: when a check gives different answers, the pattern is the result, and choosing which run to write up is choosing the answer.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a release coordinator. A fortnight ago you emailed a supplier asking them to confirm that their system would accept a new file format from Monday. They have not replied and nobody has asked you about it since. In today’s planning meeting somebody asks whether the supplier has confirmed, and Monday’s plan depends on the answer. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say you will check after the meeting and come back to everybody later, rather than spending the room's time on a supplier detail while other items are waiting.
   2. Confirm that the supplier is ready without checking again. Silence from them usually means agreement, and saying otherwise would stall a plan that is sound.
   3. Say you asked a fortnight ago and have had no reply, and offer to chase them straight after the meeting, since Monday is not safe on what you have now.
   4. Say you have had no reply and ask whoever owns the supplier relationship to take it from here, since they will almost certainly get an answer more quickly.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Say you asked a fortnight ago and have had no reply, and offer to chase them straight after the meeting, since Monday is not safe on what you have now.

   Least effective: B. Confirm that the supplier is ready without checking again. Silence from them usually means agreement, and saying otherwise would stall a plan that is sound.

   A: Delays a fact the room needs now: the plan being made in front of you rests on this answer, so checking afterwards means it is built on nothing in the meantime.

   B: States as fact something nobody has told you: the room will now plan Monday around a confirmation that does not exist, and no one else can see that it does not.

   D: Passes an open item you own to somebody else: the room is told the truth, but the chase you started a fortnight ago now has no one committed to finishing it.

   The most effective response is to say you asked a fortnight ago and have had no reply, and offer to chase them straight after the meeting. The room needs to know the confirmation is missing before it plans around it, and offering to chase keeps the open item with the person who opened it. It beats saying you will check after the meeting and come back later, because the plan is being made now. It beats saying you have had no reply and asking whoever owns the supplier relationship to take it from here, because handing the chase over in the same breath leaves nobody committed to a fortnight-old question. The least effective response is confirming the supplier is ready without checking again: it is worse than either of the other two, because both leave the room with an accurate picture, late or incomplete, while this supplies a confirmation that was never given. The principle: when you are asked whether something was confirmed, answer about what actually arrived, and take the chase back yourself.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a delivery coordinator. You promised a customer you would personally walk her through a new reporting screen at two o’clock, because two earlier attempts by other people confused her. At midday you are told to attend a bid meeting at the same time, which your manager says matters more. A colleague is free at two but has never seen the screen. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ask a colleague to take the two o'clock session instead, since he is free at two and the customer at least gets her walkthrough at the hour she was promised.
   2. Tell your manager a customer is expecting you at two after two confused attempts, and ask whether the bid meeting can take you later, so that neither is dropped.
   3. Go to the bid meeting and email the customer beforehand offering her a new time tomorrow, apologising for moving an appointment at three hours' notice.
   4. Attend the bid meeting and ask your colleague to sit with her at two, and offer to ring her afterwards to pick up anything he could not answer.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell your manager a customer is expecting you at two after two confused attempts, and ask whether the bid meeting can take you later, so that neither is dropped.

   Least effective: A. Ask a colleague to take the two o'clock session instead, since he is free at two and the customer at least gets her walkthrough at the hour she was promised.

   A: Hands a customer to somebody with none of the context: two earlier attempts already confused her, and this makes the third the same as the first two.

   C: Moves the customer rather than the internal meeting: it is honest and it makes the third failed attempt her problem to absorb.

   D: Splits one walkthrough across two people: she gets a session from somebody who has not seen the screen, then a second conversation to repair it.

   The most effective response is to tell your manager a customer is expecting you at two after two confused attempts, and ask whether the bid meeting can take you later. The two failed attempts are the fact she does not have, and the bid meeting may be movable once she knows. It beats going to the bid meeting and emailing the customer a new time tomorrow, because moving her again is the cheapest option for the team and the most expensive for her. It beats asking your colleague to sit with her at two while you ring afterwards, because a session run by somebody who has not seen the screen followed by a repair call is more of her time, not less. The least effective response is asking a colleague to take the two o’clock session instead: it is worse than either of the other two, because one tells her honestly and the other follows up, while this sends a third person with no context after two attempts that confused her. The principle: when a commitment to a customer collides with an internal meeting, take the collision to whoever set the meeting, with the history that makes it a collision.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are an operations analyst. Clearing space on a shared drive at two in the morning during an incident, you deleted a folder of test data belonging to another team. You have just realised it was not yours to delete and there is no copy. Nobody has noticed. You have been awake for nineteen hours and your shift ends in an hour. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Wait until you have slept and tell them tomorrow afternoon, when you can explain what happened properly and are far less likely to get the detail wrong.
   2. Try to rebuild the folder from whatever you can find before anybody arrives in the morning, and mention it to them only if you cannot manage it.
   3. Say nothing and hope nobody has noticed by the time the incident is written up. Nineteen-hour shifts are precisely how this sort of thing comes about.
   4. Tell the other team and your own supervisor before you go home, and write down exactly what you deleted and when, so that whoever rebuilds it knows what is missing.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell the other team and your own supervisor before you go home, and write down exactly what you deleted and when, so that whoever rebuilds it knows what is missing.

   Least effective: C. Say nothing and hope nobody has noticed by the time the incident is written up. Nineteen-hour shifts are precisely how this sort of thing comes about.

   A: Delays a warning past the point it helps: the other team may spend tomorrow morning hunting for data you already know is gone for good.

   B: Discloses only on failure: a rebuild you assembled at three in the morning may be wrong in ways nobody is told to look for, because nobody is told at all.

   C: Conceals your own fault: the other team owns that data and will plan around it existing, and every day this survives makes the discovery more expensive.

   The most effective response is to tell the other team and your own supervisor before you go home, and write down exactly what you deleted and when. The expensive thing is not the deletion, it is another team working on the assumption that their data exists, and the record written while it is fresh is what makes a rebuild possible. It beats waiting until you have slept and telling them tomorrow afternoon, because they may spend the morning searching for something you know has gone. It beats trying to rebuild the folder before anybody arrives, because a folder reassembled at three in the morning by somebody nineteen hours awake may be wrong in ways nobody has been warned to check. The least effective response is saying nothing and hoping nobody has noticed: it is worse than either of the other two, because both end with the other team learning what happened, while this leaves them planning around data that is not there. The principle: exhaustion explains a mistake and does not excuse holding it, and the cost of holding it is what other people spend.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a service desk analyst. A customer’s administrator told you quietly that she is being pushed by her own management to sign off a system she does not think is ready, and asked you not to repeat it. Your company is about to ask her to sign that acceptance. You are the only person here who knows. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say nothing at all and let the acceptance go to her as planned, since what she told you was private and it is her decision to make either way.
   2. Tell your own account manager what she said, so that the acceptance is not sent into a situation your company knows nothing about, since it would clearly help.
   3. Go back to her, say the acceptance is about to be sent, and ask whether she wants you to raise it or to handle it herself, so that the choice stays hers.
   4. Suggest to your account manager that the acceptance be delayed a fortnight, without giving any reason for it, so that she is given time to sort things out with her own management at her end.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Go back to her, say the acceptance is about to be sent, and ask whether she wants you to raise it or to handle it herself, so that the choice stays hers.

   Least effective: B. Tell your own account manager what she said, so that the acceptance is not sent into a situation your company knows nothing about, since it would clearly help.

   A: Leaves your own company walking into it blind: an acceptance is about to be sent to somebody who has said she does not think the system is ready.

   B: Breaches a confidence because repeating it would be useful: she told you privately, and the person it exposes is a customer with no power over what you do with it.

   D: Argues for a delay you will not justify: your account manager weighs an odd request instead of a real risk, and is likely to decline it.

   The most effective response is to go back to her, say the acceptance is about to be sent, and ask whether she wants you to raise it or to handle it herself. The confidence is hers to lift, the acceptance is imminent, and this gives her control of something about to affect her whether she acts or not. It beats saying nothing and letting the acceptance go as planned, because your own company is about to send it into a situation you alone know about. It beats suggesting a fortnight’s delay without giving any reason, because that asks your account manager to weigh a preference and will probably be refused. The least effective response is telling your own account manager what she said: it is worse than either of the other two, because both keep her confidence, while this repeats what a customer told you privately to the people whose commercial interest runs against hers. The principle: when a confidence collides with something about to happen, take it back to the person who gave it and let them choose, rather than spending it for them.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a graduate software engineer. Your team has been told that nothing goes out between Friday and Tuesday, because the finance team is closing the year and the system must not move under them. A one-line fix you have written would remove an error message that confuses about a dozen users a day. It is small and you are confident about it. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Put the one-line fix out now, since the freeze was plainly written for large changes and a dozen confused users a day is a real cost nobody is counting.
   2. Ask the finance team directly whether they would mind, and go ahead if they say it is fine, since they are the people the freeze exists to protect anyway.
   3. Leave it until Wednesday and say nothing to anybody, since four days of an error message will not hurt and the instruction you were given is perfectly clear.
   4. Raise it with your team lead today and say what the fix does and what the message costs users, so that whoever owns the freeze decides on the exception.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Raise it with your team lead today and say what the fix does and what the message costs users, so that whoever owns the freeze decides on the exception.

   Least effective: A. Put the one-line fix out now, since the freeze was plainly written for large changes and a dozen confused users a day is a real cost nobody is counting.

   A: Decides which rules count: the freeze protects a team closing a year, and this is the option that reads a rule with a stated reason as advice about size.

   B: Gets permission from the wrong people: finance can say whether they mind, but they did not set the freeze and cannot see what else is riding on it.

   C: Treats a clear rule as a reason to stay quiet: following the freeze is right, but nobody learns that it is costing a dozen users a day while it runs.

   The most effective response is to raise it with your team lead today and say what the fix does and what the message costs users. Whether a freeze admits exceptions is a question for the person who set it, and the size of the fix and the cost is what lets them answer. It beats asking the finance team whether they would mind and going ahead if they say it is fine, because they are who the freeze protects, not who imposed it, and their agreement does not cover the risks they cannot see. It beats leaving it until Wednesday and saying nothing, because obeying the freeze is right but silence means the cost of obeying is never weighed. The least effective response is putting the one-line fix out now: it is worse than either of the other two, because both leave the decision with somebody other than you, asked wrongly or not asked at all, while this takes a rule with a stated purpose and decides it does not apply. The principle: when a rule blocks something worth doing, take the case to whoever owns the rule, and never grade yourself an exception.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a site reliability assistant. You were asked to check that the backups for twelve services all restored correctly. You tested nine and ran out of time on Friday; the last three you did not get to. In Monday’s meeting your manager asks whether the backup checks came back clean, and moves on to the next item almost immediately. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say the checks came back clean and test the last three straight after the meeting, so that the statement is true by lunchtime and nobody is troubled by it.
   2. Say nothing in the meeting and send your manager a note afterwards explaining that three are still outstanding and when you will get to them.
   3. Say the checks came back clean without checking the last three. Nine of twelve restored without a problem, and the other three are the same kind of service.
   4. Say nine restored cleanly and three were not reached, and give the meeting a day by which the last three will be done, so that the gap is on the record.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Say nine restored cleanly and three were not reached, and give the meeting a day by which the last three will be done, so that the gap is on the record.

   Least effective: C. Say the checks came back clean without checking the last three. Nine of twelve restored without a problem, and the other three are the same kind of service.

   A: Makes a claim you intend to make true later: for the rest of the morning the room believes twelve services are covered when three are unknown.

   B: Corrects the record where fewer people see it: the room has moved on believing all twelve are clean, and only one person is told otherwise.

   C: Asserts a result for work that was not done: three services now count as verified on the strength of nine that resemble them.

   The most effective response is to say nine restored cleanly and three were not reached, and give the meeting a day by which the last three will be done. It takes one sentence, it is accurate, and the date turns an omission into a commitment the room can hold you to. It beats saying the checks came back clean and testing the last three straight afterwards, because the room spends the morning believing twelve services are covered, and a statement made true by lunchtime was false when it was made. It beats saying nothing in the meeting and sending your manager a note afterwards, because the meeting is where the belief was formed. The least effective response is saying the checks came back clean without checking the last three: it is worse than either of the other two, because both end with those services being tested or reported, while this closes the question permanently on the reasoning that similar services behave alike. The principle: when you are asked whether something is done, answer about what was done, and name the part that was not with a date on it.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a service desk analyst. After a fortnight of covering two people’s work you missed a callback you had promised, and the customer has written a complaint naming you. Your manager has forwarded it and asked for your account by the end of the day. The customer has complained twice before about things that were not anybody’s fault. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Point out in your account that this customer complains about everything, so that whoever reads it weighs the two earlier complaints alongside this one.
    2. Write that the callback was missed and apologise, and leave out the fortnight of double cover, so that it does not read as though you were making excuses.
    3. Write that you missed the callback and that a fortnight of covering two people is why, and ask what should be dropped, since the cover is still running.
    4. Ask for a day's grace before replying, so that you can go back through a fortnight of tickets and give a complete account rather than a rushed one.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: C. Write that you missed the callback and that a fortnight of covering two people is why, and ask what should be dropped, since the cover is still running.

    Least effective: A. Point out in your account that this customer complains about everything, so that whoever reads it weighs the two earlier complaints alongside this one.

    A: Personalises a complaint that was accurate: the callback was genuinely missed, and answering it with the complainer's record puts them on trial instead of the facts.

    B: Withholds the cause that could be fixed: the apology is right and the workload that produced the miss goes unrecorded, so the next fortnight looks the same.

    D: Delays a reply that needs no research: you already know why the callback was missed, and the customer is waiting while a fortnight of tickets is reread.

    The most effective response is to write that you missed the callback and that a fortnight of covering two people is why, and ask what should be dropped. The complaint is accurate, so the account is about cause rather than fault, and the double cover is the one thing your manager can act on. It beats writing that the callback was missed and apologising while leaving out the fortnight, because an apology with the cause removed leaves the workload invisible. It beats asking for a day’s grace to give a complete account, because you already know what happened and the customer waits for a fact you have. The least effective response is pointing out in your account that this customer complains about everything: it is worse than either of the other two, because both concede the miss, while this answers a justified complaint by arguing about the person who made it. The principle: under sustained pressure, own the thing that was missed and name the pressure as a cause, never as a counter-accusation.