IMI Assessment Tests

IMI Online Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a night manager at a hotel, alone on reception from 11pm. A burst pipe has flooded two rooms, the guests from them need moving, the hotel is nearly full and a coach party is arriving at midnight. You have been on shift since 3pm and are struggling to keep track. The duty manager is on call at home and the maintenance contractor has a 24-hour line. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Put the two guests in the residents' lounge for the night and say nothing to the duty manager, since waking her at midnight over a plumbing problem would not reflect well on your handling of the shift.
   2. Move the two guests into the last available rooms and deal with the coach party when it arrives, calling the duty manager in the morning once the night has settled down.
   3. Ring the maintenance contractor to stop the leak and get the rooms usable again, and manage the guest moves and the coach arrival yourself as best you can.
   4. Ring the duty manager now to say two rooms are flooded with a coach party due at midnight, call the contractor about the pipe, and move the two guests while you wait.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ring the duty manager now to say two rooms are flooded with a coach party due at midnight, call the contractor about the pipe, and move the two guests while you wait.

   Least effective: A. Put the two guests in the residents' lounge for the night and say nothing to the duty manager, since waking her at midnight over a plumbing problem would not reflect well on your handling of the shift.

   A: Hides the strain until failure: two paying guests spend the night in a lounge and the person on call, whose role exists for exactly this, is not called because of how it might look. That is concealment at the guests' expense.

   B: Spends the last rooms without checking: it uses the last rooms before the coach party arrives without checking what they are booked for, and the person who could authorise alternatives is asleep and not asked.

   C: Passes the wrong problem first: the pipe matters and the contractor cannot create rooms before midnight. The room shortage against a coach party is the decision that needs the duty manager, and it is the one not raised.

   The most effective response is to ring the duty manager now to say two rooms are flooded with a coach party due at midnight, call the contractor about the pipe, and move the two guests while you wait: there are three separate problems and only she can authorise what happens if there are not enough rooms. She is on call for this, the contractor handles the pipe, and moving the guests is what you can do meanwhile. It beats ringing the maintenance contractor and managing the guest moves and the arrival yourself, because he cannot produce rooms before midnight, so calling only him leaves the actual decision unmade. It beats moving the guests into the last available rooms and calling her in the morning, because using those rooms without checking the coach party’s booking may create a worse shortage an hour later, with her still unaware. The least effective response is putting the two guests in the residents’ lounge for the night and saying nothing: it leaves paying guests in a lounge rather than call the person whose job is to be called, because of how the call might look. That is worse than the other two, which act partially but keep the guests in rooms. The principle: when several things fail at once, call the person who is on call for it, start what you can do yourself, and never let appearances decide whether to ask for help.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are a supervisor at a coffee shop. Your two colleagues have both called in sick, you are running the shop alone through the morning rush, and the queue is out of the door. Your area manager rings to say she is coming in at midday to review the shop’s cleaning records with you, which will take an hour. You have not had a break. The records are up to date. It is 10am. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say nothing about being short-staffed, serve through the rush, and get through the review at midday as arranged so that your area manager is not given the impression you cannot cope.
   2. Tell your area manager now that you are alone with both colleagues off, ask whether the review can move or whether she can send cover, and carry on serving while she decides.
   3. Close the shop for fifteen minutes to take your break and reset before the review, since you have been alone since opening and cannot keep serving without one.
   4. Ask your area manager to postpone the review, explaining that you are on your own, and leave it to her to find a new date when the shop is properly staffed.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell your area manager now that you are alone with both colleagues off, ask whether the review can move or whether she can send cover, and carry on serving while she decides.

   Least effective: C. Close the shop for fifteen minutes to take your break and reset before the review, since you have been alone since opening and cannot keep serving without one.

   A: Hides the strain until failure: it conceals the one fact that would change her plan, so she arrives to a shop with a queue and no cover, and the next rota is built as though today worked.

   C: Abandons own committed work: shutting a trading shop mid-rush with a queue outside is a unilateral decision affecting customers and takings, taken without telling the area manager who is on the phone at that moment.

   D: Passes responsibility to others: it raises the problem, which is right, then narrows it to one solution. Cover for the shop would suit her visit and you better than a cancelled review, and it is never offered.

   The most effective response is to tell your area manager now that you are alone with both colleagues off, and ask whether the review can move or whether she can send cover: she set the midday review without knowing, that is the fact that would change her plan, and she is on the phone now. Offering her the choice keeps both options open while you keep serving. It beats asking her to postpone the review and leaving her to find a new date, because that raises the same problem but presents only one solution, when cover would suit the shop and her visit better than a cancellation. It beats serving through the rush in silence so she is not given the impression you cannot cope, because that leaves her arriving to a queue and no cover, and confirms to the business that a single-staffed rush is workable. The least effective response is closing the shop for fifteen minutes to take your break: it shuts a trading shop mid-rush on your own authority, with a queue outside and your area manager on the phone, without telling her. That is worse than the other two, which mishandle the conversation but keep the shop open. The principle: when circumstances have changed under someone else’s plan, give them the fact and the options while they can still act, and keep working meanwhile.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You work on the returns desk of a clothing store. A customer wants to return a coat bought three weeks ago. The receipt shows it was bought in the sale, and sale items can be exchanged but not refunded, which is printed on the receipt. She says nobody told her at the till, she no longer wants the coat, and she is moving abroad next week, so an exchange or a credit note would be no use to her. She is polite but firm. Your duty manager is on the shop floor and can authorise exceptions. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell her the policy is printed on the receipt so there is nothing that can be done, and suggest she is more careful about checking the terms in future.
   2. Explain the sale policy and the exchange option, and ask the duty manager whether a refund can be authorised in this case since the customer was not told at the till.
   3. Explain that sale items cannot be refunded, point to where it is printed on the receipt, and offer her an exchange or a credit note instead.
   4. Process the refund anyway, since she says she was not told at the till and arguing over one coat is not worth losing a customer.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Explain the sale policy and the exchange option, and ask the duty manager whether a refund can be authorised in this case since the customer was not told at the till.

   Least effective: A. Tell her the policy is printed on the receipt so there is nothing that can be done, and suggest she is more careful about checking the terms in future.

   A: Ignores the customer's actual need: it closes the matter with a correction of the customer's behaviour, when an exception route exists a few steps away. Adding a lecture to a refusal is a different order of poor service.

   C: Stops at the policy: the policy is correctly stated and stops there, when a duty manager who can authorise an exception is on the shop floor and has not been asked.

   D: Breaches confidentiality or process: the exception exists and belongs to the duty manager. Granting it yourself gets a defensible outcome by removing the control that governs it.

   The most effective response is to explain the sale policy and the exchange option, then ask the duty manager whether a refund can be authorised since she was not told at the till: the policy is what it is, but the store has someone on the floor who can authorise exceptions and a reason to consider one. Stating both the policy and the route is the complete answer. It beats explaining that sale items cannot be refunded and offering an exchange or credit note, because that applies the policy and stops, leaving an available remedy unasked for. It beats processing the refund anyway to avoid losing a customer, because a refund outside policy is the duty manager’s decision, and taking it yourself removes the control rather than using it. The least effective response is telling her the terms are printed on the receipt and that she should check them more carefully in future: it refuses, and adds advice, when an exception route exists a few steps away. That is worse than the exchange, which at least offers something, and worse than the unauthorised refund, which at least resolves it. The principle: state the policy, then use the escalation route the business provides rather than either stopping at the rule or going round it.

4. Question 4 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.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a ground handling agent at an airport. Fog has delayed several flights and the desk is surrounded by passengers. You have been on your feet for six hours. A passenger who has missed a connection tells you, in front of the crowd, that you are incompetent and have ruined his trip. He is not going to make the last flight tonight. Your duty supervisor is nearby. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Acknowledge that missing the connection is a serious problem for him, tell him what tonight's and tomorrow's options actually are, and start arranging whichever he chooses.
   2. Tell him there is nothing you can do tonight and ask him to step aside so you can help the other passengers who are waiting.
   3. Tell him the delays are caused by fog rather than by anything the ground staff have done, and ask him not to speak to you like that in front of other passengers.
   4. Apologise and ask your duty supervisor to come and take over the conversation, then move on to the next passenger in the queue.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Acknowledge that missing the connection is a serious problem for him, tell him what tonight's and tomorrow's options actually are, and start arranging whichever he chooses.

   Least effective: B. Tell him there is nothing you can do tonight and ask him to step aside so you can help the other passengers who are waiting.

   B: Ignores the customer's actual need: it is not true that nothing can be done, since tomorrow's flights and overnight arrangements exist, and it dismisses a stranded passenger in order to clear him from the desk.

   C: Personalises the conflict: it is accurate and it answers his insult instead of his missed connection, in front of an audience that will take sides.

   D: Passes responsibility to others: it hands off a passenger you are able to rebook, and takes a supervisor off the floor during a major disruption when you can resolve it yourself.

   The most effective response is to acknowledge that missing the connection is a serious problem for him, tell him what tonight’s and tomorrow’s options actually are, and start arranging whichever he chooses: he is stranded overnight, so what he needs is the real list and someone starting on it, and giving him that answers the complaint without engaging the insult. It beats telling him the delays are caused by fog and asking him not to speak to you like that, because correcting his manner, however fairly, argues with his tone in front of a crowd and leaves him no closer to a flight. It beats asking your duty supervisor to come and take over the conversation, because that confirms you could not help and removes a supervisor from the floor during a disruption. The least effective response is telling him there is nothing you can do tonight and asking him to step aside: it tells a stranded passenger something that is not true, and moves him aside to clear the desk. That is worse than correcting his manner, which at least engages, and worse than fetching the supervisor, which at least routes him to help. The principle: under personal criticism, answer the problem rather than the tone, and give the person the concrete options that still exist.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You work in an airline contact centre. Storms have cancelled dozens of flights and you have handled distressed calls for three hours. A passenger tells you that you sound like you are reading from a script and that you clearly do not care that his family are stranded abroad. Rebooking options are limited but some exist. Your team leader is available. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain that the cancellations are weather-related, that you have been helping stranded passengers all morning and that you are doing your best for everyone.
   2. Acknowledge that his family being stranded is what matters, tell him the rebooking options that do exist, and start on whichever one he chooses.
   3. Tell him the options are extremely limited because of the weather and that there is very little the airline can do until the backlog clears.
   4. Apologise and offer to pass him to your team leader, since he is unhappy with how the call is going and may prefer to deal with someone senior.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Acknowledge that his family being stranded is what matters, tell him the rebooking options that do exist, and start on whichever one he chooses.

   Least effective: C. Tell him the options are extremely limited because of the weather and that there is very little the airline can do until the backlog clears.

   A: Personalises the conflict: it answers his criticism of you rather than the problem of his family being stranded, which invites him to argue about your manner instead of his booking.

   C: Ignores the customer's actual need: it presents the situation as hopeless when rebooking options do exist, so a passenger with a stranded family is given despair instead of the seats that are actually available.

   D: Passes responsibility to others: it hands off a rebooking you can do and makes a passenger with a stranded family queue again for a supervisor during the busiest hours.

   The most effective response is to acknowledge that his family being stranded is what matters, tell him the rebooking options that do exist, and start on whichever he chooses: some options exist, and moving straight to them answers the substance without engaging the criticism of your manner. It beats explaining that the cancellations are weather-related and that you have been helping stranded passengers all morning, because defending yourself spends the call on your performance rather than on his family. It beats offering to pass him to your team leader, because that makes him wait again for something you can do now. The least effective response is telling him the options are extremely limited and there is very little the airline can do: it says nothing can be done when options do exist, so a passenger who could have been rebooked is left believing he is stuck. That is worse than explaining the weather, which at least explains, and worse than passing him on, which at least routes him to someone. The principle: when someone criticises you under pressure, put the available options in front of them and let the criticism go unanswered.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a warehouse administrator at a medical devices distributor. Reconciling stock you notice that a batch of single-use surgical instruments recorded as quarantined has been picked and despatched to two hospitals. The quarantine was applied last month and you do not know why. The person who applied it has left. Your quality manager is on site. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Take the records to your quality manager immediately, showing that quarantined stock has gone to two hospitals, and let her decide what happens next.
   2. Find out first why the quarantine was applied, since the reason may be administrative, and take it to the quality manager once you know what you are reporting.
   3. Contact the two hospitals to ask them to hold the batch until its status has been confirmed, then report it to the quality manager.
   4. Correct the stock record to show the batch as despatched and let the quarantine flag lapse, since the goods have already gone and the person who applied it is no longer here.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Take the records to your quality manager immediately, showing that quarantined stock has gone to two hospitals, and let her decide what happens next.

   Least effective: D. Correct the stock record to show the batch as despatched and let the quarantine flag lapse, since the goods have already gone and the person who applied it is no longer here.

   B: Delays the decision: quarantined stock is already in two hospitals, and establishing the reason yourself postpones a decision the quality manager is qualified to make today.

   C: Acts outside own authority: contacting customers about potentially unsafe medical devices is a regulated communication, and a warehouse administrator making it first commits the company before anyone qualified has assessed the batch.

   D: Conceals a potential safety failure: it tidies away the only evidence that quarantined medical devices reached two hospitals, so nobody can assess whether patients are at risk. That is a different order of wrong from acting too slowly.

   The most effective response is to take the records to your quality manager immediately, showing that quarantined stock has gone to two hospitals, and let her decide what happens next: the reason for the quarantine is unknown and may be a safety matter, and she is on site and decides about recall and about telling the customers. Speed matters because the devices may be used. It beats finding out first why the quarantine was applied, because researching it yourself delays a decision she can take now, on stock already in clinical settings. It beats contacting the two hospitals to ask them to hold the batch, because a communication about potentially unsafe devices is regulated and must come from the company’s quality function. The least effective response is correcting the stock record to show the batch as despatched and letting the flag lapse: it removes the quarantine and the evidence, so nobody can establish whether patients are at risk. That is worse than the other two, which act slowly or beyond their authority but keep the problem visible. The principle: when a control has failed on something already with customers, go straight to the person who owns the control, and change nothing yourself.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You work in a procurement office. You are collecting quotes for a printing contract. One of the bidders is a company owned by your brother-in-law; he did not know you were involved and submitted through the normal channel. His quote is genuinely the cheapest. The evaluation is due next week and your procurement manager does not know of the connection. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Continue with the evaluation and score strictly on price and quality, since his quote is genuinely the cheapest and the process will produce the right answer anyway.
   2. Tell your procurement manager about the family connection now and ask to be taken off the evaluation of this contract.
   3. Say nothing about the connection and let the evaluation run, since he submitted through the normal channel and had no idea you would be involved in assessing it.
   4. Exclude your brother-in-law's quote from the shortlist so there is no question of favouritism, and evaluate the remaining bids as normal.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell your procurement manager about the family connection now and ask to be taken off the evaluation of this contract.

   Least effective: C. Say nothing about the connection and let the evaluation run, since he submitted through the normal channel and had no idea you would be involved in assessing it.

   A: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: whether you can fairly evaluate a relative's bid is not yours to decide. Even a perfectly scored outcome is unsafe if the connection is only discovered afterwards.

   C: Breaches confidentiality or process: it conceals a conflict of interest from the people running a competitive tender. The innocence of how the bid arrived does not cure the fact that only you know, and you are scoring it.

   D: Removes the cheapest compliant bid: it removes a compliant and cheapest bid on your own authority, which is as much an unauthorised intervention as choosing it would be, and it costs the employer money.

   The most effective response is to tell your procurement manager about the family connection now and ask to be taken off the evaluation: you have a conflict of interest, the remedy is to declare it and step back, and doing so now leaves time before next week for someone else to take it on. It protects the process, the employer and your brother-in-law’s legitimate bid. It beats continuing the evaluation and scoring strictly on price and quality, because a fair score does not fix an undeclared conflict; if the connection emerges later, the whole award is open to challenge however well it was scored. It beats excluding his quote from the shortlist to remove any question of favouritism, because that is an intervention of your own that drops the cheapest compliant bid and costs the employer money. The least effective response is saying nothing about the connection and letting the evaluation run: it hides a conflict from the people running a tender while you continue to score it, the one response that leaves nobody able to protect the process. That is worse than the other two, which act wrongly but at least without concealment. The principle: declare a conflict of interest to the person running the process, and let them decide what you should and should not touch.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a receptionist at an urgent care walk-in centre. Waiting times have reached three hours because two clinicians are off. A man who has been waiting with his young daughter tells you angrily, in front of a full waiting room, that the centre is a disgrace and that nobody has told him anything. His daughter is not seriously unwell but he is exhausted. Your senior receptionist is at the next desk. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain that two clinicians are off sick and that reception has no control over waiting times, and ask him to take a seat with the others who are waiting.
   2. Acknowledge the three-hour wait, tell him roughly where his daughter is in the queue and when the next update will come, and check whether she needs to be seen sooner.
   3. Tell him that everyone is waiting and that complaining at reception will not make his daughter be seen any sooner.
   4. Apologise and ask the senior receptionist to come and speak to him, then carry on booking in the patients waiting behind him.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Acknowledge the three-hour wait, tell him roughly where his daughter is in the queue and when the next update will come, and check whether she needs to be seen sooner.

   Least effective: C. Tell him that everyone is waiting and that complaining at reception will not make his daughter be seen any sooner.

   A: Defends the practice to an audience: it answers his frustration with a defence of reception and a comparison with other patients, in front of a full room, which invites him to escalate.

   C: Personalises the conflict: it tells a tired parent that raising a concern is pointless, in front of a full waiting room, and offers him nothing. Dismissing a patient's parent outright is a different order of wrong from explaining badly.

   D: Passes responsibility to others: it hands over a conversation you can have, and makes him wait again for an answer about waiting, which is what he is angry about.

   The most effective response is to acknowledge the three-hour wait, tell him roughly where his daughter is in the queue and when the next update will come, and check whether she needs to be seen sooner: his complaint is that nobody has told him anything, so that answers all of it, and it also does the clinically responsible thing. It beats explaining that two clinicians are off sick and asking him to take a seat, because defending reception, however true, argues with his frustration rather than answering his question, in public. It beats asking the senior receptionist to come and speak to him, because that makes him wait again for information you already have. The least effective response is telling him everyone is waiting and that complaining will not make his daughter be seen sooner: it tells him his complaint is futile and gives him nothing at all, in front of a full waiting room. That is worse than explaining the staffing, which at least explains, and worse than fetching the senior receptionist, which at least routes him to someone. The principle: when the complaint is about not being told, tell them, and check whether the situation itself needs escalating.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You work on the counter of a garden machinery repair shop. A customer brings in a lawnmower that you repaired six weeks ago, with the same fault. The repair carried a three-month guarantee. The mechanic who did the work says the customer has probably been cutting wet grass, which is not covered. The customer says he has not. Your workshop manager is in this afternoon. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Book the mower in under the guarantee for the workshop manager to inspect this afternoon, and tell the customer you will call once she has seen what caused the fault.
    2. Tell him the mechanic is confident the fault comes from cutting wet grass, so it falls outside the guarantee, and that he will need to pay for any further work.
    3. Book the mower in for a chargeable repair and explain that the original work is only guaranteed against a recurrence that is not caused by how the machine has been used.
    4. Repair the mower free of charge without inspection, since the same fault within the guarantee period is the shop's responsibility and arguing about causes will only lose a regular customer.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: A. Book the mower in under the guarantee for the workshop manager to inspect this afternoon, and tell the customer you will call once she has seen what caused the fault.

    Least effective: B. Tell him the mechanic is confident the fault comes from cutting wet grass, so it falls outside the guarantee, and that he will need to pay for any further work.

    B: Ignores the customer's actual need: it refuses a guarantee claim on an untested assumption about how he has used the machine, effectively telling a customer he is not being truthful without anyone looking at the mower.

    C: Charges the customer on an untested theory: it decides against him on the mechanic's assumption before anyone has looked inside the machine, and charges him for a fault that recurred within the guarantee.

    D: Breaches confidentiality or process: it waives a charge before anyone has established whether the fault is covered, which is the workshop manager's decision and removes the inspection that would settle it.

    The most effective response is to book the mower in under the guarantee for the workshop manager to inspect this afternoon, and tell the customer you will call once she has seen what caused the fault: the same fault has recurred inside the guarantee, whether it is covered depends on what is actually wrong, and she can look today. Booking it in and committing to call back keeps the customer whole while the facts are established. It beats booking it as a chargeable repair and explaining the guarantee does not cover misuse, because that charges him before anyone has opened the machine, on the strength of a theory. It beats repairing it free of charge without inspection, because waiving the charge removes the very check that decides whether it is a guarantee job and takes the manager’s decision for her. The least effective response is telling him the mechanic is confident the fault comes from cutting wet grass and he must pay: it refuses a live guarantee claim on an untested assumption and implies he is not telling the truth. That is worse than the chargeable booking, which at least books a repair, and worse than the free repair, which at least fixes the mower. The principle: when the customer’s entitlement turns on a fact, establish the fact before deciding, and keep them informed while you do.