Irwin Mitchell Assessment Tests

Irwin Mitchell Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a filing clerk. A fee earner asks whether a claim form went out in yesterday’s post. You cannot find it in the outgoing log and the person who does the afternoon post is off today. The fee earner is about to tell the client it has been issued. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell him it went out yesterday and present it as fact, since everything on the desk that afternoon was taken and there is nothing to suggest this one was treated differently.
   2. Tell him you cannot confirm it and suggest he waits until tomorrow, when the person who does the afternoon post will be back and able to say what went.
   3. Tell him it is not in the log so you cannot confirm it, and offer to check with the court's issue record this morning so he has something definite before he speaks to the client.
   4. Tell him it is not in the log, and add a note to the file saying the entry is missing so that anybody looking later can see the position.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell him it is not in the log so you cannot confirm it, and offer to check with the court's issue record this morning so he has something definite before he speaks to the client.

   Least effective: A. Tell him it went out yesterday and present it as fact, since everything on the desk that afternoon was taken and there is nothing to suggest this one was treated differently.

   A: Asserts a fact you have not checked: he will pass it to the client as confirmation, and the one record that would have shown it does not carry the entry.

   B: Answers with the obstacle: it is honest and it leaves a fee earner holding a client conversation with nothing to say, when the court's own record could settle it today.

   D: Records the gap instead of closing it: the note is useful afterwards and does nothing for the conversation that is about to happen, which is where the risk actually is.

   The most effective response is to tell him it is not in the log so you cannot confirm it, and offer to check the court’s issue record this morning. He needs a fact rather than a doubt before he speaks to the client, and the court’s own record can supply one today. It beats telling him you cannot confirm it and suggesting he waits until tomorrow, because that leaves him with nothing today. It beats telling him it is not in the log and adding a note to the file, because a file note does not reach the client conversation. The least effective response is telling him it went out yesterday and presenting it as fact: he is handed something to tell the client that you have not checked, and the only record you have looked at does not support it. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, both of which are clear about what is not known. The principle: when somebody is about to repeat what you say, tell them what you know and go and find what you do not.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are a practice assistant. You and a colleague in another team both support the same two fee earners. A recurring diary conflict between their commitments has been going wrong for a month, and each of you has been fixing it separately on the day. Your colleague says he has no time to look at the cause. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Hand the whole diary problem to your colleague's team, since the commitment that keeps clashing is theirs and it is their side that should be sorting out the cause.
   2. Carry on fixing the clash each morning as you have been, since between the two of you it has always been sorted before either fee earner has noticed anything wrong.
   3. Write down what has gone wrong on each of the four occasions and send it to both fee earners, asking which of the two commitments should give way in future.
   4. Spend half an hour tracing what causes the clash, then take what you find to your colleague with a suggested fix so the two of you can agree one change.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Spend half an hour tracing what causes the clash, then take what you find to your colleague with a suggested fix so the two of you can agree one change.

   Least effective: A. Hand the whole diary problem to your colleague's team, since the commitment that keeps clashing is theirs and it is their side that should be sorting out the cause.

   A: Passes the problem on without owning it: the clash sits between the two teams rather than in either of them, and handing it over means the daily fixing simply stops without anything replacing it.

   B: Absorbs a recurring failure: it works every day and fixes nothing, so two people keep spending time on a problem that one hour of looking would remove.

   C: Escalates before diagnosing: the fee earners are asked to choose between commitments before anybody has established what actually causes the clash, which may not be a choice either of them needs to make.

   The most effective response is to spend half an hour tracing what causes the clash, then take what you find to your colleague with a suggested fix. Half an hour spent once is less than the time the two of you already spend each week, and taking a proposal rather than a problem to a colleague with no time is what makes the conversation possible. It beats carrying on fixing the clash each morning, because doing that is what has kept it alive for a month. It beats writing up the four occasions and asking both fee earners which commitment should give way, because nobody yet knows what they would be choosing between. The least effective response is handing the whole diary problem to your colleague’s team: it moves it to a team that has said it has no time and stops the daily fixing at the same moment, so the clash reaches the fee earners unhandled. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, both of which keep somebody on it. The principle: fix the cause once rather than the symptom daily, and take a proposal to the person you need.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a client services adviser. You are the only person on the desk this afternoon and two things need doing: returning eleven calls from this morning, and preparing the papers for tomorrow’s early client meeting. You can do one properly. The fee earner running tomorrow’s meeting is in the office today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Prepare the meeting papers, and tell the fee earner now that eleven calls are outstanding so that somebody can be found to help with them this afternoon.
   2. Return the eleven calls, since eleven people are waiting and the meeting papers are one job for one person, and get to the papers if any time is left.
   3. Prepare the meeting papers, and say nothing about the calls, since the fee earner has enough to think about before tomorrow and the callers will ring again if it matters.
   4. Split the afternoon so that some calls are returned and the papers are partly ready, and leave a note for tomorrow morning about what still needs doing on each.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Prepare the meeting papers, and tell the fee earner now that eleven calls are outstanding so that somebody can be found to help with them this afternoon.

   Least effective: C. Prepare the meeting papers, and say nothing about the calls, since the fee earner has enough to think about before tomorrow and the callers will ring again if it matters.

   B: Counts people rather than consequences: eleven calls can be returned tomorrow morning, and the papers cannot be prepared after the meeting has started.

   C: Withholds information somebody needed: eleven people are waiting for a call that is not coming today, and nobody who could arrange anything about that has been told.

   D: Splits effort so nothing finishes: papers that are partly ready are not ready for an early meeting, and half the callers still have not heard from anybody.

   The most effective response is to prepare the meeting papers, and tell the fee earner now that eleven calls are outstanding so somebody can be found to help. Tomorrow’s meeting is the only thing that cannot be recovered afterwards, and he is in the building. It beats returning the eleven calls first because eleven people are waiting, since they can be reached tomorrow and a meeting cannot be prepared retrospectively. It beats splitting the afternoon between some calls and partly ready papers, because half-ready papers are not papers. The least effective response is preparing the papers and saying nothing about the calls: it makes the same choice as the best answer and tells nobody, so eleven people wait with no possibility of help being arranged. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, both of which reach some callers. The principle: choose by what cannot be recovered, and tell whoever can arrange the rest.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a court clerk at the end of a difficult fortnight in which you have been covering two roles. You realise you sent a hearing bundle to the wrong court office last Thursday, and it has not been returned. The hearing is in nine days. Your manager has been managing complaints about the team all week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ring the office you sent it to and ask them to forward it, and tell your manager only if the bundle has not turned up by the middle of next week.
   2. Prepare a replacement bundle from the file so there is a second set ready, and conceal the misdirected one, since the hearing will not be affected either way.
   3. Tell your manager now, before you have found out whether the bundle can be recovered, so that she knows about it at the earliest possible moment.
   4. Ring the office to ask them to return it, then tell your manager today what happened, what you have done and what you will do if the bundle is not back by Friday.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ring the office to ask them to return it, then tell your manager today what happened, what you have done and what you will do if the bundle is not back by Friday.

   Least effective: B. Prepare a replacement bundle from the file so there is a second set ready, and conceal the misdirected one, since the hearing will not be affected either way.

   A: Sets a private deadline for telling somebody: the chasing is right and the condition means your manager learns about a nine-day problem with three days left, which is when her options run out.

   B: Covers your own error: a second bundle solves the hearing and hides that a client's papers are sitting in the wrong court office, which is the part somebody else needed to know about.

   C: Escalates without the facts: she gets a problem and no information, in a week when she is already short of time, and the two calls that would have told her how bad it is have not been made.

   The most effective response is to ring the office to ask them to return it, then tell your manager today what happened, what you have done and what you will do if it is not back by Friday. Nine days is enough time to fix it and the fix is worth more with the facts attached, so the call comes first and the conversation follows the same day. It beats ringing the office and telling her only if the bundle has not turned up by the middle of next week, because a private deadline for telling her is her time being spent without her knowing. It beats telling her before you have found out whether it can be recovered, because a bare problem in a difficult week is harder to act on than a problem with a position. The least effective response is preparing a replacement bundle and concealing the misdirected one: it produces a working hearing and leaves the misdirected papers unreported. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, both of which tell her eventually. The principle: find out what you can, then tell the person who needs to know, today.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a filing clerk. A fee earner asks you whether a consent order was sealed by the court last week. The file shows it was sent but nothing has come back, and the court’s online record has been down since Monday. He is about to tell the other side it is done. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell him you cannot confirm it while the court's record is down, and suggest he waits until the system is back up before saying anything to the other side.
   2. Tell him it was sealed last week, since orders of this kind come back within days and there has been nothing from the court to suggest any problem with it.
   3. Tell him nothing has come back, and put a note on the file recording that the court's record was unavailable when the question was asked.
   4. Tell him the file shows it was sent and nothing has come back, that the court's record is down, and offer to ring the court office this morning to get it confirmed.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell him the file shows it was sent and nothing has come back, that the court's record is down, and offer to ring the court office this morning to get it confirmed.

   Least effective: B. Tell him it was sealed last week, since orders of this kind come back within days and there has been nothing from the court to suggest any problem with it.

   A: Answers with the obstacle: it is honest and it leaves him waiting on a system nobody can put a date on, when a telephone call would settle it today.

   B: States as fact something you cannot check: the record that would confirm it has been down all week, and he is going to tell the other side on the strength of your answer.

   C: Records the position instead of resolving it: the note will be useful later and does nothing about the conversation he is about to have with the other side.

   The most effective response is to tell him the file shows it was sent and nothing has come back, that the court’s record is down, and offer to ring the court office this morning. He needs something definite before he speaks to the other side, and the court office can supply it even though the online record cannot. It beats telling him you cannot confirm it while the record is down and suggesting he waits, because waiting for a system with no return date is not a plan. It beats telling him nothing has come back and noting on the file that the record was unavailable, because a file note does not reach the other side. The least effective response is telling him it was sealed last week: he is handed a confirmation you have not got, which he will pass on. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, both of which are clear about what is not known. The principle: when the usual record is unavailable, find the other route rather than filling the gap yourself.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a records assistant. While closing a file you notice that a signed agreement recorded on the index is not in the file and is not on the system either. The matter finished eight months ago and the client has not been in touch since. Your team leader is on annual leave for another week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Search the archive and the scanning queue yourself first, and only raise it if you still cannot find the agreement once you have exhausted every place it might reasonably be.
   2. Raise it today with whoever is covering for your team leader, setting out what the index says, what you have and have not found, and asking who should decide what happens next.
   3. Close the file as planned and say nothing about the missing agreement, since the matter finished long ago and nobody has asked for the document in eight months.
   4. Email your team leader so it is waiting when she returns, and carry on with the rest of your closing list while you wait for her to come back to you.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Raise it today with whoever is covering for your team leader, setting out what the index says, what you have and have not found, and asking who should decide what happens next.

   Least effective: C. Close the file as planned and say nothing about the missing agreement, since the matter finished long ago and nobody has asked for the document in eight months.

   A: Delays the decision: searching is sensible and doing it before telling anybody means a week could pass with the only person who knows about the gap being the one least able to judge what it costs.

   C: Withholds information somebody needed: closing the file is the last moment anybody would look, so the gap stops being findable at exactly the point it is recorded as complete.

   D: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: the email is right and the timing is not, because it accepts a week's delay on something nobody has yet judged, purely to keep it with the person you usually report to.

   The most effective response is to raise it today with whoever is covering for your team leader, setting out what the index says and what you have and have not found. You are not the person who can judge what a missing signed agreement costs, and the point of raising it is to put it in front of somebody who can, today rather than next week. It beats searching the archive and the scanning queue yourself first, because searching and telling are not alternatives, and the search can continue once somebody knows. It beats emailing your team leader so it is waiting when she returns, because a covering team leader exists precisely so a week’s absence does not become a week’s delay. The least effective response is closing the file as planned and saying nothing: the gap goes unrecorded, which is a different kind of wrong from the other two because both of those leave the problem findable. The principle: a gap in a record is somebody’s to judge, and closing the file is the last chance to hand it to them.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a litigation assistant. A client rings to ask whether the other side has filed their defence, which was due yesterday. The court’s online record is not showing anything and you know it can lag by a day or two. The client says he has a board meeting this afternoon and needs to tell them something. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell him nothing has been filed, and give it as certain, since the record would be showing it by now if the other side had done anything yesterday.
   2. Tell him the online record shows nothing yet, explain that it can lag a day or two, and say you will ring the court this morning and call him before his meeting.
   3. Tell him the record shows nothing but that it cannot be relied on, and suggest he tells his board the position is unclear until the court catches up.
   4. Tell him you will ask the fee earner to call him after the board meeting, when the record will have had another day to catch up and the position will be clearer.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell him the online record shows nothing yet, explain that it can lag a day or two, and say you will ring the court this morning and call him before his meeting.

   Least effective: A. Tell him nothing has been filed, and give it as certain, since the record would be showing it by now if the other side had done anything yesterday.

   A: States as fact something the record cannot yet show: you know it lags, and he is going to tell a board that the other side has defaulted.

   C: Passes the uncertainty on: it is accurate and it leaves him presenting a shrug to his board, when the court office could settle it in one call this morning.

   D: Answers after the deadline: the whole reason he rang is the meeting this afternoon, and a call afterwards arrives when it can no longer be used.

   The most effective response is to tell him the online record shows nothing yet, explain that it can lag a day or two, and say you will ring the court this morning and call him before his meeting. He gets the true position, the reason it is uncertain, and a commitment to resolve it before the moment he needs it. It beats telling him the record shows nothing but cannot be relied on and suggesting he tells his board the position is unclear, because the uncertainty is removable by a phone call. It beats asking the fee earner to call him after the board meeting, because his deadline is this afternoon. The least effective response is telling him nothing has been filed and giving it as certain: an unconfirmed absence is presented as a fact, and he will report a default to his board. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, both of which are honest about what the record shows. The principle: say what the record shows and what it cannot show, then go and close the gap before their deadline.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a trainee solicitor sharing a research task with another trainee. You have each done half and the two halves reach opposite conclusions. Neither of you can see where the difference comes from. The note is due to your supervisor at midday tomorrow and you both have other work today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Sit down with him for half an hour today, work back through both halves until you find where the difference arises, and put the answer and the reasoning in the note.
   2. Send both halves to your supervisor now with a note that the two of you disagree, and ask her to tell you which conclusion is right before you write it up.
   3. Hand your half to someone in the department who knows the area, and ask them to reconcile the two halves while the pair of you get on with your other work today.
   4. Put both conclusions in the note with the arguments for each, so your supervisor can see the two positions and decide which one she prefers.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Sit down with him for half an hour today, work back through both halves until you find where the difference arises, and put the answer and the reasoning in the note.

   Least effective: C. Hand your half to someone in the department who knows the area, and ask them to reconcile the two halves while the pair of you get on with your other work today.

   B: Escalates before diagnosing: she is being asked to do the work of finding the difference, which is the whole task, and neither of you has yet spent half an hour looking.

   C: Passes the work to a colleague: the two people who did the research give the reconciling to somebody who did not, so the one part nobody else can do quickly is the part that gets handed away.

   D: Delivers the disagreement instead of resolving it: a research note that ends in two answers is not a research note, and the difference between them is probably one step neither of you has found.

   The most effective response is to sit down with him for half an hour today and work back through both halves until you find where the difference arises. The gap between two halves of one question is nearly always a single step, and the two people who did the work are the fastest to find it. It beats sending both halves to your supervisor with a note that you disagree, because she is being asked to do your task. It beats putting both conclusions in the note with the arguments for each, because a note with two answers has not answered anything. The least effective response is handing your half to someone in the department to reconcile the two: the reconciling goes to somebody with none of the working, so a half-hour job becomes a long one for a person who has not agreed to it. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, both of which keep the work with people who have done it. The principle: find where two answers diverge before asking anybody else to choose between them.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a filing clerk. You and another clerk share the counter run to the court each afternoon. Last week he told your manager, in front of you, that the run is usually late because of you. Today he asks you to cover his run because he has a dental appointment. There is time in your afternoon to do it. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Cover the run without comment, and say nothing about last week because raising it now would only make the afternoon more awkward than it already is for both of you.
   2. Do his run today, then stop passing on his counter messages because he complained about you to your manager, and leave his paperwork for him to sort out himself.
   3. Agree to cover the run, and ask him afterwards for a word about what he said to your manager, so the two of you can agree what actually causes the delays.
   4. Say you can cover it only if he corrects what he told your manager, since you should not have to help somebody who has put the blame for the delays on you.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Agree to cover the run, and ask him afterwards for a word about what he said to your manager, so the two of you can agree what actually causes the delays.

   Least effective: B. Do his run today, then stop passing on his counter messages because he complained about you to your manager, and leave his paperwork for him to sort out himself.

   A: Prioritises harmony over honesty: the work gets done and the thing that will go on affecting the run is left in place, so the same remark can be made again next month with nothing having changed.

   B: Withdraws help after a disagreement: it settles a private score at the counter where the work is, so the next thing that goes wrong on the run goes wrong for the court and the clients rather than for him.

   D: Makes a condition of the work: it ties a job the court is waiting on to a personal grievance, so the run becomes the thing at stake in an argument that has nothing to do with it.

   The most effective response is to agree to cover the run, and ask him afterwards for a word about what he said to your manager. The run is covered either way, and it separates the work from the grievance while still dealing with the grievance, which is the only way the remark stops affecting the counter. It beats covering it without comment and saying nothing about last week, because that leaves an inaccurate account with your manager and the real cause of the delays unexamined. It beats offering to cover it only if he corrects what he told her, because that makes the court’s paperwork the price of an apology. The least effective response is doing his run today and then stopping passing on his counter messages: a disagreement between two people becomes a standing reduction in service, which lands on the work rather than on him. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, which both get the run done. The principle: deal with the work and the grievance separately, and never let a colleague’s behaviour change what the job gets.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a billing assistant. Two fee earners have each told you the other is responsible for a bill that has not gone out, and each has asked you to say so if the month-end figures are queried. The bill is now three weeks late and the client has asked about it. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Tell the month-end review, if it comes up, that neither of them has taken responsibility, so that the record shows what actually happened rather than either account.
    2. Ask them both for ten minutes, put the client's question and the three weeks in front of them, and ask which of them will get the bill out this week.
    3. Draft the bill yourself and send it to both of them for approval, since the client is waiting and somebody has to break the stalemate before month end.
    4. Blame each of them to the other in front of the billing team, so that they both understand the position and can settle who is responsible between themselves.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: B. Ask them both for ten minutes, put the client's question and the three weeks in front of them, and ask which of them will get the bill out this week.

    Least effective: D. Blame each of them to the other in front of the billing team, so that they both understand the position and can settle who is responsible between themselves.

    A: Answers a question nobody has asked yet: it prepares a position for a meeting instead of getting the bill out, and the client is still waiting either way.

    C: Works around the stalemate: the bill may go out and the question of who owns it is left exactly as it was, so the next one stalls the same way.

    D: Carries private remarks between colleagues: it makes the argument about the two of them rather than about a bill the client is waiting on, and neither can unhear what the other said.

    The most effective response is to ask them both for ten minutes, put the client’s question and the three weeks in front of them, and ask which of them will get the bill out this week. Those are facts neither disputes, and putting both in front of them together turns a blame exchange into a decision. It beats drafting the bill yourself and sending it to both for approval, because drafting round them leaves ownership unresolved. It beats telling the month-end review that neither has taken responsibility, because a bill is still not out. The least effective response is blaming each of them to the other in front of the billing team: it relays each account to the other, so a late bill becomes a quarrel. That is a different kind of wrong from the other two, neither of which repeats anything anybody said. The principle: put the shared fact in front of both, and never carry remarks between them.