Lenovo Assessment Tests

Lenovo Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are an information security assistant. A customer’s request to remove a former employee’s access has sat for three weeks because it needs a signature from a manager who himself left the company last month. You are the only person who has worked out why it is stuck. The customer stopped chasing a fortnight ago. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Email the customer a short update saying the request is still open and that you are working out who can approve it, and keep looking for the right approver yourself.
   2. Tell your supervisor today that the approver left the company and the request has been stuck three weeks, and ask who signs in his place.
   3. Leave the request in the queue without telling anybody why it has stalled, since the customer has stopped chasing and an approver leaving is not something you caused.
   4. Close the request and ask the customer to raise a fresh one, so that it enters the queue again with a current approver attached to it from the start.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell your supervisor today that the approver left the company and the request has been stuck three weeks, and ask who signs in his place.

   Least effective: C. Leave the request in the queue without telling anybody why it has stalled, since the customer has stopped chasing and an approver leaving is not something you caused.

   A: Keeps the customer informed and the block unmoved: the update is honest, and three weeks becomes four while you hunt for something your supervisor already knows.

   C: Stays silent on the only explanation that exists: a former employee still has access, and the reason nobody can fix it lives nowhere but in your head.

   D: Restarts the clock instead of removing the block: it is transparent and it costs the customer another wait for a problem that would simply recur.

   The most effective response is to tell your supervisor today that the approver left the company and the request has been stuck three weeks, and ask who signs in his place. The block is a named absence, she holds the list of alternative signatories, and one conversation converts three lost weeks into a signature. It beats emailing the customer a short update while you keep looking for the right approver yourself, because an honest update does not move a request and the person who can has still not been asked. It beats closing the request and asking the customer to raise a fresh one, because that meets the same missing approver. The least effective response is leaving the request in the queue without telling anybody why it has stalled: it is worse than either of the other two, because both put something in front of somebody, while this leaves a former employee holding access and keeps the only explanation in your own head. The principle: when a block is somebody’s absence and you can see the way round it, the customer going quiet is not permission to stop.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are a test analyst. A supplier who provides the test devices has told you the twelve you ordered will arrive a week after the date the team agreed with the customer. You are mid-way through a test run due this afternoon. Nobody else knows about the delay, and the customer’s date was agreed on the basis that the devices arrive on time. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Finish this afternoon's run first and raise the device delay tomorrow, when there will be room to explain what it means for the customer's date properly.
   2. Keep the supplier chasing it and leave the customer's date alone for now, since the delivery is their commitment and a week can often be pulled back.
   3. Put the supplier's email into the team channel and carry on with the run, so that anybody who needs to know about the devices can read it there.
   4. Tell whoever agreed the customer's date now, in one message, that the devices are a week late, then go back and finish this afternoon's run.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell whoever agreed the customer's date now, in one message, that the devices are a week late, then go back and finish this afternoon's run.

   Least effective: B. Keep the supplier chasing it and leave the customer's date alone for now, since the delivery is their commitment and a week can often be pulled back.

   A: Ranks a run that has no external date above one that has: the customer's date is the thing at risk, and tomorrow is a day less to do anything about it.

   B: Passes the problem back to the supplier and stops there: the team that promised the customer a date still does not know the devices will be late.

   C: Publishes to nobody in particular: the people who agreed the customer's date have no reason to be reading the channel this afternoon.

   The most effective response is to tell whoever agreed the customer’s date, in one message, that the devices are a week late, then go back and finish the run. A week’s slip against a date already given is somebody else’s problem to solve and they cannot start until they know. It beats finishing this afternoon’s run first and raising the delay tomorrow, because a day lost is a day of options lost and the run carries no external commitment. It beats putting the supplier’s email into the team channel and carrying on, because a channel post is not the same as telling the people who made the promise. The least effective response is keeping the supplier chasing it and leaving the customer’s date alone: it is worse than either of the other two, because both surface it somewhere eventually, while this leaves the people holding the date entirely unaware. The principle: when a supplier’s slip lands on somebody else’s promise, the promise-holders are told first and told today.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are an operations analyst. Two colleagues have each spent the morning chasing the same alert from different ends, and neither knows the other is on it. You noticed because both posted questions in the same channel within an hour. Neither has asked you for anything, the alert is assigned to nobody, and you have your own work to finish today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Post the piece of the answer you know into the channel and let the two of them work the rest out, without saying anywhere in the channel that the two of them are working the same alert.
   2. Leave it between the two of them. Neither has asked you for anything, and both are perfectly capable of finding each other in a shared channel.
   3. Message them both together now and say they are working the same alert from two ends, so that the pair of them can agree which one of them takes it on.
   4. Take the alert on yourself so the duplication stops, and tell them both that you have picked it up so that they can drop it and move on.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Message them both together now and say they are working the same alert from two ends, so that the pair of them can agree which one of them takes it on.

   Least effective: B. Leave it between the two of them. Neither has asked you for anything, and both are perfectly capable of finding each other in a shared channel.

   A: Withholds the one fact that would help: the answer is useful, but the thing they are missing is each other, and that is the part you are not saying.

   B: Assumes somebody else will close the gap: it is the only option that does nothing at all with information only you hold, so the duplicated morning simply continues.

   D: Absorbs the problem instead of naming it: it puts a third person on one alert and costs you your own work, when a single message would have freed two.

   The most effective response is to message them both together now and say they are working the same alert from two ends. You hold the only fact neither has, it costs one message, and letting them choose who takes it leaves ownership with the people doing the work. It beats posting the piece of the answer you know into the channel without mentioning the duplication, because the missing piece is not technical: it is that they are duplicating each other. It beats taking the alert on yourself so the duplication stops, because spending your own afternoon on an alert two people already cover solves the duplication by adding to it. The least effective response is leaving it between the two of them because neither has asked: it is worse than either of the other two, because each at least puts something back, while this leaves a whole morning of doubled effort running. The principle: when you are the only person holding the fact that would unstick two colleagues, being unasked is not a reason to keep it.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a graduate software engineer. You volunteered months ago to run the team’s Friday session where people share what they have learned. This week your estimate for a piece of work was questioned in planning and the team agreed a shorter one. Nobody was unpleasant and the shorter estimate may well be right. Two people are booked to speak at Friday’s session. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Run Friday's session as usual, and separately ask the person who challenged the estimate to walk you through how they got to the shorter number.
   2. Run Friday's session and tell the team afterwards that you would like somebody else to take it on from next month, without saying why you have changed your mind.
   3. Stop running the Friday session after that, and let whoever wants it pick it up, including the two people who are already booked to speak.
   4. Run Friday's session but stop preparing for it, so the time you were giving to the team goes back into the work you are apparently expected to do faster.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Run Friday's session as usual, and separately ask the person who challenged the estimate to walk you through how they got to the shorter number.

   Least effective: C. Stop running the Friday session after that, and let whoever wants it pick it up, including the two people who are already booked to speak.

   B: Withdraws with the reason removed: the team loses the session's organiser and never learns that a planning discussion is what did it.

   C: Withdraws a voluntary duty after a challenge: two booked speakers and the whole team pay for a disagreement about an estimate that had nothing to do with them.

   D: Reduces the thing quietly: the session still has your name on it and it is now worth less, which nobody has agreed to or been told.

   The most effective response is to run Friday’s session as usual, and separately ask the person who challenged the estimate to walk you through how they got to the shorter number. The session and the estimate are unrelated, two people are booked, and finding out how they reached it is the honestly useful response. It beats running Friday’s session and asking the team afterwards for somebody else to take it on without saying why, because that costs the team its organiser and teaches nobody anything. It beats running it but no longer preparing, because your name is still on a session you have quietly stopped preparing for. The least effective response is letting whoever wants it pick the session up, including the two already booked to speak: it is worse than either of the other two, because both keep it running at least once more, while this drops it on the speakers themselves, over a planning discussion they had no part in. The principle: a challenge to your estimate is a thing to ask about, and never something a voluntary commitment to other people should pay for.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a junior data engineer. You have been asked to compare two database tools on cost, speed and support, and to recommend one. You have used the more expensive one for years and much prefer working with it. On the three measures you were given, the cheaper one comes out ahead on cost and support and they are level on speed. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Recommend the tool you know, since your familiarity with it is worth real money in delivery time, and weight the three measures so that it comes out ahead.
   2. Recommend the cheaper tool on the three measures, and say nothing about the fact that you have years of experience with the other one.
   3. Decline to make a recommendation and hand over the comparison on the three measures, so that somebody without a history with either tool decides it.
   4. Recommend the cheaper tool on the three measures you were given, and note that you have years of experience with the other and would personally prefer it.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Recommend the cheaper tool on the three measures you were given, and note that you have years of experience with the other and would personally prefer it.

   Least effective: A. Recommend the tool you know, since your familiarity with it is worth real money in delivery time, and weight the three measures so that it comes out ahead.

   A: Decides a neutral assessment for your own benefit: the weighting is chosen after the answer is known, and nobody reading the recommendation can see that.

   B: Reports the measures and hides the relevant fact: your familiarity is a genuine consideration and the decision is made without knowing it exists.

   C: Steps aside rather than declaring: the team loses the only person who has used one of them, over something a sentence would have handled.

   The most effective response is to recommend the cheaper tool on the three measures you were given, and note that you have years of experience with the other and would personally prefer it. It answers the question on the criteria you were given, and declaring the preference lets whoever decides weigh it consciously. It beats recommending the cheaper tool and saying nothing about your experience with the other, because that experience is a real consideration and hiding it means the decision is made without a fact that could change it. It beats declining to recommend and handing over the comparison, because standing aside costs the team its only person with hands-on experience. The least effective response is recommending the tool you know and weighting the measures so it comes out ahead: it is worse than either of the other two, because both report the measures accurately, while this chooses the weighting after knowing which answer it produces. The principle: answer on the criteria you were given, declare the preference you hold, and never choose the weighting to reach the conclusion you wanted.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a support analyst. The monthly figure for tickets resolved first time looks about twenty points too high, and the only way it could be that high is if a colleague has been closing and reopening tickets. The figure goes into a board pack tomorrow. You have a full queue and a difficult history with that colleague. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Rebuild the whole month's figure from the raw ticket data yourself tonight, and take a finished alternative number to whoever compiles the pack tomorrow.
   2. Leave it alone and get on with the queue. The figure is not yours to police, and raising it would mean an awkward conversation about somebody else's numbers.
   3. Send a note to whoever compiles the pack saying the figure looks high and that they may want to check it before tomorrow, without saying why you think so.
   4. Ask your colleague today how the figure got so high, and if the answer does not explain it, tell whoever compiles the pack what you have found before tomorrow.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ask your colleague today how the figure got so high, and if the answer does not explain it, tell whoever compiles the pack what you have found before tomorrow.

   Least effective: B. Leave it alone and get on with the queue. The figure is not yours to police, and raising it would mean an awkward conversation about somebody else's numbers.

   A: Spends a night proving what a question would settle: the pack goes tomorrow either way, and one conversation this afternoon would have resolved it.

   B: Avoids the difficult conversation: a board reads a first-time-fix rate tomorrow that only you have any reason to doubt, and the queue was never the reason.

   C: Flags a doubt without its reason: they cannot check a number without knowing what to check, so the warning arrives too vague to act on.

   The most effective response is to ask your colleague today how the figure got so high, and if the answer does not explain it, tell whoever compiles the pack before tomorrow. The one thing that settles this is a question only he can answer, it takes minutes, and there is still time to warn the compiler. It beats rebuilding the whole month’s figure from the raw ticket data tonight, because a night of that produces a rival number without establishing whether the first was wrong. It beats sending the compiler a note saying the figure looks high without saying why, because they have no way to check it. The least effective response is leaving it alone and getting on with the queue: it is worse than either of the other two, because both put something in front of somebody before the pack goes, while this lets a board read a figure only you have reason to doubt. The principle: when the fastest route to the truth is a conversation you would rather avoid, the discomfort is the cost of the check, not a reason to skip it.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a junior developer. After three weeks of long days you have found what you believe is the cause of a recurring fault, with evidence from the logs. A developer of fifteen years’ standing says in the team channel that it cannot be that, and gives no reason. Two others agree with him and the discussion moves on. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Post the log evidence in the channel, ask him directly what he thinks it shows, and say you may well be wrong but would like to know why, so that it is settled on the logs.
   2. Let it go for now and raise it again if the fault recurs, since three weeks of long days is not the state to be arguing in and the evidence will keep.
   3. Take the evidence to your manager and ask her to look at it, since the channel has already moved on and three people have taken a view.
   4. Accept that fifteen years of knowing this system beats three weeks of your log reading, and drop it, since two other people took the same view as he did.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Post the log evidence in the channel, ask him directly what he thinks it shows, and say you may well be wrong but would like to know why, so that it is settled on the logs.

   Least effective: D. Accept that fifteen years of knowing this system beats three weeks of your log reading, and drop it, since two other people took the same view as he did.

   B: Postpones on the strength of your own tiredness: the fault recurs on customers meanwhile, and the evidence you found stays unexamined.

   C: Escalates before the argument has happened: he has not seen your logs, so there is nothing for a manager to arbitrate yet.

   D: Puts loyalty to long service above the logs: they either show what you think or they do not, and nobody in the channel has yet looked at them.

   The most effective response is to post the log evidence in the channel, ask him directly what he thinks it shows, and say you may well be wrong. He gave no reason, which means the disagreement has not actually happened yet, and this makes it about the logs rather than about either of you. It beats letting it go for now and raising it again if the fault recurs, because it keeps recurring for customers while you wait, and being tired is a reason to be careful rather than to withdraw. It beats taking the evidence to your manager, because she cannot arbitrate evidence the other party has not seen. The least effective response is accepting that fifteen years of knowing the system beats three weeks of your log reading: it is worse than either of the other two, because both keep the evidence alive, while this discards it because of how long somebody has worked here. The principle: when you are exhausted and outranked, put the evidence in front of the person and invite them to show you what you have missed.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a quality assurance analyst. Test plans need a second reviewer’s approval before testing starts. A colleague has sent you a forty-page plan and asked you to approve it this afternoon so his team is not held up. You have no time today and only a rough idea of what his area does. He has approved several of yours without comment. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Approve the parts you understand and note in the approval which sections you did not read, so his team can start on the areas that were covered.
   2. Tell him you cannot do it today and leave it at that, since you have no time and the plan is in an area you do not know well.
   3. Tell him you cannot approve forty pages today or judge his area properly, and take it to whoever assigns reviewers, so that his team gets somebody who can.
   4. Approve the plan unread this afternoon. He knows his own area far better than you do, and he has approved several of yours without any comment at all.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell him you cannot approve forty pages today or judge his area properly, and take it to whoever assigns reviewers, so that his team gets somebody who can.

   Least effective: D. Approve the plan unread this afternoon. He knows his own area far better than you do, and he has approved several of yours without any comment at all.

   A: Splits an approval that is not divisible: the approval unlocks the whole plan, and a note about which sections were skipped travels less far than the approval does.

   B: Declines without offering a route: his team is held up and nothing has been done to find them a reviewer who could actually help.

   D: Breaches the control the approval exists to be: the second reviewer exists so that somebody else has read the plan, and the record will say one did.

   The most effective response is to tell him you cannot approve forty pages today or judge his area properly, and take it to whoever assigns reviewers. You cannot do what is being asked and his team still needs a reviewer, so handing the problem to whoever can assign one is the useful move. It beats approving the parts you understand and noting which sections you did not read, because the approval releases the whole plan and the note does not travel with it. It beats telling him you cannot do it today and leaving it there, because that leaves his team stuck with nothing changed. The least effective response is approving the plan unread because he has done the same for you: it is worse than either of the other two, because one reads something and the other leaves the plan unapproved, while this puts a second reviewer’s name on forty unread pages. The principle: when you cannot give the approval that is being asked for, say so and find the person who can, and never let a reciprocal favour stand in for a reading.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a graduate software engineer. You are writing the summary of a week of load testing for a customer. The system handled the target load on Tuesday and failed it on Thursday after a configuration change that has since been reversed. The summary has one headline figure and the customer reads it as a yes or a no. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Give Thursday's failing figure as the headline, since a system that failed once could fail again and the customer should plan for the worse of the two.
   2. Give Tuesday's figure as the headline and say plainly underneath that Thursday failed after a change that has been reversed, so the customer sees both runs.
   3. Record the week's testing as complete on Tuesday's figure. Thursday's configuration has been reversed and no longer describes the system the customer is buying.
   4. Give both figures with no headline at all, and let the customer decide for themselves which of the two weeks of testing better describes what they are buying.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Give Tuesday's figure as the headline and say plainly underneath that Thursday failed after a change that has been reversed, so the customer sees both runs.

   Least effective: C. Record the week's testing as complete on Tuesday's figure. Thursday's configuration has been reversed and no longer describes the system the customer is buying.

   A: Reports the worse run as the answer: it is as one-sided as reporting the better one, and it leaves out that Thursday had a configuration since reversed.

   C: Writes up the run that suited: Thursday is a real result about a real system, and the customer reads a clean pass with no sign that anything failed.

   D: Declines to interpret work you did: the customer reads the summary as a yes or a no, and two numbers without a view puts your job on them.

   The most effective response is to give Tuesday’s figure as the headline and say plainly underneath that Thursday failed after a change that has been reversed. Tuesday is the honest headline because the Thursday configuration no longer exists, and stating the failure means the customer is not learning about it later from somebody else. It beats leading with Thursday’s failing figure so they plan for the worse of the two, because that misdescribes what they are getting. It beats giving both figures with no headline, because they read this as a yes or a no, and refusing to give one hands them a judgement you are better placed to make. The least effective response is recording the week’s testing as complete on Tuesday’s figure alone: it is worse than either of the other two, because both put Thursday in front of the customer, while this produces a clean pass with no indication that anything failed all week. The principle: lead with the result that describes the system as it will be, and never let a summary hide a failure it had to choose not to mention.

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.