ManpowerGroup Assessment Tests

ManpowerGroup Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a support worker at a supported living service. A resident tells you that another member of staff has been shouting at him and that he is frightened of her. He asks you not to tell anyone because he does not want trouble. You have not witnessed anything. Your service manager is on duty. The service has a written safeguarding procedure that you have been trained on. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Keep an eye on the situation over the next few shifts and report it if you see the behaviour yourself, so that any report is based on something you have witnessed.
   2. Explain gently that you cannot keep this to yourself, and report it to your service manager today under the safeguarding procedure.
   3. Speak to the member of staff concerned first to hear her account of it, so that you can decide whether there is anything that genuinely needs to be reported.
   4. Respect the resident's wish and say nothing, since he has asked you not to, he is an adult entitled to make his own choices and you did not see anything yourself.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Explain gently that you cannot keep this to yourself, and report it to your service manager today under the safeguarding procedure.

   Least effective: D. Respect the resident's wish and say nothing, since he has asked you not to, he is an adult entitled to make his own choices and you did not see anything yourself.

   A: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: the procedure asks you to report what is disclosed, not what you have seen, and waiting to witness it leaves a frightened resident in the same position for days.

   C: Breaches confidentiality or process: approaching the person a disclosure is about, before it is reported, warns her and puts the resident at risk of exactly the trouble he is afraid of.

   D: Breaches a safeguarding duty: a disclosure of frightening behaviour by a staff member cannot be held in confidence, and framing silence as respecting his choice leaves him alone with the person he is afraid of. That is a different order of failure from reporting it clumsily.

   The most effective response is to explain gently that you cannot keep this to yourself, and report it to your service manager today under the safeguarding procedure: the procedure exists for exactly this disclosure, confidentiality cannot be promised where a resident says he is frightened of a member of staff, and she is on duty. Telling him honestly that you must pass it on keeps his trust better than a promise you would have to break. It beats keeping an eye on it over the next few shifts and reporting only what you witness, because that substitutes your own evidence threshold for the procedure’s and leaves him frightened meanwhile. It beats speaking to the member of staff first to hear her account, because that alerts her and exposes him to the very consequence he fears. The least effective response is respecting his wish and saying nothing: it leaves a resident who has disclosed being frightened alone with the person concerned, and dresses that up as respecting his autonomy. That is worse than the other two, which act too slowly or in the wrong order but do act. The principle: a safeguarding disclosure goes to the person the procedure names, today, and you never promise a confidence you cannot keep.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You work in a hospital outpatient booking office. At 11am three things need you. A consultant’s clinic next Tuesday has been cancelled and forty patients need contacting before letters go out tomorrow. A patient is on hold asking to move an appointment scheduled for tomorrow. And your manager wants the weekly waiting-time return by 2pm, which takes an hour. Contacting forty patients takes most of the day. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Start ringing the forty patients immediately since that is the largest task and the letters go out tomorrow, and deal with the waiting patient and the return when you can.
   2. Take the patient off hold and move tomorrow's appointment, do the waiting-time return before 2pm, then spend the rest of the day on the forty cancellations.
   3. Let the cancellation letters go out as they are and contact the forty patients afterwards, so that today's shorter tasks can all be completed properly.
   4. Do the waiting-time return first since it has the earliest deadline, then the patient on hold, then start the cancellation calls.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Take the patient off hold and move tomorrow's appointment, do the waiting-time return before 2pm, then spend the rest of the day on the forty cancellations.

   Least effective: C. Let the cancellation letters go out as they are and contact the forty patients afterwards, so that today's shorter tasks can all be completed properly.

   A: Splits effort so nothing finishes: it starts the long job while leaving a patient on hold and an hour-long return due at 2pm, so the waiting-time deadline is put at risk by a task that has until tomorrow.

   C: Hides the problem: it lets forty patients receive letters for a clinic that has been cancelled, which generates forty wasted journeys and forty calls back. Knowingly sending wrong information is worse than mis-sequencing it.

   D: Ignores the customer's actual need: an hour of reporting is put ahead of a patient already holding on the line about an appointment tomorrow, when her call takes a few minutes.

   The most effective response is to take the patient off hold and move tomorrow’s appointment, do the waiting-time return before 2pm, then spend the rest of the day on the forty cancellations: the patient takes a few minutes and concerns tomorrow, the return takes an hour against a fixed deadline, and the calls have until the letters go out. Doing the two short fixed items first leaves the whole afternoon for the long one. It beats starting the forty calls immediately as the largest task, because that puts an hour-long 2pm deadline at risk for work that has until tomorrow. It beats doing the waiting-time return first because it has the earliest deadline, because that leaves a patient holding on the line while an internal report is prepared. The least effective response is letting the cancellation letters go out as they are and contacting the forty afterwards: it sends letters for a clinic that will not happen, producing wasted journeys and forty return calls. That is worse than the other two, which order the day badly but do not knowingly send wrong information. The principle: clear the short items with fixed deadlines, then give the long task the time it needs, and never let known wrong information go out.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a quality inspector at a textile manufacturer. Checking a finished batch you notice the same small weaving fault on several rolls from one loom, and looking back at last week’s records you see it on that loom’s output too. Nobody has asked you to review previous batches. Last week’s output has already gone to a customer. Your quality manager is on site. The loom is running now. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Reject the current batch and say nothing about last week's records, since that output has already been accepted by the customer and reopening it would cause unnecessary trouble.
   2. Reject the current batch and have the loom stopped for maintenance, then report it once the immediate production problem has been dealt with.
   3. Reject the current batch as faulty and record it in the quality log, since the fault is caught before dispatch and the log is where recurring issues are reviewed.
   4. Take the current batch and last week's records to your quality manager now, show her the fault is recurring on one loom, and let her decide about the loom and the customer.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Take the current batch and last week's records to your quality manager now, show her the fault is recurring on one loom, and let her decide about the loom and the customer.

   Least effective: A. Reject the current batch and say nothing about last week's records, since that output has already been accepted by the customer and reopening it would cause unnecessary trouble.

   A: Hides the problem: it knowingly withholds that a customer has already received cloth with the same fault, in order to avoid trouble. Choosing silence about goods already delivered is concealment, not discretion.

   B: Acts outside own authority on the wider issue: stopping the loom is reasonable and it leaves the shipped batch, which is the part with a customer at the other end, unaddressed and unreported.

   C: Delays the decision: rejecting this batch protects this shipment and the log is reviewed later, so a loom producing faulty cloth keeps running and last week's delivery stays with the customer unmentioned.

   The most effective response is to take the current batch and last week’s records to your quality manager now, show her the fault is recurring on one loom, and let her decide about the loom and the customer: the machine is running now and last week’s faulty output is already delivered, and only she can decide about both. Bringing the batch and the records together makes the pattern visible. It beats rejecting the batch and recording it in the quality log, because that leaves the loom running and the delivered goods unmentioned. It beats rejecting the batch and having the loom stopped for maintenance, because that addresses production while the customer who already has faulty cloth is still not considered. The least effective response is rejecting the batch and saying nothing about last week’s records: it deliberately withholds that faulty goods have already been delivered, to avoid trouble. That is worse than the other two, which act partially but do not conceal. The principle: when a fault turns out to have a history, take the history as well as the sample to whoever can act on both.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You work at an MOT test centre as an administrator. A regular customer’s van has failed its test on a worn tyre. He explains he needs the van for work tomorrow, says he will change the tyre himself at the weekend, and asks you to record the test as a pass so he can carry on driving. The tester who failed it has gone home. The centre manager is in the office. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell him you cannot change the result and that he will have to take it up with the centre manager if he is unhappy with the decision.
   2. Record the test as a pass as he asks, since he has committed to changing the tyre at the weekend and he needs the van for work tomorrow.
   3. Tell him the result cannot be changed, and explain the retest process so the van can be back on the road as soon as the tyre is replaced.
   4. Leave the result unrecorded until the morning so that the tester can reconsider it when he is back, and tell the customer to ring then.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell him the result cannot be changed, and explain the retest process so the van can be back on the road as soon as the tyre is replaced.

   Least effective: B. Record the test as a pass as he asks, since he has committed to changing the tyre at the weekend and he needs the van for work tomorrow.

   A: Passes responsibility to others: the refusal is right and it leaves his real problem, needing the van tomorrow, unanswered when the retest route would have answered it.

   B: Falsifies a safety certificate: an MOT pass is a legal statement that the vehicle met the standard, and recording one for a van that failed on a worn tyre puts it on the road unlawfully and unsafely. That is dishonesty with a road safety consequence.

   D: Delays the decision: an MOT result is not reconsidered because a customer is inconvenienced, and holding it overnight creates a false impression that the failure is negotiable.

   The most effective response is to tell him the result cannot be changed and explain the retest process so the van can be back on the road once the tyre is replaced: the result is a legal record and cannot be altered, but his actual problem is needing the van, and the retest is the answer to that. Refusing clearly and explaining the route does both. It beats telling him he will have to take it up with the centre manager, because that gives the same refusal and leaves him to argue, when the retest is what he needs to hear about. It beats leaving the result unrecorded overnight so the tester can reconsider it, because that implies the failure might be reversed, which it will not be, and delays the retest he needs. The least effective response is recording the test as a pass because he needs the van tomorrow: it certifies a vehicle that failed on a worn tyre, putting an unsafe van on the road with a false certificate. That is worse than the other two, which handle it poorly but keep the record true. The principle: refuse to falsify the record, and tell the customer the legitimate route to the outcome they need.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a technician in a dental laboratory. You and a colleague, Rhian, share a batch of crowns due to the practice tomorrow morning. She has been working slowly since returning from leave and tells you she is struggling to get back up to speed. Six crowns remain and you can complete about four by the end of the day. Your laboratory manager is on site. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Send the crowns that are ready in the morning and say nothing about the missing ones, since the practice will probably not use them all on the same day.
   2. Take all six crowns yourself and work late to finish them, so the practice gets the full batch and Rhian is not put under more pressure.
   3. Complete the four you can manage and leave the remaining two for Rhian, since they are her share of the batch and she needs to get back up to speed.
   4. Work out with Rhian how many the two of you can realistically finish, and tell the laboratory manager today so the shortfall can be covered or the practice warned.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Work out with Rhian how many the two of you can realistically finish, and tell the laboratory manager today so the shortfall can be covered or the practice warned.

   Least effective: A. Send the crowns that are ready in the morning and say nothing about the missing ones, since the practice will probably not use them all on the same day.

   A: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: an incomplete batch arrives with nobody told, so the practice discovers the shortfall with patients booked. Assuming they will not need them is a guess made on their behalf.

   B: Hides the strain until failure: it delivers tomorrow and conceals from the manager that the batch needed one person working late, so the same workload is planned again next week.

   C: Passes responsibility to others: it hands the shortfall to the person who has already said she cannot keep pace, which makes the batch late and teaches her nothing.

   The most effective response is to work out with Rhian how many the two of you can realistically finish, and tell the laboratory manager today: the shortfall is real and knowable now, and he is the only person who can add capacity or warn the practice in time for tomorrow morning. Working the number out with her first makes it accurate rather than pessimistic. It beats taking all six yourself and working late, because absorbing it delivers tomorrow and hides that the batch was never deliverable in normal hours, so it recurs. It beats completing four and leaving the remaining two for Rhian, because leaving them with a colleague who has said she cannot keep pace guarantees the batch is late and helps nobody. The least effective response is sending the crowns that are ready and saying nothing about the missing ones: it sends an incomplete batch to a practice with patients booked, on an assumption about what they will need. That is worse than the other two, which mishandle the workload but do not conceal the outcome. The principle: size the gap with your colleague, then tell whoever can fix or communicate it while tomorrow can still be changed.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You work in an alterations shop. At 10am a customer collects a wedding suit altered for a wedding tomorrow, and one trouser leg still needs taking up, which takes forty minutes. A regular customer’s curtains, promised for today with no stated time, need two hours. Your manager wants the week’s takings reconciled by noon, which takes twenty minutes. You are alone until 1pm. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Hand the suit over as it is and tell the customer the trouser length is close enough to wear, so that the curtains and the takings can both be finished today.
   2. Finish the trouser leg first so the suit can be collected for tomorrow's wedding, reconcile the takings before noon, then start the curtains.
   3. Reconcile the takings first since your manager set a noon deadline, then do the trouser alteration and start the curtains in the afternoon.
   4. Start the curtains first since they are the longest job and were promised for today, then fit the trouser alteration and the takings around them.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Finish the trouser leg first so the suit can be collected for tomorrow's wedding, reconcile the takings before noon, then start the curtains.

   Least effective: A. Hand the suit over as it is and tell the customer the trouser length is close enough to wear, so that the curtains and the takings can both be finished today.

   A: Hides the problem: it hands over an unfinished alteration for a wedding and describes it as good enough, so the customer finds out when he dresses tomorrow. That is passing off incomplete work, not managing a schedule.

   C: Delays the decision: the takings take twenty minutes and fit anywhere before noon, while a customer is standing in the shop waiting for a suit for a wedding tomorrow.

   D: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: the curtains were promised for today with no time attached, while the suit is being collected now for a wedding tomorrow. Length is not urgency.

   The most effective response is to finish the trouser leg first so the suit can be collected for tomorrow’s wedding, reconcile the takings before noon, then start the curtains: the customer is in the shop now, the suit is for a wedding tomorrow and the work needs forty minutes, so it goes first. Twenty minutes of takings still fits and the curtains have the rest of the day. It beats reconciling the takings first to meet your manager’s noon deadline, because they can be done at any point before noon while a customer is standing at the counter. It beats starting the curtains first as the longest job promised for today, because they were promised with no time attached, and being longest is not the same as being most urgent. The least effective response is handing the suit over and telling him the trouser length is close enough to wear: it delivers an unfinished alteration for a wedding, so he discovers it as he dresses. That is worse than the other two, which order the work badly but finish it properly. The principle: complete the work the waiting customer needs for a fixed event, then fit the flexible jobs around it.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a supervisor in a commercial cleaning team working in an office building overnight. One of your team, Kasia, is new and is spending far too long on each room; at the current rate the third floor will not be finished before the building opens at 7am. It is 3am. Two other cleaners have finished their floors. Your contract manager is contactable by phone. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Move the two cleaners who have finished onto the third floor without saying anything to Kasia, so the floor is completed and she is not made to feel she is failing.
   2. Let the floor run short and leave a note for the day team explaining which rooms were not done, since Kasia is new and pushing her would be unfair.
   3. Ring the contract manager to report that the third floor will not be finished on time because a new cleaner is working too slowly.
   4. Tell Kasia where she is against the 7am deadline, show her a faster way through a room, and move the two finished cleaners onto the third floor with her.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell Kasia where she is against the 7am deadline, show her a faster way through a room, and move the two finished cleaners onto the third floor with her.

   Least effective: B. Let the floor run short and leave a note for the day team explaining which rooms were not done, since Kasia is new and pushing her would be unfair.

   A: Prioritises harmony over honesty: it finishes the floor and leaves Kasia working at the same rate tomorrow night, because nobody has told her what pace the contract needs.

   B: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: it decides at 3am to miss a contractual deadline with four hours and two free cleaners available, and leaves the client's building part-cleaned with a note. Choosing the failure is worse than mishandling the fix.

   C: Escalates prematurely: there are four hours, two cleaners free and a fix within your reach as supervisor. Reporting a new starter before trying the obvious redeployment makes a performance case out of a training gap.

   The most effective response is to tell Kasia where she is against the 7am deadline, show her a faster way through a room, and move the two finished cleaners onto the third floor with her: there are four hours, two people free and a new colleague who does not yet know the pace the contract needs, so redeploying and coaching at once fixes tonight and tomorrow. It beats moving the two finished cleaners across without saying anything to her, because that gets the floor done and leaves her working at the same rate, so the same shortfall recurs. It beats ringing the contract manager to report that a new cleaner is working too slowly, because the fix is within your authority as supervisor and there is ample time, so reporting a new starter first turns training into a performance issue. The least effective response is letting the floor run short and leaving a note for the day team: it accepts a missed contractual deadline at 3am, with four hours and two idle cleaners available. That is worse than the other two, which both try to make the deadline. The principle: measure against the deadline, tell the person who is behind, and move the resource you already have.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You work in a picture framing shop. A customer brought in a print for framing, promised for Saturday, for a birthday on Sunday. On Thursday you discover the moulding she chose is discontinued and none is left. A very similar moulding is in stock and could be ready for Saturday. She is contactable by phone. Your shop owner is in this afternoon. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say nothing and carry on looking for the original moulding, and tell her on Saturday if none has turned up by then.
   2. Ring her today, explain the moulding is discontinued, describe the similar one that could still be ready for Saturday, and ask which she would prefer.
   3. Frame the print in the similar moulding so it is ready for Saturday, and explain the substitution when she comes in to collect it.
   4. Ring her to say there is a problem with the moulding she chose and that you will call back once you have looked into what else is available.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Ring her today, explain the moulding is discontinued, describe the similar one that could still be ready for Saturday, and ask which she would prefer.

   Least effective: A. Say nothing and carry on looking for the original moulding, and tell her on Saturday if none has turned up by then.

   A: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: she needs the frame for a birthday on Sunday, and being told on Saturday that it does not exist leaves her no time at all. Searching quietly is not a reason for silence.

   C: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: she chose that moulding deliberately, and framing it in another and explaining at collection presents her with a decision already taken and a frame already cut.

   D: Delays the decision: you already know the moulding is discontinued and that a close alternative could meet Saturday, so calling without those facts leaves her unable to decide and shortens her time.

   The most effective response is to ring her today, explain the moulding is discontinued, describe the similar one that could still be ready for Saturday, and ask which she would prefer: she chose that moulding herself, the substitution changes what she ordered, and on Thursday she still has time to pick the alternative or take the print elsewhere. Giving her the facts and the option is what preserves the choice. It beats framing the print in the similar moulding and explaining the substitution at collection, because that takes the decision out of her hands. It beats ringing to say there is a problem and that you will call back once you know what else is available, because you already hold everything she needs to decide. The least effective response is carrying on looking for the original and telling her on Saturday if none turns up: it leaves her expecting a frame for a Sunday birthday and tells her only when nothing can be done. That is worse than the substitution, which at least delivers a frame, and worse than the holding call, which at least makes contact. The principle: when what someone ordered is no longer possible, tell them at once, tell them what is possible instead, and let them choose.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You work in a florist’s shop. It is 9am. A funeral tribute must be delivered to a church by 11am and still needs an hour’s work. A wedding order for Saturday needs its flowers conditioning today, which takes forty minutes and can be done any time before closing. A customer has just walked in wanting a hand-tied bouquet, which takes fifteen minutes. You are alone until noon. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Make a simpler version of the funeral tribute so it takes half the time, then serve the customer and condition the wedding flowers comfortably before noon.
   2. Make the customer's bouquet first since she is waiting in the shop, then the funeral tribute, then condition the wedding flowers.
   3. Tell the customer the bouquet will be about an hour, start the funeral tribute so it is ready for 11am, then make the bouquet and condition the wedding flowers.
   4. Condition the wedding flowers first while they are fresh from the delivery, then make the funeral tribute and the bouquet before noon.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell the customer the bouquet will be about an hour, start the funeral tribute so it is ready for 11am, then make the bouquet and condition the wedding flowers.

   Least effective: A. Make a simpler version of the funeral tribute so it takes half the time, then serve the customer and condition the wedding flowers comfortably before noon.

   A: Reduces the work rather than the schedule: it quietly downgrades a funeral tribute the family ordered and paid for, to buy time for jobs with no deadline, and the family find out at the church.

   B: Delays the decision: fifteen minutes for the bouquet leaves only forty-five for an hour's work on a tribute that must reach a church by 11am, so the fixed deadline is put at risk by the flexible one.

   D: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: it puts forty minutes of work that can be done any time before closing ahead of a tribute with a church service at 11am.

   The most effective response is to tell the customer the bouquet will be about an hour, start the funeral tribute so it is ready for 11am, then make the bouquet and condition the wedding flowers: the tribute needs an hour and a church service fixes the deadline absolutely, so it has to start now. The other two both fit afterwards, and telling her the wait means she can choose whether to stay. It beats making her bouquet first because she is waiting in the shop, since fifteen minutes spent first leaves forty-five for an hour’s work, which loses the one deadline that cannot move. It beats conditioning the wedding flowers first while they are fresh from the delivery, because conditioning can be done any time before closing and the tribute cannot. The least effective response is making a simpler version of the funeral tribute so it takes half the time: it delivers something smaller than the family ordered in order to create time for tasks with no deadline, and they discover it at the service. That is worse than the other two, which sequence badly but deliver the work that was ordered. The principle: start the job whose deadline cannot move and whose duration you know, and tell the person waiting how long they will wait.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are an events coordinator at a conference centre. A client’s two-day conference starts on Thursday. On Tuesday you learn the main auditorium’s air-conditioning has failed and cannot be repaired before Friday. A smaller room could hold the delegates but only seated theatre- style, losing the exhibition space the client has sold to sponsors. The client’s events manager is contactable. Your operations director is on leave until Thursday. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Ring the client's events manager today, explain the failure, set out the smaller room and what it would cost her in exhibition space, and agree the plan with her before anything is moved.
    2. Move the conference to the smaller room and email the client to confirm the change, explaining that the auditorium is unusable and this was the only workable alternative.
    3. Wait until Thursday when your operations director is back, so that the client is given a decision with the authority of the centre behind it rather than an incomplete picture.
    4. Leave the conference in the auditorium and say nothing, since the room may be tolerable in October and telling the client now would cause alarm about something that might not be a problem.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: A. Ring the client's events manager today, explain the failure, set out the smaller room and what it would cost her in exhibition space, and agree the plan with her before anything is moved.

    Least effective: D. Leave the conference in the auditorium and say nothing, since the room may be tolerable in October and telling the client now would cause alarm about something that might not be a problem.

    B: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: the client sold exhibition space to sponsors, so the trade between a cooler room and the sponsors' stands is hers to make, not yours to make and announce.

    C: Delays the decision: the conference starts on Thursday. Waiting for the director removes the client's last two days to tell sponsors, rearrange stands or find another venue.

    D: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: it gambles a client's two- day conference and her sponsors on the weather, with the one person who could plan around it deliberately left uninformed. That is concealment, not judgement.

    The most effective response is to ring the client’s events manager today, explain the failure, and set out the smaller room and what it would cost her in exhibition space: she sold that space to sponsors, so only she can weigh a working room against losing it, and on Tuesday she still has two days to tell them or make other arrangements. Giving her the failure, the option and the cost lets her decide while deciding is still possible. It beats moving the conference to the smaller room and emailing to confirm the change, because that takes a commercial decision about her sponsors out of her hands. It beats waiting until Thursday when your operations director is back, because that consumes the client’s entire remaining planning time for the sake of internal authority. The least effective response is leaving the conference in the auditorium and saying nothing: it leaves a two-day conference in a room with no air-conditioning, tells nobody, and relies on the weather. That is worse than moving the room, which at least secures a usable one, and worse than waiting for the director, which at least intends to tell her. The principle: when a failure forces a trade-off that belongs to the client, give them the facts and the options while they still have time to choose.