MetLife Assessment Tests

MetLife Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are an assurance trainee finishing three weeks at a client. The client team you tested offers you a leaving gift: a hamper worth about £120. They are warm about it and the whole team is watching. Your firm’s rule on gifts is that anything over £50 must be declared and may be refused. You have raised two findings against this team. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Thank them warmly, explain that anything over £50 has to be declared, and say you will do that today and let them know what the firm decides about keeping it.
   2. Accept the hamper and leave it in the office kitchen for everybody to share, so that nothing is refused and no individual benefits from it.
   3. Take the gift and say nothing about it, since refusing it in front of the whole team would be graceless and it was plainly meant as an ordinary goodbye.
   4. Refuse the hamper outright in front of the team, explaining that you cannot accept gifts from a client whose work you have been testing.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Thank them warmly, explain that anything over £50 has to be declared, and say you will do that today and let them know what the firm decides about keeping it.

   Least effective: C. Take the gift and say nothing about it, since refusing it in front of the whole team would be graceless and it was plainly meant as an ordinary goodbye.

   B: Solves the wrong problem: sharing it out disposes of the hamper but the declaration, which is what the firm's rule actually asks for, still has not happened.

   C: Takes a gift the role forbids: you have just raised findings against the people giving it, and the one process that would let anybody see that has been skipped.

   D: Answers a social moment with a rule: the point can be made without embarrassing people publicly, and the firm may well allow it once declared.

   The most effective response is to thank them warmly, explain that anything over £50 has to be declared, and say you will do that today and let them know what the firm decides: it is warm, it is honest about the rule, and it puts the decision where the firm has said it belongs. It beats refusing the hamper outright in front of the team, because a public refusal spends goodwill for nothing when the firm may permit it anyway. It beats accepting it and leaving it in the office kitchen for everybody, because the kitchen table is not a declaration and the rule is untouched. The least effective response is taking the gift and saying nothing about it: something worth more than twice the threshold is accepted from people whose work you have just criticised, and the only control that could have made that visible is bypassed. That is taking an advantage the role forbids rather than handling a delicate moment badly. The principle: declare it and let the firm decide, and be gracious while you do.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are a branch adviser. A customer at the next desk raises his voice at a new colleague, saying she has “wasted an hour” of his time. Other customers are looking. Your colleague has gone quiet and is close to tears. The customer’s underlying problem is one you know how to fix. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Wait to see whether your colleague can manage it herself, and step in only if the customer's voice gets louder than it already is.
   2. Tell the customer in front of the others that speaking to staff like that is unacceptable, and that his behaviour is the reason his problem is still unresolved.
   3. Step across, offer to take the customer's problem yourself so your colleague can step away, and deal with him calmly at your own desk.
   4. Take your colleague aside straight away to check she is all right, and leave the customer at the desk until somebody else becomes free.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Step across, offer to take the customer's problem yourself so your colleague can step away, and deal with him calmly at your own desk.

   Least effective: B. Tell the customer in front of the others that speaking to staff like that is unacceptable, and that his behaviour is the reason his problem is still unresolved.

   A: Leaves a new colleague to absorb it: she has already gone quiet, and the test of whether she can cope is being run in front of a full branch.

   B: Makes it about the person in public: the branch now has two people raising their voices, the customer's problem is untouched, and your colleague is still at the centre of it.

   D: Solves half of it: she is looked after, and an angry customer is left unattended in a branch where everybody is watching.

   The most effective response is to step across, offer to take the customer’s problem yourself so your colleague can step away, and deal with him calmly at your own desk: it removes her from the exchange, gives him the one thing that will actually calm him, and moves it away from the audience. It beats waiting to see whether she can manage it herself, because she has already stopped coping and the branch is watching. It beats taking her aside to check she is all right and leaving him at the desk, because an abandoned angry customer gets louder, not quieter. The least effective response is telling him in front of the others that his behaviour is why his problem is unresolved: it answers a scene with a scene, the problem is no closer to being fixed, and she is left standing in the middle of a public argument about herself. That is personalising it rather than misjudging the timing. The principle: take the problem off them both, then deal with the behaviour privately.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a compliance analyst. A case has sat unallocated in the team queue for six days. Three of you can see it and none of you has picked it up. Cases are supposed to be started within five days. Your own queue is manageable this week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Leave it where it is on the basis that somebody else will get to it, since three of you can see it and none of the others has flagged it as a problem either.
   2. Message the team asking who is going to take it, and pick it up yourself only if nobody else has claimed it by the end of the day.
   3. Take the case yourself today and tell the team you have done so, and suggest a rule for who picks up unallocated cases in future.
   4. Report the six-day delay to your team leader so that the breach of the five-day rule is recorded and somebody senior allocates the case properly.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Take the case yourself today and tell the team you have done so, and suggest a rule for who picks up unallocated cases in future.

   Least effective: A. Leave it where it is on the basis that somebody else will get to it, since three of you can see it and none of the others has flagged it as a problem either.

   A: Assumes somebody else has it: everybody in the team is reasoning exactly the same way, which is why a case with a five-day rule has sat for six.

   B: Waits for a volunteer: it adds another day to a case already over its limit, when your own queue is manageable and you could simply start it.

   D: Escalates instead of acting: the case is still not started, and the simplest fix was available to you the whole time.

   The most effective response is to take the case yourself today, tell the team you have done so, and suggest a rule for who picks up unallocated cases: it starts the case today, makes the pick-up visible so nobody duplicates it, and proposes the thing that stops it recurring. It beats messaging the team to ask who is going to take it and picking it up only if nobody claims it, because another day on an overdue case buys only a conversation. It beats reporting the six-day delay to your team leader so the breach is recorded, because a report does not start the work. The least effective response is leaving it on the basis that somebody else will get to it: the case stays unstarted on exactly the shared reasoning that produced the six days. That is avoidance rather than a slow or indirect way of fixing it. The principle: if you can see it and you have room, it is yours.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a client services associate. A client asks you which of her competitors also uses your firm, saying it would help her decide whether to expand the mandate. You do know. Client relationships are confidential. She is a significant client and is asking pleasantly but directly. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell her plainly that you never discuss who else the firm acts for, note that the same protection covers her, and offer to answer anything about her own mandate.
   2. Say that you will go and check whether you are allowed to tell her at all, and come back to her tomorrow once you have asked somebody more senior about it.
   3. Tell her you are not able to answer and move the conversation on, without explaining why or offering her anything else.
   4. Tell her there is nothing at all on the firm's books in her sector, so that she stops asking and nothing confidential has actually been disclosed to her.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Tell her plainly that you never discuss who else the firm acts for, note that the same protection covers her, and offer to answer anything about her own mandate.

   Least effective: D. Tell her there is nothing at all on the firm's books in her sector, so that she stops asking and nothing confidential has actually been disclosed to her.

   B: Implies the answer is available: there is nothing to check, and going away to ask suggests the door might open.

   C: Refuses without the reason: a bare no from somebody who plainly knows leaves her feeling handled rather than protected.

   D: Denies a fact you are holding: it is a lie chosen for convenience, and if she ever finds out it will cost far more than the refusal would have.

   The most effective response is to tell her plainly that you never discuss who else the firm acts for, note that the same protection covers her, and offer to answer anything about her own mandate: the refusal is clear, the reason works in her favour, and it redirects her to the question you can help with. It beats telling her you are not able to answer and moving the conversation on, because a bare refusal reads as evasion. It beats saying you will check whether you are allowed to tell her, because pretending to check creates an expectation that will have to be disappointed. The least effective response is telling her there is nothing at all on the firm’s books in her sector: a false statement is made to a client to close down an awkward question, and it is the kind that is discovered. That is dishonesty rather than an abrupt or evasive refusal. The principle: refuse clearly, give the reason that protects them too, and offer what you can.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are a branch adviser. An elderly customer comes in confused about a letter saying his account will close. The letter is from a different part of the bank and you cannot reverse it, but you can see why it was sent and you can raise a case that stops it for thirty days. He has come in on the bus. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain in detail why the letter was sent and what the rules are, so that he understands the position fully before deciding what he wants to do next.
   2. Raise the case to hold the closure and tell him it is all sorted out, without going through what the letter meant or what he needs to do inside the thirty days.
   3. Send him over to the team who sent the letter, with their telephone number written down, and explain that they are the only people who can change anything about the closure.
   4. Explain what the letter means, raise the case that holds the closure for thirty days, and write down what happens next so he has it when he gets home.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Explain what the letter means, raise the case that holds the closure for thirty days, and write down what happens next so he has it when he gets home.

   Least effective: C. Send him over to the team who sent the letter, with their telephone number written down, and explain that they are the only people who can change anything about the closure.

   A: Answers with information rather than action: he understands the closure perfectly and it still happens in thirty days.

   B: Leaves out the part he has to act on: the hold expires, and he has been told it is sorted.

   C: Sends him back out with the whole problem: you can hold the closure for thirty days from where you are sitting, and he came in on the bus because the telephone had not worked.

   The most effective response is to explain what the letter means, raise the case that holds the closure for thirty days, and write down what happens next: it does the one thing that changes the outcome, explains what he came in confused about, and sends him home with it in writing. It beats explaining in detail why the letter was sent and what the rules are, because understanding a closure does not stop it. It beats raising the hold and telling him it is all sorted out, because thirty days he does not understand runs out. The least effective response is sending him to the team who sent the letter with their number written down: the action you could take is not taken, and a customer who travelled in to be dealt with in person is sent back to a telephone number that had already failed him. That is handing it on rather than helping partially. The principle: do the part you can do, then explain the part he has to.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a research assistant. A colleague has left for two weeks and his half-finished sector note is now yours, due Friday. You already have your own note due Friday. The two together are four days of work and there are three days left. Your manager is available this afternoon. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Work on both notes in parallel and get as far as you can with each, so that neither is completely missing on Friday.
   2. Prioritise your own note and finish it properly on Friday, then make a start on his the following Monday once the week's pressure has come off.
   3. Take both notes and the four-days-in-three problem to your manager this afternoon, with a suggestion for which one should move and why.
   4. Say in front of the team that this is what happens when people go on leave with work half done, and that your own note will be late because of somebody else's planning.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Take both notes and the four-days-in-three problem to your manager this afternoon, with a suggestion for which one should move and why.

   Least effective: D. Say in front of the team that this is what happens when people go on leave with work half done, and that your own note will be late because of somebody else's planning.

   A: Splits effort so nothing finishes: two half-notes on Friday are worth less than one finished one, and the choice is still not made.

   B: Decides between two commitments alone: which note matters more is your manager's judgement, and his may be the one somebody is waiting for.

   D: Makes an absent colleague the subject instead of the work: the four days still do not fit into three, and the team hears a complaint rather than a choice that needs making.

   The most effective response is to take both notes and the four-days-in- three problem to your manager this afternoon, with a suggestion for which should move: four days do not fit in three, only she can drop one, and arriving with a proposal makes it a decision rather than a complaint. It beats working on both notes in parallel and getting as far as you can, because two unfinished notes help nobody. It beats prioritising your own note and starting his on Monday, because the ranking is not yours to make alone. The least effective response is saying in front of the team that this is what happens when people go on leave with work half done: it turns a scheduling problem into a public grievance about a colleague who is not there, and the decision is no closer. That is personalising it rather than ordering the work badly. The principle: take the arithmetic and a proposal to the person who can change the scope.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are an assurance trainee. Your senior has told you to drop a test she says the client “sorted out verbally”. Firm policy is that evidence goes on the file. She is the person you report to, she reviews your work, and she has been supportive. The file is signed off next Tuesday. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Assure her that the test is complete and the evidence is on the file, and leave it as it is so that nobody has to reopen the question before Tuesday.
   2. Ask her directly to point you at what she was told and by whom, so you can put it on the file, and say you are not comfortable leaving it with nothing recorded.
   3. Do as she asked and drop the test, but write a note in your own records that you were told to drop it, so your own position is documented if it ever comes up.
   4. Take it to the engagement partner this week, since a missing test on a file being signed on Tuesday is exactly what a partner should know about.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Ask her directly to point you at what she was told and by whom, so you can put it on the file, and say you are not comfortable leaving it with nothing recorded.

   Least effective: A. Assure her that the test is complete and the evidence is on the file, and leave it as it is so that nobody has to reopen the question before Tuesday.

   A: Tells your reviewer something untrue: she signs a file believing a test was done, and the fabrication is now hers to defend as well as yours.

   C: Documents rather than resolves: the file still lacks the evidence, and a private note protects you and nobody else.

   D: Escalates before asking: she has given a reason, you have not tested it, and going straight past her is hard to walk back if the answer is innocent.

   The most effective response is to ask her directly to point you at what she was told and by whom so you can put it on the file, and say you are not comfortable leaving it with nothing recorded: it treats her explanation as probably genuine, asks for the thing policy requires, and says where you stand without making it an accusation. It beats taking it to the engagement partner this week, because going over her before asking is unrecoverable if her answer is fine. It beats dropping the test but writing a note in your own records, because a private note leaves the file exactly as wrong as before. The least effective response is assuring her the test is complete and the evidence is on the file: your reviewer is told something untrue and signs on the strength of it. That is a false statement to the person relying on you, a different kind of wrong from the other two, which at least leave the facts intact. The principle: ask the person first, plainly, for the thing the policy needs.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a client services associate. A client says at a review that your colleague is “hopeless” and asks you to agree, in front of two of her own staff. Your colleague has in fact been slow on two things. You have to keep both relationships working. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Defend your colleague completely and say that the delays were unavoidable, without acknowledging that two things genuinely have been slow.
   2. Agree with her in front of her team that your colleague has been hopeless, and say that several people at your own firm have found him difficult to work with too.
   3. Say nothing about your colleague either way and move the meeting on to the next item on the agenda as quickly as you reasonably can.
   4. Say that you will not discuss a colleague that way, acknowledge that two things have been slow, and set out what you will do to put them right.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Say that you will not discuss a colleague that way, acknowledge that two things have been slow, and set out what you will do to put them right.

   Least effective: B. Agree with her in front of her team that your colleague has been hopeless, and say that several people at your own firm have found him difficult to work with too.

   A: Denies what the client can see: she has two real examples, and a blanket defence tells her you are not listening.

   B: Joins a client in criticising a colleague in front of her team: it buys a moment of agreement and tells the client that your firm's own people undermine each other.

   C: Leaves the complaint unanswered: she raised it in front of her staff and will read silence as agreement or as evasion.

   The most effective response is to say you will not discuss a colleague that way, acknowledge that two things have been slow, and set out what you will do to put them right: it refuses the invitation without dismissing her, concedes the facts she can verify, and moves to the only thing that will change her mind. It beats defending him completely and saying the delays were unavoidable, because denying two real delays destroys your credibility. It beats saying nothing either way and moving the meeting on, because silence in front of her staff answers her the wrong way. The least effective response is agreeing in front of her team that he has been hopeless and that others find him difficult too: you trade your own colleague for a moment of agreement, in front of her staff. That is undermining a colleague rather than defending or dodging badly. The principle: never trade a colleague for a moment of agreement, and answer with what you will do.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a management accounts assistant. A pack you and a colleague produced together went out yesterday with a £6,000 error in a table you built. Your colleague spotted it this morning and says she will “just fix it in next month’s version” so neither of you has to raise it. Both your names are on the pack. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Agree to keep it between the two of you and let it be corrected quietly in next month's version, since nobody has queried the figure and the amount is not large.
   2. Send the correction yourself without discussing it with her first, so that it goes out today whatever she thinks about it.
   3. Raise it with your manager and ask them to decide whether a correction should go out, rather than settling it between the two of you.
   4. Tell her you would rather flag it now, and send a short correction today to everybody who received the pack, making clear which figure has changed.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell her you would rather flag it now, and send a short correction today to everybody who received the pack, making clear which figure has changed.

   Least effective: A. Agree to keep it between the two of you and let it be corrected quietly in next month's version, since nobody has queried the figure and the amount is not large.

   A: Agrees to hide an error you made: the recipients keep a wrong figure for a month, and two people have now decided together that they will not be told.

   B: Acts around a colleague whose name is on it: she is entitled to know before a correction with her name attached goes out.

   C: Escalates a decision you can make: a £6,000 correction on your own table is within your gift, and involving a manager first makes it a bigger event than it is.

   The most effective response is to tell her you would rather flag it now, and send a short correction today to everybody who received the pack: the error is yours, the fix is a short note, and telling her first respects that her name is on it too. It beats sending the correction yourself without discussing it with her, because a correction carrying her name should not surprise her. It beats asking your manager to decide whether a correction should go out, because your own table error does not need authorisation to be honest about. The least effective response is agreeing to keep it between you and correct it quietly next month: two people agree the recipients will not be told, and a simple mistake becomes a month of a wrong figure somebody chose not to correct. That is concealment rather than a clumsy route to the same correction. The principle: correct it now, and tell the person whose name is on it first.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are an audit associate. Your section of the file will not be finished by Thursday as planned; Monday is realistic. Your manager is meeting the client tomorrow morning and will be agreeing the timetable for the rest of the audit. She has not asked you for an update. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Tell her on Thursday when the section is actually due, so that the update you give her is a firm one rather than a forecast.
    2. Tell her today that your section will be ready on Monday rather than Thursday, so she can agree a timetable with the client that she can actually hold.
    3. Work through this evening and tomorrow evening to try to make Thursday, and tell her only if it becomes clear that you are not going to manage it.
    4. Leave it until Thursday without telling her, since the slip is only two working days and the position may look better by the time she asks about it.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: B. Tell her today that your section will be ready on Monday rather than Thursday, so she can agree a timetable with the client that she can actually hold.

    Least effective: D. Leave it until Thursday without telling her, since the slip is only two working days and the position may look better by the time she asks about it.

    A: Delays past the point of use: the timetable is agreed tomorrow, so a firm update on Thursday arrives after the commitment has been made.

    C: Gambles her commitment on your own overtime: if the two evenings are not enough, she has already given the client a date.

    D: Withholds the one fact she needs before the meeting: she commits to a date in front of the client tomorrow, and the first anyone learns otherwise is when Thursday arrives.

    The most effective response is to tell her today that your section will be ready on Monday rather than Thursday: she is about to commit to a timetable, a two-day slip is easy to absorb before it is promised and awkward afterwards, and she cannot ask for what she does not know exists. It beats telling her on Thursday when the section is actually due, because Thursday is after the meeting. It beats working through two evenings to try to make Thursday and telling her only if you fail, because betting her commitment on your own evenings is a risk she has not agreed to take. The least effective response is leaving it until Thursday without telling her: she agrees a date with the client while the one person who knows it is wrong says nothing. That is silence rather than a badly timed update. The principle: bad news travels before the commitment, not after it.