National Grid Assessment Tests

National Grid Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You work on the security desk of an office building. A contractor asks to be let into the server room, saying he is booked to replace a faulty switch and is running late. He has no work order and is not on today’s authorised list, but he knows the IT manager’s name and is wearing a company uniform. The IT manager is contactable by phone. Your security supervisor is on site. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Escort him to the server room and stay with him while he works, so that access is supervised even though he is not on the authorised list.
   2. Let him in, since he knows the IT manager by name, is in company uniform and is clearly expected, and note the visit in the log for the record.
   3. Turn him away and tell him to rebook through the proper channel, since he is not on the authorised list and has no work order.
   4. Ask him to wait in reception while you ring the IT manager to confirm the visit, and tell your security supervisor what you are doing.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Ask him to wait in reception while you ring the IT manager to confirm the visit, and tell your security supervisor what you are doing.

   Least effective: B. Let him in, since he knows the IT manager by name, is in company uniform and is clearly expected, and note the visit in the log for the record.

   A: Breaches confidentiality or process: supervision is not authorisation. An unverified visitor is in the server room either way, and standing beside him does not establish that he should be there.

   B: Acts on assumptions without checking: a name and a uniform are precisely what someone seeking unauthorised access would present, and the one person who could confirm it is a phone call away. Logging it afterwards records the failure rather than preventing it.

   C: Applies the rule without using it: the list is a control, not the only source of truth, and a genuine engineer is sent away with a failed switch unfixed when a two-minute call would have settled it.

   The most effective response is to ask him to wait in reception while you ring the IT manager to confirm the visit, and tell your security supervisor what you are doing: the authorised list is the control and the IT manager can extend it, so a short wait and a phone call resolves the question either way. Telling your supervisor means the decision is not yours alone. It beats turning him away and telling him to rebook through the proper channel, because that applies the rule correctly and wastes a genuine visit when verification takes two minutes. It beats escorting him to the server room and staying with him, because that grants the access first and verifies nothing; being watched is not the same as being authorised. The least effective response is letting him in because he knows the IT manager by name and is in uniform: it grants server room access on the strength of the two things easiest for an unauthorised visitor to produce, and records it afterwards. That is worse than escorting him, which at least supervises, and worse than turning him away, which at least refuses. The principle: when someone falls outside a control, verify with the person who owns it before deciding either way.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You work in a mobile phone shop. A customer bought a handset six weeks ago and returns saying it switches itself off. Under the shop’s policy, faults after thirty days go to the manufacturer’s repair service, which takes two weeks. He relies on the phone for work and is angry at the prospect of being without it. Loan handsets exist but need a manager’s approval. Your manager is in the stockroom. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell him the shop cannot help after thirty days and give him the manufacturer's contact details so he can arrange the repair with them directly.
   2. Explain the thirty-day policy, book the handset in for manufacturer repair, and advise him to arrange a temporary phone himself for the two weeks it will be away.
   3. Apologise, book the repair, and ask your manager now whether a loan handset can be authorised so he is not without a phone for work.
   4. Give him a loan handset straight away so he is not left without a phone, and let your manager know afterwards that you have issued one.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Apologise, book the repair, and ask your manager now whether a loan handset can be authorised so he is not without a phone for work.

   Least effective: A. Tell him the shop cannot help after thirty days and give him the manufacturer's contact details so he can arrange the repair with them directly.

   A: Passes responsibility to others: it sends a customer with a six- week-old faulty phone away to organise his own repair, when the shop books repairs as a matter of course. That is a refusal of service dressed as a policy.

   B: Ignores the customer's actual need: it applies the policy correctly and stops there, when the shop holds loan handsets and the person who can authorise one is a few steps away.

   D: Breaches confidentiality or process: loan handsets need a manager's approval and the manager is in the stockroom. Taking the decision yourself gets a good outcome by removing the control that governs it.

   The most effective response is to apologise, book the repair, and ask your manager now whether a loan handset can be authorised: the repair route is fixed by policy, but the real problem is two weeks without a phone he needs for work, and the shop already has an answer to that which a manager a few steps away can approve. It beats explaining the policy, booking the repair, and telling him to arrange a temporary phone himself, because that applies the policy and stops, ignoring a remedy the shop holds. It beats handing him a loan handset straight away and telling your manager afterwards, because that reaches the right outcome by bypassing the control, and she is available anyway. The least effective response is telling him the shop cannot help after thirty days and giving him the manufacturer’s details: it refuses to book a repair the shop routinely books and sends a customer with a six-week-old fault to deal with the manufacturer himself. That is worse than booking it and stopping, which at least books the repair, and worse than issuing the loan without approval, which at least solves his problem. The principle: apply the policy, then ask what the business can still do about the customer’s actual difficulty, through whoever is authorised to approve it.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a lettings negotiator at an estate agency. At 1pm three things need you. A viewing is booked at 1.30 across town and the applicant is meeting you there. A landlord has emailed asking for an update by the end of the day. And your manager wants the week’s viewing figures, which take half an hour, before she leaves at 5pm. Travel to the viewing takes twenty minutes. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Reply to the landlord first since he has asked for an update today, then travel to the viewing and do the figures afterwards.
   2. Do the viewing figures first while you are at your desk, then travel to the viewing and email the landlord in the evening.
   3. Leave now for the 1.30 viewing, then reply to the landlord and do the viewing figures before your manager leaves at 5pm.
   4. Let the applicant wait outside the property while you finish the work at your desk, and apologise for the late arrival once you eventually get there.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Leave now for the 1.30 viewing, then reply to the landlord and do the viewing figures before your manager leaves at 5pm.

   Least effective: D. Let the applicant wait outside the property while you finish the work at your desk, and apologise for the late arrival once you eventually get there.

   A: Delays the decision: the journey takes twenty minutes and it is already 1pm, so any time spent on email first risks arriving after an applicant who is meeting you there.

   B: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: half an hour of internal reporting due at 5pm is put ahead of a viewing at 1.30 with an applicant already committed to being there.

   D: Leaves someone waiting with no word: she is standing outside a property you arranged to meet her at, and she is left there while desk work that fits comfortably later is finished. Letting a person wait unheard is a different order of wrong from mis-ordering the tasks.

   The most effective response is to leave now for the 1.30 viewing, then reply to the landlord and do the viewing figures before your manager leaves at 5pm: the journey takes twenty minutes and an applicant is meeting you there, so leaving now is the only sequence that keeps the appointment. The landlord’s update has until the end of the day and the figures until 5pm. It beats replying to the landlord first because he has asked for an update today, since answering email risks arriving after the applicant, and the update has hours of room. It beats doing the viewing figures first while you are at your desk, because half an hour of reporting due at 5pm should not precede an appointment with someone waiting across town. The least effective response is letting the applicant wait outside the property while you finish the desk work: it leaves her standing there hearing nothing until you arrive. That is worse than the other two, which sequence the work badly but still turn up. The principle: keep the appointment someone else has committed to, then use the remaining hours for the work with slack in it.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a picker at an e-commerce fulfilment centre. Over the past week you have noticed that a popular product is being picked from a location whose label does not match the item; the barcodes still scan, so nothing flags. You suspect two products have been swapped at the racking. Nobody has asked you to investigate. The shift supervisor is on the floor. Peak dispatch is this afternoon. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Carry on picking to the barcodes, since they scan correctly and the racking labels are the warehouse team's responsibility rather than a picker's.
   2. Take the supervisor to the racking now, show her the two locations and what you think has been swapped, and let her decide what to do before this afternoon's dispatch.
   3. Swap the two products back to the locations you believe are correct, so the labels match the stock again before the afternoon dispatch goes out.
   4. Note the two locations and raise it at the end of the week when the stock accuracy report is compiled, so the discrepancy is recorded with the rest of the week's findings.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Take the supervisor to the racking now, show her the two locations and what you think has been swapped, and let her decide what to do before this afternoon's dispatch.

   Least effective: A. Carry on picking to the barcodes, since they scan correctly and the racking labels are the warehouse team's responsibility rather than a picker's.

   A: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: you are the only person who has noticed, the scans hide it, and peak dispatch is this afternoon. Staying silent because the labels are somebody else's job guarantees the wrong goods go out.

   C: Acts on assumptions without checking: if your reading of which two products were swapped is wrong, you have created a second error on top of the first, and the system still shows everything as correct.

   D: Delays the decision: the weekly report is the right place and the wrong day. Customers receive the wrong product all through this afternoon's peak dispatch while the note waits.

   The most effective response is to take the supervisor to the racking now and show her the two locations you think have been swapped: you hold information nobody else has, the scanning system actively hides it, and she is on the floor and able to check and act before dispatch. Showing her the racking makes it verifiable rather than a hunch. It beats swapping the two products back to the locations you believe are correct, because acting on your own reading risks creating a second error, and you cannot confirm it alone. It beats noting the locations for Friday’s stock accuracy report, because that lands after a week of customers receiving the wrong product. The least effective response is carrying on picking to the barcodes because racking labels are the warehouse team’s job: it is the only response that leaves wrong goods going out through peak dispatch, and the reason given is precisely why nobody else has spotted it. That is worse than swapping them back, which at least attempts a fix, and worse than the Friday report, which at least records it. The principle: when you spot something the system cannot see, take it to someone who can verify it, before the next time it does damage.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You work behind the counter at a community pharmacy. A regular customer collects her repeat prescription and, back at the counter two minutes later, says the box contains 28 tablets but her prescription is for 56 and she has none left at home. The dispensing record on screen shows 56 issued. The pharmacist is with a patient in the consultation room and will be free in about ten minutes. The customer is due at work and is becoming anxious. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain that the computer record shows 56 tablets were issued, so the second box must be at home or in her bag, and suggest she checks there before coming back to the pharmacy.
   2. Take a second box of 28 from the shelf and hand it over so she is not late for work, then tell the pharmacist what you have done when she comes out of the consultation room.
   3. Apologise, take her details and the box, tell her the pharmacist will check the dispensing within ten minutes, and ask her to wait or take a call at work so nothing is guessed at.
   4. Tell her the pharmacy cannot look into it while the pharmacist is busy and ask her to come back tomorrow when the counter is quieter and someone can go through the records properly.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Apologise, take her details and the box, tell her the pharmacist will check the dispensing within ten minutes, and ask her to wait or take a call at work so nothing is guessed at.

   Least effective: D. Tell her the pharmacy cannot look into it while the pharmacist is busy and ask her to come back tomorrow when the counter is quieter and someone can go through the records properly.

   A: Acts on assumptions without checking: the record shows what was meant to be issued, not what went into the bag, and treating the screen as proof sends a customer with no tablets left home to look for a box that may not exist.

   B: Breaches confidentiality or process: handing out prescription medicine without the pharmacist checking the dispensing is not yours to do, and a ten-minute wait is not a reason to bypass the one control that catches a dispensing error.

   D: Ignores the customer's actual need: she has no tablets left and a ten-minute wait was available. Sending her away untreated overnight to suit the counter's convenience is a service failure of a different kind from the other options, which at least try to resolve it today.

   The most effective response is to apologise, take her details, and tell her the pharmacist will check the dispensing within ten minutes: it takes the complaint seriously, puts the one person qualified to check it on the job, and still gives the customer a way to get to work. It beats quoting the computer record and suggesting she looks at home, because the dispensing record shows the intention, not the contents of the bag, so repeating it back to her settles nothing and puts the burden of proof on the customer. It beats handing her a second box of 28 yourself, because the pharmacist’s check is exactly the control that catches a short dispense, and skipping it to save ten minutes risks compounding one error with another. The least effective response is telling her to come back tomorrow when the counter is quieter: it is the only response that leaves a customer with no medication overnight when a qualified check was ten minutes away, and it does so for the pharmacy’s convenience rather than any clinical reason. That is worse than quoting the record, which at least offers her a next step, and worse than handing over a second box, which errs by trying too hard to help. The principle: when a customer has a genuine need and the right check is minutes away, make the check happen rather than deferring or bypassing it.

6. Question 6 of 10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a production coordinator at a print and mail house. At 11am three things need you. A mailing of 20,000 renewal notices must reach the Royal Mail collection at 2pm or the legal notice period is missed. A colleague needs help fixing a jammed inserter on a different job. And your manager wants headcount figures for a meeting at noon. The renewal job needs ninety minutes of your attention. The headcount figures take fifteen minutes. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Help your colleague with the jammed inserter first, since a stopped machine is costing time on the floor, then do the renewals and the headcount figures.
   2. Work on the renewals and the inserter together, moving between them, and do the headcount figures if the mailing is finished before the 2pm collection.
   3. Do the fifteen minutes of headcount figures for the noon meeting, then give the renewal mailing your full attention until the 2pm collection, and pass the inserter to another operator.
   4. Start the renewal mailing immediately and tell your manager the headcount figures will have to wait until after the 2pm collection.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Do the fifteen minutes of headcount figures for the noon meeting, then give the renewal mailing your full attention until the 2pm collection, and pass the inserter to another operator.

   Least effective: B. Work on the renewals and the inserter together, moving between them, and do the headcount figures if the mailing is finished before the 2pm collection.

   A: Abandons own committed work: an unquantified machine fix is taken on ahead of a ninety-minute job with a 2pm legal deadline, which leaves no margin if the jam takes longer than expected.

   B: Splits effort so nothing finishes: a mailing with a legal notice period is left to compete for attention with a machine fault, which risks missing a deadline that cannot be recovered and is the most costly of the four outcomes.

   D: Splits the wrong thing: it protects the deadline that matters and sacrifices a fifteen-minute task that fits inside the margin anyway, so the manager goes into a noon meeting without figures for no gain.

   The most effective response is to do the fifteen minutes of headcount figures for the noon meeting, then give the renewal mailing your full attention until the 2pm collection, and pass the inserter to another operator: there are three hours, the mailing needs ninety minutes of them and has a legal deadline, and the figures are needed at noon. Both fit if the short one goes first, and the machine fault is work someone else can take. It beats starting the mailing immediately and telling your manager the figures must wait, because that protects the same deadline while needlessly sacrificing a fifteen-minute task that comfortably fits. It beats helping your colleague with the jammed inserter first, because taking on a machine fault of unknown length ahead of a legally timed mailing risks the one deadline that cannot be moved. The least effective response is moving between the renewals and the inserter and fitting the figures in afterwards: it lets a mailing with a legal notice period compete for attention with a machine jam, which is the most likely way to miss the collection entirely. That is worse than the other two, which mis- sequence but keep the mailing whole. The principle: check what actually fits in the time, protect the deadline that cannot move, and hand off what someone else can do.

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 are a production planner at a manufacturer. You and the works manager, Dan, disagree about a schedule change he has made that puts a large export order behind a smaller domestic one. You believe the export order will miss its shipping slot, which is fixed and costly to rebook. Dan is senior to you and has already told the shop floor. The operations director is available today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Accept Dan's schedule since he is senior and has already briefed the shop floor, and put your concern about the shipping slot in an email so it is on record.
   2. Show Dan the shipping slot dates and what missing them would cost, and if he will not change the schedule take it to the operations director today.
   3. Quietly move the export order back up the schedule, since the shipping slot is fixed and Dan is unlikely to notice the change before the order ships.
   4. Say nothing further and let the export order miss its slot, since Dan owns the schedule and it will be clear soon enough whose decision caused the problem.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Show Dan the shipping slot dates and what missing them would cost, and if he will not change the schedule take it to the operations director today.

   Least effective: D. Say nothing further and let the export order miss its slot, since Dan owns the schedule and it will be clear soon enough whose decision caused the problem.

   A: Prioritises the record over the outcome: an email protects you while a fixed shipping slot is missed, which is a cost to the business rather than a question about who was right.

   C: Personalises the conflict: it reverses a senior colleague's decision behind his back on a schedule he has already briefed, which leaves the shop floor working to two different plans.

   D: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: it allows a known and costly failure to happen in order to demonstrate who was right, which puts being proved correct ahead of the order. Choosing the loss is a different order of wrong from acting badly.

   The most effective response is to show Dan the shipping slot dates and what missing them would cost, and if he will not change the schedule take it to the operations director today: whether the export order misses a fixed slot is a factual question with a cost attached, he owns the schedule so he gets the information first, and the director is available if he will not move. That is proportionate and fast enough to matter. It beats quietly moving the export order back up the schedule, because reversing a briefed plan behind his back leaves the shop floor working to two versions and destroys the working relationship. It beats accepting his schedule and putting your concern in an email, because a record protects you and does nothing for the slot. The least effective response is saying nothing further and letting the export order miss its slot: it allows a costly failure so that responsibility for it will be visible afterwards, which puts being proved right ahead of the business. That is worse than the other two, which are flawed but aimed at preventing the loss. The principle: put the facts to the person who owns the decision, and escalate the same day if the risk is real and they will not move.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are a receptionist at a serviced office building. At 9am a courier arrives needing a signature for a package marked urgent for one of the tenant companies. A visitor is waiting to be signed in for a 9am meeting. Your building manager has asked you to update the tenant contact list this morning, a job of about an hour with no fixed time. You are alone on the desk. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Take the courier's package first since he is waiting to get on with his round, then sign the visitor in and update the contact list during the morning.
    2. Sign for the courier's package and tell the visitor to take a seat and wait until you have finished the contact list, since she can be signed in at any point.
    3. Start the contact list update since your building manager asked for it this morning, and deal with the courier and the visitor as you work through it.
    4. Sign the visitor in first since her meeting starts now, take the courier's signature next, and update the contact list once the desk is clear.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: D. Sign the visitor in first since her meeting starts now, take the courier's signature next, and update the contact list once the desk is clear.

    Least effective: B. Sign for the courier's package and tell the visitor to take a seat and wait until you have finished the contact list, since she can be signed in at any point.

    A: Acts on assumptions without checking: the courier's round is his schedule, not yours, while the visitor's meeting is at 9am. Serving whoever seems most impatient is not the same as judging what is time-critical.

    B: Ignores the visitor's actual need: it makes someone who is due in a 9am meeting wait an hour for a task with no deadline, so the tenant's meeting is delayed to suit the reception desk.

    C: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: an hour of internal admin with a whole morning available is put ahead of two people standing at the desk, one of them late for a meeting.

    The most effective response is to sign the visitor in first since her meeting starts now, take the courier’s signature next, and update the contact list once the desk is clear: hers is the only fixed time on the desk, the signature takes seconds and the list has the whole morning. It beats taking the courier’s package first because he is waiting to get on with his round, since his hurry is about his own schedule while she is late for a meeting a tenant is holding. It beats starting the contact list because your building manager asked for it this morning, because an hour of internal admin should not precede two people standing at the desk. The least effective response is telling the visitor to take a seat until the contact list is finished: it makes someone due at a 9am meeting wait an hour so that a task with no deadline can be completed. That is worse than the other two, which mis-sequence but do not park someone deliberately. The principle: serve the fixed appointment first, then the quick task, then the work that can be done at any point.