Pfizer Assessment Tests

Pfizer Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are an events assistant at a hotel. A wedding reception is due to begin in the function room at 6pm, and guests will start arriving from 5:30pm. At 3pm you finish your own tasks for the day. You notice your colleague Amira, who is setting up the function room alone, is well behind schedule because the furniture delivery arrived two hours late. Your shift ends at 5pm. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Spend the rest of your shift on quiet low-priority admin and leave at 5pm without mentioning to anyone that the room is unlikely to be ready in time.
   2. Tell Amira to take her break and promise you will finish the whole room set-up yourself before the guests arrive, although you have never set up this room before.
   3. Report to the duty manager that Amira is behind schedule and suggest they find her some help, then return to your desk and carry on with low-priority admin.
   4. Offer Amira your help straight away and ask which tasks are most useful for you to take, so the room is ready before guests begin arriving at 5:30pm.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Offer Amira your help straight away and ask which tasks are most useful for you to take, so the room is ready before guests begin arriving at 5:30pm.

   Least effective: A. Spend the rest of your shift on quiet low-priority admin and leave at 5pm without mentioning to anyone that the room is unlikely to be ready in time.

   A: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: watching a guest event head for failure and leaving without a word to Amira or the duty manager is silence and avoidance, a category failure unlike the weaker options, which at least act on the problem.

   B: Over-promises: taking on the entire set-up alone, in a room you have never set up, gambles the reception's start time on untested capacity; working alongside Amira, who knows the plan, would be faster and safer.

   C: Passes responsibility to others: alerting the duty manager is reasonable, but handing the problem over and returning to low-priority admin withholds the most immediate help available (you, free and on the spot two hours before guests arrive).

   The most effective response is to offer Amira your help straight away and ask which tasks are most useful for you to take: you have finished your own work, the event has a fixed start time, and offering help while letting Amira direct it puts your spare capacity behind the plan she already knows. It beats promising to finish the whole room set-up yourself, because that gambles the reception on you completing an unfamiliar set-up alone, when the safer route is working to Amira’s direction. It beats reporting her as behind schedule and returning to your desk, because that hands the problem to someone else while you are free and immediately available to help. The least effective response is spending the shift on low-priority admin and leaving at 5pm in silence: with time in hand and a visible risk to a guest event, that is worse than promising to do the set-up yourself, which at least attempts to fix the problem, and worse than telling the duty manager, which at least makes sure someone responsible knows. It tells no one and lets the event fail. The principle: when a colleague is struggling and you have capacity, offer practical help and let them direct it.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You work at a self-storage facility. At 4pm a customer arrives to collect belongings before the site closes at 5pm and needs her unit unlocked, which takes ten minutes. Your manager has asked you to complete the monthly unit occupancy report before you leave; it takes half an hour and is due tonight. A delivery of packing boxes also needs signing for at some point today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Unlock the customer's unit first so she can start collecting before the site closes, then sign for the delivery and complete the occupancy report.
   2. Tell the customer that the site is closing shortly and ask her to come back tomorrow, so that the report and the delivery can both be dealt with properly.
   3. Start the occupancy report since it takes half an hour and is due tonight, and unlock the unit once you have made a start on the figures.
   4. Sign for the packing box delivery first while the driver is waiting, then unlock the unit and do the report before you leave.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Unlock the customer's unit first so she can start collecting before the site closes, then sign for the delivery and complete the occupancy report.

   Least effective: B. Tell the customer that the site is closing shortly and ask her to come back tomorrow, so that the report and the delivery can both be dealt with properly.

   B: Ignores the customer's actual need: she has arrived within opening hours for a ten-minute job, and she is turned away so that tasks with the whole evening available can be done first. Refusing access during opening hours is a service failure, not a priority call.

   C: Delays the decision: the site closes at 5pm, so the customer's ten minutes has a hard limit and the report has all evening. Starting the long job first risks her losing her access entirely.

   D: Acts on assumptions without checking: the delivery has no stated deadline beyond today, while the customer's access ends when the site closes. Treating whoever is physically present as most urgent is not the same as judging it.

   The most effective response is to unlock the customer’s unit first so she can start collecting before the site closes, then sign for the delivery and complete the occupancy report: the site closes at 5pm, which fixes her window absolutely, and ten minutes of it is all she needs. The report has the rest of the evening and the delivery has the rest of the day. It beats starting the occupancy report because it takes half an hour and is due tonight, since that risks her losing access when a ten-minute job would have preserved it. It beats signing for the packing box delivery first while the driver waits, because the delivery’s only deadline is today, while hers ends when the doors do. The least effective response is asking her to come back tomorrow because the site is closing shortly: it turns away a customer who arrived inside opening hours for a ten-minute task, so that jobs with hours of slack can be done first. That is worse than the other two, which sequence badly but still serve her. The principle: serve the person whose window is about to close, then do the work that can be done at any point before the deadline.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a deputy manager at a residential care home. Two staff have called in sick for the night shift, leaving the home one carer short of its minimum staffing level. You have already worked a full day. The manager is uncontactable and the on-call director’s number is on the wall. The agency the home uses can usually supply at short notice. It is 7pm and the shift starts at 8pm. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ring the agency now for cover, and ring the on-call director to report that the home is below minimum staffing until it is confirmed.
   2. Run the shift one carer short, since the staff on duty are experienced and reporting it would only create alarm about a single night that will probably pass without incident.
   3. Ring the agency for cover and deal with it yourself, only escalating to the on-call director if the agency cannot supply anyone in time.
   4. Stay on for the night shift yourself to make up the numbers, and report the two absences to the manager in the morning.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Ring the agency now for cover, and ring the on-call director to report that the home is below minimum staffing until it is confirmed.

   Least effective: B. Run the shift one carer short, since the staff on duty are experienced and reporting it would only create alarm about a single night that will probably pass without incident.

   B: Breaches a staffing safeguard: minimum staffing levels in a care home exist for residents' safety and are not yours to waive, and choosing to run below them without telling anyone is a concealed risk to people who depend on that care.

   C: Delays the decision: the agency may well come through and the home is below its minimum staffing level in the meantime, which the on- call director exists to know about at the time, not afterwards.

   D: Hides the strain until failure: covering a night shift after a full day puts residents in the care of an exhausted deputy, and it conceals from the organisation that the home could not staff itself.

   The most effective response is to ring the agency now for cover and ring the on-call director to report that the home is below minimum staffing: the threshold is set for residents’ safety, so both things need to happen at once, because only the organisation can decide what happens if the agency cannot supply. It beats ringing the agency and escalating only if they cannot supply anyone in time, because reporting only on failure leaves the home below minimum staffing with nobody accountable aware, and the director’s role exists precisely for that hour. It beats staying on for the night shift yourself to make up the numbers, because working through after a full day puts residents in the care of an exhausted person and hides that the rota failed. The least effective response is running the shift one carer short and telling nobody: it operates a care home below its safe staffing level on the reasoning that the night will probably pass without incident. That is worse than the other two, which respond inadequately but keep the home staffed and the problem visible. The principle: when a safety threshold is breached, start the fix and tell the person accountable at the same time, rather than waiting to see whether you get away with it.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a ward administrator at a veterinary hospital. At 4pm three things need you. A dog is due to be collected at 4.30 and its discharge notes are not written, which takes fifteen minutes. A referring vet has rung twice for an update on a case and is waiting for a call back. And the practice manager wants the month-end invoicing reconciled tonight, which takes two hours. You finish at 7pm. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ring the referring vet first since he has already rung twice, then write the discharge notes and start the invoicing.
   2. Start the month-end invoicing since it is the longest job and is wanted tonight, and fit the discharge notes and the call around it as the evening goes on.
   3. Send the dog home at 4.30 without written discharge notes and telephone the owner with the aftercare instructions later in the evening once the invoicing is done.
   4. Write the discharge notes for the 4.30 collection, ring the referring vet back, then spend the rest of the evening on the invoicing.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Write the discharge notes for the 4.30 collection, ring the referring vet back, then spend the rest of the evening on the invoicing.

   Least effective: C. Send the dog home at 4.30 without written discharge notes and telephone the owner with the aftercare instructions later in the evening once the invoicing is done.

   A: Delays the decision: the call has no fixed time and the collection is at 4.30. Answering by who has waited longest rather than by when something is needed risks the owner arriving to notes that are not written.

   B: Splits effort so nothing finishes: two hours of invoicing has three hours of room, and starting it first leaves a fifteen-minute task with a 4.30 deadline to be squeezed.

   C: Acts recklessly with a clinical handover: discharge notes are how an owner knows about medication and aftercare, and sending an animal home without them, on a promise to ring later, risks the dog's recovery.

   The most effective response is to write the discharge notes for the 4.30 collection, ring the referring vet back, then spend the rest of the evening on the invoicing: the collection is fixed and only fifteen minutes away, the vet’s call has no fixed time but has already waited twice, and two hours of invoicing fits comfortably in the three hours left. Sequencing by deadline gets all three done. It beats ringing the referring vet first because he has already rung twice, since that risks an owner arriving to notes that do not exist. It beats starting the month-end invoicing as the longest job wanted tonight, because that squeezes the one task with a hard time on it. The least effective response is sending the dog home without written discharge notes and telephoning the aftercare later: it discharges an animal without written instructions to protect a paperwork deadline. That is worse than the other two, which order the work badly but complete it properly. The principle: do the short task with the fixed clinical deadline first, then the waiting person, then the long job that fits the remaining time.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You are an instructor at an outdoor activity centre. Checking equipment before a climbing session for a school group you find a harness with a frayed stitch on a load-bearing strap. There are enough harnesses without it. The group arrives in fifteen minutes. Centre procedure requires damaged equipment to be quarantined and logged by the technical manager, who is on site. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Put the harness back at the end of the rack so it is not used today, and tell the technical manager after the session when he has more time.
   2. Set the harness aside and log it in the equipment book yourself, so the record exists and the technical manager can review it at the next equipment check.
   3. Use the harness for the session but give it to one of the lighter pupils, since the stitching is only frayed and there is no sign it is close to failing.
   4. Take the harness out of use, put it aside where it cannot be picked up, and tell the technical manager before the group arrives.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Take the harness out of use, put it aside where it cannot be picked up, and tell the technical manager before the group arrives.

   Least effective: C. Use the harness for the session but give it to one of the lighter pupils, since the stitching is only frayed and there is no sign it is close to failing.

   A: Acts on assumptions without checking: a damaged harness left on the rack can be picked up by anybody, and the placement relies on everyone knowing what you know.

   B: Acts outside own authority: the procedure names the technical manager because he decides whether a fault is repairable or the batch needs checking, and a self-made log entry replaces that judgement with a record.

   C: Uses equipment known to be damaged: a frayed load-bearing strap on a climbing harness is the failure the inspection exists to catch, and putting a child in it on a judgement about weight is a safety decision nobody is qualified to take that way.

   The most effective response is to take the harness out of use, put it aside where it cannot be picked up, and tell the technical manager before the group arrives: a frayed load-bearing strap makes it unusable, spares exist so nothing is lost by removing it, and he is on site and is the person the procedure names. Both steps fit inside fifteen minutes. It beats putting it back at the end of the rack and telling him after the session, because a damaged harness left on the rack can be picked up by anyone who does not know, so its position is not a control. It beats setting it aside and logging it in the equipment book yourself, because that substitutes a record for his judgement about whether other harnesses in the batch need checking. The least effective response is using it for one of the lighter pupils because the stitching is only frayed: it puts a child into a harness with a damaged load-bearing strap on a personal judgement about weight. That is worse than the other two, which handle the procedure imperfectly but take the harness out of use. The principle: remove damaged safety equipment from use immediately, then tell the person the procedure names, before the activity starts.

6. Question 6 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.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are an office junior at a solicitors’ firm. At 3pm a fee earner asks you to file a court document at the court office, which closes at 4pm and is fifteen minutes away. Your supervisor asked this morning for the archive boxes to be relabelled before you finish at 5pm; the labelling has no external deadline. A colleague has also asked you to order stationery this week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Relabel the archive boxes as your supervisor asked this morning, and take the court document first thing tomorrow when the court office reopens.
   2. Take the document to the court office and, if you arrive after it has closed, post it instead so it is on its way and say nothing further about it.
   3. Leave now to file the court document before the office closes at 4pm, then relabel the archive boxes when you get back and order the stationery later in the week.
   4. Go and find your supervisor to ask whether the court filing or the archive labelling should come first, and start on whichever of the two she tells you to do.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Leave now to file the court document before the office closes at 4pm, then relabel the archive boxes when you get back and order the stationery later in the week.

   Least effective: B. Take the document to the court office and, if you arrive after it has closed, post it instead so it is on its way and say nothing further about it.

   A: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: it treats an internal labelling job with no deadline as outranking a court filing whose window shuts at 4pm and cannot be reopened tomorrow without consequence.

   B: Hides the problem: a posted document has not been filed, so the fee earner believes a court deadline has been met when it has not. Saying nothing about a missed filing is concealment with legal consequences.

   D: Escalates prematurely: a court deadline against an internal labelling job is not a genuinely difficult call, and the minutes spent finding her come out of a forty-five minute window that includes a journey.

   The most effective response is to leave now and file the court document before the office closes at 4pm, then relabel the archive boxes when you get back: the court office is fifteen minutes away, so the filing has a hard external deadline and barely enough time, while the labelling and the stationery have none. Leaving now is the only sequence that meets it. It beats relabelling the archive boxes as asked and taking the document first thing tomorrow, because that treats an internal task with no deadline as outranking a court filing that cannot simply be done the next day. It beats going to find your supervisor to ask which comes first, because the choice is not genuinely difficult and the search eats a window that already includes a journey. The least effective response is posting the document if you arrive after the office has closed and saying nothing further: it substitutes posting for filing and tells nobody, so the fee earner believes a court deadline has been met when it has not. That is worse than the other two, which delay the filing but leave everyone aware of where it stands. The principle: when one task has a closing external window and the others have none, go immediately, and never let anyone believe a deadline was met when it was not.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a quality assistant at a food manufacturer. Routine testing shows a batch of sauce with a slightly higher salt reading than the declared label value, above the tolerance in your own specification but not a safety issue. The batch is due to leave for a supermarket customer this afternoon. Your quality manager is at another site but reachable by phone. The production supervisor tells you it is within normal variation. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Put the batch on hold, ring the quality manager with the reading and the specification tolerance, and let her decide whether it ships this afternoon.
   2. Accept the production supervisor's view that it is within normal variation, let the batch go, and say nothing further since it is not a safety concern.
   3. Retest the batch yourself to confirm the reading before involving anyone, since a single result outside tolerance may simply be a testing error.
   4. Release the batch and note the reading in the quality log, so that the trend is recorded and can be reviewed at the next specification meeting.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Put the batch on hold, ring the quality manager with the reading and the specification tolerance, and let her decide whether it ships this afternoon.

   Least effective: B. Accept the production supervisor's view that it is within normal variation, let the batch go, and say nothing further since it is not a safety concern.

   B: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: the specification tolerance is the customer's and the label is a declaration to consumers, so neither the supervisor nor you can decide it is close enough. Letting it go unrecorded is the one option that leaves nobody aware at all.

   C: Delays the decision: a retest is sensible and the batch is loading this afternoon. Confirming the number before telling anyone spends the decision window on work the quality manager could have directed in a minute.

   D: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: it ships a batch that misses the declared label value and records the fact afterwards. A log entry documents the decision without anyone having made one.

   The most effective response is to put the batch on hold and ring the quality manager with the reading and the tolerance: the result is outside your own specification, the label is a declaration to consumers, and she owns that judgement and is a phone call away with the batch still on site. Holding it costs an afternoon; shipping it wrongly cannot be undone. It beats retesting the batch yourself before involving anyone, because that is reasonable work in the wrong order: she can direct a retest in a minute, and the batch is loading. It beats releasing the batch and noting the reading in the quality log, because that records a decision nobody actually took. The least effective response is accepting the production supervisor’s view that it is within normal variation and letting the batch go: it accepts a production judgement about a quality specification, ships against a declared label value, and leaves no record and no one informed. That is worse than retesting, which delays but checks, and worse than logging it, which at least documents it. The principle: when a result falls outside a specification you do not own, stop the goods and get the decision to whoever owns it, while stopping is still possible.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a supervisor at a coffee shop. Your two colleagues have both called in sick, you are running the shop alone through the morning rush, and the queue is out of the door. Your area manager rings to say she is coming in at midday to review the shop’s cleaning records with you, which will take an hour. You have not had a break. The records are up to date. It is 10am. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say nothing about being short-staffed, serve through the rush, and get through the review at midday as arranged so that your area manager is not given the impression you cannot cope.
   2. Tell your area manager now that you are alone with both colleagues off, ask whether the review can move or whether she can send cover, and carry on serving while she decides.
   3. Close the shop for fifteen minutes to take your break and reset before the review, since you have been alone since opening and cannot keep serving without one.
   4. Ask your area manager to postpone the review, explaining that you are on your own, and leave it to her to find a new date when the shop is properly staffed.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell your area manager now that you are alone with both colleagues off, ask whether the review can move or whether she can send cover, and carry on serving while she decides.

   Least effective: C. Close the shop for fifteen minutes to take your break and reset before the review, since you have been alone since opening and cannot keep serving without one.

   A: Hides the strain until failure: it conceals the one fact that would change her plan, so she arrives to a shop with a queue and no cover, and the next rota is built as though today worked.

   C: Abandons own committed work: shutting a trading shop mid-rush with a queue outside is a unilateral decision affecting customers and takings, taken without telling the area manager who is on the phone at that moment.

   D: Passes responsibility to others: it raises the problem, which is right, then narrows it to one solution. Cover for the shop would suit her visit and you better than a cancelled review, and it is never offered.

   The most effective response is to tell your area manager now that you are alone with both colleagues off, and ask whether the review can move or whether she can send cover: she set the midday review without knowing, that is the fact that would change her plan, and she is on the phone now. Offering her the choice keeps both options open while you keep serving. It beats asking her to postpone the review and leaving her to find a new date, because that raises the same problem but presents only one solution, when cover would suit the shop and her visit better than a cancellation. It beats serving through the rush in silence so she is not given the impression you cannot cope, because that leaves her arriving to a queue and no cover, and confirms to the business that a single-staffed rush is workable. The least effective response is closing the shop for fifteen minutes to take your break: it shuts a trading shop mid-rush on your own authority, with a queue outside and your area manager on the phone, without telling her. That is worse than the other two, which mishandle the conversation but keep the shop open. The principle: when circumstances have changed under someone else’s plan, give them the fact and the options while they can still act, and keep working meanwhile.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are an assistant coach at a swimming club. Swimmers must record their qualifying times at officially timed sessions to enter a regional gala. A swimmer misses the qualifying time by half a second at the last session. Her parent asks you to write down the faster time she achieved in training last week, saying she is plainly capable of it and one entry form will not matter. The head coach is at the poolside. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Tell the parent that the time cannot be changed and that she should raise it with the head coach if she wants to challenge how qualifying works.
    2. Tell the parent you can only record officially timed results, and ask the head coach whether there is another qualifying session before the gala entry closes.
    3. Record the official time but add a note to the entry that she swam faster in training, so the organisers can take that into account when they consider the entry.
    4. Write the training time on the entry form, since the swimmer has genuinely swum it and the qualifying session was only half a second out.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: B. Tell the parent you can only record officially timed results, and ask the head coach whether there is another qualifying session before the gala entry closes.

    Least effective: D. Write the training time on the entry form, since the swimmer has genuinely swum it and the qualifying session was only half a second out.

    A: Passes responsibility to others: the refusal is right and it leaves the swimmer's real question, whether another qualifying session exists, unasked, when the head coach is standing at the poolside.

    C: Acts on assumptions without checking: the entry rules ask for an officially timed result, and appending an unofficial one invites the organisers to weigh something the rules exclude, which is the same request in a politer form.

    D: Falsifies a competition record: an official qualifying time is a statement that a swim happened under timed conditions, and entering a training time is a false declaration that displaces another club's swimmer. That is dishonesty, not a technicality.

    The most effective response is to tell the parent you can only record officially timed results, and ask the head coach whether there is another qualifying session before entries close: only official results can go on the form, and the swimmer’s actual problem may still be solvable if another session falls in time. Refusing clearly and asking addresses both. It beats telling her the time cannot be changed and that she should raise it with the head coach herself, because that gives the same refusal and then leaves her to pursue the useful question alone, when the person who can answer it is at the poolside. It beats recording the official time with a note that she swam faster in training, because attaching that invites the organisers to consider something the rules exclude, which is the original request with a note on it. The least effective response is writing the training time on the entry form: it puts a time on an official entry that was never officially swum, which is a false declaration and takes a place from another swimmer. That is worse than the other two, which keep the entry honest. The principle: refuse to record what did not officially happen, and put the swimmer’s real problem to whoever can solve it.