Ohio Civil Service Exam Workplace Situational Judgment 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Your supervisor instructs you to prioritize a task differently than what is stated in your written job guidelines. What should you do?
- Follow the written guidelines and ignore the supervisor's instruction
- Follow the supervisor's instruction and note the discrepancy for clarification later (Correct answer)
- Contact HR to file a complaint about the conflict
- Do neither until the conflict is formally resolved
Correct answer: Follow the supervisor's instruction and note the discrepancy for clarification later
Following reasonable supervisor direction while noting discrepancies for future clarification balances responsiveness with procedural awareness.
Question 2: You are part of a team that takes a vote on an approach, and your suggestion loses. What is the appropriate response?
- Refuse to participate in implementing the chosen approach
- Support the team's decision and contribute fully to its success (Correct answer)
- Continuously argue your point until others change their minds
- Complete only the parts of the project that align with your original suggestion
Correct answer: Support the team's decision and contribute fully to its success
Supporting team decisions after fair deliberation demonstrates collaboration and commitment to shared goals.
Question 3: You notice that a citizen received incorrect information from a coworker. The citizen has already left the office. What should you do?
- Do nothing since the citizen already left
- Inform your supervisor so the citizen can be contacted and given correct information (Correct answer)
- Try to call the citizen yourself without telling your supervisor
- Leave a note on the coworker's desk and hope they handle it
Correct answer: Inform your supervisor so the citizen can be contacted and given correct information
Notifying your supervisor ensures the situation is handled properly and the citizen receives accurate information promptly.
Question 4: You are offered an opportunity to complete a valuable professional development course during work hours. How should you proceed?
- Enroll immediately since professional development is always approved
- Request supervisor approval before enrolling and confirm how time away will be managed (Correct answer)
- Enroll and inform your supervisor only after the course begins
- Decline since leaving the office during work hours is never appropriate
Correct answer: Request supervisor approval before enrolling and confirm how time away will be managed
Seeking prior supervisor approval ensures the professional development aligns with agency needs and that workload is covered.
Question 5: You are working on a deadline-sensitive task when a supervisor from a different division asks you to stop and help with their project. What is the best response?
- Immediately assist the other supervisor since they outrank your coworkers
- Explain your current deadline to the supervisor and ask them to coordinate with your direct supervisor (Correct answer)
- Ignore the other supervisor's request entirely
- Abandon your current task to avoid confrontation
Correct answer: Explain your current deadline to the supervisor and ask them to coordinate with your direct supervisor
Communicating your competing deadline and directing the request through your supervisor protects both your assignment and professional relationships.
Question 6: A coworker tells you they plan to submit a personal project using government resources. What should you do?
- Help them since a small personal use is generally harmless
- Advise them that using government resources for personal projects is against policy (Correct answer)
- Report them to law enforcement without speaking to them first
- Ignore it since it is not your responsibility to monitor coworkers
Correct answer: Advise them that using government resources for personal projects is against policy
Reminding a coworker of the policy is a proportionate first response that may prevent a more serious issue.
Question 7: You are asked to participate in a performance evaluation for a coworker you personally dislike. What should you do?
- Decline to participate to avoid bias
- Provide an honest, objective evaluation based on observable work performance only (Correct answer)
- Use the evaluation as an opportunity to document personal grievances
- Give an overly positive review to avoid conflict
Correct answer: Provide an honest, objective evaluation based on observable work performance only
Objective evaluations based on observable performance protect both the employee's rights and the integrity of the process.
Ohio Civil Service Exam Workplace Situational Judgment 5
Your supervisor instructs you to prioritize a task differently than what is stated in your written job guidelines.
What should you do?