PSEE Problem Solving and Judgment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: You are assigned a project with a two-week deadline. After one week, you realize it will take three weeks total. What should you do?
- Continue working and hope to finish on time.
- Tell your supervisor immediately that more time is needed. (Correct answer)
- Submit incomplete work at the deadline.
- Reassign the project to a colleague without informing your supervisor.
Correct answer: Tell your supervisor immediately that more time is needed.
Proactively notifying your supervisor of a deadline risk allows management to adjust resources or expectations — this demonstrates accountability.
Public service values include accountability and transparency. Waiting silently risks a missed deadline with no warning. Submitting incomplete work is unacceptable. Reassigning without authorization exceeds your authority. Notifying the supervisor as soon as the risk is identified is the key PSEE judgment principle.
Question 2: A new policy is introduced that conflicts with a procedure you have been following for two years. What is the correct approach?
- Continue following the old procedure since it has worked well.
- Follow the new policy immediately and inform your team. (Correct answer)
- Wait to see which procedure your colleagues adopt.
- Ask your supervisor to exempt you from the new policy.
Correct answer: Follow the new policy immediately and inform your team.
New policies take effect upon implementation. Following and helping to communicate the new policy is the appropriate response.
Public servants are bound by current policy, not past practice. When a new policy is introduced, it must be followed immediately. Informing your team supports organizational compliance. Waiting for others or seeking personal exemption is not appropriate.
Question 3: You are processing a grant application and realize the applicant is a personal friend. What should you do?
- Process it quickly to help your friend.
- Declare a conflict of interest and recuse yourself from handling the file. (Correct answer)
- Process it but apply stricter criteria to be fair.
- Ask a colleague to review it without disclosing the relationship.
Correct answer: Declare a conflict of interest and recuse yourself from handling the file.
Declaring a conflict of interest and recusing yourself is the required response when a personal relationship affects impartiality.
The Values and Ethics Code requires employees to identify and declare conflicts of interest. A personal friendship creates a real or perceived conflict. The correct response is to disclose it to a supervisor and recuse yourself — not to process it in any way. Conflict of interest management is a direct PSEE judgment topic.
Question 4: Your team is under pressure and a colleague is clearly overwhelmed and making errors. What is the best course of action?
- Criticize the colleague's work in a team meeting.
- Offer to help with some of their tasks and, if the situation persists, raise it with the supervisor. (Correct answer)
- Take over all of their work without telling them.
- Report them to HR for poor performance immediately.
Correct answer: Offer to help with some of their tasks and, if the situation persists, raise it with the supervisor.
Offering help addresses the immediate issue, while escalating to a supervisor (if needed) addresses the root cause — balancing teamwork with accountability.
Public service values include respect for people and collaborative work. Criticizing in public is disrespectful. Taking over silently creates confusion. Reporting to HR is disproportionate for a workload issue. Offering help first demonstrates teamwork; escalating if the problem persists demonstrates accountability.
Question 5: You notice that a process you follow daily wastes significant time and could be improved. What is the most appropriate action?
- Ignore it, as changing procedures is not your responsibility.
- Change the procedure on your own without informing anyone.
- Document the issue and suggest the improvement to your supervisor. (Correct answer)
- Wait until the annual performance review to mention it.
Correct answer: Document the issue and suggest the improvement to your supervisor.
Documenting the inefficiency and bringing it to a supervisor's attention is the appropriate way to contribute to continuous improvement in the public service.
The Values and Ethics Code encourages public servants to contribute to excellence. Ignoring inefficiency wastes resources. Changing procedures unilaterally creates inconsistency. Waiting until a performance review delays improvement. Documenting and raising the suggestion formally is the appropriate, constructive approach.
Question 6: A member of the public submits an application with a technical error that disqualifies it under strict rules, but they clearly meet the program's intent. What is the best action?
- Reject the application strictly per the rules without further action.
- Approve the application by ignoring the technical error.
- Contact the applicant to explain the error and advise them on how to resubmit correctly. (Correct answer)
- Forward the application to a supervisor and recommend approval.
Correct answer: Contact the applicant to explain the error and advise them on how to resubmit correctly.
Informing the applicant of the error and giving them the opportunity to correct and resubmit is both fair and consistent with good public service.
Strict rejection without notice fails the service obligation. Approving by ignoring rules violates the process. Recommending approval to a supervisor bypasses the rules without authority. Contacting the applicant allows them to correct a procedural error and resubmit — upholding both fairness and rule integrity.
PSEE Problem Solving and Judgment 2
You are assigned a project with a two-week deadline.
After one week, you realize it will take three weeks total.
What should you do?