Situational Judgement (Public Sector Scenarios) Flashcards

You receive a freedom of information request for documents that contain some exempt material and some non-exempt material. What is the correct approach?

Answer: Release the non-exempt material with exempt sections appropriately redacted

FOI law requires you to release what you can and exempt only what you must. A blanket refusal because of partial exemptions is unlawful.

Your team is required to deliver a new service with a budget that you believe is insufficient. What should you do?

Answer: Flag the concern to your manager with evidence, propose solutions, and document the risk

Proactive risk escalation with evidence and proposed solutions is the professional approach. Concealing resource concerns is a serious management failure.

A colleague asks you to sign off their expenses claim which includes items you believe are not allowable. What should you do?

Answer: Decline to sign and explain which items appear non-allowable, suggesting they check the policy

Signing off non-allowable expenses exposes you to personal liability and undermines public spending controls. Declining with a clear explanation is professional and fair.

You are presenting findings to a senior official and realise mid-presentation that one of your charts contains an error. What should you do?

Answer: Immediately acknowledge the error, correct it verbally, and follow up with accurate data

Honesty requires immediate acknowledgement. Continuing without disclosure could lead to wrong decisions being made on inaccurate data.

A colleague from another team asks if you can share your team's internal working documents to help with their project. What should you do?

Answer: Check whether sharing is permitted under your team's information sharing protocols before deciding

Information sharing in government is governed by protocols. Checking before sharing protects sensitive information and ensures accountability.

You have been offered a place on a prestigious development programme. It will require 20% of your time over six months. What should you do first?

Answer: Discuss with your manager to ensure cover and that the time commitment is feasible

Manager discussion ensures the team can plan for your absence and that the opportunity is taken without compromising delivery. Acting unilaterally is unprofessional.