Questions may use different wording, but the panel will still assess evidence against the Grade 7 and Grade 6 Making Effective Decisions criteria. Listen to the exact question and choose the example that answers it most directly.
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Grade 7 Making Effective Decisions criteria
- “Clarify your own understanding and stakeholder needs and expectations, before making decisions.”
- “Ensure decision making happens at the right level, not allowing unnecessary bureaucracy to hinder delivery.”
- “Encourage both innovative suggestions and challenge from others, to inform decision making.”
- “Analyse and accurately interpret data from various sources to support decisions.”
- “Find the best option by identifying positives, negatives, risks and implications.”
- “Present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of complex and sometimes incomplete evidence.”
- “Make decisions confidently even when details are unclear or if they prove to be unpopular.”
What the panel is testing
Show how you clarified the decision, involved the right people, compared options and risks, then made a clear recommendation even where the choice was contested.
- A clear Grade 7 responsibility.
- Personal decisions and reasoning.
- Appropriate senior, cross-team or external influence.
- Control of risk, resources, inclusion or quality where relevant.
- A credible outcome and enough detail for follow-up questions.
12 Grade 7 Making Effective Decisions interview questions
How to structure the answer
Give one or two relevant sentences about how you think.
Set the strategic or delivery context briefly.
State your responsibility and authority.
Explain decisions, evidence, influence and risk.
Give the outcome and a practical learning point.
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