Work Strengths Test Question 81 – Investigating a sudden increase in a payment queue
Read the scenario, then choose the one action you would be most likely to take and the one action you would be least likely to take.
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Scenario
The payment queue doubles in one morning. This could reflect a genuine rise in applications, a duplicated data file or a delay elsewhere in the process. Staff are asking whether they should work overtime. The next automated payment run is tomorrow, so an incorrect response could either delay customers or waste significant effort.
Choose the actions
Select one Most likely action and one Least likely action. Do not rank the two remaining actions.
Action A
Tell staff to increase their hourly output immediately so that the queue returns to its usual size.
Your selection:
Most likelyLeast likely
Action B
Pause the whole queue until the technical team confirms that no duplicate file has been loaded.
Your selection:
Most likelyLeast likely
Action C
Check a sample of queued items, the file-processing log and the source volume before deciding whether extra work or a technical correction is needed.
Your selection:
Most likelyLeast likely
Action D
Ask an experienced colleague whether the increase feels genuine and monitor the queue for another hour before acting.
Your selection:
Most likelyLeast likely
Click to reveal the answer
- Most likely: Action C
- Least likely: Action A
Members can unlock the full explanation for all four actions below, including why the strongest and weakest choices fit and how the two middle options compare.
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