Get Accurate FBI Phase 1 Test Prep and Pass the Exam (2022)

Question 1 - SJT

You are doing a performance evaluation for Janet, one of your team supervisors. Which of the following should you avoid doing during the review?

A. Examining her ability to manage time and resources

B. Keeping your negative feedback as general as possible

C. Asking her about her own career goals

D. Talking about how she responds to your authority as a manager

Solution

This is a question about employees’ training and development, as well as your need to supervise their performance. More specifically, the question discusses appropriate and effective ways to provide feedback. The question asks what you should avoid.

Employees’ ability to manage time and resources (response A) is relevant to their work effectiveness. Hence, it is relevant and beneficial to address this aspect of their work in their review.

Providing feedback and suggesting strategies could help them improve their work and become more efficient.

Response B implies that since receiving negative feedback could feel uncomfortable, it’s better to keep it general and thus avoid hurting the employee. However, general feedback is less effective – it’s vague, might be less coherent, and can be misunderstood easily.

Moreover, the more general the feedback is, the more room for the employee to guess what you really mean or feel your discomfort in providing this feedback. Your avoidance could make a big deal out of something that could be simpler. In short, providing clear and specific feedback is more effective.

This response is the one that should be avoided. That being said, providing negative feedback should indeed be done with sensitivity, focusing on improvements rather than pointing out errors.

This response lacks effective communication skills and could also make you seem to lack confidence.

Responses C and D could seem very personal – addressing your employee’s personal goals or discussing her relationship with you. However, before you cross out one of these options based on a hunch, try to approach each one calmly and consider it analytically. Are there any situations in which these topics could be relevant?

An employee’s career goals (response C) are a relevant topic for discussion. One of your goals as a manager is to help employees develop professionally, for both the benefit of the organization and the employee. Discussing your supervisor’s goals enables you to both establish shared goals and direct your supervisor’s development (tasks she would be assigned to, professional courses she may take, etc.) accordingly.

Your supervisor’s acceptance of authority (response D) is relevant to your ability to work together. Employees’ acceptance of authority is essential for their ability to work under management. While differences of opinion and disagreements will happen and – if discussed appropriately – could contribute additional views and ideas; however, when your supervisor refuses authority, or the relationship is rocky, work can be much more difficult.

The correct answer is B.

• Core competency: encouraging employees’ development
• Secondary competencies: supervising performance, effective communication

Question 2 - SJT

Joyce supervises a team of 10 people. One of her team members, Bernard, is a careful and thorough employee. Yesterday, however, he has made a minor yet crucial error which caused a delay of 5 hours in the production process of one of the products. Joyce explained the error and its consequences relatively gently to him. Denise, a more careless employee who tends to err, got upset and said: “You are harsh on me for every little mistake and I never caused such a catastrophe!” Later on that day, Joyce spoke with Denise and explained that while it causes discomfort, she responds more strictly with her because she consistently tends to not pay attention.
What do you think about Joyce’s unequal responses to her employees’ errors?

A. Appropriate. Employees should mind how they behave and not comment on how their supervisor treats other employees.

B. Inappropriate. The employee is clearly discouraged by all the reprimands she received. It's better to cut her some slack for a while.

C. Inappropriate. Fairness requires that the severity of the response fits the severity of the damage caused by the error.

D. Appropriate. Supervisors should consider their employee's personality characteristics and past behavior when responding to it.

Solution

In this scenario, you are told about a supervisor who is faced with criticism. You are asked to judge the supervisor’s behavior, but of course, you are actually asked about yourself. Notice that the answer choices split into two which agree with the described response and two which disagree with it. Every couple of responses differs by the rationalization of the response – this means that the reasons for the behavior are important here as well.

In response A, you send out a message that employees can’t discuss their feelings with you, that Criticism is unwanted and can’t be discussed. Whether or not Denise’s criticism is justified, you should take it seriously and check the matter. As you want to maintain a good work relationship with your employees, you want them to feel comfortable talking to you if they need.

On the other hand, when an employee does criticize you, you should check the legitimacy of their complaint. The rationalization of response B suggests that the reason for the inappropriateness of Joyce’s behavior is that Denise is feeling bad about being reprimanded. However, this is not a legitimate reason. While Joyce should make the effort to be respectful even while disciplining her employees, she shouldn’t hold back her opinion.

Response C is insufficient. The severity of the damage caused by the error is indeed an important factor in the decision how to respond to employees' error. However, when disciplining employees, just as when developing their abilities and tutoring them, supervisors should take their personal characteristics into consideration and adapt accordingly, as response D suggests. In this case, an employee who is being careless time and time again should be handled more strictly than an employee who is usually very careful and has made one mistake, which happened to be crucial. This kind of employee is likely to have realized already the magnitude of his actions and since he is already thorough, there isn’t much to teach here. A careless employee, however, has to learn to be more careful (encouraging development, discipline).

Best response: D
Core competencies: discipline
Secondary competencies: flexibility and adaptability, building and maintaining relationships, encouraging employees' development, openness to criticism

Question 3 - Logical Deductions

All Poverty-stricken people suffer from multiple physical illnesses. All people with multiple physical illnesses are displeased with their life.

Does the conclusion follow from the information given?

1. Conclusion follows

2. Conclusion does not follow

Solution

A = poverty-stricken people

B = people who suffer from multiple physical illnesses

C = People pleased with their life

¬C = people displeased (not pleased) with their life (¬ means "not").

According to the premises: all A -> B and all B -> ¬C. This also means all A -> ¬C.

The conclusion states all C (people pleased with their life) -> ¬A, which equals A -> ¬C. Remember the NOT Triangle: A generalizing statement (all A -> are B) is logically equivalent to the transposed negative formulation of the same statement (all not B -> not A).

Conclusion follows.

Question 4 - Figural Reasoning

Solution

Across the rows, each frame is the mirror image of the frame preceding it.

In order to find the answer choice, find the mirror image of the bottom-middle frame.

Alternatively, as you move across the rows and down the columns, the frames switch colors. Blue square change to white squares and vice versa.

Answer choice 4 is therefore, the correct answer.

The correct answer is 4.

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