New Jersey Civil Service Exam Problem Sensitivity and Judgment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A supervisor notices that two employees who previously worked well together have stopped communicating and their joint project is falling behind schedule. What should the supervisor do FIRST?
- Reassign the project to different employees
- Meet individually with each employee to understand the situation (Correct answer)
- Issue a written warning to both employees for poor performance
- Ignore the situation and hope it resolves itself
Correct answer: Meet individually with each employee to understand the situation
Meeting individually with each employee first allows the supervisor to gather information and understand the root cause before taking any action.
Question 2: During a routine inspection, a civil service employee discovers that a colleague has been falsifying records. The colleague is a close friend. What is the MOST appropriate action?
- Confront the colleague privately and give them a chance to correct the records
- Report the falsification to the appropriate supervisor or ethics office (Correct answer)
- Ignore it since it may be an isolated incident
- Help the colleague fix the records quietly to avoid trouble
Correct answer: Report the falsification to the appropriate supervisor or ethics office
Falsifying records is a serious ethical violation that must be reported through proper channels regardless of personal relationships.
Question 3: A public-facing employee notices that a citizen appears confused and increasingly frustrated while trying to complete a form. The most effective first response is to:
- Tell the citizen to read the instructions more carefully
- Ask the citizen what specific part they are having difficulty with (Correct answer)
- Complete the form for the citizen to save time
- Refer the citizen to another department
Correct answer: Ask the citizen what specific part they are having difficulty with
Asking a specific question identifies the exact point of confusion so the employee can provide targeted, effective assistance.
Question 4: An employee receives conflicting instructions from two supervisors about how to handle a situation. The BEST course of action is to:
- Follow the instructions of the higher-ranking supervisor without mentioning the conflict
- Do nothing until the conflict is resolved on its own
- Inform both supervisors of the conflict and ask for clarification (Correct answer)
- Follow whichever instructions seem easiest to implement
Correct answer: Inform both supervisors of the conflict and ask for clarification
Informing both supervisors of the conflicting instructions ensures clarity and prevents errors caused by following incorrect guidance.
Question 5: A new policy is introduced that an employee believes will negatively affect service delivery to the public. The employee should:
- Refuse to implement the policy until leadership reconsiders
- Implement the policy while raising concerns through appropriate channels (Correct answer)
- Implement only the parts of the policy they agree with
- Tell citizens the policy is wrong and that they should complain
Correct answer: Implement the policy while raising concerns through appropriate channels
Employees must implement lawful policies while also having the right and responsibility to raise concerns through proper channels.
Question 6: An employee working in a high-volume office notices that the same procedural error is being made repeatedly by multiple staff members. The BEST response is to:
- Correct errors individually as they occur without mentioning the pattern
- Report the pattern to a supervisor and suggest clarification or retraining (Correct answer)
- Send a group email criticizing coworkers for making mistakes
- Update the procedure yourself without informing management
Correct answer: Report the pattern to a supervisor and suggest clarification or retraining
Reporting a recurring pattern to a supervisor allows for systemic correction through retraining or procedure updates.
Question 7: A civil service employee is asked by a family member to expedite a permit application using their position. The employee should:
- Help the family member since it is a minor favor
- Decline and explain that all applications must be processed equally (Correct answer)
- Process the application normally but tell the family member it was expedited
- Refer the family member to a colleague who can help
Correct answer: Decline and explain that all applications must be processed equally
Using a civil service position to benefit family members constitutes a conflict of interest and violates equal treatment principles.
