Chapter Nine-How To Master Situation Reaction Test
This chapter has a detailed study of one of the situations which most candidates fail to answer correctly in the situation reaction test.​
Chapter 9-SRT 3-He finalised his programme of picnic. All of a sudden his father got seriously ill. He will____​
(This is Chapter 9. To read Chapter 10, click on the button at the bottom of the page)
This is the third situation we have chosen for study. Please write your reaction on it quickly and only then read further.
Let us first understand why this kind of a situation will come during the situation reaction test. This kind of a situation comes to see qualities like sense of responsibility, quickness of response, whether the candidate panics in an emergency and also whether the candidate’s priorities are in order or not. This kind of a situation relates to Factor 3 as there is an element of life being at risk in the situation. The correct choice of words and correct sequence of answering is very important when it comes to writing answers in the situation reaction test. The most common mistake made by candidates in answering this type of a situation is that they end up showing themselves as irresponsible and lacking the energy to respond to an emergency in an expected manner. This is mainly a result of lack of understanding of how choice of words makes a lot of difference and which are the key words to be used when answering any particular situation. I know you must be wondering what I mean. To understand things in detail, let us first analyse the responses submitted by candidates and then we will take a look at the model answer.
1) Ravi-postpone the picnic and take his father to the hospital and he will take care of him.
Analysis-The answer confirms casual behaviour and thereby shows that the candidate lacks the element of sense of responsibility. Let me explain how. Imagine you are sitting having breakfast and suddenly your father suffers a heart attack. After seeing that happen right in front of your eyes will you just look at him and think what to do or will you quickly rush to him and take steps fast to take him to a hospital? You will act fast, right? So shouldn’t the answer reflect the same?Â
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Let me help you understand how you can ensure that your answer reflects that. It is very simple. You need to write words like quickly/immediately when writing about doing something to help father when he suffers from a major medical issue. In the answer the candidate has not used words like immediately/quickly when responding to father’s health issue. This would generate an impression as if in spite of seeing father suffer a heart attack, he just sat casually, completed breakfast, then first called friends to postpone picnic and then did something about his father. All this while the father was lying in pain and the possibility of losing life was increasing with every passing second. So now you can understand how the absence of a single word like immediately/quickly makes so much difference. Another problem with this answer is of wrong priorities. Let me explain how. Whenever there is a situation given in the test which has more than one problem in it, then whichever problem is addressed first in the answer is considered to be the first priority of the candidate. First priority means the most important thing as per the candidate. Keeping this principle in mind, you can see that the candidate has first written about postponing picnic. This means that picnic was more important to him than father’s health. This is how the answer is outrightly negative no matter how you see it. It will invite punishment for sure.
2) Dhiraj-He will postpone picnic and take care of father.
Analysis-Interpretation will be the same as Ravi’s response.
3) Pawan-He got best treatment for his father, made him feel and went on picnic.
Analysis-This sentence also does not involve use of words like immediately/quickly. Although the word best has been used to imply that the candidate really cares for his father but still the absence of words like immediately/quickly will show casual behaviour, an absence of the element of quick reaction in an emergency and thereby make the candidate look weak on factor 3.Â
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Another problem with this answer is that it talks about going on picnic as planned. There is a problem with this part of the answer. Let us understand why. There is a very specific reason why the situation does not mention when are you supposed to go on picnic. It might be the next day, next week, or even next month. We just don’t know when it was scheduled for. The reason why it is not specified is because the board would like to see if you will cancel the picnic immediately or will make the friends go without you or will postpone it. Each of these reactions will convey something specific about you.
If you immediately cancel the picnic without even knowing when it was scheduled for then it will reflect panic behaviour. If you make the friends go without you then again, it will reflect something negative about you. The only reason why a person will make his friends go without him is because he will feel why others should be deprived of joyful activity because of his own personal problems. The candidate will feel that he is being very considerate but that won’t be correct.
It is believed in the science of psychology that this kind of a thought will come in the mind of a person who himself will feel frustrated if he had planned a picnic with friends and now one of the friend’s father is not well due to which they are unable to go for picnic. A selfish person who feels why he should suffer due to problems of others will feel like others will feel frustrated at his father’s health issue.
Another question that comes in mind is are your friends going to like heading for picnic without you? Aren’t you dear to them? Aren’t your bonds strong? Will you like going for picnic without your dear and close friends? Specially leaving them alone in such a difficult phase? Think about it!Â
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Please remember, we see the world as we are. There is a very famous doha of Sant Kabir which says ‘jaaki rahi bhaavna jaisi, prabhu Murat dekhi tin taisi’. Point is, a candidate may write this thinking that it will make him come across as a very considerate person but unintentionally he will end up revealing a very negative trait.
The third response of postponing is again a weak response because if the picnic is scheduled for next month then there is no need to postpone it. Father will be alright and home in another 10-15 days and after that a person can easily go for picnic if it is scheduled for a date after 4 weeks. So how should one answer? It is all about choice of words. We will understand when we discuss model answer.
In this answer candidate has written about going on picnic as planned. What if the picnic was planned next day? Will the candidate leave father and go for picnic? Answering like this even generates an impression that perhaps the candidate did not read the situation carefully and has just gone on answering in a hurry and in a nervous state. For all these reasons, the answer will generate a very negative impression.
4) Shivam-Consult to doctor, after few days when father will get okay will go to picnic.
Analysis-The answer doesn’t have immediately/quickly. Mentioning clearly that he will take care of father will make the response more acceptable. Third weak point in the answer is that it talks about going for picnic after father gets well without coordinating with friends to change the date. I know you will feel so how is one supposed to answer! Please wait till the model answer is discussed.
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5) Nitin-he will inform the group and ask them to continued, will take care of his father and join the picnic some other time.
Analysis-First priority is picnic as that is addressed first. No use of immediately/quickly reflects casual behaviour. Writing join the picnic some other time implies that he is not going for picnic this time. Cancelling picnic plan shows panic behaviour. Friends going without him and enjoying even though he is facing such a serious situation reflects even more negatively about the social circle of the candidate.
6) Rohit-he will took him to hospital and postponed the plan after his father get well.
Analysis-Weakness in grammar. No use of immediately/quickly. Postponing picnic without knowing when it was scheduled for. All these points will reflect negatively.
7) Sahil-quickly take the medical actions which are in his hands and rushed to the nearby hospital to admit him and called off the programme.
Analysis-The use of the words quickly and rush confirm something very positive in terms of how the candidate will respond to an emergency in the future. The first part of the answer is very good but cancelling the picnic and that too the way it has been written confirms it all the more clearly that the candidate panicked. This will reflect very negatively as a person panicking in a situation like this will panic all the more in a combat situation like Kargil.
8) Shyam-he will hospitalised his father first and reschedule the programme also.
Analysis-There is no mention of quickly/immediately. The answer could have been made better if taking care of father would also have been mentioned in some way. The word reschedule is exactly what is needed but again it should have been done only if needed. We will understand this when we discuss model answer.
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9) Shrey-let everyone go and help his family in treatment of his father.
Analysis-Again, picnic is addressed first making it look like picnic is more important than father. Second problem is of asking friends to go without him. I have already discussed adequately why this is not an advisable thing to write. Third problem with the answer is that it talks about helping family take care of father which means the main onus of looking after father is of the family and not the candidate himself. Next problem is the absence of words like quickly/immediately. The answer will not be viewed positively by the assessor.
10) Naveen-postpone the picnic programme and decides to take care of his father’s health.
Analysis-First priority is picnic. The second problem is with the use of the word decides. The use of the word decides makes it look like he thought a lot about it and considered all the other options he had and then carefully made a decision to take care of his father. The answer should have reflected something opposite. It should have reflected quick action. The situation mentions the words seriously ill. When do we use the words seriously ill? Don’t we use the words seriously ill only when life is at risk and there is a possibility that the patient/person might die? Even though the father is seriously ill, the candidate has not written anything about hospitalisation. This will reflect very negatively.
11) Tarun-quickly take him to hospital, stand by his side, ask his friend to continue without him, upon recovering he took his father back home safely.
Analysis-The answer is all good except for asking friends to continue without him. I have already discussed about this earlier.
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Model Answer: Quickly rush father to hospital. Ensure his wellbeing. Reschedule picnic if needed.
By starting with the very word quickly, the candidate has confirmed he has a strong sense of responsibility and will act quickly in emergency. Ensured his wellbeing includes everything from consulting doctors to giving medicines on time to giving food on time and any other thing needed. This is how choice of words makes a lot of difference. By writing if needed the candidate has shown he has not panicked and will reschedule picnic only if needed and if father is not fully well by that time. This shows that the person stays mentally strong even during emergency.
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