Decision Making — Practice Questions
CSAT-pattern decision-making practice — situational judgement, rule-based eligibility and scheduling problems, each with a full explanation of the best response.
Questions
These are original CSAT-pattern practice questions written for this site — not past UPSC papers. For situational items, eliminate passive, aggressive, evasive and populist options first. Target time: about 8 minutes.
As the Block Development Officer, you find during an inspection that a contractor building a village road is using material that appears to be below the specified standard. The contractor is an influential local person who hints that raising the matter will cause you trouble. What is the most appropriate course of action?
Solution
C protects public money and public safety through due process: testing gives evidence, the contract gives the remedy, and informing superiors creates a record and support against pressure.
- A — passive; accepts a substandard public asset.
- B — informal; the current defect remains in the road.
- D — aggressive; acts before testing and bypasses the contract’s procedure.
Answer: C
You are in charge of a relief camp after a cyclone. The food packets received today are fewer than the number of people in the camp, and the crowd is becoming restless. What should you do first?
Solution
B combines transparency (explain the shortage), priority for the vulnerable, fair rationing and action on the cause (more supplies).
- A — rewards the strongest and quickest, not the neediest.
- C — passive; people go hungry while supplies sit unused.
- D — aggressive; treats a supply problem as a law-and-order problem.
Answer: B
Directions for the next two questions (hypothetical rules). A candidate for the post of Village Development Assistant must:
- be a graduate;
- be between 21 and 30 years of age on 1 January 2026; and
- have passed a computer proficiency test.
However:
- (a) a candidate who satisfies all conditions except (3) but holds a diploma in computer applications is to be referred to the Director;
- (b) a candidate who satisfies all conditions except (2), being above 30 but not above 35 years and belonging to a reserved category, is eligible.
Rahul is a graduate, is 33 years old on 1 January 2026, belongs to a reserved category and has passed the computer proficiency test. What is his status?
Solution
| Condition | Rahul |
|---|---|
| (1) Graduate | ✓ |
| (2) Age 21–30 | ✗ (33) |
| (3) Computer test | ✓ |
He fails only (2). Exception (b): above 30 but not above 35, reserved category → eligible.
Answer: A
Nisha is a graduate, is 26 years old on 1 January 2026, has not taken the computer proficiency test, and holds a diploma in computer applications. What is her status?
Solution
She meets (1) and (2) but not (3). Exception (a) covers exactly this case — a diploma in computer applications → refer to the Director. Every needed fact is given, so “data inadequate” is wrong.
Answer: C
A review meeting must be held on one weekday from Monday to Friday, and all four officers W, X, Y and Z must attend. W is unavailable on Monday. X is unavailable on Tuesday. Y is unavailable on Thursday. Z is unavailable on Monday and Wednesday. On which day can the meeting be held?
Solution
| Day | Unavailable | All four free? |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | W, Z | No |
| Tuesday | X | No |
| Wednesday | Z | No |
| Thursday | Y | No |
| Friday | — | Yes |
Answer: D
You are leading a vaccination drive in a district. A rumour spreads on social media in one village that the vaccine causes infertility, and turnout there falls sharply. What is the best response?
Solution
The cause of low turnout is fear built on misinformation. B answers it with trusted voices and open dialogue.
- A — coercive; likely to deepen distrust.
- C — passive; leaves the village unprotected.
- D — action against deliberate misinformation can be a side step, but waiting does nothing to restore turnout.
Answer: B