Scene to read · Empathy, Problem solving
Eleven, not ten
You are the chess club secretary, running check-in and holding the only member phone list.
Forty minutes before a chess tournament's first round, Dmitri, a volunteer in his first week, realizes he emailed all thirty-two players a start time an hour late, and many rarely check email before leaving home. He tells you and Hamza, the organizer doing pairings, in the side office, whose open door lets the players gathering in the hall hear every word.
The scene
Dmitri: I typed eleven instead of ten. And everyone out there heard me panic.
Hamza: Can you pass Dmitri the phone list? Dmitri, you sent it, you call everyone.
Dmitri: All thirty-two? My voice is shaking. Can't we split the calls?
Hamza: No. I'm doing pairings, check-in's swamped. Your mistake, your calls. Start now.
The two questions
- 1What would you do, and what would you say to Dmitri and Hamza?
- 2Describe a time someone near you made a mistake under time pressure. How did you respond to the person and the problem?
What raters look for
- Empathy
- Recognizes what others feel and need, and lets that shape the response without losing judgment.
- Problem solving
- Gathers facts before acting, considers options and consequences, and chooses a workable next step.
Answer scenarios like this on the real timers
Answer both questions on the clock, and get each one scored 1–9 the way raters score. Your first set is free, no card.
Practice free
