100+ ISSB Situation Reaction Test Examples With Best Responses

Working through SRT examples with answers is one of the most effective ways to prepare for the Situation Reaction Test (SRT) at ISSB — provided you use them to develop a constructive habit of mind rather than to memorise canned lines. In the SRT you face roughly sixty short situations, with only a limited total time, and you write what you would do in each. This guide gives you thirty fully worked examples grouped by theme, each with a model response, followed by a compact bank of well over a hundred additional practice situations.

How to Use These SRT Examples With Answers

The model responses below are not the "correct" answers — there is no single correct answer in the SRT. They illustrate the qualities the psychologist reads for: decisive, positive action; addressing the task at the heart of the situation; and accounting for the people involved. Read each model response and ask what makes it strong, then practise producing your own in one to three short sentences.

For the underlying theory of why these responses work, read our Situation Reaction Test guide. It pairs naturally with our WAT words with sample responses and Picture Story tips and examples, since the three written psychological tests are read together.

Theme 1: Emergencies and Physical Danger

1. A fire breaks out in your college storeroom and you are alone. — I raise the alarm, call emergency services, evacuate nearby rooms, and use an extinguisher on the fire only if it is safe to do so.

2. You are swimming and a friend begins to drown. — I stay calm, extend a pole or float rather than jumping in blindly, shout for help, and pull him to safety.

3. A road accident happens in front of you. — I move the injured to safety, call an ambulance, apply basic first aid, and note the vehicle details for the authorities.

4. You smell gas leaking in the kitchen at night. — I shut off the main valve, open windows, avoid switches and flames, wake the household, and move everyone outside.

5. Your vehicle brakes fail on a slope. — I downshift to slow the engine, use the handbrake gradually, steer toward an uphill verge, and warn others with the horn.

6. A child falls into a canal near you. — I throw a rope or float within reach, call for help, and enter only if I can do so safely to bring the child out.

Theme 2: Social and Interpersonal

7. A close friend asks you to support his false claim before a teacher. — I decline to support the false claim and instead offer to help him explain the true situation honestly to the teacher.

8. Two of your friends are about to fight. — I step in calmly, separate them, hear both sides privately, and help them reach an understanding.

9. You are wrongly blamed for something in front of others. — I stay composed, state the facts clearly and respectfully, and offer any evidence that resolves the matter.

10. A senior humiliates a junior in your presence. — I intervene politely, ease the tension, and speak to the junior privately afterward to reassure him.

11. Your teammate takes credit for your work. — I raise it directly and privately with him first, and if needed clarify the facts calmly to the relevant person.

12. A new student is being ignored by your group. — I welcome him, introduce him to others, and include him in the group's activities.

Theme 3: Leadership and Group Situations

13. Your group in a task is confused and losing time. — I quickly propose a clear plan, assign roles, and get the group moving while remaining open to better ideas.

14. Your team is about to make a serious error in a task. — I point out the error quietly and quickly, suggest a correction, and help redirect the group's effort.

15. You are made leader of a group that resists your instructions. — I listen to their concerns, explain my reasoning, adjust where they are right, and lead by example.

16. During a group hike, one member is exhausted and falling behind. — I redistribute his load, set a manageable pace, encourage him, and keep the group together.

17. Your group must finish an urgent project overnight but morale is low. — I break the work into clear tasks, share the effort, keep spirits up, and finish alongside them.

18. A member of your team refuses to cooperate. — I speak with him privately to understand the reason, address it fairly, and reintegrate him into the effort.

Theme 4: Ethical and Moral Dilemmas

19. You find a wallet full of cash on the road. — I locate the owner through any identification inside or hand it to the police.

20. You witness a friend cheating in an exam. — I discourage him afterward, explain the risk and the wrong of it, and encourage honest preparation instead.

21. You are offered an unfair advantage by someone in authority. — I decline it politely and rely on my own merit.

22. A shopkeeper gives you too much change by mistake. — I return the excess immediately and point out the error.

23. You discover a colleague is misusing official resources. — I advise him to stop and, if it continues, report it through the proper channel.

24. You are pressured by peers to skip an important duty. — I decline, explain why the duty matters, and complete it.

Theme 5: Study, Career and Self-Discipline

25. You fail an important paper unexpectedly. — I identify my weak areas, seek guidance, revise my study plan, and prepare thoroughly for the next attempt.

26. You have limited time and too much syllabus before an exam. — I prioritise high-weight topics, make a realistic schedule, and study with focus rather than panic.

27. You are distracted by social media while preparing. — I set fixed study blocks, remove distractions during them, and reward focus with short breaks.

28. Your family wants you to choose a career you dislike. — I discuss my genuine interests and reasons with them respectfully and seek a decision we can all support.

29. You are the sole earner suddenly, mid-studies. — I find a workable balance of part-time work and study, seek available support, and keep my goals in view.

30. You feel demotivated after repeated setbacks. — I remind myself of my goal, break it into small steps, seek encouragement, and keep moving forward.

The Reliable Default Structure

If a scenario stumps you under time pressure, fall back on a simple three-part structure: (1) identify the core problem, (2) take the most constructive immediate action yourself, (3) involve the right people appropriately. This produces a reasonable response for almost any situation — and it trains the exact instinct the board is looking for.

Compact Practice Bank: 100+ More Situations

Write a one-line action response for each of the following, at test pace (aim for under 30 seconds each). These are deliberately brief — the skill is in reacting decisively, not in the wording.

Emergencies: 31. Your house floods at night. 32. A snake enters your room. 33. Your friend faints in the heat. 34. A short-circuit sparks a fire. 35. You are trapped in a lift. 36. A cyclist is hit by a car. 37. Your boat starts sinking. 38. A gas cylinder catches fire. 39. Someone collapses on a train. 40. A wall is about to fall on a child.

Social: 41. A stranger insults your friend. 42. Your neighbour's dog attacks a passerby. 43. You are lost in an unfamiliar city. 44. A guest arrives when you are unprepared. 45. Your friend spreads a rumour about you. 46. You disagree publicly with a respected elder. 47. A junior seeks your advice on a personal problem. 48. You are misunderstood in a group. 49. A quarrel erupts at a family event. 50. Someone mocks your background.

Leadership: 51. Your team loses a match badly. 52. Half your group wants to quit a task. 53. You must motivate tired volunteers. 54. Your plan is rejected by the group. 55. A member repeatedly arrives late. 56. Two teammates refuse to work together. 57. You are given a task with unclear instructions. 58. The group looks to you in a crisis. 59. A stronger teammate dominates the group. 60. You must delegate an unpopular job.

Ethical: 61. You see litter thrown in a public place. 62. A friend asks you to lie to his parents. 63. You are asked to inflate a report. 64. You notice a billing error in your favour. 65. A senior asks you to overlook a rule. 66. You find confidential papers left unattended. 67. You are offered a bribe to speed something up. 68. A friend copies your assignment. 69. You witness bullying online. 70. You are tempted to skip a queue unfairly.

Study and self: 71. You oversleep before an exam. 72. Your notes are lost days before a test. 73. You feel unwell on exam day. 74. You cannot understand a key topic. 75. A subject bores you but is required. 76. You must choose between two courses. 77. Your internet fails during online study. 78. You procrastinate on an important project. 79. You receive harsh feedback on your work. 80. You must study while caring for a sick relative.

Physical and outdoor: 81. You get lost on a trek. 82. A river blocks your group's path. 83. Your torch dies in a dark cave. 84. Rain floods your campsite. 85. A teammate sprains an ankle. 86. Your water supply runs low. 87. You face a steep, unfamiliar climb. 88. A storm approaches during an exercise. 89. Your equipment breaks mid-task. 90. Night falls before you reach shelter.

Workplace and duty: 91. You are given more work than you can finish. 92. A colleague calls in sick before a deadline. 93. You make a public mistake in a presentation. 94. Your supervisor gives conflicting orders. 95. A junior misses an important step. 96. Equipment fails during an important event. 97. You must report a peer's error. 98. A customer becomes aggressive. 99. You are asked to work on a rest day. 100. A rumour threatens team morale.

Character tests: 101. You are praised undeservedly. 102. You are criticised unfairly in public. 103. You succeed where a friend failed. 104. You are tempted to give up a hard goal. 105. You must admit a costly mistake. 106. You are offered an easy but dishonest shortcut. 107. You are the only one who noticed a problem. 108. You must stand alone on a principle.

Practising Effectively

The best long-term practice is not this list at all — it is developing the habit of asking, whenever you meet a small problem in daily life, "What is the most constructive thing I could do here?" Over weeks, that reflection shifts your default orientation toward ownership and action, which is exactly what the SRT measures across sixty items.

Before you invest heavily in test practice, it is also worth confirming that you meet the basic requirements for the course you are targeting — check your eligibility first, so your preparation is aimed at a programme you can actually apply for.

Practise these scenarios under real time pressure with expert-evaluated psychological practice on this platform, reviewed under the supervision of our expert panel, so you build the instinct — not a memorised script — before you report to the board.