Evidence-Based Problem Solving Test
Please answer the questions below. Only one answer is correct for each.
1. You manage a small coffee shop. Customers complain that service is too slow in the mornings. What is the best first step to solve this problem?
A) Hire an extra staff member without changing the process.
B) Gather data on wait times to identify peak congestion patterns.
C) Immediately implement an online-only ordering system.
D) Change the menu to limit beverage choices.
E) Post a sign instructing customers to line up in a single queue.
2. A manufacturing firm sees a sudden increase in product returns. What action should be taken first to solve this problem?
A) Offer customers a discount on future purchases to improve satisfaction.
B) Immediately fire the current quality assurance manager.
C) Investigate the production line to see if a new component or process change caused defects.
D) Launch a major product redesign to prevent returns.
E) Stop all production until further notice.
3. A city council is concerned about increasing traffic congestion. Which approach would most effectively identify potential solutions?
A) Build a new highway to accommodate extra cars.
B) Survey commuting patterns and use the data to create targeted changes in traffic flow.
C) Increase parking meter rates to discourage driving.
D) Lower speed limits citywide.
E) Ban all trucks during daytime hours.
4. A non-profit organization’s donations have declined sharply. Which evidence-based approach is most likely to help reverse the trend?
A) Send personal thank-you notes to every past donor.
B) Conduct a focus group and data analysis to understand donor motivation and barriers.
C) Raise the minimum donation requirement to boost urgency.
D) Host more social media giveaways to attract attention.
E) Launch a fundraiser with multiple donation tiers to diversify donations.
5. A hospital notices a spike in patient readmission rates within 30 days. Which evidence-based method would help address this?
A) Improve discharge instructions and follow-up protocols by analyzing patient data.
B) Dismiss any staff who handled recent discharge instructions.
C) Limit the number of in-patients admitted each day.
D) Automatically schedule patients for a repeat hospital stay after discharge.
E) Shorten patient stays to reduce readmission chance.
6. A software team’s new feature releases keep missing deadlines. Which approach is most likely to improve accuracy of release timelines?
A) Switch to an entirely different project management tool.
B) Fire all current developers and hire a new team.
C) Collect data on previous tasks and use it to more accurately estimate future work.
D) Increase the daily stand-up meetings from once to twice a day.
E) Dedicate all resources to urgent features, ignoring minor tasks until completion.
7. A local school district wants to improve student performance in math. What data-driven action is most appropriate first?
A) Replace the entire math curriculum with a new set of textbooks.
B) Identify specific concepts students struggle with and adjust teaching methods accordingly.
C) Extend the school day to allow more math instruction time.
D) Run a popular after-school tutoring club.
E) Require students to take weekly math tests until scores rise.
8. An event organizer notices that attendance at a conference drops each year. Which data-based strategy could help address the decline?
A) Raise ticket prices to boost perceived value.
B) Ban all free passes to ensure only serious attendees come.
C) Poll previous attendees on reasons they do not return and adjust content accordingly.
D) Host the conference in a random new city every year.
E) Only invite well-known speakers to attract publicity.
9. A mobile app’s user reviews suggest frequent crashes, but developers can’t replicate the issue. What is the best practice to identify the cause?
A) Ask users to upgrade their devices to the latest operating system.
B) Implement detailed error logging to capture crash data on different devices and OS versions.
C) Immediately remove all existing features that might be causing bugs.
D) Release a major app overhaul without further investigation.
E) Ignore negative reviews and focus on new features for future releases.
10. Your team’s meeting run time has nearly doubled, leaving less time for actual work. Which evidence-based approach might reduce meeting length while keeping effectiveness?
A) Cancel all meetings for one month and hope communication remains clear.
B) Set a strict 15-minute limit for every meeting, regardless of complexity.
C) Gather data on meeting agendas and participants, and streamline who must attend which portion.
D) Move all meetings to later in the day so that work can be done in the morning.
E) Dedicate an entire day each week solely to meetings.
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