RSM Online Situational Assessment

• The RSM Online Situational Assessment 2025 consists of 3 tests
• The RSM Client Experience
• Inclusion and community
• Taking the Middle Market to the Global Market

The RSM Client Experience

rsm online assessment reddit

RSM Online Assessment Questions

• The question is testing your ability to handle a communication challenge in a professional setting, which involves assessing and adapting your approach to ensure clarity.

The Scenario

• You are asked by your manager to brief a colleague about complex project details.
• Despite your efforts to explain, your colleague admits they do not fully understand and continues to appear uncomfortable even after a second explanation.
• You must rank the provided options based on what you are most and least likely to do.

Key Skills Being Assessed

1. Adaptability: How well you adjust your communication to suit different learning or understanding styles.
2. Problem-Solving: How you handle a challenging situation to ensure success.
3. Collaboration: Whether you involve others appropriately when needed.
4. Empathy: Your ability to consider your colleague’s perspective and challenges.
5. Responsibility: Ensuring the task gets completed effectively.

Evaluation of the Options

A: You ask your colleague what would help them understand. You try to accommodate this approach to ensure they follow what you are saying.

• Why it’s good: It directly addresses your colleague’s needs by seeking their input and adapting your method. This demonstrates adaptability, empathy, and collaboration.
• Priority Ranking: 1 (Most Likely) — This is the best approach as it prioritizes understanding and tailors your communication.

B: You are communicating this in the most effective way you know how, so you explain it again in the same way you were taught. You recognize that your colleague may need some further time to absorb the information you provide.

• Why it’s less effective: Repeating the same explanation doesn’t consider that the current approach isn’t working for your colleague. It shows persistence but lacks adaptability.
• Priority Ranking: 4 (Less Likely) — While it’s important to give your colleague time to absorb the information, repeating the same method without adapting is less effective.

C: You ask a more senior colleague if they could explain it instead; they have more experience in briefing others and may articulate it in a way they understand.

• Why it’s situationally helpful: Involving a senior colleague can be a backup plan, but it doesn’t show your problem-solving or communication skills. It also shifts responsibility away from you, which may not be ideal in this situation.
• Priority Ranking: 3 (Middle Option) — This is a reasonable fallback but shouldn’t be your first approach unless necessary.

D: You recognize that everyone communicates in different ways. You try different communication methods to see what works best to help your colleague understand.

• Why it’s good: This demonstrates adaptability, as you adjust your approach to better suit your colleague’s needs. It also reflects a strong understanding of diverse communication styles.
• Priority Ranking: 2 (Very Likely) — This is a proactive and thoughtful approach, but asking your colleague for direct feedback (as in A) would be slightly more effective.

E: You run through it one more time, this time slightly slower to see if that helps. If not, you will ask someone else to support your explanation.

• Why it’s less effective: Simply slowing down doesn’t address the root issue, and relying on someone else too quickly suggests a lack of ownership.
• Priority Ranking: 5 (Least Likely) — This option demonstrates the least problem-solving initiative or adaptability.

Final Ranking and Explanation

1. A: Directly addresses the issue by seeking feedback and adjusting your approach.
2. D: Proactively uses varied methods to improve understanding.
3. C: Involves a senior colleague, but only if necessary.
4. B: Repeating the same method shows persistence but lacks flexibility.
5. E: Slowing down and seeking external help too soon shows limited effort in problem-solving.

Inclusion and community

Practice RSM questions

The Context

The question asks how well you align with the statement:
"Changing my behavior as a situation requires."

You are given a 7-point scale ranging from "Prefer not to do" (1) to "Enjoy doing this and do it well" (7). This is meant to measure both:

1. Your ability to adapt your behavior.
2. Your enjoyment of adapting to changing circumstances.

How to Approach This Question as a Student

1. Understand the Importance of Adaptability
   In professional environments, being able to adjust your behavior based on the situation is a highly valued skill. It demonstrates: As a student, you likely already face situations where you must adjust—for example, adapting your study approach for different subjects or changing your communication style in group projects.
   • Problem-solving skills: Adjusting strategies when facing unexpected challenges.
   • Empathy and collaboration: Tailoring your communication and behavior to suit others' needs.
   • Resilience: Staying effective despite changing circumstances.

2. Reflect on Your Personal Preferences and Skills Think about how comfortable and skilled you are at adapting to new or unexpected situations. For instance:
   • Do you enjoy finding creative solutions in challenging situations?
   • Do you feel confident in your ability to adjust to different environments, tasks, or people?
   • Do you approach change positively, or does it feel uncomfortable for you?

3. Recommended Response for Students Based on the value of adaptability in both academic and professional settings, most students should lean toward a high score on the scale, such as:A lower score (e.g., 1-4) might only apply if you strongly dislike change or struggle significantly with adjusting your behavior.
   • 6 or 7: If you feel confident and enjoy adapting your behavior as needed.
   • 5: If you feel capable of adapting but don't always find it enjoyable.

Why a High Score is Strategic

• It signals that you are flexible and can handle challenges, which is vital for roles requiring teamwork, problem-solving, or client interaction.
• Employers, like RSM, value candidates who can adapt to varying tasks and responsibilities in a dynamic environment.
• Highlighting this ability sets you apart as someone prepared for growth and collaboration.

Conclusion

• For most students aiming to present themselves as adaptable and proactive, a 6 or 7 response is appropriate, as it reflects confidence and enjoyment in adjusting behavior based on the situation.
• This aligns with professional expectations and demonstrates readiness for the demands of a corporate environment.

Taking the Middle Market to the Global Market

short answer

1. Determine which premises meet the requirement of at least 5,000 square meters:
   • Scotland: Dimensions are 66×75=4,95066 \times 75 = 4,95066×75=4,950 square meters (does NOT meet the requirement).
   • England: Dimensions are 80×63=5,04080 \times 63 = 5,04080×63=5,040 square meters (meets the requirement).
   • Republic of Ireland: Dimensions are 72×92=6,62472 \times 92 = 6,62472×92=6,624 square meters (meets the requirement).
2. Compare annual rent for the qualifying premises:
   • England: £40,000.
   • Republic of Ireland: €47,500. Convert this to GBP using the given rate (€1 = £0.82): 47,500×0.82=£38,95047,500 \times 0.82 = £38,95047,500×0.82=£38,950
3. Find the most and least expensive rents for three years:
   • Most expensive: England (£40,000/year) → 40,000×3=£120,00040,000 \times 3 = £120,00040,000×3=£120,000.
   • Least expensive: Republic of Ireland (£38,950/year) → 38,950×3=£116,85038,950 \times 3 = £116,85038,950×3=£116,850.
4. Calculate the price difference:120,000−116,850=£3,150120,000 - 116,850 = £3,150120,000−116,850=£3,150

Correct answer: £3,150.

explanation

1. Understand the Requirement

You need to:

• Choose retail premises with at least 5,000 square meters.
• Determine the price difference in GBP (£) between the most expensive suitable premises and the least expensive suitable premises for three years.

2. Calculate the Area of Each Premises

The dimensions of each premises are given as Length × Width (in meters):

• Scotland: 66×75=4,950 square meters66 \times 75 = 4,950 \, \text{square meters}66×75=4,950square meters
• England: 80×63=5,040 square meters80 \times 63 = 5,040 \, \text{square meters}80×63=5,040square meters
• Republic of Ireland: 72×92=6,624 square meters72 \times 92 = 6,624 \, \text{square meters}72×92=6,624square meters

Conclusion:

• Scotland's area is less than 5,000 square meters, so it does NOT qualify.
• England (5,040 m²) and the Republic of Ireland (6,624 m²) both meet the requirement.

3. Compare the Rental Costs

Annual Rental Costs:

• England: £40,000 per year.
• Republic of Ireland: €47,500 per year.

Since the question asks for the price difference in GBP, we need to convert the rental cost of the Republic of Ireland from Euros (€) to Pounds (£) using the exchange rate given:

1 Euro (€)=0.82 GBP (£).1 \, \text{Euro (€)} = 0.82 \, \text{GBP (£)}.1Euro (€)=0.82GBP (£).

Conversion:

47,500 €×0.82=38,950 £.47,500 \, \text{€} \times 0.82 = 38,950 \, \text{£}.47,500€×0.82=38,950£.

So, the annual rent for:

• England is £40,000.
• Republic of Ireland is £38,950.

Costs Over Three Years:

To find the total cost for three years, multiply the annual rent by 3:

• England: 40,000×3=120,000 £40,000 \times 3 = 120,000 \, \text{£}40,000×3=120,000£.
• Republic of Ireland: 38,950×3=116,850 £38,950 \times 3 = 116,850 \, \text{£}38,950×3=116,850£.

4. Find the Price Difference

The price difference between the most expensive and least expensive suitable premises over three years is:

120,000−116,850=3,150 £.120,000 - 116,850 = 3,150 \, \text{£}.120,000−116,850=3,150£.

5. Correct Answer

The price difference is £3,150.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect

• £1,050: This is not related to any step in the calculation.
• £22,500: This may arise from incorrectly subtracting costs without proper multiplication.
• £6,000: No costs or differences align with this value.
• £2,500: Another unrelated calculation error.

Final Answer: £3,150.