Free Practice for the Korn Ferry Assessment (KAFLP, KF4D, Talent Q)

Recommended Methodology for Solution

Navigating this stage can be intimidating, especially first encountering the task of sorting into tabs. While this example offers 6 card slots, both the actual test and our PrepPack have 30 different cards and even more slots, applying additional stress to an already stressful assessment. This is why approaching this stage concentrated is crucial. Consider these key strategies:

• Thoroughly review each tab and evaluate its relevance.
• For statements that appear to be similar, differentiate personal, social, and professional skills and whether they are relevant to your role.
• Align your answers with principal values according to the Korn Ferry guide.
• Try your best to give each category an equal number of cards as long as you feel it is correctly put. It is not obligatory.
• Remain focused on sorting into multiple categories instead of just one. This is important because the next stages will require an even distribution of the tabs between the categories.

Recommended Methodology for Solution

Although part of the qualities demanded by managers are context and work environment-dependent, others are universal and indispensable for effective management:

1. Influence: Inspiring and rallying your team members to reach a shared goal.

2. Adept Communication: Managers must be experts in communication, whether between themselves, team members, or others. Excellent work and guidance can't be made without the proper communication skills.

3. Taking Responsibility: Managers are accountable for executing tasks, meeting deadlines, and prioritizing properly.

Recommended Methodology for Solution

Once the tabs are evenly shared between the categories, the following step is allocating rankings.

As your previous experiences and identity heavily influence ranking, there are no definitive rules.

The main goal of this step is to assess your decision-making, judgment, and ability to closely examine your own personality traits.

At this point, we suggest leaving 2-4 tabs within each category.

The Correct answer is:

Mission Critical:

1. Influencing: The ability to sway others is vital for leadership, as it is a major and critical force in driving organizational change and inspiring team members.
2. Engagement: Proactive engagement with team members and stakeholders alike is crucial for building strong relationships, fostering teamwork, and maximizing efficiency.

Important Characteristics:

1. Adaptability: The business world is ever-changing, and leaders must keep up. Effective response to challenges, embracing change, and encouraging adaptability at the organizational level are key themes in being a good manager.
2. Embracing Diversity: Essential for fostering innovation and creating a supportive workspace.

Less Critical Traits:

1. Risk-Taking: While having its advantages, risk-taking is not mandatory for management across all organizations and sectors.
2. Courage: Similar to risk-taking, while possibly emerging in specific leadership situations, it is not a universal requirement. 

Answer

On this scale, the recommended range falls between 7 and 9.

Scale Values:

Assertiveness: The degree to which people enjoy taking charge and directing others. High
scorers tend to be seen as aggressive and decisive. Low scorers are often perceived as tentative, passive, or indecisive and may be more comfortable following the lead of others.

The left option presents a person who is usually not taking responsibility for high-profile issues at work. Korn Ferry is looking for leadership skills and confidence, and these are not demonstrated in this option.
The right option emphasizes the value of assertiveness and responsibility which are central to their values.

Answer

On this scale, the recommended range is 5-8.

Scale Values:

1. Confidence: The degree to which people are convinced that they control the course of events in their lives. High scorers believe that many events and outcomes are within their control and are confident that their future is in their hands. Low scorers believe that fate, luck, or external forces are more important in determining their future.
2. Influence: The degree to which people enjoy motivating and persuading others. High scorers tend to be seen as cogent, interpersonally adept, and persuasive. Low scorers are often perceived as interpersonally less confident and less able to inspire or sway others.

On this scale, we recommend rating a high score but not the highest. The right option would represent an influential and confident person who used to work with other people and negotiate to achieve important goals. It is important to remember that Humility is another important value to Korn Ferry, and it's important to stay humble when rating the statements.

Answer

As we are all motivated by different factors, please take the provided rating merely as a suggestion. However, keep in mind that the following rating is based on Korn Ferry's values, specifically those linked to leadership.

Our suggested rating:

1. Taking on challenging tasks: Most like me
This indicates a strong preference for self-improvement and career progression, tackling challenging assignments, welcoming challenges, and continuously honing one's skills and abilities.

2. Staying away from competition: Least like me
This indicates a desire to work in an environment that is less focused on competition and rivalry. It may indicate a preference for a cooperative and supportive work atmosphere that emphasizes collaboration and teamwork.

Answer

Your skills and strengths are unique and subjective, shaped by your past experiences. As in previous stages, keep in mind that the suggested rating is grounded in Korn Ferry's leadership values. Please review the explanation, even if you ranked differently.

Our suggested ranking:

My colleagues need to adjust their approaches to mine: Least like Me

According to this statement, your colleagues may be expected to conform to your preferred way of working or their preferred approaches, rather than accepting different viewpoints or approaches.

It is important to me to view problems from multiple perspectives: Most like Me

This statement indicates that you acknowledge the value of considering diverse viewpoints when tackling problems. It indicates an openness to exploring various perspectives and analyzing situations from different angles to reach well-rounded solutions.

Answer

Since we are all different and unique, consider the rating provided as a recommendation according to Korn Ferry's values and core leadership principles. Please review the explanation, even if you ranked differently.

Our recommended ratings are as follows:

1. Considering my strengths and weaknesses from others is valuable to me: Having self-awareness and being open to feedback and insights is what makes effective leaders. Taking this statement as the highest ranking reflects a willingness to evaluate one's strengths and weaknesses from others' perspectives, aligning with leadership values.

2. Other people are not more important or better than me: Collaborative leadership, teamwork, and acknowledging the value of others are among the values of leadership. Despite the importance of self-confidence, this statement suggests a lack of appreciation for others, which is less aligned with leadership values, placing it in the second position.

3. Working alone allows me to accomplish more than working with others: As a leader, oftentimes, effective delegation, teamwork, and the use of others' strengths are important. However, this statement implies a preference for individual work, which may be less aligned with collaborative leadership values.

4. It is more comfortable for me to be alone than with other people: While some solitude can be beneficial for introspection, effective leaders often thrive in social interactions and building relationships. It suggests a preference for isolation, which is less aligned with leadership values that emphasize effective communication and interpersonal skills, making it the least aligned of the statements provided.

Answer

The correct answer is:

The third image in the first two rows is the result of adding a diagonal line pattern to the top half of the first image in the first two rows. Thus, the third image of the bottom row must be the result of adding a diagonal line pattern to the top half of the first image in the bottom row.

Answer

The correct answer is:

The missing piece should have black vertical lines that bend outwards and white horizontal lines that bend inwards.

The correct answer is 17:30.

Flights to Sydney leave from Heathrow at 06:00, 12:00, 18:00, and 24:00. Therefore, the earliest flight after 5pm (17:00) from Heathrow is at 18:00.

Flights to Sydney from Gatwick leave at 10:00, 12:30, and at intervals of 2.30 hours until 22:30. Therefore, the additional flights are at 15:00, 17:30, and 20:00, so the first flight after 17:00 from Gatwick is at 17:30.

The first available flight after 17:00 from London is the 17:30 (5:30 pm) flight from Gatwick.

The first flight to leave London (i.e. from Heathrow/Gatwick) in the morning is the 06:00 from Heathrow. The flight duration is 26 hours, which means the flight arrives at 08:00 GMT the following day. Since Sydney time is GMT + 10, local time will be 18:00 of the next day.

The cost of a daily buss pass is $6.00.
The cost of one bus ride is $2.80, but keep in mind that senior citizens are entitled to 50% off the cost of a single bus ride.
Therefore the cost of a single senior bus ride is: 2.80 * 0.5= $1.40.
Now all that is left to ask is: 'how many single bus rides can be bought with $6.00'?
The answer is 4 (6.00/1.40).
However, for the daily bus pass to be worthwhile for a senior citizen, he must go on at least 5 single bus rides.

The question asks us to identify 5 consequences of the increase in the ‘dependency ratio’ and 1 that is not. Let us first understand the meaning of ‘dependency ratio’- it is a measure indicating the fundamental aging population problem. Thus, we can rephrase the question so: Which one of the following is NOT a consequence of the aging population problem in Europe? Let us go over the distracters and find the corresponding sections in the text that relate to them:

1. ‘An aging population of non-workers will necessitate an increased tax burden’.
2. ‘There is a fear that small, traditional cultures will be overrun’.
3. ‘An aging population of non-workers will necessitate… increased public sector debt’.
4. ‘To an environmentalist, an aging population…[is] an indication of an overall stabilizing population’.
5. ‘There would be economic pressure on a country with a high dependency ratio to alleviate the imbalance, by delaying retirement’.
6. An increase in the birth rate– Not mentioned as an implication of the aging population in Europe.

Therefore, the statement that is not an implication of the increase in the ‘dependency ratio’ is: statement F.

The question deals with the causes of Europe’s aging population as presented in the passage. The aging population in defined using the term ‘dependency ratio’, which is defined as ‘the number of people over 65 compared to the number of people aged 20-24’. This means that there is a decline in the younger population, which is associated with a decline in birth rate (statement E). As the text states: ’For that reason (having fewer children), among others, the EU has recently come to recognise that it is facing dramatic changes in the age-structure...’ Note that statement A, although true to the passage, is not a cause of the aging population in Europe. Statement F might be one of the causes, but is not one that is mentioned there.

The correct answer is E.

The meaning of the word ”setting” in the context of the text is:” the totality of surrounding conditions”. The word ”location” has a similar meaning and thus is the correct answer.

Answer

The correct answer is A (top row, leftmost option)

Columns: The matrix is based on the following sequence of symbols: ♥ Ω ≠ ☺ ♣.
Each cell consists of three of these symbols, dictated by the following logic: when moving from one cell to the cell below it, the symbols “move” one step to the right each time. This movement is continuous throughout the matrix’s columns: from the bottom cell in each column to the top cell in the next column.

Thus, to find the missing symbols, we need to “move” the symbols from the cell above it one step to the right, resulting in ‘♥’ and ‘♣’ becoming the right and middle symbols, respectively. Next, we need to work backward and “move” the symbols from the cell below it one step to the left, resulting in ‘☺’ becoming the left symbol. Therefore, the correct answer is #1.

Rows: In a similar way, when moving from one cell to the next in the row (left to right), the symbols “move” two steps to the left each time.

Answer

Row 1: W8047-07217-20925                 W8047-02712-20925

Row 3: L9059-45309-13894                   L9059-45309-18394

Row 5: R3831-60969-42141                  R3831-60696-42141

Answer

Primary competencies: Responsibility for subordinates; Persuasion, motivation, and negotiation skills

Secondary competencies: Social intelligence; Decision-making; Flexibility and adaptability; Maintaining authority

The correct rating is: response #1 → 5, response #2 → 2, response # 3 → 3, response #4 → 1, response #5 → 5

Explanation: In this scenario, an employee objects to your decision.

Answer

Primary competencies: Responsibility for subordinates; Team building
Secondary competencies: Social intelligence; Problem-solving
The correct rating is: response #1 → 5, response #2 → 3, response #3 → 5, response #4 → 1, Response #5 → 1.

Explanation: You are introduced to a situation in which your employees are frustrated due to the behavior of another colleague. They claim that his shortcomings are influencing the entire department, and they have asked for your intervention. You are obviously facing this problem due to his performance. This item assesses your ability to take responsibility for your employees and resolve conflicts that may arise within your team.