UP Police Constable · Bite-size lessons
Decision Making
About 9 min · Mental Aptitude / IQ / Reasoning · English
Time worked out from the lesson's 773 words at 150 words a minute, plus a minute for each question.
Decision Making questions assess your ability to evaluate situations, apply rules, and make logical choices based on given criteria. Unlike pure reasoning or calculation, these problems test practical judgment, prioritization, and real-world problem-solving skills — qualities essential for police work where split-second decisions matter.
Key ideas
- Eligibility Decision Problems: Multiple candidates described with attributes (age, qualification, experience, etc.). You must apply a set of conditions/rules to determine who qualifies. Check each condition sequentially for each candidate.
- Course of Action Questions: A problem situation is described, followed by possible responses (I, II, III, etc.). You decide which action(s) logically follow or should be taken. Actions must be practical, address the root issue, and not contradict facts.
- Rule Application: Given a set of rules or procedures, determine how they apply to specific cases. Often involves exceptions ("except when...") that override standard conditions.
- Condition Checking Order: Always verify conditions in the order given. Some conditions may have provisos or relaxations mentioned later — read the complete rule set before deciding.
- Implicit vs Explicit Information: Base decisions strictly on stated information. Don't add assumptions from "general knowledge" unless the question asks you to use practical judgment.
Watch out for
- Ignoring the "As on Date" Condition → Missing Eligibility: Students calculate age from birth year but forget the reference date. Fix: Always compute age/experience precisely as on the specified cut-off date, not current date or exam date.
- Applying Exceptions Without Checking Base Eligibility → False Qualification: Reading "NCC waives education" and immediately qualifying a candidate without verifying other conditions like age/height.
- Choosing "Both Actions" When They Contradict → Logical Error: Selecting both "file an FIR immediately" and "wait for further evidence" when they're mutually exclusive. Fix: If two actions conflict in timing or approach, only one can logically follow unless they're sequential phases.
Quick reference
- Eligibility checklist method: Write out conditions 1,2,3... Mark ✓/✗ for the candidate against each. One ✗ (except where waived) = disqualified.
- Age calculation trick: If DOB is DD-MM-YYYY and cut-off is 01-01-2024, subtract birth year from 2024; if birthday hasn't occurred by Jan 1, subtract 1 more year.
- "Refer to" clauses: These indicate the candidate doesn't get auto-selected but goes to higher authority. Mark such answers as "Refer to [specified authority]" not "selected" or "rejected".
- Course of action priority: Safety first > immediate action > long-term fix. Reactive (stop harm) before proactive (prevent recurrence).
- Exception keywords: "However", "Provided that", "But", "Except when" — always introduce special cases. Reread those sentences twice.
Check yourself: 3 questions
1. A company requires candidates for the post of Sales Executive. The candidate must: (i) be at least 21 years old and not more than 30 years old as on 1st January 2024, (ii) have a minimum of 60% marks in graduation, (iii) have at least 2 years of sales experience. However, if a candidate fulfills all other criteria but has only 1 year of sales experience and has scored more than 75% in graduation, the case may be referred to the Manager. Ramesh is 28 years old, has 65% marks in graduation and 1.5 years of sales experience. What decision should be taken for Ramesh?
2. A police department is recruiting constables. The eligibility criteria are: (i) age between 18 and 23 years as on 1st July 2024, (ii) height at least 168 cm for male candidates, (iii) chest measurement at least 79 cm (unexpanded) for male candidates, (iv) passed 12th class. However, if a candidate is a sportsperson who has represented the state in any national event, the height requirement may be relaxed by 3 cm. Arjun is 22 years old, 166 cm tall, has chest measurement of 80 cm, passed 12th class and has represented his state in a national athletics championship. What decision should be taken?
3. A bank is recruiting clerks with the following criteria: (i) age between 20 and 28 years as on 1st August 2024, (ii) graduate with at least 55% marks, (iii) must have passed the bank's written test with at least 40% marks. However, if a candidate has a post-graduation degree with at least 60% marks, the graduation percentage requirement is waived. If a candidate is below 20 years but has completed 19 years and 6 months and has scored more than 70% in graduation, the case may be referred to the General Manager. Neha is 19 years 8 months old as on 1st August 2024, has 72% in graduation, no post-graduation, and scored 45% in the written test. What should be the decision?
This lesson is cut from the topic's note, not rewritten. Fact-checked on 18 Oct 2026: an AI-assisted check of this note against cited sources; the errors it found were corrected that day. Some errors may remain. The questions are from Shishya's validated question bank.
Read the full noteFlashcards for this topic
Saves this lesson and its 3 questions in this browser on this phone. No sign-in; nothing about you is saved or sent. A saved copy is not updated until you save it again. Parts that load from the server when you use them (the AI tutor, adaptive practice, sign-in) still need a connection.