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Prioritisation Task 13


You have to take the bus to a town 4 hours away in order to visit your family there, but you can only take 5 items of the 15 items mentioned below, which items would you choose to take?
 
  1. Book
  2. Stapler
  3. File
  4. Your smartphone
  5. An envelope
  6. Your earphones
  7. Small snack
  8. Wristwatch
  9. Pillow
  10. Paper bag
  11. Key chain
  12. Box of chocolates
  13. Bottle of water
  14. Card organiser
  15. Extra shirt
    ​

​Excellent Candidate Response
‘BlackStone Tutors 5 Step Approach to Prioritisation Tasks’
  1. Review the options available
  2. Identify your 5 preferred items/the ideal order to complete the tasks
  3. Explain why you have chosen these options/this order (making your explanations as specific as possible to the task, eg. Why some tasks are ranked highly)
  4. Explain why you did not choose the other options/why they are ranked lower
  5. Possible further mentions:
                If additional item/options were permitted, I would also consider taking….
                Alternatively, if the task were based in ………….I would prioritise taking……….
 
​The items which I would take are a book, my smartphone, my earphones, a small snack and a bottle of water
 
  • A book would be very useful to me on a 4 hour bus ride as it would both help me pass the time as well as keeping me entertained whilst potentially increasing my knowledge base.
  • I would also take my smartphone and earphones so that I would be able to listen to music and podcasts as well as being able to use the internet en route. The phone would also enable me to notify my family of my progress as well as being useful should an emergency arise.
  • It would have been nice to take a box of chocolates to eat on the way but I may feel sick if I do so. A wiser decision would be to take a small snack which I can eat on the 4 hour ride in case I feel hungry and I would also keep a bottle of water with me to ensure that I remain hydrated on the lengthy journey. Ideally, I would try to purchase a box of chocolates to take to my family on reaching my destination.
  • In the event that additional items were permitted, the pillow may also be beneficial on the journey, although with the likely ‘bulk’ of the pillow as well as the numerous activities taken to keep me awake, I have decided not to take the pillow given the limited 5 items permitted. ​