• 60 questions

Organizational Behavior DSST Practice Test

Unofficial practice on the five areas of the DSST Organizational Behavior outline, from perception and motivation to organizational change.

In Selye's general adaptation syndrome model of stress, which step comes last?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with Prometric, which owns the DSST program. Bank checked October 12, 2026.

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All 60 questions

Organizational behavior overview 6

  • A researcher combines the results of many earlier studies on one question and analyzes them together. What is this technique called? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 1.4, Understanding How OB Research Is Done. DSST outline area I, Organizational Behavior Overview (10%), b. The study of organizational behavior
  • In a field experiment, half the stores get a new training program and half do not. What is the group that receives no training called? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 1.4, Understanding How OB Research Is Done. DSST outline area I, Organizational Behavior Overview (10%), b. The study of organizational behavior
  • In research, what does the reliability of a measure refer to? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 1.4, Understanding How OB Research Is Done. DSST outline area I, Organizational Behavior Overview (10%), b. The study of organizational behavior
  • Organizational behavior studies how people act at work. At which three levels does the field examine behavior? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 1.2, Understanding Organizational Behavior. DSST outline area I, Organizational Behavior Overview (10%), a. The field of organizational behavior
  • People change their behavior because they know they are being observed. What is this effect, found in research at a Western Electric plant, called? Wikipedia, Hawthorne effect. DSST outline area I, Organizational Behavior Overview (10%), a. The field of organizational behavior (history)
  • What was the main objective of scientific management, the approach to work studied by Frederick Taylor? Wikipedia, Scientific management. DSST outline area I, Organizational Behavior Overview (10%), a. The field of organizational behavior (history)
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Individual processes and characteristics 18

  • A call-center worker smiles and sounds cheerful with a rude customer while feeling angry. What is this display of emotions she does not feel called? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 7.5, Emotions at Work. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), c. Attitudes and emotions
  • A classmate complains all through an assignment, and you decide it is because she is a negative person. What kind of attribution have you made? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 3.4, Perception. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), a. Perceptual processes
  • A manager nags an employee every morning until a report is filed, and stops once it is. The employee starts filing on time. Which reinforcement method is this? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 5.3, Process-Based Theories. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), d. Learning processes
  • A manager stops laughing when an employee cracks jokes during safety briefings, and in time the jokes stop. Which reinforcement method has the manager used? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 5.3, Process-Based Theories. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), d. Learning processes
  • A new analyst has never been told what her duties are or how her work will be judged. Which job stressor is she facing? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 7.2, What Is Stress? DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), f. Work stress
  • A person who believes that what happens to her results from her own actions, not from luck or other people, has what? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 3.3, Individual Differences: Values and Personality. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), b. Personality
  • A sales team gets a bonus every fifth time it lands a new account. Which schedule of reinforcement is this? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 5.3, Process-Based Theories. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), d. Learning processes
  • A salesperson credits her skill for a good quarter and blames the economy for a bad one. What is this pattern called? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 3.4, Perception. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), a. Perceptual processes
  • A supervisor holds a stereotype that older hires learn slowly, gives one little coaching, and he then learns slowly. What has occurred? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 3.4, Perception. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), a. Perceptual processes
  • According to equity theory, how do people judge whether they are treated fairly? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 5.3, Process-Based Theories. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), e. Motivation
  • An employee feels a strong emotional attachment to the company she works for. Which work attitude is this? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 4.2, Work Attitudes. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), c. Attitudes and emotions
  • An employee helps a new coworker learn the software and volunteers for a committee, though neither is in her job description. What are these voluntary behaviors called? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 4.3, Work Behaviors. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), c. Attitudes and emotions
  • In expectancy theory, what is instrumentality? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 5.3, Process-Based Theories. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), e. Motivation
  • In Herzberg's two-factor theory, what are factors within the job itself, like recognition, achievement and interesting work, called? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 5.2, Need-Based Theories of Motivation. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), e. Motivation
  • In Selye's general adaptation syndrome model of stress, which step comes last? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 7.2, What Is Stress? DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), f. Work stress
  • Research on job design finds five job components that raise a job's motivating potential. Which list gives them? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 6.2, Motivating Employees Through Job Design. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), e. Motivation
  • What is self-efficacy? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 3.3, Individual Differences: Values and Personality. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), b. Personality
  • Which Big Five trait describes a person who is dependable, punctual, organized, systematic and achievement oriented? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 3.3, Individual Differences: Values and Personality. DSST outline area II, Individual Processes and Characteristics (30%), b. Personality

Interpersonal and group processes 18

  • A close-knit executive team suppresses doubts and agrees to a risky plan to keep harmony. What is this tendency to avoid critical evaluation of the group's ideas called? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 11.4, Decision Making in Groups. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), b. Group behavior and conflict
  • A manager tells the vice president only the good news about a project and leaves out the delays. Which communication barrier is this? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 8.3, Communication Barriers. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), e. Communication processes
  • A student team decides to work together on every phase of a research paper at the same time, not to split it up. Which kind of task interdependence is this? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 9.3, Understanding Team Design Characteristics. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), b. Group behavior and conflict
  • A supervisor assigns each task, sets deadlines and spells out how the work is to be done. Which category of leader behavior is this? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 12.3, What Do Leaders Do? Behavioral Approaches to Leadership. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), c. Leadership and influences
  • A team member wins approval for a project by presenting facts, data and logical arguments. Which influence tactic is this? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 13.3, The Power to Influence. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), d. Power and politics
  • A veteran engineer has no formal authority, but colleagues follow her lead because they admire and identify with her. Which base of power does she hold? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 13.3, The Power to Influence. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), d. Power and politics
  • Communication channels vary in information richness. What do information-rich channels convey more of? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 8.4, Different Types of Communication and Channels. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), e. Communication processes
  • Each member of a five-person project team puts in less effort than when working alone. What is this tendency called? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 9.2, Group Dynamics. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), a. Group dynamics
  • How does arbitration differ from mediation? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 10.5, Negotiations. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), f. Conflict management
  • In Fiedler's contingency theory, what does the least preferred coworker (LPC) scale measure? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 12.4, What Is the Role of the Context? Contingency Approaches to Leadership. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), c. Leadership and influences
  • In negotiation, what does BATNA stand for? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 10.5, Negotiations. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), f. Conflict management
  • In the communication process model, what is the sender doing when she encodes a message? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 8.2, Understanding Communication. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), e. Communication processes
  • In Tuckman's model of group development, in which stage do members shed their social facades and become more authentic and more argumentative? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 9.2, Group Dynamics. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), a. Group dynamics
  • The marketing department and the engineering department fight over the launch date of a product. Which type of conflict is this? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 10.2, Understanding Conflict. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), b. Group behavior and conflict
  • Power rests on dependency. Which factor in dependency is about whether a person could get an equally good option somewhere else? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 13.2, The Basics of Power. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), d. Power and politics
  • Two managers in a dispute work together to find a solution that fully meets both of their goals. Which conflict-handling style is this? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 10.4, Conflict Management. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), f. Conflict management
  • What does group cohesion refer to? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 9.2, Group Dynamics. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), a. Group dynamics
  • Which leaders bring employees' goals into line with their own, so that people look past self-interest to the good of the company? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 12.5, What's New? Contemporary Approaches to Leadership. DSST outline area III, Interpersonal and Group Processes (30%), c. Leadership and influences

Organizational processes and characteristics 9

  • A company keeps pouring money into a failing project because so much has already been spent on it. Which decision trap is this? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 11.3, Faulty Decision Making. DSST outline area IV, Organizational Processes and Characteristics (15%), a. Organizational decision-making
  • A firm aims at one or a few market segments instead of the whole industry. Which of Porter's generic strategies is it following? Wikipedia, Porter's generic strategies. DSST outline area IV, Organizational Processes and Characteristics (15%), d. Organizational strategy
  • A manager accepts the first option that meets the minimum criteria instead of searching for the best one. What is this called? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 11.2, Understanding Decision Making. DSST outline area IV, Organizational Processes and Characteristics (15%), a. Organizational decision-making
  • According to the attraction-selection-attrition framework, why do employees in a company tend to resemble one another over time? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 15.4, Creating and Maintaining Organizational Culture. DSST outline area IV, Organizational Processes and Characteristics (15%), c. Organization culture
  • In which group technique do members silently write down ideas alone, share them in turn around the room, discuss each one and then vote by ranking? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 11.4, Decision Making in Groups. DSST outline area IV, Organizational Processes and Characteristics (15%), a. Organizational decision-making
  • What does formalization mean in an organization's structure? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 14.2, Organizational Structure. DSST outline area IV, Organizational Processes and Characteristics (15%), b. Organization structure and design
  • What is organizational culture? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 15.2, Understanding Organizational Culture. DSST outline area IV, Organizational Processes and Characteristics (15%), c. Organization culture
  • Which list names Porter's three generic strategies? Wikipedia, Porter's generic strategies. DSST outline area IV, Organizational Processes and Characteristics (15%), d. Organizational strategy
  • Which structure is flexible and decentralized, with low formalization and fluid communication? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 14.2, Organizational Structure. DSST outline area IV, Organizational Processes and Characteristics (15%), b. Organization structure and design

Change and development processes 9

  • A change team lists the forces pushing toward a goal and the forces holding it back, then weighs them. Which technique, developed by Kurt Lewin, is this? Wikipedia, Force-field analysis. DSST outline area V, Change and Development Processes (15%), c. Applications and techniques of change and development
  • Before a new system arrives, a plant manager spends a month making sure staff are ready for it and receptive to it. Which stage of Lewin's change model is this? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 14.3, Organizational Change. DSST outline area V, Change and Development Processes (15%), a. Basic processes
  • Employees are disturbed by a new system but do not voice their objections. Which reaction to change is this? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 14.3, Organizational Change. DSST outline area V, Change and Development Processes (15%), b. Concepts of change
  • Employees go along with a proposed change but show little enthusiasm for it. Which reaction to change is this? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 14.3, Organizational Change. DSST outline area V, Change and Development Processes (15%), b. Concepts of change
  • In 1944, who coined the term action research? Wikipedia, Action research. DSST outline area V, Change and Development Processes (15%), c. Applications and techniques of change and development
  • In Kotter's eight-stage process for leading change, what comes first? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 14.3, Organizational Change. DSST outline area V, Change and Development Processes (15%), a. Basic processes
  • In Lewin's model, what is the aim of refreezing? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 14.3, Organizational Change. DSST outline area V, Change and Development Processes (15%), a. Basic processes
  • In organization development, who is the change agent? Wikipedia, Organization development. DSST outline area V, Change and Development Processes (15%), c. Applications and techniques of change and development
  • Which of these does the study of organizational change list as a reason people resist change? Organizational Behavior, version 1.1 (Saylor Academy open textbook), section 14.3, Organizational Change. DSST outline area V, Change and Development Processes (15%), b. Concepts of change

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the exam content outline in the DSST fact sheet for Organizational Behavior (Prometric, Rev 1/2026, https://getcollegecredit.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/ORG-BEHAVIOR-1.pdf, read 2026-10-12): Organizational Behavior Overview 10%, Individual Processes and Characteristics 30%, Interpersonal and Group Processes 30%, Organizational Processes and Characteristics 15%, Change and Development Processes 15%. This bank holds 60: 6, 18, 18, 9 and 9. Every fact was read on 2026-10-12 on the public page named under its question: the Saylor Academy open textbook Organizational Behavior (version 1.1) and Wikipedia. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This Organizational Behavior DSST practice test holds 60 questions written for this site and weighted like the exam's fact sheet. It is unofficial and not affiliated with Prometric, which owns the DSST program and has not endorsed or sponsored it.

Read the full guide

The five areas

By Prometric's fact sheet (Rev 1/2026, read October 12, 2026), two areas are 30% each. Individual processes covers perception, personality, attitudes and emotions, learning, motivation and work stress. Interpersonal and group processes covers group dynamics, leadership, power and politics, communication and conflict. Organizational processes and change and development are 15% each, and the overview of the field is 10%. The bank holds 18, 18, 9, 9 and 6.

Sources

Fifty-three answers were read in the open textbook Organizational Behavior published by Saylor Academy, and each links its section. Seven, on the field's history, strategy and organization development, were read on Wikipedia.

  • Six questions in ten are about individuals or groups, so start with the motivation theories and the approaches to leadership.
  • Sort reinforcement by what follows the behavior: an unpleasant thing removed is negative reinforcement, a reward withdrawn is extinction.
  • Lewin's change model runs unfreezing, change, refreezing. Kotter's eight stages open with a sense of urgency.

Questions and answers

How many questions are on the DSST Organizational Behavior exam?

The fact sheet gives 100 questions to answer in 2 hours. Exam mode on this page runs at the same pace over half the length: 50 questions in 60 minutes.

Is this DSST Organizational Behavior practice test the same as the real exam?

No. It follows the fact sheet's outline and percentages, but all 60 questions were written for this page from public sources. None is taken or reworded from the exam or its sample questions, and a result here predicts nothing.

What is a passing score on the DSST Organizational Behavior exam?

No percent is published. The fact sheet prints the American Council on Education's recommendation: 3 semester hours of lower-level baccalaureate credit at a minimum score of 400. Ask your college whether it accepts that.

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