Which response holds under both loads?
Choose a response after a second test changes the trade-off.
The question
A fictional rig needs settling in at most 8 ticks and a peak overshoot score of at most 3 for every load in the brief. Overshoot is the recorded peak above the target on a unitless scale. Prefer the faster settling response on the standard load if both qualify.
| Response A | Response B | |
|---|---|---|
| Settling time (ticks) | 4 | 6 |
| Peak overshoot score | 2 | 1 |
The first report covers the standard load.
“Which response would you recommend for the next review?”
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A strong answer, step by step
Open each step in turn. This is one strong answer, not the only one.
Step 1: Read the first test
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Put A first on the standard result and ask what else the brief covers.
The strong move. The faster result matters after a response meets both limits for the specified loads.
Approve A for every load because it is faster in the first report.
Tempting, but it misses something. The first report describes only the standard load.
See how a strong candidate says it
“Both responses pass on the standard load. A settles 2 ticks sooner. I’d keep the choice provisional until I check the rest of the brief.”
Why it works: The faster result matters after a response meets both limits for the specified loads.
Step 2: Check the load scope
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Ask for the fastest settling time on each load and skip overshoot.
Tempting, but it misses something. A response can meet the time limit and still exceed the overshoot limit.
Check both measures for each specified load.
The strong move. Settling and overshoot answer different questions about how the response behaves.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I’d ask which other load conditions the brief covers and request the two measurements for each.”
Why it works: Settling and overshoot answer different questions about how the response behaves.
Step 3: Apply the second load
The brief includes a second load. A settles in 7 ticks with overshoot 5. B settles in 8 ticks with overshoot 2.
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Keep A because it still settles faster on the second load.
Tempting, but it misses something. A’s overshoot score of 5 exceeds the limit of 3. The preference applies only after both limits pass.
Put B forward and report its zero timing room on the second load.
The strong move. The second load disqualifies A under the given rule. B meets the inclusive time limit.
See how a strong candidate says it
“A passes timing but exceeds the overshoot limit by 2. B passes both limits under both loads. Its settling time is exactly 8 ticks on the second load, so it has no timing room.”
Why it works: The second load disqualifies A under the given rule. B meets the inclusive time limit.
Step 4: Give the next review
What would you do here? Open the move you’d make.
Name the qualifying response and what needs more evidence.
The strong move. The review can use the observed passes and see the narrow margin that matters next.
Describe B as comfortably inside both limits under both loads.
Tempting, but it misses something. The second-load settling time is at the cap. A repeat could change the qualification.
See how a strong candidate says it
“I’d put B forward for the case review and show its results for both loads. I’d ask the test owner what further evidence would show the time result repeats.”
Why it works: The review can use the observed passes and see the narrow margin that matters next.
The answer, in short
- Decision
- Put B forward for the mock review.
- Because
- B passes both limits on both loads. A exceeds the overshoot limit on the second load.
- What would change it
- Repeatable evidence under both loads would show whether B can retain its timing pass.
Common traps
- Ranking before checking both limits.
- Treating a boundary pass as a margin.
Check your answer
- I compared the standard-load results.
- I asked which loads count.
- I applied both limits.
- I named the zero timing room.
Last reviewed Nov 11, 2026