For those who struggle with Ethics

Would it be helpful if there’s a video that walks you through actual ethics questions, going through the thought process and how to separate the right answer from those that only look like the right answer?

The #1 struggle I have heard in my 5 years here is inability to tell what’s a violation, what isn’t.

I mean, all of you can read through the text on your own, but so far no prep material has effectively put words to describe what’s goes on in your brain as you read through the question and answer choices.

Is this something people would pay for?

If there was a site that tackles just Ethics and is unquestionable the best guide to prepare for, damn right I would pay for that.

So here’s my test run using Schweser Book 1 Topic Assessment Question 7. I chose this as it appears to be a classic to me – know the material and you can eliminate one answer, leaving you with two to make an educated guess, and if you are really good/lucky, choose the right answer which is C.

Answer A - If you have done your readings, it should be obvious that this is incorrect, as you cannot claim superior performance. If you missed this red flag, go back and read this standard again.

Answers B and C – I had to think for a while before settling on C. This is a tricky one.

For me, C was better as it had a more neutral tone. He is ‘eligible’ to become a charterholder and regular member, whereas for B, ‘expects’ him to become a member has an assumption built in to it – we think he’s gonna make it. The key to these ‘candidacy/charterholder declaration’ questions is to stay factual – state nothing but facts. No stance, no opinions, no nothing but facts. Go through the language again and you may realize that C does a better job to stay neutral.

If you are a fan of The Office, it’s like when Dwight made that banner saying ‘It’s your birthday.’ with the period i/o exclamation mark. B was the exclamation mark and C was the period. Just stat the fact, that’s it.

So guys if you like this I will try another question. Would appreciate your feedback on this - really want to know whether you think this approach is helpful. The ultimate goal is to turn ethics into easy marks for the masses.

There’s no rhyme or reason to ethics so no such service could possibly exist. Ethics is used to keep scores low and that is a fact. It’s intentially unfair.