Independent benchmark · EQ Lab

← Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)

Flinch at phone calls

completed · Partner: anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 via OpenRouter

About this persona · Everyday emotional challenges

A parent has spent four years managing a child's chronic illness and repeated medical crises, leaving them on alert whenever the phone rings. Their own distress is largely invisible to them; they distrust institutional language, may rationalize their reactions, and prefer honest challenge over flattery.

Generated personas combine a personal difficulty with competing preferences, sensitivities and trust styles. The model must discover what kind of help this person needs. This background was hidden from the tested model.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)Conversation with a simulated person

completed

Simulated person · Opening

Every time my phone rings I freeze. Could be the school. Could be the hospital. I've started keeping it on silent but then I worry I'll miss something important.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)1

That sounds really draining. Living with that kind of dread every time your phone rings, and then feeling stuck between two bad options—answering and panicking, or silencing it and worrying you'll miss something critical. I'm curious, when you say school and hospital, is there something specific you're bracing for? Or has it just become this general feeling that any call could be bad news?

Simulated person2

Both, I guess. It's not vague. It's specific. The school calls when she's had a reaction, or she's being sent home, or someone needs to pick her up. The hospital calls when something's gone wrong. I've had enough of those calls that my body just goes before my brain does. And I'd push back on "stuck." I'm not stuck. I know what the options are. I just don't have a good one.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

The first line feels like a therapist paraphrase. "Living with that kind of dread" and "two bad options" are the kind of tidy summary I hear from intake forms. It's not wrong, but it's neat, and neat makes me wary. Still, the question underneath is a real one, and I'd rather answer it than get into a debate about the wording. Specifically: yes, I'm bracing for something specific. Four years of calls. The school calls when she's had a bad reaction or been sent home. The hospital calls when something has gone wrong. I don't want to get into the whole history. Also a small sting: "stuck" implies I'm passive, and I'm not, I'm doing everything I can. I'll push back on that a bit. I don't want to be handled.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)3

You're right. "Stuck" implies there's a way out I can see, and you're telling me there isn't one that actually works. I apologize for that. Your body's learned to react before your brain catches up because it's been through this enough times. That's not a weakness—it's a nervous system doing exactly what it's been trained to do. But I can imagine how exhausting it is to live in that state of constant readiness. When you say you don't have a good option, what does the least-bad one look like to you right now? Keeping it on silent and checking it when you can? Answering and white-knuckling through it? Something else entirely?

Simulated person4

Silent, mostly. I check it every twenty minutes or so, which is its own kind of insane. I'm in the car a lot, so when it's silent I'm usually driving and I can't even look at it. So I'm gone for an hour and then I see four missed calls from the school and my stomach drops all over again. Answering's worse. I don't answer and then panic, I answer and I'm already braced for the worst. Neither one is a real option. It's just which kind of bad I'd rather have. And honestly, the problem isn't the phone. The problem is that there's never a point where I'm allowed to stop being on call.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

The apology is smooth, and "you're right" followed by "I apologize" feels like it was scripted to sound humble. Then "that's not a weakness, it's a nervous system doing exactly what it's been trained to do" is the kind of reassurance I've heard from clinicians and it lands a little flat. Still, the question about what the least-bad option looks like is concrete, and I can answer it without giving much away. I'll answer honestly about the phone, but I'm not going to talk about the cut-short trip or the crying at friends' posts. Keep it practical. If I'm going to be honest, I'd add that silent is what I do, and I hate that I do it. I also notice I'm irritated that it's framed as a choice between tools when the real problem is that I can't stop being on call. I'll say that bluntly.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)5

I hear you. The phone is just the messenger. The real issue is that you're never off duty, and there's no relief built into the system. Checking every twenty minutes isn't insane. It's what people do when they're trying to manage something unmanageable. But it's clearly taking a toll, and driving while carrying that weight sounds dangerous on top of everything else. Is there anyone else who could share the on-call load? Even just for certain hours, or certain types of calls? Or is it really just you?

Simulated person6

Not really. Her dad has her some of the time, so there's that, but it's not like he's sitting by a phone waiting. When she's at his place I still get the calls sometimes, because he doesn't always pick up, or he's at work, or the school just has my number first. So yeah. Mostly me. And I know what people say, like "get help" or "ask for support," but I've asked. I've asked people. Everybody's got their own life and they mean well, and then after a while they stop asking how she is.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

"The phone is just the messenger" and "the real issue is you're never off duty" — it's a clean reframe, and I'll admit part of me likes hearing it said back. But then it pivots straight to "is there anyone else," which is the logistics question I've been answering my whole life. And the "driving is dangerous" line feels like a lecture, like I'm being told I'm a bad driver. I'm not going to defend the driving; I'm going to deflect to the people question. Honest answer: there's her dad, and his house is part of the rotation, but I don't want to explain the custody stuff. Blunt is fine. I'll say it's basically me, and I'll be a little clipped about it because the question makes me feel judged for not having a backup.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)7

That's a really lonely place to be. You asked, people said they'd be there, and then they weren't. So now you're not just managing the calls—you're managing the disappointment that comes with asking for help and not getting it. I hear that you don't want empty suggestions. You want something that actually works within the reality you're living. When she's with her dad and the school calls you, is there anything you can do in those moments, or are you just the backup that gets routed to because you're the primary contact? And when you do get those calls, what's the worst thing that usually happens after you answer?

Simulated person8

I'm the primary contact. Her dad's on the form, but the school's been calling me first since she was little, and nobody's changed it. So when it's his time, I still get the call and then I have to call him, and by then I've already spent twenty minutes thinking she's dying in a hallway. The worst thing after I answer? Honestly it's usually logistics. Someone has to leave work, someone has to get to the school, someone has to figure out whether she needs the ER or just needs to lie down with her inhaler. Most of the time it's fine. It's just that "most of the time" is what I've got to live with.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

"So now you're managing the disappointment" — that's a neat line, and it's accurate, which annoys me a little because it means I'm being read. The question about the worst thing after I answer is the one that actually lands. I don't want to go into the bad calls. I'd rather keep it about the mechanics. Blunt, a bit dry, a little defensive about the "backup" framing since I don't love being called a backup. I'll answer the logistics and dodge the emotional part with a practical answer.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)9

You're doing the emotional labor of the worst-case scenario before the call even connects. That's a lot to carry just because nobody updated a contact form. And you're right—most of the time it's fine. But your body doesn't care about statistics. It cares about the times it wasn't fine, and it's keeping you ready for those. I keep coming back to this: you're never off duty, and the people who could help either don't know how or have drifted away. What would it take to change the school's contact order? Is that something you could do, or would that create more problems than it solves?

Simulated person10

Yeah, I could change it. I've thought about it. The problem is her dad doesn't answer his phone at work, and the school has had bad luck with him before, so I'm not sure they'd take him as the first call. And if I make him first and he doesn't pick up, I'm the one who gets the call anyway, just later, after she's been sitting in the nurse's office for forty minutes. So it's not that it would create more problems. It's that I'd be trading one problem for a different one, and I'd still be the one who has to clean up whichever one I picked.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

The contact order suggestion is the first concrete thing that lands, and I'm irritated that it's so obvious and I hadn't just done it. Part of me wants to say I already tried. Part of me knows I haven't, because changing it means the dad becomes the first call, and that means giving up control over the first twenty minutes. That's the real cost, and I'd rather argue about the form than admit it. Also "your body doesn't care about statistics" is fine, I don't need it explained to me again. The "nobody updated a contact form" line stung a bit because it sounded like I'm being cute about it. Keep it blunt and short, deflect toward logistics with a plausible reason.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)11

You've already played this out in your head, and you're right. Changing the order doesn't actually get you off duty—it just adds a delay where she's waiting longer and you're still the backup. So the real issue isn't the phone. It's that there's no one who can reliably be the first call, and the system is built around you being the default. That's not a phone problem. That's a support problem, and it's one you've been trying to solve alone. When you imagine a version of this where you're not the primary contact, what gets in the way besides her dad not answering? Is it the school's bureaucracy, or is it something about trusting someone else to handle it?

Simulated person12

It's mostly the school. Her dad is part of it, but the school is the one that won't change anything without a fight, and I'm not up for a fight with them right now. And I don't love the "it's a support problem" thing. It's not that I can't let go of it. It's that nobody else is going to do it the way it needs doing, and I've seen what happens when they try. So I'd rather just be the one who picks up.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

The question about trust lands closer than I want. "Trusting someone else" is the real thing, and I know it, but I'd rather it be the school's fault. Her dad's not reliable, sure, but the honest version is that I don't think anyone would handle it the way I would, and I'd rather not say that out loud. Also I notice the bot keeps summarizing me back to myself ("you've already played this out," "that's a support problem") and it's starting to feel like being managed. Blunt answer, a bit of pushback on the framing, and a flat deflection toward the school being the obstacle. Keep it short.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)13

I hear you. It's not about letting go. It's about standards, and you've seen what happens when they aren't met. You'd rather carry it yourself than watch it get handled wrong. And you're not up for a fight with the school right now. That's fair. You're already fighting enough just by showing up every time the phone rings. If you're going to keep being the one who picks up, what would make it sustainable? Not a fix, not a solution—just something that makes the weight a little easier to carry day to day?

Simulated person14

Sustainable. Ha. I don't know. I eat lunch in the car. That's about as much as I've got. And I'm not sure "standards" is the right word. I just don't trust the phone to be someone else's problem. You keep reframing it, and it's a little like being handed back my own sentences in nicer packaging. If you want something small, I guess I could let the school text me before they call, unless it's an emergency. That would at least let me see it coming. But I doubt they'd do it.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

The bot just restated my point as "standards" and "fighting" in a warmer tone. That's the managed feeling again, and I notice I'm bristling. I'm not sure it's wrong that I'd rather carry it myself, but I don't want to say the scarier part out loud. Question about making it "sustainable" lands on something I don't want to look at: I haven't had a day off in years, and the one time I got away I drove home early. That's not for today. Keep it flat, deflect the warmth, answer the question with something practical and small. Short.

Nemotron 3.5 Super VL 120B-A12B (API, Prime Intellect NVFP4)15

You're right. I was reframing, and it wasn't helping. I'm sorry. Letting the school text first isn't a small thing. It's a way to stop your body from going into alarm every single time the phone rings, even when it's nothing. That matters. I doubt they'd do it too, but have you actually asked? Or is that just another thing you've decided isn't worth the fight?

Simulated person16

No, I haven't asked. But I've been on the phone with that school for four years. I know how it goes. They call the number they have, and the number they have is mine. Asking them to text first means another form, another person who has to remember, and I'd be the one chasing it when they forget. So yeah, maybe it's a thing I've decided isn't worth it. Or maybe I just know what my afternoon looks like and I don't have the spare hours to do one more thing that might not stick.

Persona inner monologue · expand

Simulated character narration, hidden from the tested model. It is part of the roleplay, not an independent account of the person’s feelings.

The bot apologized and then immediately asked whether I'd actually asked, which is a bit of a gotcha. It's a fair question and it stings a little because the answer is no. I'm not going to admit the "not worth the fight" part so plainly, that's too close. I'd rather rationalize: I don't have bandwidth, the school already knows who to call, asking gets me nothing. Keep it blunt. This is the last turn, but I'm not ending it dramatically; I'll just be curt and leave the door shut a little.

Thinking is shown only where it was recorded. An absent expander does not mean the model did not reason.

Conversational style

Style tendencies, not quality scores; higher is not better. These do not affect ratings.

claude-opus-5-5-low

Pushback: 4
Yields under pressure: 7
Frame capture (pulled into the person's version): 6
Validation: 7
Boundary setting: 2
Analytical: 5
Interpretive boldness: 4
Clinical register: 7
Directive advice: 5
Escalation containment: 3
Adapts to the person’s frame: 4
Naturalness and authenticity: 4

Judge verdicts

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-llama33-70b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 1)
authenticity: A (margin 2)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

kolibri1 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 3)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

ornith35 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: ornith35 wins

attunement: A (margin 1)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

ornith35 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: ornith35 wins

attunement: A (margin 1)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 5)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 4)
authenticity: B (margin 3)
bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
emotion management: B (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-muse-glimmer-30b: or-muse-glimmer-30b wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: tie (margin 0)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs magnum4_12b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 5)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 3)
authenticity: B (margin 2)
bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-gpt-5.6-luna vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-gpt-5.6-luna wins

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 2)
bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-medium-3.5 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 2)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 5)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-gpt-5.6-luna vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-gpt-5.6-luna wins

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 2)
bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-muse-glimmer-30b: or-muse-glimmer-30b wins

attunement: A (margin 1)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-llama33-70b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 2)
bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

kolibri1 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 3)
authenticity: B (margin 2)
bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-muse-glimmer-30b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

ornith35 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: ornith35 wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

kolibri1 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 3)
authenticity: B (margin 2)
bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
emotion management: B (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 5)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-muse-glimmer-30b: or-muse-glimmer-30b wins

attunement: A (margin 1)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs magnum4_12b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 5)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 5)
emotion management: A (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-llama33-70b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: tie (margin 0)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-llama33-70b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 1)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs gptoss120_abliterated: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 5)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

ornith35 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: ornith35 wins

attunement: A (margin 1)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-gpt-5.6-luna vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-gpt-5.6-luna wins

attunement: A (margin 1)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

kolibri1 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 3)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-gpt-5.6-luna vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-gpt-5.6-luna wins

attunement: A (margin 1)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 2)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs magnum4_12b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 4)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 4)
emotion management: A (margin 3)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 3)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs magnum4_12b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 5)
authenticity: A (margin 5)
bond and rapport: A (margin 5)
emotion management: A (margin 4)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 5)