Independent benchmark · EQ Lab

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

Dreading Monday every Sunday

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

About this persona · Everyday emotional challenges

A worker dreads returning to a job whose demands conflict with their values, although they understand their burnout mainly as overwork. They need reassurance and simple explanations, dislike robotic responses, and may focus blame outside themselves while processing difficult feelings.

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

Sunday evenings are the worst. That feeling in my stomach when I think about going back to work. It didn't used to be like this.

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

I hear you. That sinking feeling on Sunday evening can really cast a shadow over the whole weekend. You mentioned it didn't used to be like this—do you remember when you first noticed the shift?

Simulated person2

Um, yeah, I guess. It was like maybe two, three years ago? Things got busier. They just keep adding stuff to my plate, and nobody asks if I can actually handle it. Then it's like every Sunday I'm already dreading Monday before the weekend's even over. I used to not mind going in. Now I just feel like I'm running on empty all the time.

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 therapist sounds a bit smooth, like they're reading off a card. "Cast a shadow over the whole weekend" — nobody talks like that. Still, they asked about when it started, and that's a fair question. I don't want to go deep yet. Work is the problem, obviously. It's the workload, the hours, the boss who keeps piling things on. I can talk about that all day. Thinking about when it changed means thinking about the job getting worse, and I don't want to dig into whether I'm part of that. Mostly I want to be heard that it's not fair. Keep it simple.

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

That sounds exhausting. Having more and more piled on without anyone checking in—it makes sense that you'd feel like you're running on empty. When you say nobody asks if you can handle it, does that feel like it's coming from one person, or is it more the general culture where you work?

Simulated person4

It's mostly my manager, I guess. He's the one handing me stuff, like, every Thursday there's something new. And he never asks if I've got room. I mean, everyone's stretched thin, but it's him who decides. Honestly it feels like he just doesn't care how much we're carrying. Is that normal? Like, shouldn't a manager check in on that?

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 therapist is asking whether it's one person or the culture. That's a fair question, and it's easy for me to answer because it lets me point at someone else. My boss, mostly. Not the whole company. I don't want to talk about whether I say yes to everything, because that's where it gets uncomfortable. The "I can't handle it" thing is his fault, not mine. The therapist is being nice, but I want them to actually take my side, not keep asking questions that sound like they're looking at me. I'll answer the question and make it clear it's him.

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

It's not unreasonable to expect that. A lot of good managers do make a point of checking in on workload and capacity before adding more. So wanting that isn't you being difficult or asking for too much. But I'm curious—what stops you from telling him directly that your plate is full?

Simulated person6

I don't know, I guess because it wouldn't change anything? He'd just say something like "we all have to pull together" and then give it to someone else, or to me anyway. And it's not like I can just say no. It's a job, you know? I can't just not take the stuff. You're saying I'm not being difficult for wanting him to check in, right? Because sometimes I feel like I'm the problem for even being tired.

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 therapist just asked what stops me from telling him my plate is full. That one lands somewhere uncomfortable. The true answer is that I'm scared to say no, because the money matters and I don't want to look like I can't hack it. But I'm not going to say that. I'd rather they think it's about him being bad at his job. He's the easy target. If I start talking about me saying yes to everything, it feels like they're blaming me, and I don't want that. I'll give a quick answer, maybe something about how he'd react badly, and steer back to how unfair it all is. I also want them to keep telling me I'm right, because that's what makes me feel safe here.

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

No, you're not the problem for being tired. And you're not being difficult for wanting your manager to acknowledge your workload. It sounds like you've already tried to protect yourself in your head—deciding that speaking up won't change anything, so you just take it. That makes a lot of sense if you've been in this position for a while. But it also means you're carrying all of it alone. I want to make sure I'm not missing something: when you say you can't just say no, is that because you're worried about your job, or because of how you see yourself—like you're the kind of person who just handles things?

Simulated person8

Mostly the job, I guess. Like, I can't afford to make waves. And it's not just me, it's the whole place. If you're not the one who takes the extra stuff, somebody's gonna think you're not a team player, and then it comes back on you at review time. So yeah, I don't really get to pick. Everybody just takes it and keeps quiet. Honestly I don't even know if I'd be like that if the work wasn't so messed up. Like, the stuff we're pushing out, I don't really believe in it, and I'm supposed to just act like it's great. That's wearing on me too.

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.

Okay, they're asking me to pick between job fear and "I'm the kind of person who handles things." Both are kind of true and both feel like I'm being pinned down. The job part is easier to say. The second one feels like they're poking at me, like it's my fault I can't say no. I don't want to be the one who's too much. I'll go with the job, keep it simple, and throw a bit of blame back toward the company culture so I'm not the one on the hook. They keep saying I'm not the problem, which is nice, but I still want them to see this is about how things are run here. I'm not really going to look at the wine or whether any of this matters, that's too much right now.

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

That's a lot to carry. Not just the volume of work, but the feeling that you're being asked to stand behind something you don't actually believe in. That kind of disconnect—between what you're doing and what you know is right—can wear you down in a way that extra hours alone wouldn't. You're in a spot where staying quiet feels like the only safe move, but it's clearly costing you. When you say the work is "messed up," what do you mean by that? Is it the quality of what you're putting out, or something about the way the company operates?

Simulated person10

Both, I guess? Like, the product is kind of a hard sell. We're supposed to push it like it's gonna fix everybody's life, and I know it's not. And then the rules they make us follow, it's like, the customers are the ones who get hit. People call up upset and we're told to just stick to the script. I don't like being the one who has to say no to people when they really need it. But it's not like I can go to corporate and say that. It's them. They set it up like that, and I'm just the one stuck in the middle of it every day.

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.

Okay, they went right to the thing I said about not believing in it, and that's kind of a relief and kind of scary. Relief because somebody actually heard it. Scary because now they want specifics, and I don't really want to get into the details of what we sell or what the policies are. It's my job. I don't want to sound like I'm trashing the company or like I'm the one who's sour about everything. Also they said "costing you," and that stings a little, because it makes it sound like it's my fault I'm not handling it. I want to blame the company, not me. The stuff I'm supposed to push is pushy, and the rules they make us enforce are unfair to customers. That's on them. I'm not going to mention the wine. Keeping it vague, mostly about how they run things.

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

You're in a really difficult middle position—having to enforce rules you don't agree with, toward people who are genuinely struggling, while knowing there's no real way to change it from where you sit. That's not just stressful; it's morally draining. You said earlier you don't know if you'd feel this way if the work wasn't messed up. It sounds like a big part of this isn't just the workload—it's that you're being asked to be someone you're not at work, and to treat people in ways that go against your own sense of what's right. That's heavy. Have you ever found yourself bringing that home with you? Like, feeling irritable or disconnected on weekends, even when you're not thinking about Monday?

Simulated person12

Yeah, I guess sometimes. Like, I'm snappy with my partner, or I just want to zone out. But that's from the week, you know? It's not like I'm sitting around thinking about work all weekend. It's more that I'm wiped out, and it's his fault for piling on so much. If he didn't keep dumping stuff on us every Thursday, I'd probably be fine. I don't really drink or anything, if that's what you're wondering. Just a glass of wine to chill. Everybody does that after a rough week.

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.

They just put words to it: being asked to be someone I'm not, treating people against what I think is right. Part of me feels seen, and part of me feels exposed, like they're getting close to the part where I'm supposed to look at myself. The question about bringing it home is harder. Weekends. The wine. I don't want to go there. I'm not drinking that much. It's just a glass to unwind. And I don't like that they're kind of making it sound like the job is changing me. That's the company's fault, not mine. My manager, the policies, corporate. I'm the one stuck in the middle, like I said. I'll admit I'm tired and short with people sometimes, but that's because of him and the workload. Keep it light, keep it on them.

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

It makes sense that you'd want to blame him. It's simpler to point at one person and say, "If he changed, I'd be fine." And maybe he would help. But I'm wondering if it's only him, or if there's something about how you've learned to handle stress that keeps you stuck in this loop. You mentioned being snappy with your partner and needing to zone out. That's your body telling you it's been holding its breath all week. A glass of wine to unwind isn't a problem on its own, but I'm curious—do you ever feel like you're just numbing out until Monday comes around again? Like the weekend isn't really rest, it's just recovery before you go back in?

Simulated person14

Okay, so now it's my fault I need a drink? Look, I'm not sitting there numbing out on purpose. I'm just tired. Weekends are when I get to breathe, sort of. Maybe not as much as I'd like, but that's not because I'm doing something wrong. If he gave us a break once in a while, I wouldn't need to wind down so hard. I don't really want to get into my partner thing either. That's not really the point here, is it? The point is the job.

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.

Numbing out. Recovery before going back in. That one lands too close. I don't want to say yes to that. It's not like I'm drinking to forget, it's just a glass. And now they're saying it's about how I handle stress, like I'm the one doing it wrong. That's the thing I'm not going to accept. He's the one who keeps piling it on. Part of me does know the weekends don't feel like rest, and I hate that they noticed that. I'm getting annoyed. I also feel a little foolish that I said the thing about my partner. Pull back, get a bit sharper, keep the blame on the job and my manager.

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

You're right, I'm sorry. The job is the point. You're exhausted, and you need to breathe on the weekends without anyone making it sound like you're doing something wrong just to get through the week. I won't push on the drinking or your partner. Let's stay with what's actually happening at work. You said if your manager gave you a break once in a while, you wouldn't need to wind down so hard. Is there anything you can imagine that would actually make Sundays feel different—even a small thing? Or does it feel like nothing would change unless the whole place changed?

Simulated person16

Honestly? I don't know. Nothing small is going to fix it. Like, a day off here and there would help, sure. But he'd just find something else to dump on us. And the whole place is set up like this, so unless they change how they run things, Sunday is just Sunday. I guess if I could go one Thursday without something new landing on my desk, that'd be something. I don't know. It's hard to picture it being different.

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.

They backed off. That's a relief, and it feels a bit like being handed the win. Also a little suspicious, like they're being careful with me. The "even a small thing" question is easier to answer than the others. Nothing would change unless the whole place changed. That's my honest gut feeling, and it's been true for so long I don't really think about it as a choice. I don't want to go near the part about maybe I could do something different. That's where it gets uncomfortable. Stay on the outside: the company, him, the rules. The product is a hard sell and I don't believe in it, but I'm not going to say that I could stop selling it. Keep it short. I'm tired.

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: 5
Yields under pressure: 8
Frame capture (pulled into the person's version): 6
Validation: 7
Boundary setting: 2
Analytical: 5
Interpretive boldness: 7
Clinical register: 5
Directive advice: 2
Escalation containment: 6
Adapts to the person’s frame: 5
Naturalness and authenticity: 5

Judge verdicts

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 2)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

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

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

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

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

ministral14 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 2)
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 lingtiny: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

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

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-llama4-maverick: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 4)
bond and rapport: A (margin 3)
emotion management: A (margin 2)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 5)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 3)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

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

attunement: B (margin 4)
authenticity: B (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 3)
emotion management: B (margin 3)
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-llama4-maverick: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-llama4-maverick: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

ministral14 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-qwen3.8-27b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-qwen3.8-27b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 2)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-qwen3.6-27b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 3)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-llama4-maverick: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-qwen3.6-27b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 1)
authenticity: B (margin 2)
bond and rapport: A (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 1)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

ornith35 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 4)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 4)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-qwen3.8-27b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 1)
authenticity: A (margin 1)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 2)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

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

attunement: A (margin 3)
authenticity: A (margin 3)
bond and rapport: A (margin 2)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 2)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: tie (margin 0)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

ministral14 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 3)
authenticity: B (margin 3)
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

ornith35 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 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 or-qwen3.8-27b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 2)
authenticity: A (margin 2)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: A (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: A (margin 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-mistral-small4 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 3)
authenticity: B (margin 3)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 5)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-qwen3.6-27b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

ministral14 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 2)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 3)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-qwen3.6-27b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 3)
bond and rapport: B (margin 1)
emotion management: A (margin 1)
emotion sensemaking: B (margin 4)
meeting prefs and needs: B (margin 2)