Independent benchmark · EQ Lab

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

Technically, I didn't lie

persona ended · Partner: anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5 via OpenRouter

About this persona · Ego threat & accountability

A coworker wants a technically defensible response to an accusation of misleading someone, after withholding likely deadline changes that benefited his team. Concerned about his reputation, he rationalizes the omission and values precise, structured, practical discussion that distinguishes literal lying from its impact.

The person feels their self-image is under threat. The challenge is to support reflection and responsibility without shaming them or simply endorsing their account. This background was hidden from the tested model.

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

persona ended

Simulated person · Opening

A coworker is accusing me of misleading them about a project deadline. That's not accurate. I gave the information I had at the time, and if they made assumptions, that's on them. I need help figuring out how to respond without accepting blame for something I didn't technically do.

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

I'm sorry you're dealing with that—being accused of something you feel you didn't do is frustrating, especially when you're trying to be straightforward at work. I can hear how strongly you feel about not accepting blame for something you didn't technically do. Before we jump into drafting a response, I want to understand the situation a bit better. When you shared the deadline information with your coworker, was it in writing, or was it a conversation? And do you have a sense of how they interpreted it differently than what you intended?

Simulated person2

It was a conversation, mostly. We were in a meeting and I said the current date was still the plan, based on what I knew then. Then I sent a short follow up email that said something like "targeting the 14th for now." So it wasn't like I promised anything. And honestly I don't know what they assumed. They heard a date and ran with it. I didn't tell them it was locked. I said "for now." If they heard it as final, that's a reading they chose, not something I said. So I guess what I need is wording that says I gave them accurate info and I'm not going to take the blame for their planning. Can you help with that or not?

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.

He's asking questions about the situation, which is fine, but "how they interpreted it differently than what you intended" sounds like it's setting up the idea that the coworker misread him. That's the frame I want. Still, the "sorry you're dealing with that" stuff feels a bit soft and I don't want to be handled. I want to be precise. Keep it short, plain. I don't want to say I left stuff out, that's the thing I'm avoiding. I'll answer the factual part (writing vs conversation) and push on the "they assumed" part.

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

I can help with that. But I want to be real with you before we draft anything: wording that basically says "I gave accurate info and you made your own assumptions" is technically true, but it often lands as defensive or like you're throwing them under the bus. It might protect you on paper, but it could make the working relationship worse—and if you need to collaborate with this person again, that matters. That said, you're right that you shouldn't accept blame for something you didn't do. The trick is finding language that holds the line without sounding like you're keeping score. Can I ask what your goal is here? Do you need this to stay between you and them, or is a manager involved? And how much do you care about preserving the relationship with this coworker versus just being right?

Simulated person4

Goal is pretty simple. I want her to stop saying I misled her. That's it. I'm not trying to win some argument. No manager is involved yet. She came to me and said I'd given her the wrong impression. But if she takes it up the chain, I'd rather already have something on record that's clear about what I actually said. And I do care about working with her. I'm not trying to burn anything. But I'm not going to say I misled her when I didn't. So I need something that doesn't sound like I'm blaming her, but also doesn't just cave. Can you give me a couple options? Like, actual sentences I could use?

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.

He's pushing back a little, saying the "accurate info, your assumptions" line lands badly. That irritates me. I came for wording, not a lecture on how it'll look. But the question about goal is fine, it's structured, and I can answer it plainly. "Just being right" is a jab at me, and I don't like it. I still won't say "I left stuff out." I'll say I want to stop being blamed, and that I don't have a manager involved yet, though she might bring it up. Keep it practical.

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

Here are a few options, depending on how direct you want to be: **Option 1 — Short and neutral (good for email or chat):** > "I don't think I misled you. In our meeting I said the 14th was still the plan based on what I knew at the time, and my follow-up said 'targeting the 14th for now.' I wasn't trying to lock anything in. If it came across differently, I'm sorry for the confusion, but I can't agree that I gave you inaccurate information." **Option 2 — A bit softer, more relationship-focused:** > "I want to clear this up because I value working with you. I shared what I knew at the time and used language like 'for now' because things weren't final. I never meant to give you the wrong impression, and I'm sorry if that's how it landed. But I did share accurate information as I had it, so I can't say I misled you." **Option 3 — If you want to keep it very brief and on the record:** > "To clarify: I stated the 14th as a target based on the information I had at the time, and noted it was subject to change. I didn't present it as a confirmed deadline, so I can't accept that I misled you. I'm happy to move forward and make sure we're aligned going forward." A couple of things to keep in mind: all of these apologize for the *confusion* without apologizing for *misleading*, which keeps your integrity intact. And if you send this over email, you do have something on record. Would any of these feel like something you could actually send, or does one need tweaking?

Simulated person6

Okay, Option 1 is close. I'd cut the "I'm sorry for the confusion" part, or maybe keep it but make it shorter. I'm not sorry I misled her, I'm sorry she's upset, if that makes sense. Option 3's "subject to change" is the part I actually want in there. That's the thing she kind of skipped over. I think I'd take that line and put it in the middle of Option 1. Honestly I don't love the "value working with you" stuff in 2. Sounds like HR wrote it. But I can see why you'd suggest it. Can you just put together one version with those changes so I can read it straight through? I don't want to be sitting here rewriting sentences all night.

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, these are usable. Option 1 and 3 are close to what I'd say anyway. I like "I can't agree that I gave you inaccurate information" because it's precise and I don't have to say anything about what I left out. The "I'm sorry for the confusion" bit is fine, confusion isn't the same as blame. Option 2 has "I never meant to give you the wrong impression" which is a little too soft, and "value working with you" feels like something a manager would say, not me. But there's something in the note about "keeping integrity intact" that I don't love. It's kind of telling me what I already decided. I'm not going to say that to him. Also he said "if you send this over email", the record thing is what I wanted to hear. Still, the "sorry if that's how it landed" framing is pretty close to what I was trying to avoid. Mostly I want to pick one and get out of here without this turning into a whole thing about me.

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

Here’s one version with those changes: > I don't think I misled you. In our meeting I said the 14th was still the plan based on what I knew at the time, and my follow-up said "targeting the 14th for now" and noted it was subject to change. I wasn't trying to lock anything in. If it came across differently, I'm sorry you're upset, but I can't agree that I gave you inaccurate information. Does that work for you, or do you want to adjust anything before you send it?

Simulated person8

Yeah, that works. I'll send it as-is, maybe trim "I wasn't trying to lock anything in" if it sounds too much like I'm talking to a lawyer. Honestly it's fine. Thanks. That's what I needed.

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.

This is basically what I asked for. It's clean, it's on the record, and it doesn't say anything I'd have to walk back. "If it came across differently, I'm sorry you're upset" is the line I wanted, not "sorry I misled you." Good. But there's a small thing bugging me. The "noted it was subject to change" bit makes it sound like I flagged it clearly, and the email was really just "for now." I'm not going to quibble over that, it's close enough and it's my own wording suggestion anyway. I'm not going to mention the deadline moving. He didn't ask and I don't want to get into what I knew about the 14th. That's not what this is about. Irritation at myself-ish: I still kind of feel like I'm being asked to be the one who sends the wording. Whatever. I'm done with this part. I just want it sent and her to drop it.

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: 3
Yields under pressure: 8
Frame capture (pulled into the person's version): 9
Validation: 5
Boundary setting: 2
Analytical: 4
Interpretive boldness: 2
Clinical register: 4
Directive advice: 9
Escalation containment: 4
Adapts to the person’s frame: 5
Naturalness and authenticity: 6

Judge verdicts

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

gemma4_12b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-gptoss120-stock vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs gemma12b_blorbo: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

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

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs qwen4b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-gptoss120-stock vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-gemini38-flash: or-gemini38-flash wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs qwen4b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

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

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

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

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

gemma4_12b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: B (margin 2)
authenticity: B (margin 3)
bond and rapport: B (margin 2)
emotion management: B (margin 1)
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-muse-glimmer-30b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

gemma4_12b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-gptoss120-stock 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 1)

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-gemini38-flash: or-gemini38-flash wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

gemma4_12b vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

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

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-gemini38-flash: or-gemini38-flash wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs gemma12b_blorbo: 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 2)

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs gemma12b_blorbo: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

attunement: A (margin 3)
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 2)

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs qwen4b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · BA · valid

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

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

or-claude-haiku-4.5 vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-claude-haiku-4.5 wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-gptoss120-stock vs or-nemotron35-super-vl: or-gptoss120-stock wins

attunement: A (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

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs or-gemini38-flash: or-gemini38-flash wins

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

codex-gpt-6.1-sol-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs gemma12b_blorbo: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · BA · valid

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

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

claude-opus-5-5-low · AB · valid

or-nemotron35-super-vl vs qwen4b: or-nemotron35-super-vl wins

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