Civil Service Assessments

Civil Service Video Interview

If you are invited to the Civil Service Video Interview you will be provided with an access to a platform that will record your responses.

Stating the obvious, you will need a PC equipped with a front-facing webcam, microphone, and good Internet connection. Although it might be tempting to wear casual clothes, stick to the formal dress code you would wear for a normal interview. Be professional - consider choosing a quiet environment to avoid any background noise and in a brightly lit room, so the interviewers could recognise you.

If you are intimidated by the camera, you can always practice your answers beforehand. It will be a classical evaluative interview aimed at detecting your skills and strengths necessary for the role you have chosen to follow.

Civil Service Situational Judgement Test

The Civil Service Situational Judgement Test is a set of questions assessing how you might react to hypothetical events and situations that might be encountered while performing your job as a civil servant. Based on your answers to these questions, it will be verified how aligned you are with values and behaviours respected and desired in the Civil Service. As a future civil servant, you will be accountable to the public, so you have to make sure you are familiar with the standards of the sector.

Whilst Situational Judgement Tests vary in form, usually, you will be presented with a number of descriptions to which you are obliged to provide an appropriate response from a multiple choice list. So, try to be as sensible as you can and use the full capacity of your emotional intelligence.

These tests concentrate on your ‘ people skills’ so, good communication and networking abilities should earn you a few points. However, the quite straightforward and simplistic formula of these tests can be misleading. In any Situational Judgement Test, there is a catch in the high probability of any of the presented answers. So although it is recommended to think in accordance with the promoted values outlined on the Civil Service’s profile, in order to really ace your performance you might want to work on your situational- judgement muscles while taking the mocking Civil Service Situational Judgement Tests.

Civil Service Personality Test

As you probably aware, there are core values and standards of behaviour expected from all civil servants to uphold, regardless the sector’s path they are taking. The Civil Service Personality Test, therefore, aims at validating your dedication, commitment and most importantly ability to recognise these values and how probable is that you would likely to follow them.

The Civil Service Personality Test is a set of questions like any other Personality Tests, so there are no right or wrong answers, however, you are expected to demonstrate certain behaviours that would help you to achieve you the outlined tasks and will enable you to comply with the Civil Service Competency Framework.

Civil Service Assessment Centre

If you are successful with the initial online stages, you will be invited to the half-day Civil Service Assessment Centre in one of the assessment centres in either London or Newcastle. However, for some of you, this is not the end of the journey just yet. Depending on the specific role you are applying for, you might be further asked to attend the Final Assessment Centre. But let’s see what you need to pass this stage.

a) Written Assignment - you will be given a plethora of reading related to the specific domain of the Graduate Scheme you are applying for. This could be for example a voluminous report on National Insurance Health Funding on which you will have to write a short brief. So it’s a time pressure tasks, that assesses not only your verbal reasoning, and analytical skills but also ability to keep your head while in a stressful situation.

b) Presentation - This stage could take two forms. You might be given a topic to research and prepare your presentation beforehand, or you will be supplied with materials during the actual assessment centre and have limited time to prepare. Anyhow, it is important that you practice your presentation skills. If you are not a born speaker and feel like you could use a little bit more advice, you can check the Assessment Centre Guide, for more useful tips.

c) Interview - Civil Service Interviews are usually standard competency based, panel interviews during which you will have to chat with more than one interviewer. You might also expect questions that will be related to the above-mentioned Civil Service Competency Framework. So thorough research on the desired values and behaviours at is absolutely compulsory if you want to outshine other candidates at this stage.

d) Group Exercise - As a civil servant, you would need to know how to make your own voice heard in a non- overbearing manner. These exercises will vary, but the general skills that the assessors are looking for is a good balance between teamwork and leadership skills. You might want everyone in the room to see your great leadership skills, but approach the group exercise rather as a test of your collaborative and teamwork abilities than a show of a directorship. One of the most probable ways of verifying these skills is through a group discussion on a divisive topic or a collaboration on a draft of a project.

e) Leadership Exercise and Role Play - You have might already be asked to give an example when you have demonstrated leadership skills, however, this probably was just a prelude to the Civil Service Leadership Exercise. Finally - it’s the time when everyone is interested in how you approach and solve the problem while at the same time delegating different tasks to your colleagues. These will be usually assessed through a role play relating to a type of situation that you would face as a civil servant in your department.

Civil Service Final Selection

Unlike the regular Civil Service Assessment, this one will be more structured to your actual application profile as well as the part of the programme. All the information needed will be delivered to you before the actual meeting. Although it may sound like a ‘black box’ full of surprises, we are sure that if you have managed to get to this stage, everything should be fine now!