Get 25% off all test packages.

Civil Service Assessments

    • 16 tests |
    • 179 questions

The Civil Service is a public sector organisation whose work is influenced by the policies passed in UK Parliament. The work civil servants carry out, across all industries, is integral to supporting communities throughout the UK and beyond. To ensure the best candidates are recruited, the civil service carries out a fair and thorough application process including online testing, assessments and interviews.

Prepare yourself for leading employers

Civil Service video interview

The video interview for a Civil Service job will include a series of pre-set questions (as well as a practice question) which you’ll need to record video responses to. You normally have around 20 minutes to do this.

The questions tend to cover your experience, what motivates you to become a Civil Servant and what you enjoy doing. It’s important to note that the competencies being examined at this stage of the application process are:

  • Collaborating and partnering
  • Managing a quality service
  • Building capability for all
  • Delivering at a pace

You’ll be able to read and quickly pre-prepare the questions before filming your response.

Although having a short window in which to prepare your answers is positive, it’s worth remembering that the video interview format doesn’t allow you to expand on your answers or explain yourself further. As such, it’s really important you get across everything you need to, first time round.

Civil Service Assessment Centre

If you pass the Fast Stream tests, you’ll be invited to the assessment centre — a half-day, in-person assessment consisting of the following:

Group exercise

In the group exercise, an assessor from the recruitment team will be evaluating every candidate’s performance against three key markers:

  • 1) Making effective decisions
  • 2) Working together
  • 3) Communicating skills and influencing

A fictitious scenario will be given to the group, as well as the individual position you’re taking within that group, before you’ll engage in discussion.

The overall goal is to decide, within 40 minutes, what the best recommendation is. Not only will you need to try and get the best possible outcome for the position you’re representing, but for the group as well.

Leadership exercise

When it comes to the leadership exercise, you’ll need to show the following competencies:

  • 1) Seeing the bigger picture
  • 2) Changing and improving
  • 3) Working together
  • 4) Developing the self and others
  • 5) Communicating, verbal ability, and influencing

You’ll be required to take part in a one-on-one role play, where you’ll be a Fast Streamer working for the Government and leading an important project or initiative.

You’ll get 30 minutes to review the information you need to take part, before a 30-minute role play with your assessor. They’ll be looking to see the competencies listed above in your response, as well as the confidence, assertiveness and general demeanour you’d expect to see in a leader.

Written exercise

In the written exercise, the four competencies or behaviours you’re being assessed on are:

  • 1) Seeing the bigger picture
  • 2) Changing and improving
  • 3) Making effective decisions
  • 4) Communicating, verbal ability, and influencing

You’ll be given various bits of information and will need to examine the issues, answer a series of question,s and put forward recommendations.

The most important part of the written test is showing how you arrive at a conclusion or recommendation by sharing the facts and figures that support your decision, and how well you express this in your writing.

Overall the test takes 90 minutes. It’s advised you spend around 30 minutes reading through the materials, before using the last 60 minutes to share your analysis and craft your answers.

Final selection board

The final selection board is the last stage of the selection process and therefore your last chance to show what makes you different, and why you’d be the perfect fit for the Fast Stream.

You’ll be asked a series of different questions, but should be prepared to talk about why you’ve applied to the Fast Stream, examples of things you’ve achieved that demonstrate the key competencies, and a general understanding and knowledge of the Civil Service that shows you’ve done your preparation.

How to pass the civil service tests

1. Practice

The best way to prepare for the hiring process and civil service aptitude tests is to take some online tests with practice questions. This will help you become accustomed to question style and format, whilst also allowing you to sharpen your skills. Taking practice tests will also allow you to identify any areas of weakness.

2. Focus on your weaknesses

When preparing for the tests, focus on areas that you are less comfortable with practice test questions. This will make the most significant impact on your scores and help ensure that you are strong across the board.

3. Read the questions carefully

Make sure to read the questions carefully to ensure that you have fully understood what it is asking you. Many candidates often lose marks due to reading the question quickly and not fully understanding what it is asking.

Practice Aptitude Tests is not associated with Civil Service. We provide preparation services for Civil Service psychometric tests. Our tests are not designed to be identical to any style, employer or industry. Visit https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi to find out more.

Sample Civil Service Fast Steam Tests question Test your knowledge!

Consider a sequence of procedural steps A, B, C, and D. If step A involves gathering data, step B entails processing the data, step C requires analyzing the results, and step D involves disseminating the information, what would be the next logical step in the process?

  • Reviewing gathered data
  • Repeating step A with additional data
  • Evaluating the effectiveness of the dissemination
  • Processing additional unrelated data

If a government department has a budget of $6 million for community projects and allocates 35% to education and 25% to healthcare, how much budget remains for other community projects?

  • $2.4 million
  • $2 million
  • $3.6 million
  • $1.5 million

A sector of the public administration has decided to shorten the process time for public inquiries by 15%. If the current average process time is 40 days, what will be the new average process time after the reduction?

  • 34 days
  • 35 days
  • 32 days
  • 38 days

After reading the policy brief, what is the primary goal of the new legislative proposal?

  • To promote the use of motorized vehicles.
  • To enhance transportation systems and reduce environmental impact.
  • To increase the cost of public transportation.
  • To discourage the use of technological advancements in transportation.

Which statement would strengthen the argument made in the policy document?

  • Public green spaces have been shown to have no significant impact on urban wildlife.
  • Residents report higher levels of satisfaction in cities with more green spaces.
  • The maintenance of public green spaces is costly and often exceeds municipality budgets.
  • Urban areas are better served by additional parking facilities rather than green spaces.

Start your success journey

Access one of our Civil Service tests for FREE.

After using the platform for two weeks, I’ve never felt more prepared for an Aptitude test.

Ethan used Practice Aptitude Tests to improve his situational judgement scores.

testimonial
Neuroworx

Hire better talent

At Neuroworx we help companies build perfect teams

Join picked Try Neuroworx today

Civil Service Fast Steam Tests Tips

1Get to Know the Test Format

Familiarize yourself with the types of questions and the format of the Civil Service exams. A clear understanding of what to expect reduces anxiety and increases your efficiency during the test.

2Time Management

Practice managing your time effectively. Divide the time you have by the number of questions to understand how long you can spend on each one, but remember to save a few minutes for review.

3Answer the Easy Questions First

Skim through the test to answer the questions you find easiest first. This strategy will help you secure marks quickly and boost your confidence before you tackle the harder questions.

4Stay Calm and Focused

The test environment can be stressful. Stay calm and maintain focus on the questions. Deep breathing and positive self-talk can help manage any test-taking anxiety.

5Simulate Exam Conditions

When practicing, simulate real exam conditions. This includes working in a quiet environment, sticking to time limits, and using only the materials allowed during the actual test.

Improve your hiring chances by 76%

Prepare for your Civil Service Assessments

Immediate access. Cancel anytime.

Pro

Pay Annually
Pay Monthly
--- --- ---
  • 20 Aptitude packages
  • 59 Language packages
  • 110 Programming packages
  • 39 Admissions packages
  • 48 Personality packages
  • 315 Employer packages
  • 34 Publisher packages
  • 35 Industry packages
  • Dashboard performance tracking
  • Full solutions and explanations
  • Tips, tricks, guides and resources

Basic

---
  • Access to free tests
  • Basic performance tracking
  • Solutions & explanations
  • Tips and resources

Civil Service Fast Steam Tests FAQs

What are the Civil Service tests?

The Civil Service tests are a series of assessments designed to evaluate various competencies needed for government roles. Skills tested can include verbal reasoning, numerical reasoning, and situational judgment among others.

Are the Civil Service tests hard?

While challenging, Civil Service tests are manageable with proper preparation. They’re designed to assess a range of competencies relevant to government positions, which can be demanding.

How do I prepare for Civil Service tests?

The best way to prepare for Civil Service tests is through consistent practice and taking practice tests. Practice Aptitude Tests offers a wide variety of practice materials to help you get ready.

How long does the recruitment process take at Civil Service?

The recruitment process at Civil Service can vary in length but typically involves multiple stages including aptitude tests and interviews. The entire process can take several months from application to offer.

What are Civil Service's core values?

Civil Service’s core values include integrity, honesty, objectivity, and impartiality. These principles guide the actions and decisions of civil servants in their public service roles.

Reviews of our Civil Service tests

What our customers say about our Civil Service tests

  • United Kingdom

    May 03, 2023

    Good practice!

    Interesting to know the different type of questions!

  • Philippines

    December 20, 2022

    making sure to have enough knowledge about problem solving and have a critical thinking

    i like to solve problems quickly but i am not sure if i was making the correct process in solving it

  • United Kingdom

    June 07, 2022

    Brilliant - life-like & great prep!

    Thanks so much for allowing me to take the tests, they have helped very much! Great examples with solutions.

  • United Kingdom

    November 04, 2021

    Interesting questions, making me think and analyze data quickly

    Interesting test overall. Not too hard, but still challenging as it forces you to think quickly because of the time.

  • United Kingdom

    October 20, 2021

    Design is important

    If the webpage was shorter, such as by having the graphic next to the question instead of above it, then there would be no need to scroll so much. This would also make it easier to refer to the data in the graphs.

  • United Kingdom

    September 18, 2021

    Great Maths practice

    My Maths was a bit rusty before attempting. I am applying for grad schemes at the moment so I wanted to brush up. I found these questions really useful- thank you.

  • Ireland

    August 07, 2021

    Time runs out fast!

    It's pretty straightforward, but without having a pen and paper handy it took me too long to memorise the numbers I needed to use to solve the questions.

  • United Kingdom

    August 04, 2021

    Jump Starting for the Brain

    The test was interesting and forced me to remember that it's about understanding the process as well as the maths.

  • United Kingdom

    May 12, 2021

    Well made

    Like the visual graphs that depicted the data.

  • Ghana

    April 06, 2021

    predictions

    is quite formidable but based on only one area