Founded in 1945, the United Nations (UN) is an organisation that brings countries together to discuss common problems and find shared solutions that benefit humanity. The UN is made up of six principal organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice and the UN Secretariat.
The United Nations uses a variety of tests in their hiring process to evaluate a range of skills, including logical reasoning, situational judgment, and understanding of international relations.
Use the route that matches your vacancy. The guidance below identifies the programme or location it covers.
Job-specific assessment and panel interview
Shortlisted applicants may face a written test through UNOETS, a recorded video interview, work samples or another job-specific exercise. A panel interview may follow. The invitation gives the format and instructions. YPP and other examination programmes have separate eligibility and exam arrangements.
Process sources checked 11 September 2026 · Your invitation takes priority for role and location details.
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If you are motivated by making a difference, want to be part of a cause bigger than yourself and love to travel, you might want to consider a career at the UN.
Staff who work at the UN have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize more than ten times; it is widely considered to be an inspiring place to work. Read on to find out how to land a job at the UN.
It’s helpful to visit the UN careers page and do your research before you consider applying for a job at the United Nations.
The current UN Values and Behaviours Framework identifies inclusion, integrity, humility and humanity. Its five behaviours are connect and collaborate; analyse and plan; deliver results with positive impact; learn and develop; and adapt and innovate.
Use the evaluation criteria in your vacancy to select relevant examples from your experience.
The application process itself is straightforward. You create a profile and fill out an online application, highlighting your experience and relevant skills. You must also write a motivation statement, which is a chance to explain why you want to work at the UN.
At this stage, attention to detail is crucial (as with any online application). Ensure you spell-check and proofread everything before your final submission.
For a UN Secretariat vacancy, shortlisted candidates may be invited to a job-specific assessment. This can be a written test on UNOETS, a recorded video interview, work samples or another exercise. The invitation confirms the format. Separate examination programmes, including YPP, have their own requirements.
Recruiters will use the results from these assessments to decide whom to shortlist. Typically only the top performers will be moved forward into the next stages of the hiring process. It is therefore essential to practice tests beforehand and prepare yourself for the format.
The written test is a timed assessment and will be based on a subject relevant to your role. Its purpose is to assess knowledge and mastery of the subject matter, technical skills, and your ability to work under pressure. You might, for example, be asked to summarise a long report or write about a subject.
The case study requires analytical ability: typically you will be asked to analyse some information and draw a conclusion from it.
The UN simulation exercise is a way to assess how candidates might perform in a real work situation. The exercises are role dependent but will test your skills and abilities to cope with complex situations: competencies that the UN looks for when hiring candidates.
Depending on the role, a simulation may involve a work-related problem where problem-solving and teamwork are required. Practicing situational judgement tests (see below) can help improve your performance with these types of tests.
If your invitation includes a personality assessment, follow its instructions and answer honestly. It is not listed as a universal stage for all UN Secretariat vacancies.
Personality questionnaires ask about your usual preferences and behaviour rather than factual knowledge.
How well you work as a team, adapting to change and how easily you learn information are three core areas the personality assessment looks at.
A verbal reasoning test assesses how a candidate comprehends important information. This type of test is in a multiple-choice format and timed. You’re provided with a passage of text you must read (no prior knowledge required) and you must decide whether what you have read is either ‘true’, ‘false’ or ‘cannot say’.
For roles that involve mathematics, you might be asked to participate in a numerical reasoning assessment. It can be useful to sharpen your math skills and practice numerical reasoning tests beforehand to increase your score.
A numerical reasoning test comprises multiple-choice questions that test how adept you are at dealing with a variety of different mathematical problems. There is an additional pressure to answer these questions quickly, since you are under timed pressure.
A situational judgement test is a useful test to practice, as you will be asked a variety of questions that involve using your initiative and logic to make good decisions.
Once again, the test is multiple choice and requires you to rank your preferred and least preferred choice in a variety of realistic work situations.
The UN will be looking for good decision-makers and people who can make smart choices under difficult circumstances.
The format of the competency-based interview will be done via telephone, video conference, or in person. The interviewer wants to know more about your skills, attributes and behaviours.
Questions in a competency-based interview might include:
To structure your answers effectively, use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
Keep abreast of global issues and news, as UN jobs often require awareness of international affairs and diplomacy.
What candidates ask us most often
The difficulty of the United Nations tests can vary depending on the position and your familiarity with the subject matter. However, they are designed to measure the aptitude of potential candidates accurately.
The best way to prepare for United Nations tests is through diligent practice. Practice Aptitude Tests offers an array of practice tests to help you prepare effectively for the real ones.
The recruitment process at the United Nations may vary in length depending on the role and level of competition, but it usually involves multiple stages over several weeks or months.
The UN Values and Behaviours Framework identifies inclusion, integrity, humility and humanity. Read the evaluation criteria in your vacancy to understand how to demonstrate relevant behaviours.
Rated 4.9 out of 5 across 71 reviews. A selection:
Liked the clear structure, direct link between text and questions, and topic variety.Disliked tricky repetitive phrasing and lack of nuance in answers.Overall, it tests careful reading and attention to detail effectively.
The paragraphs are a little too long and with a a timed exams it might give one the pressure to overrule some details and skip straight to the questions. Generally it provides a great opportunity to test comprehension and judgement skills.
the questions are quite logical, I liked that they made me think critically per a minimal time-interval.
United Nations is a trademark of its respective owner. Practice Aptitude Tests is not affiliated with United Nations and our practice tests are not endorsed by them. Visit United Nations careers.
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