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.
Free · No sign-up · Scored the moment you finish
You have 13 minutes to answer 10 questions. Each question describes a workplace situation and four possible responses. For every question, select the response you believe would be MOST effective and the response you believe would be LEAST effective. There are no trick questions; judge each response on how well it would work in the situation described.
About this test: this is one of a set of practice tests covering the areas United Nations’s assessment process typically includes. It is written by us: it is not United Nations’s own assessment and these are not United Nations’s questions.
Question 1 of 10
You are a records officer at Brantwood Services. At a monthly team meeting a colleague, Dev, said in front of the whole team that your file indexing is careless and that he has to redo it. He gave no examples. You and Dev split the weekly archive run between you and rely on each other’s indexing. Your team leader was in the meeting and said nothing at the time. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: C. Ask Dev for the specific files he has had to redo, and go through them with him this week to see whether the indexing or the guidance is the problem.
Least effective: D. Stop doing the archive run for Dev after that remark, and let him find out how much of the indexing he has actually been relying on.
A: Escalates before asking: Dev gave no examples and has not been asked for any, and a team leader sent in first turns a vague remark into a formal matter.
B: Prepares for the next argument instead of ending this one: a private file of your own work answers an accusation nobody has tested, and the archive run still depends on the two of you.
D: Withdraws work after a remark: the archive run is a shared obligation, so the people who notice first are the ones waiting on the files, and Dev's actual examples are still unknown.
The most effective response is to ask Dev for the specific files he has had to redo, and go through them with him this week: the accusation was specific in tone and vague in content, you depend on each other’s indexing every week, and asking for the files turns an unsupported remark into something checkable. It beats asking your team leader to raise it with him on your behalf, because he has not been asked for a single example and bringing a manager in first makes it formal. It beats keeping your own record of every file you index, because a private record answers an accusation nobody has tested. The least effective response is stopping the archive run for him after the remark: a shared obligation is withdrawn, so the people who feel it first are those waiting on the archive, and nobody ever finds out whether the indexing was wrong. That makes it worse than involving the team leader, which is heavy-handed but aimed at the problem, and worse than the private record, which harms nobody. The principle: answer an unsupported criticism by asking for the evidence, not by taking your work away.
Question 2 of 10
You are a case officer at Redhill Directorate. A decision letter approving a grant of eight thousand pounds went out on Friday to an applicant who does not qualify; a colleague, Ruth, used the wrong eligibility list. The applicant has already emailed to say they have ordered equipment. Your team leader is on leave until Monday and the deputy is running the team. Ruth is at her desk and does not know yet. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: D. Tell Ruth what you have found, then take it together to the deputy this morning with the letter, the eligibility list and the applicant's email about the equipment.
Least effective: C. Raise the error with the deputy behind her back this morning, and leave it to them to decide whether Ruth is told which eligibility list she used.
A: Acts alone on a decision that is not yours: withdrawing an approval is the organisation's decision to communicate, and an applicant told by one officer that a formal letter is void has nothing in writing to rely on.
B: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: the applicant has already ordered equipment, so three more days of believing they qualify is the part of the problem that is still growing.
C: Reports a colleague instead of telling her: it makes the first move about Ruth rather than about the letter and an applicant buying equipment, and Ruth learns of her own error from a manager.
The most effective response is to tell Ruth what you have found, then take it together to the deputy this morning with the letter, the eligibility list and the applicant’s email: somebody is spending money on a letter that should not have been sent, it has to reach somebody who can act today, and going with her and the evidence deals with the money and the error at once. It beats emailing the applicant straight away to say the letter was sent in error, because withdrawing a formal approval is not one officer’s message to send. It beats waiting until Monday and putting it to your team leader with a recommendation, because the applicant is buying equipment now. The least effective response is raising it with the deputy behind her back: it makes the first move about who made the mistake, leaves her to hear about her own error from a manager, and does nothing faster for the applicant. That makes it worse than emailing the applicant, which is irregular but stops the spending, and worse than waiting for Monday, which is slow but aimed at the decision rather than at a colleague. The principle: bad news goes to whoever can act on it, with the person who caused it rather than around them.
Question 3 of 10
You are a case officer at Redhill Directorate. Your team leader asked you on Monday to spend today clearing a backlog of thirty routine renewals. Yesterday you promised an applicant that you would call her back today with a decision on her case, which has already been deferred twice and is holding up her college place. The renewals have no external deadline. Your team leader is contactable by message and answers quickly. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: B. Message your team leader saying you will make the call first and then start the renewals, because the applicant has been deferred twice and a college place is waiting on it.
Least effective: A. Assume the applicant will ring again if it matters, and spend the day on the renewals as your team leader asked.
A: Assumes the problem will chase itself: she was promised a call, her case has been deferred twice and a college place depends on it, and none of that is likely to survive her having to ring again.
C: Solves the clash and hides it: the call is made and your team leader ends the day believing thirty renewals were cleared, so the next instruction is built on a false picture.
D: Ranks the instruction above the commitment without asking: the renewals have no external deadline and the applicant has, and a message answered quickly would have settled which came first.
The most effective response is to message your team leader saying you will make the call first and then start the renewals: one claim on your day has an external consequence and the other has none, the applicant was promised a call, and a message tells the person who set your day what you are doing while she can still say otherwise. It beats calling the applicant and saying nothing about how much of the backlog is left, because your team leader ends the day with a false picture. It beats doing the thirty renewals and calling the applicant tomorrow, because the renewals have no deadline and she does. The least effective response is assuming the applicant will ring again if it matters: a promise made yesterday to somebody deferred twice, with a college place waiting, is left to be rescued by her ringing back. That makes it worse than the silent call, which keeps the promise, and worse than the delayed call, which at least makes it the next day. The principle: when an instruction collides with a promise you made, put the clash in front of whoever set the instruction rather than assuming one of them away.
Question 4 of 10
You are a contracts assistant at Calder Group. A supplier invoice can only be closed once a goods-received note confirms delivery. A twelve thousand pound invoice from a cleaning contractor is due for payment today and the site has not returned the note, though the site manager says on the phone that the work was done. Month end is tomorrow and your team is measured on invoices closed. Your supervisor is in meetings until 3pm. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: C. Ask the site manager to send the goods-received note by email this afternoon, and tell your supervisor at 3pm that one invoice may miss month end if it does not arrive.
Least effective: D. Close the invoice today on the strength of the phone call, and add the goods-received note to the file whenever the site gets round to returning it.
A: Withholds information somebody needs: your supervisor is measured on the same month end and can only act on a late invoice if they know about it before tomorrow.
B: Passes the decision upward without owning it: whether a control can be waived is not a question your supervisor can answer any better than you, and the note is the thing that actually needs chasing.
D: Breaches a stated control: the goods-received note exists so that somebody has confirmed in writing that twelve thousand pounds of work happened, and a phone call from the person who ordered it is not that confirmation.
The most effective response is to ask the site manager to send the goods- received note by email this afternoon, and tell your supervisor at 3pm that one invoice may miss month end: the note is the only thing missing, the person who can produce it is on the phone, and the warning means the risk is known before month end arrives. It beats holding the invoice unpaid until the note arrives without raising it, because that leaves your supervisor to discover a late invoice tomorrow. It beats emailing for the note and copying your supervisor to await a decision, because the note needs chasing rather than a ruling on whether to skip it. The least effective response is closing the invoice on the strength of the phone call: it removes the written confirmation the control exists to produce, and the file then says a check was made that was not. That makes it worse than holding it, which keeps the control and costs only a delay, and worse than the email, which is slow but leaves the invoice open. The principle: a control is not satisfied by somebody’s word that it would have been satisfied, and a deadline is a reason to chase the evidence rather than to record it as present.
Question 5 of 10
You are a programme support officer at Brantwood Services. Every project closure needs a lessons-learned session recorded on the closure form before the project can be signed off. A project is being closed on Friday and the session has not happened; the team has dispersed and two members have left. Your programme manager wants the form completed today. Nothing stops you filling in the box, and nobody checks whether the session happened. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: C. Tell your programme manager the session has not happened, and propose a thirty-minute call this week with the three people still here, because the form is the only record.
Least effective: D. Complete the lessons-learned box today from the project's own progress reports, and record the session as completed so the closure can be signed off on Friday.
A: Leaves a gap without naming it: an empty box on a closure form is indistinguishable from an oversight, and the signer has to guess whether the session was missed or forgotten.
B: Solves the paperwork and loses the substance: the form can be waived, but the three people still here are the last chance anybody has to capture what the project learned.
D: Records a session as completed that never took place: the closure file will say lessons were captured from a meeting nobody attended, and the two people who left took the only account of them.
The most effective response is to tell your programme manager the session has not happened, and propose a thirty-minute call this week with the three people still here: the session is the substance and the form is the record of it, and half an hour produces something real for a Friday sign- off. It beats completing the form with the lessons-learned box left blank, because a blank box tells the signer nothing about whether the session was missed or forgotten. It beats asking her to sign the closure off without the form, because waiving it loses the last chance to capture what the project learned. The least effective response is filling the box from the project’s progress reports and recording the session as completed: a meeting that never happened is written into the closure file, so the organisation’s record is an account nobody gave. That makes it worse than the blank box, which claims nothing, and worse than waiving the form, which does not falsify it. The principle: when a record requires a step that has not happened, do the step or say it is missing, and never write it in.
Question 6 of 10
You are a shared services administrator at Calder Group. New starters cannot be given a building pass until their identity documents have been seen in person. A manager has emailed asking you to issue a pass today for someone starting tomorrow whose documents will not be checked until Friday. The pass system will let you issue one without the check being recorded. There is a temporary escorted-visitor pass that needs no check. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: A. Offer the manager a temporary escorted-visitor pass for tomorrow and Thursday, and tell your supervisor that a full pass has been asked for ahead of the identity check.
Least effective: B. Issue the full building pass today as the manager asks, and add the identity check to the record on Friday once the documents have actually been seen.
B: Breaches a stated control: the check exists so that nobody holds a building pass whose identity has not been seen, and a pass issued today gives two days of access on a check that has not happened.
C: Declines without offering the route that exists: a temporary escorted pass covers exactly this gap, and the manager is sent away to solve a problem you can already solve.
D: Escalates a question that is already answered: the rule is stated and the escorted pass exists, so asking whether the check can be waived spends a day on a decision nobody needs to take.
The most effective response is to offer the manager a temporary escorted- visitor pass for tomorrow and Thursday, and tell your supervisor that a full pass was asked for ahead of the identity check: the new starter needs to get in, the escorted pass covers exactly those two days, and the request is something your supervisor should know about. It beats replying that the full pass cannot be issued until Friday and leaving them to work it out, because that refuses without using the route that already exists. It beats asking your supervisor whether the check can be waived, because the rule is stated and does not need a ruling. The least effective response is issuing the full building pass today and adding the check on Friday: two days of unescorted access go to somebody whose identity has not been seen, which is the single thing the check exists to prevent. That makes it worse than the flat refusal, which keeps the control, and worse than asking upward, which issues nothing. The principle: when a control blocks something urgent, reach for the route the control already provides rather than the switch that turns it off.
Question 7 of 10
You are a programme support officer at Calder Group. A colleague, Dan, chaired a workshop last Thursday that you did not attend. He asks you to write the note of it and to put yourself down as present, because the funder requires two staff at every workshop and only he was there. The funder audits attendance records. Dan says it is a formality, and the programme manager is in the office today. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: A. Tell Dan you will write the note from his account but will not record yourself as present, and suggest the two of you tell the programme manager today.
Least effective: B. Write the note and sign the attendance sheet as one of the two staff present, and treat the requirement as a formality the funder does not really check.
B: Signs an attendance record for a workshop you did not attend: the funder audits exactly this, the two-staff requirement is a condition of the money, and the record would be false in the one respect it is checked for.
C: Refuses and leaves the problem intact: the funder still requires two staff, Dan is still one, and nobody who could decide what to do about it has been told.
D: Removes the evidence rather than the problem: an attendance list is missing from a workshop note, which is the thing an auditor will ask about, and nobody has explained why.
The most effective response is to tell Dan you will write the note from his account but will not record yourself as present, and suggest the two of you tell the programme manager today: the note is fine to write from his account, the attendance record is not yours to falsify, and the unmet two-staff condition is a funding issue she needs. It beats refusing to write the note at all and saying nothing, because that leaves the shortfall and tells nobody. It beats writing the note with no attendance list attached, because a quietly missing list is the thing an auditor asks about first. The least effective response is signing the attendance sheet as one of the two staff present: an attendance record is signed for a workshop you did not attend, in the one respect the funder audits. That makes it worse than refusing, which records nothing untrue, and worse than omitting the list, which asserts nothing. The principle: write what you can honestly write, refuse the part you did not witness, and take the underlying shortfall to whoever owns it.
Question 8 of 10
You are a programme support officer at Ashmere Trust. The system that logs contractor site inductions is down for at least two days. Nobody may work on site without a logged induction. Eleven contractors are due on site tomorrow morning and their inductions are booked. There is a paper form that predates the system, your health and safety lead is contactable today, and the site manager has asked you to sort it out. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: B. Ask the health and safety lead today whether the paper form can stand in for the two days, and get their answer in writing before tomorrow morning.
Least effective: C. Run the inductions tomorrow and log all eleven as completed on the system once it comes back up, dating them for tomorrow morning.
A: Stops the work without testing the alternative: a paper form predating the system exists and nobody has been asked about it, so two days of site work are lost to a question that has not been put.
C: Logs inductions as completed on a date they were not: the record will show eleven system inductions the system was incapable of taking, which is the exact evidence anybody would rely on after an accident.
D: Acts on a workaround nobody has authorised: the paper form may well be acceptable, but a folder of forms that health and safety has not agreed to is not an induction record anybody can stand behind.
The most effective response is to ask the health and safety lead today whether the paper form can stand in for the two days, and get their answer in writing: eleven inductions are due tomorrow, a paper alternative exists, and only they can say whether it satisfies the requirement, with the written answer making the record defensible. It beats telling the site manager the contractors cannot start until the system is back, because the paper form has not been ruled out by anybody. It beats running the inductions on paper and filing the copies without asking anybody, because a folder nobody has authorised is not an induction record. The least effective response is running them and logging all eleven on the system dated for tomorrow morning: the record of who was inducted becomes a reconstruction, which is precisely the document relied on after an accident. That makes it worse than stopping the work, which is costly but true, and worse than the unauthorised folder, which records what actually happened. The principle: when a system failure blocks a control, get the substitute authorised, and never backfill the record as though the control had run.
Question 9 of 10
You are a shared services administrator at Ashmere Trust. Your team processes staff expense claims in the order they arrive, usually within three weeks. Your sister-in-law works in another division and has asked you to push her four-hundred-pound claim through this week because she is short before a holiday. She has offered to buy you a gift at the weekend. You have the access to move claims, and nobody reviews the order. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: D. Tell her you cannot move claims for family, explain the three- week timescale and the hardship route if one exists, and mention the request to your team leader.
Least effective: A. Move her claim to the front of the queue this week and accept the gift she has offered at the weekend, treating it as a favour anybody would do for family.
A: Accepts a benefit for using your access: everybody else in the queue waits longer so that a relative does not, and the weekend gift makes it a transaction rather than a lapse.
B: Grants the favour and keeps the conscience: the queue is still jumped and every other claimant still waits longer, and declining the gift changes nothing for them.
C: Withholds a request your team leader should know about: you hold access that can move a queue nobody reviews, and a family member has just asked you to use it.
The most effective response is to tell her you cannot move claims for family, explain the three-week timescale and the hardship route, and mention the request to your team leader: the answer has to be no, she is short of money and the hardship route is the useful part of the reply, and a relative asking you to use unreviewed access is exactly what a team leader is told about. It beats moving her claim forward while declining the weekend gift, because that still jumps the queue and only declines the payment for it. It beats telling her you would rather not and saying nothing to anybody, because the request itself is what your team leader needs to know. The least effective response is moving her claim to the front and accepting the gift: unreviewed access puts a relative ahead of everybody else and a gift is taken for it, which turns a lapse into a transaction. That makes it worse than the unpaid favour, which takes nothing, and worse than the quiet refusal, which leaves the queue alone. The principle: refuse the favour, offer the route that genuinely helps, and tell somebody that the access was asked for.
Question 10 of 10
You are a supplier liaison officer at Redhill Directorate. A tender for grounds maintenance closes on Friday. Your neighbour, who runs a small landscaping firm, has bid. He asks you over the fence how many other firms have bid and what the scoring weightings are. The number of bidders is confidential until the tender closes; the weightings are published in the tender pack. You have declared no interest to anybody. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?
Most effective: D. Point him to the weightings in the published pack, tell him you cannot say anything about other bidders, and declare the connection to your procurement lead today.
Least effective: A. Tell him how many firms have bid and talk him through the weightings over the fence, and treat it as a neighbourly conversation rather than tender business.
A: Breaches a confidence the tender rules protect: the number of bidders tells a competitor how hard to price, and it is confidential until Friday precisely so that no bidder has it.
B: Answers correctly and records nothing: the published weightings are fair game, but a bidder who is your neighbour has now had a conversation with the officer handling the tender and nobody knows.
C: Protects the information and not the process: the connection itself is what has to be declared, and a tender scored by somebody with an undeclared neighbour is open to challenge whatever was said.
The most effective response is to point him to the weightings in the published pack, tell him you cannot say anything about other bidders, and declare the connection to your procurement lead today: the weightings are public, the bidder count is confidential until Friday, and what actually protects the tender is a declaration that you have a neighbour in it. It beats giving him only the published weightings and mentioning the conversation to nobody, because it happened and nobody has been told. It beats refusing to discuss any of it and ending the conversation, because silence does not cure an undeclared connection. The least effective response is telling him how many firms have bid and talking him through the weightings over the fence: he is handed the figure that tells him how hard to price, which is confidential until Friday for that reason. That makes it worse than the partial answer, which discloses nothing confidential, and worse than the flat refusal, which leaks nothing. The principle: give what is already published, refuse what is not, and declare the connection whichever way the conversation went.
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.
The free test shows you the style. A pack gives you the hour: blended, marked, with the working shown.
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.
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.
