If you get accepted to the Civil Service Fast Stream programme, apart from being able to impact on daily life in the UK, you will have the chance to gain experience with one of the top five Times Top 100 Graduate Employers. The Graduate Scheme is open to people of all disciplines, but the Civil Service also offers five more specific Fast Stream programmes – Analytical, HR, Technology in Business, European and Northern Ireland. The Civil Service also offers a summer internship programme. The recruitment process is fairly similar for all programmes; the Analytical Fast Stream differs slightly.
Civil Service Online Tests
After registering and selecting a Fast Stream Scheme you will need to take the Civil Service Online tests. The Civil Service gives you a week to practice the kind of tests you will receive as well as providing you with practice material. They highly recommend that you use this time to practice. You will then be given another week in which to complete three tests – Civil Service Verbal Reasoning, Civil Service Numerical Reasoning and a Civil Service Competency Questionnaire. Some specific roles (e.g. Tax Professional Development) will require you to take a
Logical/ Inductive Reasoning Test.
JobTestPrep has thousands of online questions to help you prepare for all these tests and lets you practice at your own pace. You will receive score report feedback and detailed step-by-step explanations. Try a
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If you pass your aptitude tests, you will be asked to fill out an online application form.
Civil Service E-tray Exercise
At this stage you will be requested to
verify your online tests – i.e. sit a shorter version of the aptitude tests you have already taken in supervised conditions. Make sure you brush up on your
numerical and verbal reasoning skills.
You will then be asked to take an
e-Tray exercise. In this exercise you will be given a load of e-mails, tasks and data and will be asked to organise and prioritise your tasks in the same way you would in the role you have applied for.
(At this point if you are applying for Economist, Operational Researcher, Social Researcher or Statistician positions you will attend a half-day specialist assessment event).
Civil Service Fast Stream Assessment Centre
The Civil Service
Assessment Centre takes place in London. Across all activities the Civil Service looks for particular competencies – a drive for results, decision-making abilities, constructive thinking, the ability to build productive relationships, and communication skills. Though the order of activities differs from group to group, these are the activities that you can expect to participate in:
A briefing exercise – you will be given a fictional problem and will be asked to present a solution. You will be asked unexpected questions about your topic at the end of your
presentation.
Group exercise – you will be asked to represent the Civil Service on a particular issue, you will make a 10 minute
group presentation after preparation time.
Interview – this is a one-to-one
competency based interview and should last about 40 minutes. You are advised to think of examples beforehand of how you have demonstrated the competencies the Civil Service looks for, in particular your ability to build productive relationships and your ability to learn and develop.
Written exercise – this is the second part of the e-tray exercise that you will have already have sat at the previous stage of your assessment.