Eldar Author

Eldar,  Civil Service Exam Specialist at JobTestPrep.

Have a question? Contact me at: ask_the_team@jobtestprep.co.uk

 

The Executive Officer Position

The Executive Officer (Dublin) is a trainee management role and positions are now open. This role is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to take his career to the next level. A university degree is not necessary to apply for it

Here are some of the responsibilities and expectations of an executive officer:

  • Make often complex decisions involving unusual situations and cases.
  • Managing on a large scale in terms of staff, resources, and budgets which you must justify within the agency.
  • Research policy, up to date on all legislation, and serving in government departments as either junior manager or operating manager.

The Executive Officer Online Tests

Verbal Reasoning Test

The verbal reasoning test is designed to measure your ability to evaluate an argument logically and to understand written passages.

In this test, you will be required to demonstrate your ability to comprehend passages of text, make inferences and deductions, and assess various arguments.

You will be shown a paragraph and a statement. You must then decide if the statement is true, false, or indeterminably true/false ("cannot say") based on the text.

You must answer 59 questions in 35 minutes. Extensive verbal reasoning practice is included in our Executive Officer PrepPack!

Verbal Reasoning Sample Question

Try answering this question in 30 seconds- that's about the time you'll have for each question during the test.

Hatha yoga is one of the most common styles of yoga practiced in Western countries. It involves physical postures and breathing exercises combined with meditation. A recent study found that practicing just 25 minutes of Hatha yoga per day can boost the brain's executive functions, cognitive abilities linked to goal-directed behaviour, and the ability to control emotional responses, habitual thinking patterns, and actions. According to the research, Hatha yoga focuses the brain's conscious processing power on a limited number of targets, like breathing and posing, and reduces the processing of nonessential information. These two functions might have a positive carryover effect in the near term following the session, so people can focus more easily on what they attend to in everyday life. The study participants completed 25 minutes of Hatha yoga and 25 minutes of quiet reading (a control task). After both activities, the participants were tested in several subjects to measure their brain function. Following the yoga session, participants performed better on executive function exams compared to the reading task.

Adapted from: https://www.sciencedaily.com

Statement: 

Participants performed better on executive function exams than on reading tasks.
A. True
B. False
C. Cannot Say
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

The correct answer is False.

To answer this question correctly, a full understanding of the passage is needed. The passage states: 'The study participants completed 25 minutes of Hatha yoga and 25 minutes of quiet reading (a control task). After both activities, the participants were tested in several subjects to measure their brain function'. It can be concluded that the comparison is between the yoga activity and the reading activity, as the exams, including the executive function exams, came after both. The mention of the quiet reading being 'a control task' proves the point, as a control task, much like a control group, is used to measure by comparison how the other task, in this case, the yoga task, influences the study participants.

The participants performed better on executive function exams after yoga, compared to how they performed on executive function exams after the reading task. The comparison is not between the executive function exams and the reading tasks, and the argument is a misinterpretation of the passage. Therefore, it is False.

 

Numerical Reasoning Test

For the numerical reasoning test, you are asked to answer questions assessing your ability to make correct decisions or inferences from numerical data.

You will be presented with statistical tables containing facts and figures, followed by questions relating to one of the tables on the page. You must choose the correct answer out of five possible choices for each question. 

You must answer 36 questions in 35 minutes during this part of the test. Numerical reasoning test practice is included in our Executive Officer PrepPack.

Numerical Reasoning Sample question

Try answering this question in 1 minute and 10 seconds- this is close to the time limit you will have during the test.

 Observe the following graph and answer the following question:

numerical_reasoning_sample_question_graph
A. 34,100
B. 35,700
C. 37900
D. 40,200
E. 42,700
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

The correct answer is (B) - 35,700

Total revenues in month 4 = (no. of tables sold during month 4 * price per table) + (no. of chairs sold during month 4 * price per chair)

No. of tables sold in month 4: 40%*300 = (40/100)*300 = 0.4*300 = 120
Price per table: £170

No. of chairs sold in month 4: 300-120 = 180
Price per chair: 170/2 = £85

Thus,
Total revenues in month 4 are: (120*170)+(180*85) = £35,700

Situational Judgement Test

This test is meant to ensure you can handle workplace situations that executive officers face during their jobs.

You will be given a series of scenarios, and much rate responses based on how well they handle the situation- 5 (Excellent; meets every need of the situation very well), 4 (Good; meets the needs of the situation well), 3 (Adequate; acceptable, but with some shortcomings/omissions), 2 (Weak; falls below what is acceptable), and 1 (Bad; incompetent and far below what is acceptable).

This section's duration is 30 minutes and is covered by the JobTestPrep EO Preparation.

 

Irish Civil Service Executive Officer Selection Process:

The selection process for Civil Service Officers is managed by the Public Appointments Service (PAS) and is comprised of several stages.

Executive Officer Recruitment Process

After completing an initial application, you must complete the Executive Officer Assessment Questionnaire. After the questionnaire, you will be invited to take an online assessment test comprising of verbal & numerical reasoning and job simulation tests. If you are invited to progress to the next stage, you will participate in an interview, and in more steps down the road.

The Executive Officer Assessment Questionnaire

The Stage 1 online assessment questionnaire is comprised of two psychological tests: a personality test and a situational judgement test (SJT). Both parts together aim to measure the competencies necessary for the Executive Officer role.

  1. In the first part of the assessment, a personality test, you will be asked questions on your traits, preferences and abilities.
  2. In the second part of the questionnaire, you will be asked to rate different responses to various scenarios you may encounter in the workplace, as an executive officer.

 

Executive Officer Interview

An interview can be an intimidating experience, but with good preparation, you will a great chance to pass the interview stage.

A successful candidate must have a number of critical qualities to ensure that they can get the job done, including:

Organization: The candidate must be a super-organized in order to meet deadlines and reach targets. He must also ensure that the necessary resources and manpower are mobilized to reach those objectives.

Clarity: The candidate must be able to present written or verbal presentations clearly, comprehensively, and convincingly. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and the candidate can get the proper resources to get the job done.

Wide Scope: The candidate must be able to deal and make recommendations concerning a wide range of issues ranging from day to day to irregular, emergency, or special scenarios.   

Professionalism: The candidate must maintain a professional posture at all times to both faithfully serve the public and uphold the highest standards of the agency.

Here are some tips on how to do it (taken from the official Irish Civil Service website)

• Learn about the organisation

• Know the skills and qualities needed for the job

• Know your strengths, skills, and qualities

• Prepare your examples and experiences

• Think why does this make you suitable for this job?

• To build confidence, practice what you would say in the interview with a friend or colleague.

FAQs

What does an executive officer do?

Here are some of the responsibilities and expectations of an executive officer:

First, you will be expected to make often complex decisions involving unusual situations and cases. Second, you will be managing on a large scale in terms of staff, resources, and budgets which you must justify within the agency.

Lastly, you  must be at the forefront of research policy, up to date on all legislation, and serving in government departments as either or junior manager or managing operation.

What is an executive officer salary?

The starting salary for the position is €30,278.

What are the Executive Officer hiring process's stages?

These may include some of the following:

  • An online assessment Questionnaire
  • Assessment tests including job simulation test
  • An online video interview
  • Language tests 
  • Interview(s)
Where are you likely to be working as an Irish Executive Officer?

There are 26 countries that an Irish executive officer can work in.

You may choose two of them according to your preference.

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