Civil Service Work Strengths Test: Examples, Tips & Practice

Read the statement carefully and choose the most appropriate answer for you. You can mark only one answer.

I rarely make hasty decisions

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In this question the measured trait is Deliberation.

The trait of deliberation reflects the ability to consider different options and courses of action before carefully deciding on the most effective way to go. The ability to exercise judgment is related to caution, thoroughness, and ability to examine various aspects of the problem.

Low scores may indicate impulsivity, impatience and inattentive decision-making. However, sometimes it is needed to make quicker and more intuitive decisions. In such situations, a significantly higher tendency to consider every detail can be a double-edged sword. Most jobs require average to high scores in this trait.

Read the statement carefully and choose the most appropriate answer for you. You can mark only one answer.

I'm known for my sound judgement

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In this question the measured trait is Competence.

This trait reflects an inner experience of confidence in abilities, in a way that allows for adequate coping with challenges and difficulties. Low scores indicate a low sense of competence compared to actual abilities, which can lead to misjudgment of tasks as more difficult than they actually are and avoidance. At work, the employee's sense of security and ability are of great importance, so that they can be trusted to do their job and cope well with challenges and difficulties. Therefore, it is advisable to get high scores in this feature.

You are the manager of a team in a public service agency. One of your team members, who has been consistently reliable and productive in the past, has started to miss deadlines and produce subpar work. When you try to discuss this with them, they become defensive and uncooperative. Meanwhile, other team members have started complaining about the decline in the quality of work from the team member in question.

Rate the responses according to their effectiveness on a scale of ‘effective’ to ‘counterproductive’

1.   Criticize the team member in front of the rest of the team or resort to disciplinary action.

2.   Involve a human resources representative or a senior manager in the conversation with the team member to provide additional support and guidance.

3.   Schedule a private meeting with the team member and express your concerns compassionately yet firmly.

4.   Ignore the problem and hope that it resolves itself.

You work at a government agency that provides social services to citizens. One day, a client comes to your office and expresses frustration and anger about the agency's long wait times and slow response in processing their request for financial assistance. The client starts yelling and banging on your desk, demanding immediate action.

Rate the responses according to their effectiveness on a scale of ‘effective’ to ‘counterproductive’

1.   You ignore the client's outburst and continue working on your computer, hoping the client will calm down on their own. As the client's behaviour is unacceptable and unprofessional, you don’t need to engage with them.

2.   You remain calm and acknowledge the client's frustration. You apologize for any inconvenience caused and ask the client to explain the issue in detail. You assure them that you will do everything in your power to expedite the request and inform the client of the following steps and the estimated time frame for resolution.

3.   You offer to escalate the issue to a higher authority. You assure the client that the agency takes their concerns seriously and will work to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

4.   You calm the client by changing the subject and discussing unrelated topics, such as the weather, sports, or personal life.

Your team is working on a project that requires input from a team member who is out of the office on vacation.

Which of the following actions would you be most likely to take?

1.   Delay the project until the team member returns from vacation. 

2.   Schedule a meeting with the team member to discuss the project upon their return from vacation.

3.   Contact the absent team member to check if they can access their email or phone and provide input remotely.

4.   Delegate the absent team member's work to another team member without consulting them.

A team member has missed a deadline for an important project.

Which of the following actions would you be most likely to take?

1.   Confront the team member and express frustration or anger over the missed deadline.

2.   Reach out to the team member to find out if they are experiencing any issues or need support to help them meet the deadline.

3.   Ignore the missed deadline and hope that the team member will catch up on their own.

4.   Adjust the project timeline and communicate the new deadline to the team member and other stakeholders.

Know the job
Before taking the test, read the job’s description and make sure you know what qualities and traits are required in this position. This will help you to choose the best answers that will make your strengths shine.

Read the scenarios carefully
Pay attention to all the details in the scenarios. Some of the optional responses may seem right at first, but if you look deeper, you will realize that they do not match the scenario. If you are not sure, read it again!

No hurry
As there is no time limit for the test, you don’t need to rush, and you have enough time to think through your responses and to make sure you choose to best action for the scenario.