Assessment Days

There tends to be two ways in which you will enter any company - an interview (or set of interviews) or an assessment day.

An assessment day or assessment center tends to be an intense one or two day exercise which will test a candidates abilities in every area of the role they are applying for. An assessment day gives prospective employers a better feel for a candidates personality and aptitude than a single interview would.

What is being assessed?

Assessment Centers tend to target several things:

  • A candidates individual ability in a specific area of expertise.
  • A candidates ability to work with a group of people or team.
  • How a candidate behaves in a work and social environment.

These are all covered at an interview, but instead of relying on a candidates answers the day gives prospective employees chance to demonstrate the skills they have.

How are assessment days structured?

There is no set formula for assessment days - each is designed by the company or organization hosting it. There are however typical components to every day, including:

  • An individual interview, with one or more interviewers.
  • Group exercises to test teamwork and communication.
  • Social elements, such as an informal lunch or break.
  • Psychometric tests and aptitude tests.
  • Role plays or Presentation Exercises.

You are also likely to recieve a structured introduction to the company or organisation that you are applying to, and more information on the role you will be carrying out if successful.

Typical Diary of an Assessment Day

Here is a typical blow by blow account of an assessment day:

9:00 - Arrive at Assessment Center location

9:30 - Start of Day, introduction to the process by Human Resource.

10:00 - Group Discussion Exercises

10:20 - Role Play and Group Exercises

11:00 - Coffee Break

11:15 - Psychometric Testing

12:15 - Lunch

13:15 - Presentations and introductory talks by Company

14:00 - Individual Interviews and Coffee.

16:00 - Final Session and Feedback

16:30 - End of Day.

It is likely that for an assessment day with many candidates that you will be split into two groups upon arrival, one group will do one half of the day first, the second the other half. This allows more applicants to be processed in the time available. This clear split is shown above, with a concentration on group exercises in the morning and interviews in the afternoon. Another group would reverse this process.

See for more information:

Elements of the Assessment Day

There’s more types of exercise and assessment available than you’d think, here’s an overview of the most common.

Group Discussion or Debate

Aim: To see how a candidate interacts with others, testing interpersonal skills and verbal reasoning.

Structure: Group discussions tend to take place in a small group of four to six people. Topics are presented for discussion by an assessor, these topics tend to be related to current affairs or areas that affect the company/organization.

Examples of topics could be: “Should the army be allowed to recruit in Schools?”, “Should the Police be armed?”, “Should companies declare all of their profits?”.

Tips:

  • Apply common sense. Taking a radical viewpoint is going to get you noticed, but not in a good way.
  • Make a contribution, the exercise is about showing that you can communicate and that you can interact as part of a group.
  • Show balanced judgment, and listen to what others have to say. Respond to there comments to show you have listened.

Group Exercises

Group Exercises can take a million different forms, they often tend to revolve around a made up task that must be completed. (The task isn’t meant to be solvable, it’s the process the assessors care about!)

Aim: To see how a candidate deals with a problem in a group. To assess team role and leadership ability.

Examples include:

  • You’re stuck on the moon. Your space ship has crashed, and you’ve got to cross 200 miles to get back to the mother ship. Here’s a list of kit you have. What are you going to take, and why.

Tips:

  • Make sure you have an input to the task, don’t sit there in silence.
  • Be confident, but balance it by supporting others.
  • Listen to the ideas of others.
  • Communicate!

Psychometric Testing

Psychometric or Aptitude tests are being increasingly used to test a candidates basic knowledge of areas such as Numeracy, Literacy and Reasoning. For more information see our Psychometric and Aptitude Testing page.

Individual Interview

This is likely to take the same format as a normal interview, but often is much shorter. It gives the assesors chance to ask you any questions on areas that have been highlighted to them as part of the overall assessment day.

If you’re going to be asked technical or skill based questions it’s often at this part of the day.

Assessment Day Tips

  • Remember you are being assessed all of the time. That means the comments you make during your coffee break will be part of the impression you give!
  • Relax and be yourself. It’s important to be on good behavior but don’t try and be someone you’re not. It’ll show, especially on a multi-day event.
  • Communicate - everyone is in the same boat, start conversations and talk to the other candidates. It’s not a cut-throat competition. Everyone will benefit from it! (Including your assessment mark…)
  • If you don’t understand what’s going on, or you don’t know where to be - ask. Assessors will care less about giving you direction/instruction than you missing a section of the assessment.
  • Assessors don’t bite - communicate with them as well as the other candidates there!

More Information

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