Pre-Test Informationbooklet

Executive Officer

in the

Civil Service

Stage 1

Pre-Test InformationBooklet

Part A

This is an important document so please set some time aside to read it in advance of the test session.

©Public Appointments ServicePage 1

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your application for Executive Officer positions in the Civil Service.

The Public Appointments Service (PAS) is the central recruiter for theCivil and Public Service. Through this competition, PAS will establish panels of suitably qualified individuals from which vacancies may be filled

The PAS is committed to the principles of good recruitment practice and these principles involve fair and impartial selection. This selection process has been developed to assess the key skills and attributes necessary to perform in anExecutive Officer role. Candidates will be required to take a number of assessments and tests which are designed to evaluate their potential for this. The process comprises several stages.

The first stage consists of:

(Part A) anAssessment Questionnaire, and

(Part B) Aptitude tests.

You will take these testsonline and in an unsupervised environment, as previously outlinedin the Information Booklet for Candidates.

Thepurpose of this pre-test information material is tohelp you to understand Stage 1 of the selection process and introduce you to the format of the Assessment Questionnaire primarily. Work through this information carefully as it will help you understand what you have to do and what you can expect during Stage 1(Part A) in particular and it will also ensure that you are prepared to perform to the best of your ability.

Those who fully complete and submit their Assessment Questionnaire will receive information on Stage 1 (Part B - Online Aptitude tests) in advance of receiving the link to the aptitude tests.

PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS SERVICE

January 2015

©Public Appointments Service, 2015

The reproduction of any part of this document by any process whatsoever is breaking copyright law.

Overview

To facilitate candidates the initial selection stage will be conducted online. Therefore you will require a PC or laptop to complete the tests.

As indicated earlier, Stage 1 of the selection process is divided into two parts as follows:

(Part A) Assessment Questionnaire, and

(Part B) Aptitude tests

Candidates must reach the required standard in both Part A and Part B. Those who achieve the required standard will be ranked accordingly. Only those who qualify and are placed highest at Stage 1 will be invited to Stage 2. However, the number to be invited forward will be determined by the PAS from time to time, having regard to the likely number of vacancies to be filled.

Qualification at Stage 1 is no guarantee that a candidate will be invited to Stage 2 or subsequent stages.

There will be a set time frameduring which you must take the Assessment Questionnaire. You are strongly advised to complete the Assessment Questionnaireearly in the testing window.

Please note that while candidates complete these assessments online in an unsupervised environment, those who qualify and are placed highest on the order of merit may be required to sit similar assessments in a supervised environment at a later stage in the process. If a candidate’s performance at a supervised test is outside the expected scoring range from their unsupervised test, it will call into question the validity of their unsupervised test scores and they may be excluded from subsequent stages of the selection process.

Please note:

You may take the Assessment Questionnaire in a venue of your choice wherever you have access to a computer and a reliable internet connection;

Please be aware that taking this Questionnaire within a secure IT network e.g. such as your work, a government Department/Office or college network which may have firewalls or other security technology in place, may cause you technical difficulties. In such instances PAS (or any company or service provider operating on behalf of PAS) will not be liable;

As the Assessment Questionnaire will require your full concentration, please ensure that you take the Questionnaire in a quiet environment, where there are no distractions and where you will not be disturbed;
You are advised to take the Questionnaire on a PC or laptop and to use a mouse you are familiar with. Do not attempt to take the Questionnaire on a smart phone, mobile or tablet device;

Close down all other applications except for your browser windows and internet connection, and stop all other activity on your computer e.g. printing could cause the assessment questionnaire to terminate;

Further information on the PC /Laptop requirements to take this Questionnaire is provided at Appendix 1 at the end of this document;
During the period of the tests, email support facilities will be available to deal with any technical issues you may have in relation to the Questionnaire and tests themselves.

Honesty Contract

Integrity and honesty are key values within the Civil Service. As potential employees you are expected to honour these values, both in how you approach this competition and by agreeing to follow the rules and procedures laid down. By taking part in the selection process, you are confirming that you are the person named on the application and you agree to complete the Questionnaire and tests honestly and without assistance. A third party must not personate a candidate at any stage of the process. By accessing or attempting any assessment / test materials you are agreeing to be bound by the terms set out.

Your attention is drawn to the important information set out in Appendix 2 on page 7.

Stage 1

Part A – Assessment Questionnaire

In order to assess your potential suitability for the Executive Officerrole,the Assessment Questionnairecollects information on your skills, interests and preferences and your responses to potential scenarios you may face in the role.

It is essential that you answerall of the questions on this Questionnaire within the dates and time allocated to you.

If you do not complete and submit the Assessment Questionnaire you will be deemed to havewithdrawn from the campaign. You will not be invited to undertake the aptitude tests if you have not completed and pressed the ‘Submit’ button at the end of the Assessment Questionnaire.

As this Questionnaire is about youthere is no need for practice material.

Next Steps

1. You will have received information regarding your allocated testing window for Part A to your publicjobs Messageboard along with this Pre –Test Information Booklet.

2. At the appointed time you will receive the link to your Assessment Questionnaire. This will be delivered to your publicjobs Messageboard.

3. Typically this Questionnaire should take you no longer than 45 minutes to complete however you must complete and submit it within the set time frame(22nd to 12 noon on 29th January).

4. You are strongly advised to complete the Questionnaire in one sitting. Give yourself sufficient time and do not wait until the final hours of the testing deadline to complete the Questionnaire.

5. Once the deadline for your testing window has passed, you will not be able to commence the Questionnaire. No time extensions will be given.

Accessing the Assessment Questionnaire

Once you open the link in your Messageboard you will be taken directly to the languageintroduction page of yourAssessment Questionnaire. You should check that your name appears on the screen. If not,to seek assistance, use the support link on the top right hand corner of the screen. Please ensure that you read carefully the instructions provided on the screens.

Appendix 1

PC/Laptop Minimum Specification Requirements

The following are the minimum requirements to successfully take the tests on a PC or laptop. Most computers will meet these requirements.

Operating system

Windows 2000 or later

Apple Mac: MAC OS X

Your Adobe TM flash player will need to be up to date: adobe flash plug-in v11
To take a test, we recommend a broadband internet connection with a download speed of at least 256kb/s. Users with dial-up connections and broadband connections with a download speed less than 256kb/s may have difficulty rendering some items.
Supported browsers:

Internet explorer versions 7 +

Google chrome 4.0+

Mozilla firefox 3.0+

Safari 3.0+

Opera

Netscape 7.0.2

The tests will work best with the following minimum resolution: 1024 x 768 pixels. A screen resolution lower than this will cause the pages of the test to scroll. The tests will check the screen resolution at the start and a warning is given if the available screen is not big enough.

The test delivery software requires pop-up windows and session cookies are enabled in your browser.

Appendix 2
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Terms and Conditions
Your attention is drawn to this important information. By accessing or attempting any assessment / test materials you are agreeing to be bound by the terms set out below.

All test and assessment materials are subject to copyright and all rights are reserved. No part of the tests/ assessment materials (including any text, questions and/or potential answer options) or associated materials (including practice and/ or familiarisation materials) may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, printing, photographing, recording, written or otherwise, at any stage. To do so is an offence and may result in you being excluded from the selection process. Any person(s) who contravenes this provision, whether an applicant or other, or who assists another person(s) in contravening this provision, is liable to prosecution and/ or civil suit for loss of copyright and intellectual property.
Your attention is drawn the Commission for Public Service Appointment’s Code of Practice for Appointment to Positions in the Civil Service and Public Service. In particular please note Section 5 - Responsibility of Candidates (see below).

Canvassing
Candidates should note that canvassing will disqualify them and will result in their exclusion from the appointments process.
Candidates’ obligations
Candidates in the recruitment process must not:

Knowingly or recklessly provide false information
Canvass any person, with or without inducements
Interfere with or compromise the process in any way.

A third party must not personate a candidate at any stage of the process.
Penalties for failure to comply
Any person who contravenes the above provisions, or who assists another person in contravening the above provisions is guilty of an offence. A person who is found guilty of an offence is liable to a fine and/or imprisonment.
If a person found guilty of such an offence was or is a candidate in a recruitment process, then:

Where he/she has not been appointed to a post, he/she will be disqualified as a candidate
Where he/she has been appointed subsequent to the recruitment process in question, he/she

shall forfeit that appointment.

The admission of a person to the competition, or invitation to undertake any element of the selection process is not to be taken as implying that the Public Appointments Service is satisfied that such a person fulfils the essential requirements.