Garda Trainee September 2016

Stage 2- Assessment Centre

Familiarisation Material

This is an important document.

You are advised to set time aside to read it in advance of your test.

Dear Candidate,

Based on your results at Stage 1 of the selection process for Garda Trainee September 2016 you have been invited to participate at Stage 2 which comprises an Assessment Centre.

During the Assessment Centre you will be required to undergo a series of tests and exercises designed to identify competencies required for the role.

You will be required to take the assessmentsin a supervised environment at the Public Appointments Services Offices in Abbey Street, Dublin 1.

You will also attend an orientation presentation by An Garda Síochána about the organisation and the role of a Garda Trainee.

This familiarisation materialwill help you understand what you have to do and what you can expect during the Assessment Centre stage of the selection process. By working with this information, you can ensure that you perform to the best of your ability.

Information on subsequent stages of the selection process will be made available to those candidates who are invited to progress.

Please pay particular attention to the documents listed on Page 8.If you are successful at the Assessment Centre stageyou may be invited to stage 3 and will be required to bring these documents with you on the day of yourinterview.

Thank you,

PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS SERVICE

© Public Appointments Service, 2016

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

Introduction

The purpose of this document is to introduce you to the format of the teststhat you will be sitting as part of the Assessment Centre, Stage 2 of the Garda Trainee selection process. This document contains a description of the tests being used.

The aim of this document is to ensure that you are comfortable with the test format and are aware of how to do your best in the test situation.

In order to qualify at Stage 2, candidates must reach the required standard at their Verbal and Abstract Reasoning re-tests and achieve the minimum qualifying standard on the other tests/exercises. Those who do not qualify in all tests will receive no further consideration in this campaign.

Candidates will be called to Stage 3 on the basis of their Stage 2 order of merit placing. The number to be called forward will be determined from time to time based on the requirements of An GardaSíochána.

What to expect at your Assessment Centre Session

The Assessment Centre will take place in Public Appointments Service, Chapter House,

26- 30 Abbey Street Upper, Dublin 1.

At the Assessment Centre you will join a group of other applicants to take your assessments in a supervised environment. When you come to the Assessment Centre the format of the session will be explained, after which the tests themselves will be introduced. You will sit four separate tests:Verbal Reasoning; Abstract Reasoning; Job Simulation Exercise and a Report Writing Exercise.

During the Assessment Centre, all of the tests, apart from the Report Writing Exercise, will be administered on-line.

You will hand-write your responses to the Report Writing Exercise.

To help you feel comfortable with what you have to do, each test, with the exception of the Report Writing Exercise, will be preceded by some example questions. Following the examples you will have an opportunity to ask questions before starting the actual tests/exercise.

You must not start any of the tests until your administrator tells you to do so. Candidates who begin the test before the START has been announced, and/or while the examples are beingdone, run the risk of being disqualified.

In advance…

Make sure that you know where the venue is and can locate it.

Allow yourself sufficient time to reach the Assessment Centre venue 15 minutes before your session is scheduled to commence.

The Assessment Centre session will last approximately 3 hours. You should be aware of this when making your travel arrangements.Allow yourself sufficient time as you will not be permitted to leave the Assessment Centre during any of the tests/exercises as you may cause a disruption to others.

Dress comfortably and appropriately. Remember that you will be sitting for a long period and during that time you may cool-down or warm-up as the test session progresses.

If you wear glasses or contact lenses remember to wear them or bring them with you.

When you get there

No bags, belongings, mobile phones or other electronicdevices are permitted in the testing suite. Candidates who do not comply with this requirement will not be permitted to enter the test room. Any of the above items found will be removed and may result in the candidate being disqualified from the campaign.

The Public Appointments Service will provide a room in which items such as those listed may be stored. This room will be locked however, the Public Appointments Service accepts no responsibility for the security or safety of these items.

To prevent disturbance to other candidates in attendance, the use of devises with audible alarms e.g. watches, stopwatches, etc., is not permitted in the test venue. However, during each test/exercise you will have access to a timer which will inform you of how much time you have remaining to complete the test/ exercise.

Requests for a change to a candidate’s allocated Assessment Centre session will only be considered in exceptional circumstances.

During the Assessment Centre /test session.

You will be provided with the materials you will need to take the tests e.g. pens, rough work paper, etc.

Each test/exercise will be preceded by a set of brief instructions. Listen carefully to the instructions. You will have an opportunity to ask questions before the actual tests commence.

Test day Checklist

Before you arrive at your test centre, please ensure that you have the following items with you:

  1. A print out or copy of your invitation to attend the Assessment Centre.
  2. Photo Id.
  3. Passport photo (please write your Candidate ID and sign it on the back)

Assessment Centre Tests

  1. Supervised re-tests (of previously taken Verbal Comprehension and Abstract Reasoning tests)

All candidates invited to the Assessment Centre will be re-tested on the Verbal ReasoningTest (12 minutes) and Abstract Reasoning Test (5 minutes). These tests will be conducted on-line in PAS’s computer test-suite.These tests will be of similar nature to the tests you took online at Stage 1 of the selection process.

Note: If your performance on these supervised re-tests is outside the expected scoring range of your unsupervised test result, you may be excluded from subsequent stages of theselection process.

2. Job Simulation Exercise

In this exercise you are presented with a number of scenarios similar to those you might encounter when working as a member of An Garda Síochána. On the day you will have 15 minutes for the 8 scenarios, with 4 possible actions for each scenario.The exercise does not require knowledge of An Garda Síochána regulations and/or procedures.

For each scenario you are presented with a number of possible actions. You should rate each action in terms of how good or bad you think it is. There may be scenarios where you feel all the suggested actions are good ones, or scenarios where you feel all the suggested actions are unacceptable and you would like to do something different. However, please rate each action presented using the scale provided and based on the information in the scenario only.

EXAMPLE

You are on duty alone in a housing complex which has a reputation as a trouble spot. While you are on patrol, a youth who is one of a group throws an empty mineral can which hits you on the head. You are not physically injured, but are annoyed. The group jeers at you in a threatening way.
Rating
(1-5)
  1. Choose not to respond to this incident as you are not injured by the can and continue on your beat.

B. Notify the station by radio that a situation is developing and then
approach the group to apprehend the can-thrower.
C. Approach the group and warn them that they will be arrested if they
continue being abusive.
D. Approach the youths and calm the situation down by asking them to
move on. Decide to deal with the issue of the can-throwing later on,
when the situation has calmed down.
Response Rating Scale / Definition
1. Excellent / meets all of the needs of the situation very well
2. Good / meets the needs of the situation well
3. Adequate / is acceptable but may have some shortcomings or omissions
4.Weak / falls below the acceptable level
5. Bad / is incompetent and falls far below the acceptable level

You should consider each action in isolation. For example in the scenario above, if faced with the actual situation in reality, you might first do (D) i.e. Approach the youths and calm the situation down by asking them to move on……and then, if this did not resolve the situation you would do(C)i.e... Warn them that they will be arrested if they continue being abusive……Therefore you might see the two options combined as being “1. Excellent”. However, you should rate each action as if it were the only one available.

  1. Report Writing Exercise (30 minutes to write-up your report)

As part of a Garda’s duties s/he is required to write descriptions of incidents which s/he encounters. Such incidents may include a traffic accident, attending the scene of a robbery etc. These descriptions are very important as they are submitted to the Garda’s supervisor and are frequently used in court cases. Therefore it is important that these descriptions accurately reflect the information obtained.

Before you begin to write your report you will first watch a video which will be shown on a large screen in the test-suite. There will be lots of information communicated on the video and your role is to write a report based on what you have seen and heard. You may take notes during the video which you can then use when writing your report.

During this exercise you are to assume that you are a Garda arriving with a colleague at a scene where an incident has taken place. The camera is your eyes and ears, and the people on screen will speak to you as if you are a Garda.

After you have viewed the scene, you will be given exactly 30 minutes to complete a reportsummarising the incident. This provides a measure of your ability to produce a concise and accurate description of a situation.

In this exercise you will be assessed on the following:

a) Accuracy;

b) Structure & layout;

c) Content;

d) Literacy / spelling /language/ punctuation.

You must reach the required standard on each of these elements in order to qualify at this exercise. Marks will be deducted for errors and omissions.

Here are some suggestions that might help you prepare for the Report Writing Exercise

a)In terms of ‘Accuracy’, it is important that the information you put in your report is correct. The facts you hear should be communicated as facts; do not include information based on your own assumptions.

b)In the area of ‘Structure’, it is important that the report is structured in a logical way. The information in your report should be clear and well laid out. You mustcomplete your report in the time allowed.

c)In terms of content, it is important that in your report you identify the key information that was presented.

d)The final area is ‘Literacy’. The report should be written in reasonably formal English; it is not acceptable to use slang or “text speak” in this report. The grammar used in the report should be correct, e.g. the tenses used should be consistent. It is important that the report is written fluently, i.e. that it is easy to read and flows well. Very close attention should be paid to spelling. However, marks will not be deducted where a reasonable attempt has been made to spell names and places correctly.

e)Some common errors observed in written exercises of this type include:

  • Mistakes in the use of words and their spelling, e.g….

their, they’re, there…

were, where

to, too, two;

thought, taught

  • Mistakes in the tenses used, e.g.

‘’he done it ’’ rather than ‘’he did it’’.

  • Mistakes in the use of singular/ plural – “the cars was” rather than “the cars were” etc.
  • Spelling errors in common words such as witness, incident, occurred, statement, scene, etc.

On the day, you may ask questions or clarify issues about what you have to do before the exercise begins.

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.

  1. 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.
  1. Your attention is drawn the Commission for Public Service Appointment’s Code of Practice for Appointment to Positions where the Garda Commissioner has Statutory Responsibilities. 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.
  1. 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 or the Garda Commissioner is satisfied that such a person fulfils the essential requirements.
  1. The Public Appointments Services (PAS) uses fair and objective tools in the selection process to measure the skills and abilities required for the role. It is critical for PAS to be fair to all candidates. PAS is aware that from time to time candidates can face difficult circumstances that might impact on their ability to perform effectively in the selection process.

It is important to be aware that candidates must let the PAS know of any extenuating circumstances prior to taking the tests or during the testing session, and any documentary evidence must be supplied within 5 working days. Please note that submission of such document(s) is not a guarantee that the circumstances outlined will alter the decision/outcome. A candidate who takes the tests and who subsequently claims extenuating circumstances will not be considered.

Examples of possible extenuating circumstances include illness, injury, hospitalisation or bereavement.

Candidates have a responsibility to ensure that they are able to perform to the best of their ability. Therefore issues such as tiredness, nerves due to the nature of the tests, having to travel to tests or expectations that the candidate would perform better than they did, are not considered as extenuating circumstances.

Appendix 1

Conditions for Entry - Eligibility

Entry to An Garda Síochána is governed by the Garda Síochána (Admissions & Appointments) Regulations, 2013 (click

An overview of the eligibility criteria is outlined below, however, please refer to the Regulations for detailed requirements.

To be eligible for selection as a Trainee, an applicant must:

(i)Be of good character.

(ii)Be certified by a Registered Medical Practitioner (nominated by the Commissioner after consultation with the Minister) to be of good health, of sound constitution and fitted physically and mentally to perform the duties of a member of the Service.

(iii)Have passed a Physical Competence Test

(iv)Be 18 years of age but not yet 35 years of age on midnight of the 29th September 2016, therefore you must have been born between 28th September 1981 and 29th September 1998.

(v)(a) Be a national of a European Union Member State, or

(b) Be a national of a European Economic Area State or the Swiss Confederation; or

(c) Be a Refugee under the Refugee Act, 1996; or

(d) Have had a period of one year’s continuous residence in the State on the closing date of the advertisement for the competition for the vacancy to which the admission relates, and during the eight years immediately preceding that period, has had a total residence in the State amounting to four years;

(e) Has been granted subsidiary protection, or is a family member of such a person, in compliance with the Admissions and Appointments Regulations 2013.