Assessment days are designed to get a closer look at candidates’ all-round suitability to the role. They involve a variety of different activities that serve highlight certain skills (or lack thereof). If you do end up mucking up one part of the day don’t fear – you can pick up points elsewhere. It’s important to give a good, professional impression throughout the day as your behaviour will be noted down. In particular, employers will focus on your interaction with other candidates. Inevitably the format of assessment days will vary from one firm to another but generally they involve tests, interviews, a case study and a presentation. Often there will be an opportunity to meet current grads, usually over lunch. Some organisations cull candidates – e.g. CMS Cameron McKenna – half way through the day.
Aptitude tests
Companies often pre-screen candidates through verbal reasoning, diagrammatic reasoning and/or numerical reasoning tests. Usually candidates will sit these online with the result used to determine whether or not they get through to the next stage. However, if you are thinking about cheating be warned: A repeat test will usually form the first part of an assessment day. There are many examples of the different types of multiple choice papers online.
Personality tests
These are employed by several of the Big Four accounting firms and the Civil Service Fast Stream. Sat online, candidates are asked to rank characteristics which they identify with. Normally these are quite tedious as they are designed to be lengthy so that you can’t ‘fix’ your answers. Having said that there are some obvious no-nos. For example, it’s not a good idea to ‘disagree’ with a statement like ‘I work well with people’.
Case study
Case studies generally come in two forms: group case studies and written exercises.
In a group case study you will be presented with a brief and then have a certain amount of time to discuss the problem and various solutions. Usually there will be some form of prioritising involved. Employers will be watching to see how you act within a group, handle conflicting priorities (this is particularly the case for the case study at Teach First) and how you present your ideas. Although being overpowering and speaking over others is a definite no-no, be sure that you say something. A top tip is to recognise anyone who is being quiet and ask for their opinion.
Written case studies are often used at law firms and management consultancies. For example, they are used at CMS Cameron McKenna and Monitor Group. Candidates are given documents to look over and then are normally asked to prepare a written document to be assessed. This might be in the form of a letter to a client or a briefing document for a manger. You will be assessed on the clarity of your work, your spelling and your grammar.
Presentation
As the majority of organisations will expect you to work with clients, they may include some sort of presentation in their assessment day. Normally you will present on your own, though whether this is to one person in an interview session, or to a panel of people, varies from company to company. Likewise, whether you are asked to present a pre-prepared topic or a topic given on the day will depend on where you are interviewing. In any presentation it is important to have a good structure. Explain what you are going to talk about, say it and then reiterate what it was you said. It is important to speak clearly, slowly and to stand still. Also, now this may seem obvious, but remember to breathe! Sometimes in stressful situations we don't realise that we're holding our breath, so take your time and relax before speaking.
E-tray exercise
E-tray exercises are used by employers including KPMG and the Civil Service to assess candidates’ responses to certain situations. When sitting an e-tray exercise you will be faced with a virtual inbox containing a number of emails requiring action. You will need to prioritise and respond to each individual email within a certain time frame. Throughout the exercise new emails will appear. The e-tray is designed to challenge your organisational and prioritising skills. Examples can be found online.
