Assessment centres

Assessment centres are used by employers to observe candidates’ performance in a range of activities to assess skills, competencies and characteristics you would use in the workplace. The same core assessment criteria are applied to all activities.

This is seen as more reliable and fair than an interview alone as it gives you the chance to demonstrate your potential in a variety of settings, and you should also be able to find out more about the organisation's culture and job roles.

An invitation to an assessment centre shows you have been successful in the early stages of the recruitment process. Read on to find out more about the situations you are likely to face, how you can prepare for them and where you can find opportunities to practise.

If you need reasonable adjustments for any of the assessment centre activities, make sure you contact the employer to request this in advance. See our page for Disabled Students for more about requesting reasonable adjustments in the recruitment process.

https://youtu.be/BulWeFifKFM

Virtual careers session: Preparing for assessment centres

Assessors observe a small group of candidates and may "score" candidates against a list of skills or attributes they are looking for.

Group discussions

Discussions could be on a topic relevant to the employer, a general current affairs issue or recent news item. They could take the form of a case study (see below). Sometimes one of the group members will be assigned as leader - more usually the group is leaderless.

Group task

The task could be a practical activity (eg building a tower out of straws) or problem solving task based on a workplace scenario; it could involve role play where you are briefed to assume a specific role.

Skills assessed by group exercises

team work
interaction with others
collaboration - working with the group, contributing without trying to dominate
ability to understand and absorb information
ability to identify key points
clarity of thought
communication skills - listening, expressing ideas clearly, persuasion
problem solving / lateral thinking
open-mindedness
originality of ideas
setting goals and priorities

Tips for approaching group exercises

keep contributions short and to the point
avoid interrupting (and don't let others interrupt you)
listen to others' ideas
keep the group focused
consider assigning roles
support other members of the group
clarify what has been achieved/decided so far
keep a note of the time and make sure you keep to time limits
remember you are not competing against the others in the group - the employer may choose to appoint some, all or none of you following the exercise, so make sure you work cooperatively with the group.

See Assessment Day's advice on group exercises.

These exercises are designed to simulate the administrative aspects of the job. You are given a range of material which could include emails, letters, notes and phone messages. Your task is to decide on your priorities for responding to these and deal appropriately with each item. You may need to draft replies and will need to justify your reasoning. Sometimes additional emails and new information may arrive as you are working, and you will need to take these into consideration as you prioritise and respond.

Skills assessed

Reading and assimilating information
Prioritising
Organising
Analysing
Time management
Working under pressure
Written communication

Tips for approaching in-tray exercises

Scan the material quickly to get an overview of the issues
Decide quickly what is the most important
Who is the message from? When was it sent?
What is the timescale?
Do you need to consult? With whom?
What style of language is appropriate for your responses - formal or informal?
What are the implications for the company?
Can anything be delegated or deferred?
Be prepared to explain the rationale behind your approach.

Practice an in-tray exercise on Assessment Day.

Find out more about in-tray exercises on TargetJobs.

The case study exercise is based on a fictional situation, simulating the kind of business problem you are likely to come across in the role you have applied for. You are given a set of documents, such as official reports, figures, letters, newspaper reports, research findings etc and a problem to solve. You will have to give a recommendation for action in the form of a written report and/or a presentation, and can expect questions on your recommendations. Case studies may be an individual exercise or a group activity, and there is unlikely to be one "correct" answer - the assessor will be looking at your approach and how you justify your recommendations.

Skills assessed by case studies

reading and assimilating information
analytical thinking
identifying key issues
commercial awareness
logical thinking/reasoning
creativity
expressing ideas clearly (written/verbal communication)
putting forward a persuasive case.

Tips for approaching a case study

prepare in advance by keeping up with business news and being familiar with the organisation's website
skim read/listen for an overall picture
select important information
break the problem down
make sure you understand the issues (ask for clarification if needed)
prioritise
keep an eye on the time
present your findings clearly, showing that you understood the task, the process you went through and the issues you considered
remain calm and assertive (as far as possible!) in responding to questions from the assessors; explain your reasoning and motivation behind your recommendations.

Preparing for a case study interview

Situational judgement tests (SJTs) are based on based on reading or watching video scenarios, and then answering questions about how you would respond, often ranking responses from most likely to least likely, or most effective to least effective in the given situation. They aim to assess your suitability for the role and how well you will fit with the company culture.

Skills assessed by SJTs

behavioural and cognitive abilities
personality traits
company/sector-related skills and knowledge

Tips for approaching SJTs

make sure you are familiar with the employer, their core values and desired competencies
choose the most appropriate response from those listed
think about what you should do to perform at your best in the given situation
use only the information provided in the scenario and do not make assumptions.

Find out more and practice on Practice aptitude tests and Assessment Day.

These are often given to candidates to do as an online exercise before they are asked for an interview or to an assessment day. You may also do these tests at an assessment centre, sometimes to check for consistency with the results that you obtained in the online test. They are designed to assess a wide spread of abilities and aptitudes. Find out more on the Psychometric tests page.

Presentations

You may be asked to prepare a short talk and present it in front of other applicants and/or the recruiters. You may be given a topic before the assessment day or when you arrive. It may relate to the case study or other activity you have done, and may also be a team activity. The length of the presentation required will vary. You may be able to use a variety of visual aids, but you need to confirm this with the recruiters.

Skills assessed in presentations

communication
time management
ability to think and deliver under pressure
body language
ability to respond to questions

See the Presentations section on the Interviews page for resources to help you prepare.

Virtual reality

Some graduate recruiters use VR as part of their assessment process, with evidence suggesting responses in VR accurately reflect those in real life. You could be asked to perform tasks in various VR scenarios to assess your strengths and responses in a workplace situation; VR can also help give you an introduction to the company with a tour of the building, and business scenarios. As VR assessment is an immersive experience, you should aim to be yourself, engage with the tasks and respond naturally. Organisations using VR include Lloyds Banking Group, the Met Police, Jaguar, Microsoft and more are likely to include this in their recruitment process in future.

Interviews

Interviews may form part of your day at the assessment centre, or may be a separate stage in the recruitment process. You may have individual interviews or a panel interview where several interviewers will ask questions in turn. For more on how to prepare, see our Interviews page.

Social activities

Do remember that you may be assessed throughout the time you are with the employer – on a company tour or even at lunch or in the bar in the evening! It is also quite common for assessors to ask about candidates’ attitude and behaviour towards staff who are not involved in the assessment centre, such as reception staff.

Read more about the social side of an assessment centre on TargetJobs.

Events

Assessment Centre event - in Semester 1 - meet employers, find out what activities they use in assessment centres and why, with the chance to experience some of the activities
Employer visits and skills sessions - a great chance to find out about organisations' culture and recruitment processes

Check our What's On section to read what's coming up this semester.

Practice resources

Careers and Placements subscribe to Profiling for Success and Assessment Day for a range of personality and practice aptitude tests; access these (log-in required) via the psychometric tests page
Check company websites for information on their assessment days; for example PwC has online modules to help you prepare for their assessment day.