Assessment Centres
Some employers use assessment centres and recruitment assessments to select candidates beyond the application form and interview. They are designed to evaluate how you apply your skills, solve problems, communicate and work with others in situations similar to those you may encounter in the workplace. Assessment centres may take place in person or online and can last anywhere from a few hours to a full day. Assessment centres give employers multiple opportunities to see your skills in action and are often considered a fairer assessment method than an interview alone.
Remember, employers are usually assessing you across a range of activities, so one exercise is unlikely to determine the final outcome.
What Employers Are Looking For
Assessment centres are designed to evaluate a range of skills and competencies, including:
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Problem-solving
- Leadership potential
- Decision-making
- Analytical thinking
- Organisation and time management
- Commercial awareness
- Adaptability and resilience
Employers are not looking for perfection. They want to see how you approach challenges, interact with others and demonstrate your potential.
Remember
You are usually being assessed against the employer's criteria, not against the other candidates. Focus on demonstrating your own skills and making a positive contribution.
Types of Activities
A typical assessment centre may include Introductions, group exercises, case studies, presentations, recruitment tests and interviews. The format varies between employers.
Work with other candidates to solve a problem, discuss a case study or complete a task. Employers are assessing how you communicate, collaborate and contribute to achieving a shared objective.
You may be asked to analyse information, identify key issues and make recommendations. These exercises assess your analytical thinking, judgement and ability to work under pressure.
You may be given a topic in advance or asked to prepare a short presentation on the day. Employers are often assessing your communication skills, confidence and ability to organise information clearly.
These activities simulate a busy workplace and require you to prioritise tasks, respond to emails and make decisions based on available information.
Many assessment centres include a further interview, which may focus on your skills, strengths, motivation and suitability for the role.
Assessment centres often include aptitude, ability or personality tests as part of the overall selection process.
What Are Psychometric Tests?
Psychometric tests are widely used by employers to assess your abilities, behaviours and workplace preferences. They provide employers with additional information about your potential and suitability for a role.
Many graduate employers use psychometric testing as part of their recruitment process, often before an interview or assessment centre.
Aptitude Tests
These measure your ability to process information and solve problems under timed conditions.
Examples include:
- Numerical reasoning
- Verbal reasoning
- Logical reasoning
- Diagrammatic reasoning
- Abstract reasoning
- Data interpretation
Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs)
You are presented with workplace scenarios and asked how you would respond.
These tests assess areas such as:
- Decision making
- Professional judgement
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Customer focus
There may not be one perfect answer. Employers are usually assessing how closely your judgement aligns with their workplace expectations.
Personality Questionnaires
These questionnaires explore your preferred ways of working, interacting and communicating.
There are no right or wrong answers.
Top tip: Answer honestly. Trying to guess the 'correct' response often creates inconsistent results.
Practice Resources
Many employers will share links to practice tests and assessment tools with you in advance, so make sure you use them. You can also use free practice assessments tools and tests on our Profiling for Success platform.
Preparation & Success Tips
- Know your application, the role and the organisation.
- Practise tests and assessment exercises.
- Be professional, positive and authentic.
- Listen, contribute and support others.
- Manage your time and stay focused.
- If one exercise does not go well, move on and focus on the next.
Assessment centres evaluate your skills across multiple activities, not just one task.