case study exercise assessment centre examples

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Chapter 6: Case Study Exercises

A resource guide to help you master case study exercises

Page contents:

What is a case study exercise, how to answer a case study exercise, what skills does a case-study exercise assess, what questions will be asked in a case study exercise, case study exercise tips to succeed, key takeaways.

Case-study exercises are a very popular part of an assessment centre. But don't worry, with a bit of preparation and understanding, you can ace this part of the assessment.

Case study exercises are a popular tool used by employers to evaluate candidates' problem-solving skills, analytical thinking, and decision-making abilities. These exercises can be in the form of a written report, a presentation, or a group discussion, and typically involve a hypothetical business problem that requires a solution.

The case study presents the candidate with a series of fictional documents such as company reports, a consultant’s report, results from new product research etc. (i.e. similar to the in-tray exercise except these documents will be longer). You will then be asked to make business decisions based on the information. This can be done as an individual exercise, or more likely done in a group discussion so that assessors can also score your teamworking ability.

Before you start the exercise, it's important to carefully read and understand the instructions. Make sure you know what you're being asked to do, what resources you have available to you, and how your performance will be assessed. If you're unsure about anything, don't be afraid to ask for clarification.

Once you've read the case study, it's time to start analysing the problem. This involves breaking down the problem into its component parts, identifying the key issues, and considering different options for addressing them. It's important to approach the problem from different angles and to consider the implications of each possible solution.

During the exercise, you'll need to demonstrate your ability to work well under pressure, to think on your feet, and to communicate your ideas effectively. Make sure to use clear and concise language, and to back up your arguments with evidence and examples.

If you're working on a group case study exercise, it's important to listen to the ideas of others and to contribute your own ideas in a constructive and respectful way. Remember that the assessors are not only evaluating your individual performance but also how well you work as part of a team.

When it comes to presenting your solution, make sure to structure your presentation in a clear and logical way. Start with an introduction that sets out the problem and your approach, then move onto your analysis and recommendations, and finish with a conclusion that summarizes your key points. Make sure to keep to time and to engage your audience with your presentation.

A case study exercise is designed to assess several core competencies that are critical for success in the role you are applying for. There will be many common competencies that will be valuable across most roles in the professional world, these competencies typically include:

Problem-Solving Skills: The ability to identify and analyse problems, and to develop and implement effective solutions.
Analytical Thinking: The capacity to break down complex information into smaller parts, evaluate it systematically, and draw meaningful conclusions.
Decision-Making Abilities: The ability to make well-informed and timely decisions, considering all relevant information and potential outcomes.
Communication Skills: The capacity to convey ideas clearly and concisely, and to listen actively to others.
Teamwork Skills: The ability to collaborate effectively with others, and to work towards a shared goal.
Time Management: The capacity to prioritise tasks and to manage time effectively, while maintaining quality and meeting deadlines.

By assessing these competencies, employers can gain valuable insights into how candidates approach problems, how they think critically, and how they work with others to achieve goals. Ultimately, the aim is to identify candidates who can add value to the organisation, and who have the potential to become successful and productive members of the team.

Different companies will prioritise certain competencies; the original job description is a great place to look for finding out what competencies the employer desires and so will likely be scoring you against during the assessment centre activities.

The type of questions that may be asked can vary, but here are some examples of the most common types:

Analytical Questions: These questions require the candidate to analyse a set of data or information and draw conclusions based on their findings. For example: "You have been given a dataset on customer behaviour. What insights can you draw from the data to improve sales performance?"
Decision-Making Questions: These questions ask the candidate to make a decision based on a given scenario. For example: "You are the CEO of a company that is considering a merger. What factors would you consider when making the decision to proceed with the merger?"
Group Discussion Questions: In a group case study exercise, candidates may be asked to work together to analyse a problem and present their findings to the assessors. For example: "As a team, analyse the strengths and weaknesses of our company's current marketing strategy and recommend improvements."

The questions are designed to test the candidate's problem-solving, analytical thinking, decision-making, and communication skills. It's important to carefully read and understand the questions, and to provide well-reasoned and evidence-based responses.

It has been known for employers to use real live projects for the case study exercise with sensitive information swapped for fictional examples.

Information from the case study exercise lends itself to be used as scene-setting for other exercises at the assessment centre. It is common to have the same fictional setting running through the assessment centre, to save time on having to describe a new scenario for each task. You will be told in each exercise if you are expected to remember the information from a previous exercise, but this is rarely the case. Usually the only information common to multiple exercises is the fictional scenario; all data to be used in each exercise will be part of that exercise.

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Here are some key tips to help you prepare for and successfully pass a case study exercise at an assessment centre:

Understand the Brief: Carefully read and analyse the case study brief, making sure you understand the problem or scenario being presented, and the information and data provided. Take notes and identify key issues and opportunities.
Plan Your Approach: Take some time to plan your approach to the case study exercise. Consider the key challenges and opportunities, and identify potential solutions and recommendations. This will help you structure your thoughts and prioritise your ideas.
Use Evidence: Use evidence from the case study, as well as your own research and knowledge, to support your ideas and recommendations. This will demonstrate your analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Stay Focused: During the exercise, stay focused on the task at hand and avoid getting sidetracked by irrelevant information or details. Keep the objective of the exercise in mind, and stay on track with your analysis and recommendations.
Collaborate Effectively: If the case study exercise involves group work, make sure to communicate clearly and effectively with your team members. Listen actively to their ideas, and contribute constructively to the discussion.
Be Confident: Have confidence in your ideas and recommendations, and be prepared to defend your positions if challenged. Speak clearly and confidently, and use evidence and data to support your arguments.

Here is the summary of what case-study exercises are and how to pass them:

A case study exercise is a type of assessment where candidates are presented with a hypothetical business scenario and asked to provide solutions or recommendations.
These exercises assess a range of competencies such as problem-solving, analytical thinking, decision-making, communication, teamwork, and time management.
To pass a case study exercise, it's important to carefully read and understand the brief, plan your approach, use evidence to support your ideas, stay focused, collaborate effectively, be confident, and manage your time effectively.

Fully understanding the format of the exercise, taking practice case-study exercises and following our tips outlined above will drastically improve the chances of you standing out as a star candidate at the assessment centre.

Assessment centre activities and examples

Are you an assessor looking for assessment centre activities to run? If so, we can help .

Our experiential learning materials are used in assessment centres all over the world , by heavyweight names like KPMG, Gatwick Airport, and EasyJet.

As an assessor, this post will guide you through the whole process and prepare you to lead a selection of effective activities.

Or if you’ll be attending an assessment centre, this post will give you an idea of the logic underpinning the activities you’re about to encounter.

Here’s what we’ll cover. Click the links to skip ahead to any section:

Key assessment centre concepts

Benefits of an assessment centre, the role of the assessor, activities for recruitment assessment centres , group assessment centre activities with examples, role-play assessment centre activities with examples, virtual assessment centre activities with examples, in-tray assessment centre activities with examples.

We’ll start by introducing some key concepts in case you’re not familiar. To skip this and go straight to the activities, click here.

Assessment centre

A methodology used to identify the candidate(s) best suited to a role or position.

Despite the name, an assessment centre isn’t a specific physical place. It’s a set of exercises to assist with personnel selection, designed to simulate the job and give participants an opportunity to demonstrate the skills required to succeed.

A person tasked with carrying out assessment centre activities, often with formal training to ensure objectivity.

Candidate / participant

A person being assessed for their suitability for a role via completion of the assessment centre.

A type of assessment centre activity in which candidates are given question-based prompts to determine the suitability of their experience and attitude.

Group exercises

A type of assessment centre activity which multiple candidates work together to complete, possibly while playing assigned roles.

Presentation exercises

A type of assessment centre activity in which individuals give a presentation on areas requested by the assessor.

In-tray exercises

A type of assessment centre activity which simulates a workflow that a successful candidate will encounter on the job, to assess their ability to perform tasks, manage time, and delegate responsibility.

Our kit for assessment centres , containing eight activities designed especially to let candidates showcase their qualities while assessors observe a whole range of skills, attitudes, approaches and behaviours that might be missed in interviews.

Assessment centres are popular for a handful of reasons:

They save time and allow more effective use of resource by letting you assess multiple applicants at once
They reveal applicant traits that may not be obvious in a traditional interview context, for example leadership and interpersonal skills
They offer a more robust demonstration of participants’ soft skills than might be available through other methods
They are versatile and flexible, giving assessors the opportunity to assess a wide range of competencies
They leave an audit trail which can be used to demonstrate that fair hiring processes were followed

An assessor’s role is to observe participant behaviour, assess their performance, and carry out objective judgements based on predetermined criteria.

Assessors will understand that objectivity is hard to achieve. We are all prone to bias, and special frameworks or models of evaluation are often employed to ensure that assessment on a good-bad scale is consistent for different participants and by different assessors.

The ORCE Model is a popular assessment framework. By taking care to o bserve and r ecord behaviour during the assessment, assessors have a more solid baseline to work from when c lassifying and e valuating it afterwards.

There is plenty written about such frameworks – in academic contexts and beyond – so beyond mentioning their relevance, this blog post won’t go into any more detail.

(Note that effective assessment centre activities will be designed in such a way that the opportunity for such bias is reduced , but it is not possible to remove it completely.)

Assessors are also tasked with documenting the assessment process to create a record that can be referred back to at a future date, and which can demonstrate in a legal context that the recruitment process was carried out fairly and in accordance with relevant legislation.

What makes a good assessor?

Broadly speaking, an effective assessor will possess the following traits:

An ability to make accurate observations both of behaviours and their impact
An ability to remain objective while observing
An ability to accurately document your observations
An ability to assess observations with regard to the relevant criteria

These traits are relevant in all assessment centre contexts. Depending on the type of assessment centre you work in, you may need to develop one or more context-specific skills.

If you’ve been tasked with designing or running an assessment centre, you may be on the lookout for suitable activities. This section includes a few recommendations to get you started, along with information about their strengths and relevance.

The activities in this section flow nicely into each other and would work well for an assessment centre, if you’re in a hurry.

Icebreakers are best unobserved and unassessed, as it reduces the pressure on participants and lets them acclimatise to the day.

One popular example of an icebreaker is to split into pairs or threes, give each participant a few secret things to find out about their teammates, and then invite them to share with the group at the end.

Skills assessed : the ability to listen, communication skills, presentation skills

Marshmallow challenge

To warm people up after the icebreaker, go for something fun and lowkey. One popular example is the marshmallow challenge, in which participants must build a tower as tall as possible using only marshmallows and dried spaghetti.

If you do run this activity, check out our blog post outlining how to do it properly : i.e., in a way that will actually give you something to assess. The marshmallow challenge is one of many activities which, done incorrectly, can yield little to no useful results.

Skills assessed : listening skills, valuing others’ ideas, leadership, influencing others, innovation, trial and error

Role-based scenario

Lots of assessment centres used role-based scenarios. The logic is that giving participants the opportunity to react to a scenario relevant to the role they’re applying for will prompt them to think about how they’d deal with it, and that discussing performance afterwards will allow other participants to input their ideas.

In practice though, be aware that role-play can be a hindrance to proper assessment. Participants are being asked to imagine how someone else might respond to a situation, rather than showing how they would actually respond: as a result, you may be seeing a performance rather than real behaviour.

Skills assessed : role-specific qualities, communication skills (if discussed), presentation skills

This simple activity can be useful in assessing how well participants perform under pressure. Prepare a selection of topics, then ask participants to give a 2-minute talk about their topic. Make sure to give all participants the same amount of time to prepare ahead of their talk, to ensure they’re held to similar standards.

To increase the predictive validity of this activity – that is, how well it indicates performance in the role – choose a topic that prompts thought and reflection relevant to the role.

Skills assessed : ability to perform under pressure, communication skills, presentation skills

A traditional interview where candidates answer questions about their past experience and suitability for the role can be employed as part of an assessment centre.

Constructing an effective interview is an art in itself, and one we won’t delve into here. We will say this, though: make sure questions are relevant to the role, and that they give participants the opportunity to demonstrate their suitability.

Skills assessed : ability to perform under pressure, communication skills, role-specific skills

MTa Select for recruitment assessment centres

Our MTa Select kit is designed especially for use in assessment centres.

These assessment activities can be used to evaluate over one hundred defined qualities – including leadership, influencing, customer focus, conflict management and more – making them a popular choice for assessment centres worldwide.

“MTa Select now forms an integral part of our Recruitment Assessment Centre – and has been well received by our own staff and candidates themselves”.

Constable John Ritchie, Grampian Police

If you’re looking for an assessment centre activity and would like a personalised recommendation, click here .

An integral part of an assessment centre is to see how participants interact with others, and group-based activities are a reliable way to assess this. Here are a few ideas for group assessment centre activities.

Group discussion

Split participants out into groups and give each group a topic. Ask them to discuss the topic, possibly with a prompt for different people to advocate for different stances within the discussion, then observe the ongoing discussion and interpersonal dynamics.

Skills assessed : communication skills, ability to listen, valuing the opinions of others, ability to respond to new information

Group presentation

This group activity expands on the above by requiring a presentation at the end of the discussion, to which each participant must contribute. This addition allows assessors to see more interpersonal dynamics at play.

Skills assessed : how roles emerge, leadership, how people advocate their ideas, negotiation, presentation skills

Case studies

This type of activity is a good twist on role-based activities, as they address some of the aforementioned shortcomings of role-play.

Assessors give each group a printout with details about a situation, then ask them to decide the most appropriate response from the company’s perspective. At the end, answers can be compared with company policy to determine the accuracy of their response.

This type of activity can also be done individually.

Skills assessed : knowledge of the role, group decision making, communication skills.

The NASA Challenge

This group activity puts participants in a simulated lunar mission gone awry. Together, group members must decide which items they’ll take when traversing the treacherous lunar surface between their crashed lunar module and the mission control centre.

When running this activity, be careful that you’re doing it right .

We also offer the NASA Challenge as a virtual assessment centre activity over on MTa Immersion .

Skills assessed : listening skills, valuing others’ ideas, influencing others

Perspectives

This experiential learning activity is designed to get participants thinking about the best way to fulfil a deliberately ambiguous brief. Through the simple act of arranging pictures, participants are given an opportunity to advocate their ideas, attempt to build consensus and perform under pressure.

Observing who is able to do these things, and how well, should yield useful insights.

Perspectives is available as a virtual assessment centre activity on MTa Immersion and can be customised based on your requirements.

Skills assessed: advocating ideas, building consensus, working under pressure

By asking participants to play specific roles, you can see how they behave in a wider variety of situations and within different power dynamics.

However, as we mentioned previously, you may actually be assessing how good people are at acting. Participants are not responding to social stimuli as themselves, they’re responding how they think someone playing the role should respond.

Be aware of this if you decide to include role-play activities in your assessment centre. And remember: MTa Select avoids this issue by giving you the opportunity to see how people really behave: in real situations, and under real pressure.

Here are a few examples of role-play assessment centre activities.

Bad feedback

One participant plays the role of a superior, another plays a subordinate. The latter receives negative feedback and must deal with it gracefully and constructively.

Skills assessed : ability to receive bad feedback, ability to act on feedback, identify areas of improvement

Angry customer

One participant plays the role of a dissatisfied customer, another plays an employee dealing with them. They must follow company procedure as best as possible and potentially decide how to act when the procedure stops being relevant.

Skills assessed : ability to work under pressure, knowledge of procedures, customer interfacing skills

Role-specific situations

If you’re running an assessment centre for the police, it would make sense to simulate an arrest or the search of a suspect. This increases the predictive validity of the task by giving participants the chance to show how they’d approach a situation they are likely to encounter in the role.

Skills assessed: desired role-specific skills

Given the advent of technology and remote working, some assessment centres will have online components (or be completely virtual). Here are some ideas for activities to use in this setting.

Virtual ice breaker

By using breakout rooms, you’re able to split participants into groups and give them a private environment to discuss things. Task the participants in each breakout room with finding facts about each other, then close the breakout rooms and invite all groups back to the main space to share.

Observe which participants are keen to share, how well they communicate, the type of information they share, and so on.

Virtual group discussion

Use breakout rooms to split participants into groups and give them the opportunity to discuss things in a private environment. By moving between breakout rooms, you are also able to observe and assess groups individually.

Consider not letting groups know when they will be observed: this will encourage them to discuss things naturally, rather than waiting until you arrive to begin.

Virtual group presentation

Expanding the group discussion into a group presentation, with the requirement to create digital presentation materials, gives you the opportunity to assess how well participants can use technology, collaborate on online documents, and so on.

Psychometric assessments

Many psychometric assessments are available, each offering insight into a different combination of traits. The most suitable one will depend on the situation and the nature of the role being assessed for.

These assessments can be done in person, but lend themselves particularly well to virtual.

In-tray activities place participants in simulated work environments to give assessors a chance to see how they would behave in the role. There are a couple of ways to run these activities, with examples below.

Participants are given a simulated mailbox with a number of emails of varying urgency and are asked to prioritise these tasks and delegate (where relevant) to create an example workflow.

The expectation here isn’t for the participant to complete the work; rather to show that they are able to manage their time and respond to the pressures of the role, rather than just tackling tasks one at a time as they appear in their inbox (which is rarely the most efficient way off working).

Skills assessed : ability to delegate, time management skills, ability to manage a workload, performance under pressure

A paper-based version of the above

Not all roles and workplaces lend themselves best to digital. If you’re assessing for a role where there’ll be lots of interpersonal or paper-based tasks arriving, make sure this is reflected in the assessment centre.

You could give participants a tray full of documents and memos, then have people come to their desk to add other tasks to their workflow. The objective is the same: to create an indicative workflow and showcase how they would prioritise the incoming tasks.

Just 35 Minutes

This activity from MTa Select is an in-tray exercise that utilises computer, fax and paper to simulate a busy work environment. Participants must identify the big issues and avoid getting caught up in the detail.

Skills assessed: evaluating and judging, decision making, focusing on critical issues, prioritisation

If you’ve still got questions about running an assessment centre, the following section should have you covered. And if not, drop us a message on the chat box below and we’ll do our best to help.

How should I structure an assessment centre?

Allow a full day to run the assessment centre, with time for introductions, explanations, and reviews. Remember that people’s ability to concentrate is limited, so a few hours in the middle of the day may yield better results than a whole day 9-5.

Aim for a large enough group to give participants the chance to interact with each other. Low double digits is a good size.

Leave time for lunch and other informal breaks, so that participants can interact in a natural setting: this can be just as revealing as the formal activities.

If you need a pre-made recruitment assessment centre, just run the five activities in this section .

What should an assessment centre include?

An assessment centre should include activities designed to test the competencies relevant for the role you are recruiting for.

You should also include time for review, where relevant. This gives you a mechanism to give feedback to participants and let them know next steps.

Factor in time for breaks and food, too! Participants will be at their best when they’re not under pressure for the whole day.

Some informal time at the beginning is a good shout as well, as it gives participants time to get acquainted with each other and the environment they’ll be spending time in.

What makes an effective assessment centre?

The best assessment centres utilise multiple exercises to assess each competency: i.e., a structured interview may assess communication, and a group exercise will give assessors another opportunity to observe participants communicating.

Similarly, intelligence could be assessed by a psychometric test and a work sample exercise.

How many assessors should there be in an assessment centre?

This depends on the role and the organisation: we would recommend at least 2.

How long should an assessment centre last?

Again, this depends. We’d recommend not making an assessment centre longer than a workday. Ideally, a little shorter so that people can maintain concentration throughout.

Can you recommend any useful resources?

This chapter from a textbook dealing with the role of an assessor includes some useful information about common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

You can read about how MTa materials have helped a variety of organisations to run assessment centres:

Gatwick Airport
UK emergency services

Assessment centres are powerful tools for personnel selection, across a range of roles and industries.

Depending on the nature of the role you are recruiting for, the components of your assessment centre will vary. This blog post was written to connect you with some activities that might be suitable for your assessment centre.

For assessors looking for out-of-the-box activities, we have created MTa Select specifically to help you get more value from your assessment centres.

If you need help finding activities for your assessment centre, get in touch via our contact form or the live chat below and we’ll be happy to help.

Empower your assessment centres with MTa Select

case study exercise assessment centre examples

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Case Study Exercise

Case Study Exercises are commonly used in assessment centres, and often are unique to each company.

Buy Full Practice Tests
What is a Case Study exercise

Page contents:

How do case study exercises work.

Updated: 08 September 2022

Assessment Centre Exercises:

Analysis Exercise
Role Play Exercise
Group Exercise
Presentation Exercise

During an assessment day, it is common that you need to undertake a case study exercise . These exercises place candidates in real-life situations where they are tasked with solving problems faced by professionals in the real world. A case study typically involves being given various documents containing different information, either detailing a problem or situation that needs dealing with and requiring the candidate to resolve the issue at hand by formulating a plan. The problems or situation in the case study will be similar if not identical to problems encountered in the role itself. Candidates are also provided with background information to the elements of the case study, whether these be details of fictitious companies or sales figures, or other. The resolutions or solutions provided by the candidate regarding the problems are part of the assessment centre performance rating.

Why are case study exercises used?

Case study exercises are proficient predictors of role performance as they will resemble the work being done on the job. Therefore, case study exercises typically tilt highly on an assessment centre rating for candidates. Likewise, if a presentation exercise is required after the case study, based on details brought up during the case study, then your case study rating will likely impact your presentation exercise rating. Equally, this may manifest into the role play exercise which will do a similar thing to the presentation exercise – carrying on the case study situation. It is also entirely possible for the case study to be continued in a group exercise – which evaluate a candidate’s ability to work in a team. Given all this, you will need to perform well in the case study exercise to ensure a high rating.

What will the case study exercise be like?

As mentioned, the case study exercise you will be asked to perform will be similar to the type of work you will have to do in the role you are applying for.

The case study exercise may be purchased off the self from a test provider who specialize in the test style. This will mean that it won't be fully specific to the company you are applying to, but will be related to the role. Likewise, it can be designed bespoke if the organization requires specific role assessment. It's likely the larger and harder to get into the company is, the more tailored their exercises will be.

How can I prepare for the case study exercise?

Analysing technical documents and company reports may be helpful practice in preparation for a case study exercise. This will give a chance to familiarize yourself with the types of information typically found in these documents, and thus the case study exercise. Practicing case study exercises will also act as great preparation and they will provide a great insight into how they work and how they are to be handled. This will also prevent any unnecessary unknowns you could have before taking a case study exercise, as you will have already experienced how they work in practice.

We have an assessment centre pack which contains an example of the exercises you could face.

Tips for Your Assessment Centre Group Exercise ({YEAR})

What Is an Assessment Centre Group Exercise?

Group exercises - what will you be assessed on, how to pass an assessment centre group exercise in 2024, group exercises – how do you stand out in a group assessment, group exercises – what to avoid in a group assessment exercise, how do you prepare for an assessment centre, tips for your assessment centre group exercise (2024).

Updated November 10, 2023

You have beaten hundreds of applicants to reach the final stage of the interview process for your ideal job and have been invited to an assessment day group exercise.

You will likely be thinking, what’s involved? How many other people will be there? What are the activities, and how can I prepare ?

The purpose of assessment centre group exercises is to whittle down the number of viable candidates to a select few for each role. After all, it is not unusual for an employer to receive hundreds of applications for their most popular vacancies.

By assessing groups of candidates either at the company or at an external assessment centre, the employer can identify a strong shortlist of candidates.

This is much harder to do from a job resume alone.

As a candidate, it is important that you understand what is expected of you on the day to stand the best possible chance of securing the job.

So, here are a few trusted tips for your assessment centre group exercise .

Usually, an assessment group exercise involves 7–10 applicants who participate in a series of group activities.

The pre-set exercises are designed to assess everyone’s performance against the job description’s core competencies.

The purpose of each task is to find out who is most suited to the role.

The competencies being tested are often soft skills such as leadership, teamwork, influence and ambition, which are tricky to accurately judge by looking at a resume.

Therefore, employers use the assessment day group exercise to delve a little deeper into each applicant's psyche.

Practice Group Exercises with JobTestPrep

Virtual Assessment Group Centre

Traditionally, assessment centre group activities occur at designated centres or your potential workplace. However, it is not uncommon to be asked to join a virtual group assessment centre instead.

While you may not be stepping through the doors of the place where you wish to work, you will still get a good feel for the workplace culture and how you would fit in.

The move to a digital format is new and very much a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. While it is still a bit of an unknown, there is every chance that employers will continue with the virtual format indefinitely.

Maybe not for all job roles, but certainly for those in which being able to communicate through MS Teams and other online programs is essential.

In the same way as an in-person assessment centre, virtual assessment centre group exercises involve case-study-related exercises, discussions and real-life business challenges.

Usually, a virtual assessment centre group exercise will last a couple of hours (normally a maximum of three hours). However, there is no set rule. It depends on the job, how many people are in the group, and the number of activities you will be expected to complete.

Try not to worry about extended screen time. You will be given ample time for breaks between sessions, and the odd technology glitches will be expected. It is all part of the experience.

In simple terms, the purpose of an assessment group exercise is to evaluate how an applicant behaves within a group setting.

The series of tasks give the employer an insight into how confident you are. They let the recruiter know whether you are introverted or extroverted and have the right skills for the job.

Practice Group Exercises

But what happens at a group assessment centre, and what is the employer looking for?

If you are wondering where you start, here are a few tips for your assessment centre group exercise preparation.

Step 1 . Research Typically Assessed Behaviors

It helps to explore the typical behaviors each group task is designed to assess.

Although the job role will dictate the type of exercises, the typical skills being evaluated are:

Confidence in the workplace
Strong communication
Logical reasoning
Problem-solving
Commercial knowledge

Within your allocated group of between 7 and 10 candidates (sometimes more), you will be presented with a real workplace challenge that requires the entire team to work together to find a solution.

It is worth remembering that assessors will often recruit for a series of vacancies in any given group exercise.

Therefore, not everyone in your group will be vying for the same position. The chances are that in each group, there will be a combination of applicants with varying degrees of experience and knowledge.

Do not feel dejected if you do not know as much as someone else in the group. Focus on how you can add value by drawing on your strengths.

Step 2 . Discover the Kinds of Exercises Involved

The type of exercises will depend on the number of people in any given group and the roles they are being assessed for.

However, most assessment group exercises involve at least one of the following:

Assessment Centre Case Study Examples

In a case-study-based exercise, you will be expected to either watch a video, read a passage or digest several pieces of information as a group. As a collective, your role is to work together on the task at hand. Usually, a key part of the task will be to present back to an interview panel.

If the job role is for a position that requires strong commercial understanding, you may be asked to present your ideas for a new product.

Here, a group presentation would need to demonstrate a strong appreciation of the competition, the product lifecycle, routes to market, cost analysis and how to overcome foreseen challenges.

In a virtual assessment centre group exercise, you might be invited to a breakout room where you will discuss your ideas as a collective and come to a solution.

Group Assessment: Discussion Exercise

You may be asked to participate in a group discussion on a workplace problem where there could be several different solutions.

In your breakout room, you will work as a team and use your logical reasoning to arrive at a commercially viable solution.

The employer will be looking at how and what each applicant contributes to the discussion. They will analyze your interpersonal skills in a group situation and how confident you are in communicating your ideas.

Group Assessment: Leadership Exercise

To assess your leadership skills, you could be invited to a role-play assessment day group exercise. You will be expected to enact a role-specific scenario that could legitimately happen in real life.

The role-plays are designed to test your response as a leader to an unexpected situation. It could be that your group is split into smaller groups, with each pair or individual holding a leadership role for a specific department. You will be assessed on your ability to think logically, act responsively, delegate and keep calm.

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If you are wondering how you pass an assessment centre group exercise, the first thing you must do is look inwardly. Are you an extrovert or an introvert?

An extrovert is action-oriented, outgoing and very talkative. Introverts are a bit more restrained, reflective, self-aware, and may find group tasks more daunting.

There are plus points to both personality types, and employers recognize this.

However, employers appreciate people who can adapt their behavior to accommodate others within a team.

For instance, as an extrovert, you will need to be careful not to dominate conversations and overpower others in your group. Your enthusiasm may unintentionally come across as brash or overbearing.

As an introvert, you may need to come out of your comfort zone more than you usually would. While being an observer and a detailed person usually allows you to see problems that others may not, you need to remember that group exercises are time-sensitive. If you do not speak up, the employer is unlikely to realize your potential.

With this in mind, regardless of your personality type, here are some behavioral tips for your assessment centre group exercise:

Warmly introduce yourself – People usually make up their minds about another person within around three seconds, sometimes less. Approach other members in the assessment day group exercise with a smile and let them know your name. Remember, your body language also needs to reflect your warmth,so avoid crossing your arms and maintain eye contact.

Remember names – Make a point of using first names. This will instantly build trust and show the employer how much value you place on other people. If you are in a virtual assessment centre group exercise, user names may be visible. If they are not, you could make a note of them.

Be positive and consistent – You will almost certainly come across opinions and proposals that you disagree with. That’s fine, it is part of the assessment day group exercise. It is how you respond that matters. If you feel an approach is not going to work, you could explain why and introduce your solution in a way that invites the opinions of others.

Listen carefully – This may seem like an obvious one but listening to instructions is incredibly important. You would not want to be marked down on a task because you were not fully present.

Demonstrate you are listening – Whether you are an expressive person or not, you must be assessed to be a good listener. Smiling and nodding when you agree are useful visual cues to remember.

Contribute to discussion – This is one of the most essential tips for your assessment centre group exercise. Make sure you do not come across as passive. Stay focused on what others are saying and make a positive contribution. Always make sure you are bringing something new to the table, though. Empty words can be counterproductive.

Be solutions-driven – Contribute ideas that are of direct benefit to the company. You will need to have researched the company in detail to offer

market-informed solutions.

Propel yourself forward – You will need to make an effort to occasionally be first to answer an interviewer’s question. Take a balanced approach and be mindful of giving others a chance to answer. Never interrupt.

Be clear and concise – Make sure your answers and contributions are easy to understand by others in the room.

Do not be afraid to take the lead – Not everyone can take the lead. However, if you are particularly confident in guiding the group to arrive at a strong solution, step forward in a calm, unassuming manner.

Encourage others – Great leaders, and those who stand out to an employer, inspire and value people. During your assessment day group exercise, help co-interviewees develop their ideas. Be inclusive of others and allow quieter individuals to be heard. You will instantly stand out as a relatable and supportive leader.

Be inquisitive – Sometimes, in the heat and speed of discussions, the most obvious questions are missed. Do not be afraid to pause the conversation by questioning certain responses. Likewise, if there is something you are not quite sure about, ask the employer.

Diplomatically challenge – With so many other people in the room, you should be prepared to validate your opinions tactfully. The best way to do this is to justify your response with logical reasoning in a calm yet assertive manner. You will also need to accept that another person in the room could have a better answer.

Be part of the answer – Actively help the group conclude by agreeing on decisions and moving to the next step.

Thank everyone – Whether you liked everyone in the room or not, make sure you thank everyone in the group, as well as the interviewer. Professional courtesy will speak volumes about you.

Now that you know how to stand out in an assessment group exercise, what must you avoid at all costs?

There are six things you must consider, and almost all of them involve making a conscious effort:

Arrogance – One of the biggest tips for your assessment centre group exercise, especially if you are a confident person, is to avoid coming across as arrogant. While confidence is an attractive trait in an employee, arrogance rarely is. Employers are looking for team players – people who will inspire and encourage others and not rub them up the wrong way. You should avoid interrupting others, acknowledge other people’s contributions, be assertive yet not dismissive, and make sure that your body language reflects this. Avoid pointing or raising your eyebrows in disapproval.

Talking too much or too little – Be aware of how frequently you contribute to assessment centre group activities . If you talk too much, you will come across as overbearing. Too little, and you will be assessed as shy and maybe unknowledgeable. Try and strike an even balance between the two and observe other people’s expressions as you are talking. If they look engaged, you are adding value to the conversation.

Interrupting others – There is nothing worse than somebody who interjects when another person is speaking. Although you may be keen to share your ideas, the interviewer will instantly see the behavior as disrespectful.

Criticizing others – You can challenge opinions but if you are going to do this, remember to be respectful. Acknowledge where the other person’s view has value, and then discuss what the potential issues may be.

Insensitivity – It will be the first time you have met the other applicants, as well as the employer. Some people are more sensitive than others, so it is important that you are aware of what you say and the tone you use.

Going off topic – In an assessment day group exercise situation, going off topic can be a real distraction for others in the group. You may also be viewed as lacking attention to detail. Therefore, keep your answer or observation relevant to the discussion and your insights clear and concise.

A little preparation goes a long way. The most important thing is to read through the documentation the employer has sent you so that you know what to expect.

You should make a note of the assessment centre group activities you have been invited to participate in and what time you must arrive or log on (if virtual).

Most employers will list what you will need to bring with you on the day, so make sure you allow plenty of time for preparation.

You will also need to mentally ready yourself. With this in mind, the following tips for your assessment centre group exercise will help:

Familiarize yourself with the core competencies – By understanding these, you will have a strong understanding of what the employer will assess you on. It is good to have at least two examples of how you meet each of the core competencies .

Prepare a self-introduction – So that you are not caught on the spot, prepare a summary of yourself ahead of time. Do not be too exact with your wording, though – you will want to come across as natural and fluent when talking about yourself.

Plan a list of questions – Some exercises will allow you to ask the employer questions about the role and the company, so you will need to have some strong questions ready.

Rest up – Try not to work late into the night running through the tips for your assessment centre group exercise. Make sure you get enough sleep, drink plenty of water and ensure you have a substantial meal before setting off.

Practice stress-management techniques – A small amount of adrenalin on the day is a good thing, but you will need to keep your anxiety to a comfortable level. There are some great mindfulness and relaxation apps to help centre and relax the mind ahead of the big day.

Final Thoughts

Once you have navigated these tips for your assessment centre group exercise, the only thing left to do is enjoy the experience. After all, it is a great opportunity to meet new people, put your interpersonal skills to the test, and discover more about yourself.

Assessment group exercises are far more participatory than verbal and numerical reasoning tests , and paper-based competency questionnaires.

The benefit to you as the candidate is that you get a 360-degree insight into what it would be like to work for the company. The assessment day is as much about you as it is the employer. If you are offered the role, you will know with absolute certainty whether the position is an excellent match for you.

You might also be interested in these other Psychometric Success articles:

Or explore the Aptitude Tests / Test Types sections.

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Assessment Centre Case Studies Practice & Tips – 2024

Case studies are a central part of the exercises making up most assessment centres . Employers use them to provide valuable insight into the applicants. They provide a way to assess a graduate or job-seeker’s capability and their potential performance after selection. To do this, the assessment centre presents the candidate with a simulated situation that might be faced on the actual job and waits to see how the candidate will respond. The information assessors collect proves invaluable to companies as they work through the screening and hiring process with the candidates who are most likely to perform well in the job opening.

What Is a Case Study Exercise?

Case studies are simulation exercises that put a candidate into situations they might actually see while on the job. The exercises can be done as a group or individually. Which it is will depend on the employer and the assessment centre. The case studies typically provide information that includes financial reports, market studies, or competition analysis and other information that may relate to any aspect of the profession. It may also provide other company reports, consultant’s reports, new product research results, and more. This makes the exercise similar in some ways to an in-tray exercise though the documents are longer for a case study.

Key Features of Case Studies

The exercise can be presented at the end either in written report format or as a presentation, depending on the preference of those running the exam. The assessors then evaluate the candidate’s ability to analyze information with a logical approach to decision making and their aptitude for tackling difficult situations. From there, they score performance.

Case study exercises often are based on a few core topics. Some of these include:

Finding the feasibility and profitability for the introduction of a new product or service
Merger, acquisition, or joint venture related managerial decisions
Annual report evaluation and profitability and loss analysis
Task prioritization and problem-solving with a given deadline

Many times, the case study’s theme or scenario provides the stage for other assessment centre exercises, so paying attention to what the scenario is and the information provided about it can prove helpful in further exercises. If this is the case, the problem-solving case study is likely to show up as one of the first few exercises you do after re-taking the necessary psychometric aptitude assessments for score confirmation.

Competencies Required for Case Studies

The key competencies that case study exercises usually assess are:

Analytical thinking and assimilation of information
Commercial awareness and Innovation
Organization
Decisiveness and Judgment

The goal of the exercise is to review and analyze the given information to come up with solid business decisions. The assessors will look at both the decision reached and the logical justification for the recommendations. Because of this, the test is not designed to have one ‘correct’ answer. Instead, it is concerned with the approach to solving the issue as much as it is with the solution.

This is the point in the assessment and pre-hiring process where candidates should show the recruiters what they can do. Usually, the exercise lasts around forty minutes. Employers may use either fictional examples or, in some cases, even real live projects with the sensitive information replaced for fictional information.

Due to the nature of the exercise, job-seekers and graduates taking this type of assessment should possess several key skills. They must be able to interpret large quantities of data from multiple sources and in varying formats, use analytical and strategic analysis to solve problems, formulate and commit to a decision, demonstrate commercial and entrepreneurial insight on a problem, and use oral communication skills to discuss the decisions made and the reasoning behind them. Without these key abilities, case exercises may prove challenging for individuals.

How to Prepare for Case Study Exercises?

With the large amount of information presented on assessment centre case studies and the many things to consider, it can be difficult to know where to start. Particularly for those participating in a graduate assessment centre case studies with no prior experience with assessment centres, the case study may seem daunting.

However, it is possible to prepare with some case study practice and by reviewing assessment case study examples similar to the ones that will be given in your assessment centre. These tips for preparation and practice as well the day of will help those facing a case study assessment to do so with confidence.

Case Studies: Tips for Success

Review the advice below as you begin to prepare for the assessment centre:

If it is a group exercise , show the recruiters you can work with the team.
For a group exercise, determine what roles individuals in the scenario are associated with and how they may interact with your or impact the analysis and decision-making process.
Determine what information needs to be kept and what should be discarded as early on as possible.
Manage time carefully and plan your approach based on the time available to you.
Consider all possible solutions and analyze them carefully before choosing a decision.
When finished, ensure that you have a solid foundation for the proposal and a plan of action to implement for your chosen solution.
Make sure you communicate that foundation and the logic behind your decision.
When presenting as a group, actively participate but avoid dominating the conversation or situation.
Gather information on the organization, job profile, and any other data that could be in the case study to be prepared before assessment day if possible.
If you do not need to present for a group exercise, consider nominating yourself as someone who can respond to questions.
Practice structuring and delivering presentations in a case study format before testing.

If you follow the advice above and put in enough time practising and preparing to feel confident, you should be able to ace this portion of your assessment centre. Remember that the solution is not the most important thing about this exercise. How you work with others and the reasoning behind your answer is. So, use the time you have wisely and do not overlook anything as you work to come to a good solution. As you do this, relax and use this as a chance to show the recruiters that you really know what you said you did during the interview stage . That is what this exam is about.

Assessment Centre

Written Exercises
Job Interviews
Competency-Based Interview Q&A
In-Tray Exercise
Group Exercises

Assessment Center Case Studies Practice & Tips – 2024

Case studies are a central part of the exercises making up most assessment centers . Employers use them to provide valuable insight into the applicants. They provide a way to assess a graduate or job-seeker’s capability and their potential performance after selection. To do this, the assessment center presents the candidate with a simulated situation that might be faced on the actual job and waits to see how the candidate will respond. The information assessors collect proves invaluable to companies as they work through the screening and hiring process with the candidates who are most likely to perform well in the job opening.

What Is a Case Study Exercise?

Case studies are simulation exercises that put a candidate into situations they might actually see while on the job. The exercises can be done as a group or individually. Which it is will depend on the employer and the assessment center. The case studies typically provide information that includes financial reports, market studies, or competition analysis and other information that may relate to any aspect of the profession. It may also provide other company reports, consultant’s reports, new product research results, and more. This makes the exercise similar in some ways to an in-tray exercise though the documents are longer for a case study.

Key Features of Case Studies

Case study exercises often are based on a few core topics. Some of these include:

Finding the feasibility and profitability for the introduction of a new product or service
Merger, acquisition, or joint venture related managerial decisions
Annual report evaluation and profitability and loss analysis
Task prioritization and problem-solving with a given deadline

Many times, the case study’s theme or scenario provides the stage for other assessment center exercises, so paying attention to what the scenario is and the information provided about it can prove helpful in further exercises. If this is the case, the problem-solving case study is likely to show up as one of the first few exercises you do after re-taking the necessary psychometric aptitude assessments for score confirmation.

Competencies Required for Case Studies

The key competencies that case study exercises usually assess are:

Analytical thinking and assimilation of information
Commercial awareness and Innovation
Organization
Decisiveness and Judgment

How to Prepare for Case Study Exercises?

With the large amount of information presented on assessment center case studies and the many things to consider, it can be difficult to know where to start. Particularly for those participating in a graduate assessment center case studies with no prior experience with assessment centers, the case study may seem daunting.

However, it is possible to prepare with some case study practice and by reviewing assessment case study examples similar to the ones that will be given in your assessment center. These tips for preparation and practice as well the day of will help those facing a case study assessment to do so with confidence.

Case Studies: Tips for Success

Review the advice below as you begin to prepare for the assessment center:

If it is a group exercise , show the recruiters you can work with the team.
For a group exercise, determine what roles individuals in the scenario are associated with and how they may interact with your or impact the analysis and decision-making process.
Determine what information needs to be kept and what should be discarded as early on as possible.
Manage time carefully and plan your approach based on the time available to you.
Consider all possible solutions and analyze them carefully before choosing a decision.
When finished, ensure that you have a solid foundation for the proposal and a plan of action to implement for your chosen solution.
Make sure you communicate that foundation and the logic behind your decision.
When presenting as a group, actively participate but avoid dominating the conversation or situation.
Gather information on the organization, job profile, and any other data that could be in the case study to be prepared before assessment center day if possible.
If you do not need to present for a group exercise, consider nominating yourself as someone who can respond to questions.
Practice structuring and delivering presentations in a case study format before testing.

If you follow the advice above and put in enough time practicing and preparing to feel confident, you should be able to ace this portion of your assessment center. Remember that the solution is not the most important thing about this exercise. How you work with others and the reasoning behind your answer is. So, use the time you have wisely and do not overlook anything as you work to come to a good solution. As you do this, relax and use this as a chance to show the recruiters that you really know what you said you did during the interview stage . That is what this exam is about.

Assessment Center

Written Exercises
Job Interviews
Competency-Based Interview Q&A
In-Tray Exercise
Case Studies
Group Exercises

Assessment Centre Group Exercises: Examples and Tips for Success

Group exercises are an important part of assessment centre events for a wide variety of roles and companies.

Many people find it difficult to perform well in a group, but with the right practice and preparation, you can stand out from the rest and make a strong impression on recruiters.

In this free assessment centre group exercises guide we will show you:

3 common types of group exercises you could face at an assessment centre
2 real-world assessment centre group exercise examples
5 expert tips to help you stand out on the day

You can find our recommended assessment centre group practice exercises here .

What is an assessment centre group exercise?

The group exercise is one of several assessment centre exercises you may have to take part in on your assessment day.

You’ll be placed in a random group of 8-10 candidates and must work together to complete an activity in front of assessors.

The exercise measures your ability to work in a team, contribute, delegate and solve problems.

Each candidate is assessed individually on skills required for the role they are applying for, such as leadership, communication, influence, creativity, problem solving and commercial awareness.

Compared to other assessment centre activities like aptitude tests and interviews , the group exercise tends to be one of the most challenging because of its competitive nature.

You’ll be working with a mixture of personality types, and everyone wants to make a great impression.

Luckily, we’ve got plenty of tips, info and advice to help you approach the group exercise with the right attitude. Keep reading to prep yourself for success!

What to expect at assessment centre group exercises

There are three common types of group exercises you could face at an assessment centre:

Case study or role play

Where you play out an imaginary scenario to try to overcome its particular challenges and get to an outcome that the majority of the group is happy with.

Where you must discuss and come to a conclusion about a work-related issue. You may also have to present your solution back to the assessors as a group.

A more informal exercise where you discuss a general topic, usually related to news or current affairs.

No matter which type of group activity you take part in, the format will be largely the same.

Before you start the exercise, you’ll get a short amount of time to read the brief.

Everyone in the group will be working with the same general information and scenario, but you’ll usually also be assigned a specific position to take or given some unique extra information to guide your interactions.

Then, you’ll join the other candidates to complete the activity in front of your assessors.

The exercise itself will normally go for about 10-20 minutes.

Assessment centre group exercise examples

Now let’s take a look at some examples of real assessment centre group exercises. Try these at home with some friends – it’s a great way to practise!

Here’s a general case study group exercise from JobTestPrep :

Group Exercise 1

And here’s a more in-depth, business-related group exercise from AssessmentDay :

Group Exercise 2

Get even more examples and the best assessment centre group practice exercises here !

Group exercises top tips video

Have a watch of this video from Career & Skills, these are some top tips from their graduate recruitment team…

5 pro tips to stand out at assessment centre group exercises

#1: contribute but don’t dominate.

It’s very important that you speak up and make your voice heard during the group activity.

Recruiters are assessing your contribution to the group, so if you stay in the background and let others lead the discussion, you won’t get the marks.

But at the same time, no employer is looking for someone who’s loud, overbearing and dominates the conversation.

Make sure everyone is included equally and gets a chance to speak, and if you notice someone sitting quietly and not saying anything, encourage them to contribute.

Be aware of your personality and be mindful of others in the group. If you’re naturally quite shy, or tend to be more aggressive, then you need to adjust your communication style to find a balance between the two.

#2: Follow instructions carefully

Read the brief thoroughly before you start and make sure you’re clear on the instructions. Ask for clarification if you’re unsure about anything.

During the exercise, try not to let the discussion get carried away or off topic.

You’ll want to stay totally on track with the brief you were given, so prioritise what topics or discussion points need to be worked through, and stick to them. Keep the time limit in mind!

#3: Do your research beforehand

Get more marks for your commercial awareness by finding out about the employer and role you’re applying for.

Show that you understand the company, what they do and what they value by using that information during the exercise and relating it to the task at hand.

Assessors are looking for people who not only understand the business and industry, but who also act appropriately for the role.

Make sure you offer suggestions and recommendations that make sense for the company and for its specific business environment.

#4: Don’t be afraid to take the lead

While it’s essential to not dominate the group or boss people around, you should still try to show your leadership skills in natural and positive ways.

For example, offer to keep track of the time at the beginning of the exercise, or proactively include other group members in the conversation by asking them what they think.

This shows you have initiative and don’t mind taking on responsibility, which can make you more memorable to assessors and give you a valuable leg-up over the competition.

#5: Practice, practice, practice!

And of course, the best thing you can do to prepare yourself for your assessment centre group exercise and stand out from the crowd is to practice.

Gather some friends together and work through the group exercise examples above, and then find even more practice exercises here .

You’ll get more confident, calm and comfortable with the exercise, which in turn will help you perform better on the day.

Some more guides to help you succeed…

Numerical Reasoning: Numerical Reasoning Test Guide: 5 Proven Tips to Succeed
Verbal Reasoning: Verbal Reasoning Test: What You Need to Know to Pass
UKCAT: UKCAT Test Guide: 4 Secrets to UKCAT Success 2020
Watson-Glaser: Watson-Glaser Test: Everything You Need to Know to Pass
Mechanical Comprehension: Mechanical Comprehension Test Guide 2020

Aptitude Tests Preparation
Assessment Centre Exercises
Case Study Assessment

Case Study Assessment - Learn How to Pass

A case study assessment is a popular tool used in assessment centres for evaluating candidates by presenting them with complex and previously unknown scenarios . After analyzing the information and identifying the most relevant parts, candidates answer questions that provide the employer with insights regarding important aspects of the candidate's knowledge, cognitive abilities, and personal attributes.

Like other tests, preparing for the case study assessment can make a huge difference to your score. On this page we will review useful information that can help you arrive at your case study assessment better prepared and maximize your chances to pass and land the job you're after.

JobTestPrep is a leading test prep company that offers accurate practice simulations for hundreds of pre-employment tests. Since 1992, it has helped 1M+ candidates. If you have any additional questions about the Assessment Centre Test, feel free to send us an email , we usually reply within 24 hours.

What is a Case Study Assessment

A case study assessment is a test in which candidates are presented with a scenario related to the position or the company's wider operations, followed by several questions that are designed to measure specific abilities. Through the candidate's answers, employers gain insight into their ability to handle tasks similar to those they might be responsible for in the future, thus indicating their problem solving abilities and compatibility with the job description.

Typically, a case study assessment introduces a series documents such as reports and data from recent market research, which may relate to hypothetical or real-life situations. You are asked to analyze the case at hand, make business decisions, and/or give a brief verbal or written report of your recommendations. You may be asked to complete the case study as an individual exercise or as part of a group, which allows assessors to evaluate your teamwork.

The Two Main Types of Case Study Assessment

An assessment center case study will typically belong to one of two main categories:

Subject-related Case Study Assessment

In this type of case study assessment, specific and professional knowledge of the subject is required. In cases of candidates applying for a position in which industry knowledge is essential, the content of the case study will be directly relevant to that role . In these cases, candidates are required to use their existing knowledge and experience to identify key information from the brief.

For instance, project managers may be asked to plan for the release of a new product, which incorporates scheduling, budgeting and resourcing.

General Case Study Assessment

These case studies are designed for a broad audience of candidates who are tested for various positions. Answering the case study questions does not require any specific prior knowledge , and most questions can be answered with common sense. Any information that is required for answering the case study questions is provided by the assessor, whether orally or through additional documentation.

These case studies are much more popular as they can be completed by a large number of candidates applying for a wide array of positions.

What the Case Study Assessment Measures

The advantage of the assessment center case study is that it measures a number of elements simultaneously, giving the employer a picture which combines soft skills with cognitive abilities and even personality attributes. Through your answers, the employer can learn about your:

Judgement and understanding of the situation at hand
Thoroughness of analysis
Logical presentation of ideas
Practicality of the proposed solutions
Creativity and innovation in problem solving
Presentation abilities & communication skills
Ability to answer off the cuff comments
Commercial awareness
Organizational skills
Decisiveness

Which Types of Companies Use Assessment Centre Case Studies

The first type of assessment centre case study exercise is those for various positions in finance, banking , audit, marketing, IT, and others. These case studies are based on a large file of documents such as company reports you must quickly read and analyze. They may be completed as part of an assessment day or given at the employer's office as part of the interview.
Another type of case study assessment you can find in assessment centres is for consultancy and business management companies. The scenario is usually described by the interviewer or is limited to a few pages. Generally, the task revolves around mathematical problems, estimation questions and strategic thinking. The candidate is expected to ask the assessor for more details in order to understand the problems at hand. Learn more about these tests here .

Leading companies that Use Assessment Centre Case Studies:

EY (Ernst & Young)

Tips for Approaching Your Case Study Assessment

Immerse yourself in the case study - try to imagine you really are in the scenario, and put yourself in the shoes of the decision maker and those he needs to report to.
Time management - as you will have a lot of data and documents to make sense of in a short period of time, your time management skills are being put to the test here. The key to success is learning how to identify key points and prioritize relevant information while ignoring the irrelevant, giving you the ability to work efficiently on the actual assessment day.
There is more than one ‘correct’ answer - a case study assessment usually has more than one right answer, and as long as you can logically justify your recommendations and they stand up to questioning by the assessor, your analysis can be regarded in a positive light.
Don't get lost in the nuances of a particular industry you are presented with in the case studies. Focus instead on tackling common challenges faced by most businesses.
Client focus - all companies want to keep their clientele happy. If there is a client in the case study, put plenty of emphasis on them and their needs.
Be confident but not arrogant. When presenting, try to convey an air of knowledge and authority - without appearing overconfident or arrogant.
Practice your presentation skills with friends or family to reduce the pressure at the actual assessment centre.

Common Questions in the Assessment Center Case Study

There are two main types of questions that can be asked by the assessors in an assessment center case study.

Quantitative questions involve basic mathematical operations, using of the four basic operations, percentages and ratios. Qualitative questions will relate to strategic decisions, future projections, and market analysis. Popular questions would be:

What penetration strategy do you find suitable for the market in question?
What are the changes that company Y must go through if it seeks the preservation of existing markets?
What are the approximate annual developmental costs of company X?

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Written Exercise At Assessment Centres

When applying for a job that requires written communications, such as press releases, reports or emails, you may be asked to take a written exercise. Written exercises can be done online, or in person at an interview or assessment centre .

They’re usually timed and include spelling and grammar tasks, as well as covering competencies related to the job.

What is a written exercise?

Written exercises are a useful tool for an employer to understand a candidate’s verbal comprehension and communication skills.

Employers or recruiters will most likely ask you to take a written exercise when applying for a job where communication is critical to the role. Marketing, health services and law are all examples of relevant industries.

The exercise can take the form of reports, press releases, letters, emails or even proofreading texts written by someone else.

Because written exercises are often one of the last steps in a recruitment process, you will most likely take the test at an assessment centre. You should get familiar with what an assessment centre is and how they operate beforehand.

What are the different types of written exercises?

There are six types of written exercises that are most commonly used:

Press releases. A press release announces to clients or the market new information about a company or its products. Its purpose is to inform the receiver, which means it has to be persuasive and clear. Sometimes, it needs to attract the receiver’s attention in a specific way. Understanding the brief is key to knowing what information to include in a press release.
Emails. They might not seem like much, but an email from a company has to adhere to specific requirements. You could be writing an email from yourself as a representative of the company, or on behalf of someone else. In any case, pay attention to the tone of the email, the language used and the clarity of what you’re saying.
Precis. When writing a precis, it’s key to be concise and include all the important information. You will be given a longer text that you need to summarise and re-work, according to the needs of the employer.
Letters. Think of a letter as a more formal, longer version of an email. It usually contains more information and it requires you to write in more official language.
Proofreading. Sometimes, you could be asked to proofread text — an email, a press release, or a letter. Proofreading requires you to identify and correct mistakes and change wording if needed.
Report. A report should give key information to a stakeholder. Imagine participating in a meeting and having to report to a whole team, or collecting information on a case and summarising it to a solicitor. It needs to include everything that you deem necessary for someone to understand.

What skills does a written exercise assess?

A written exercise can assess multiple skills at one time. These vary in importance depending on the particular job you’re applying for, but for the most part they are:

Grammar. The first thing a recruiter or employer will notice reviewing your written exercise is your grammar. It’s the pillar of clear communication and if a candidate fails to prove they can master grammar skills, they will score low.
Spelling. Similarly to grammar, spelling is critical in a written exercise.
Comprehension. Before the written exercise, you will be given a brief. It’s up to you to understand what is asked and deliver the information clearly.
Communication. You must be clear in what you’re communicating through your written exercise. You should get to the point without using too many words or missing the key information.
Handwriting. Although a written exercise will not score your handwriting per se, a recruiter or employer must be able to understand what you’ve written. If your handwriting is too messy, they may misunderstand what’s written.

Three sample written exercise questions

As mentioned before, written exercises will vary depending on the job you’re applying for. You won’t find yourself writing the same things for a solicitor that you would for a PR manager.

Here are three different examples of what you could find during a written exercise assessment:

Our company is preparing to launch a new product, but before announcing it to the public, we need to tell our stockists. Write a press release to describe the product and why they should be excited to stock it.
You receive a letter of complaint regarding an interaction a client had in your firm. Address the customer politely, acknowledging any wrongdoings and try to resolve the situation.
You are given information about a specific lawsuit and need to write a detailed report to your manager. Make sure you analyse the information and include everything that’s relevant in your report.

How to prepare for a written exercise

Preparing for a written exercise can be tricky, as you will never know exactly what the assignment will concern. However, you can get an idea of what to expect by looking at the requirement of the specific job role and researching examples online.

Look closely at the job specs. What position are you applying for? What kind of communication will be required of you? The recruiter will most likely assign you a written exercise similar to what you will actually be doing for the company. If you’re applying for a job in a PR agency, for example, you will have to write press releases and emails, while a solicitor could ask you to write reports.

Find examples online. Once you know what the job position entails, familiarise yourself with the written tasks you might be doing. Search for examples of press releases or reports; even better if they’re written by the same company advertising the job.

Practice exercises. Finally, you can prepare for a written exercise by practicing. You can find case study exercises that will help you learn what to expect during the test.

Tips for written exercises

Below are some useful tips you should take note of when preparing for a written exercise.

Know the language. Depending on the job, there will be a different language used to communicate. Make sure you’re familiar with how people refer to situations, tasks and objects in a particular sector.
Research the company. It’s always good to research as much as possible about the company during the recruitment process. You may find public information online that will teach how the company communicates.
Practice. This is the golden rule for any type of test. Practice written exercises online and do so in an environment similar to the one you’ll find in an assessment centre. Being comfortable working under pressure will be useful when taking the actual test.
Be sure you understand the brief. Part of the written exercise is to understand what’s been asked of you, so focus carefully on the brief. The job you’re applying for will probably require you to draft written documents after a meeting, so you should be able to retain key information and summarise them appropriately in a written exercise.
Triple-check before handing over the test. With writing, there is always room for improvement and it’s very likely you will make a spelling mistake or two the first time around. As tedious as it sounds, make sure to check what you’ve written before handing the test over.

Where can you practice written exercises?

On this website, you can find E-Tray exercises you can practice before the exam. These include simulations of work scenarios where you are required to make a decision, which will help you to assess the information and how to proceed during a written exercise.

Which employers use them?

Law firms, PR agencies, consultancies and property firms are all examples of industries that use written exercises. You should expect such a test when applying for jobs that require you to use any form of written communication.

How are written exercises scored?

There is no one way to score written exercises. However, there are usually two main criteria: the use of English language and grammar, and the content. The recruiter or the employer will set benchmarks to score the test, depending on their expectations.

What if English is not your first language?

As long as you can write like a native speaker, you should be fine even if English is not your first language. If you’re worried about your English level, there are many ways you can improve: taking language courses, studying reading materials, exercising your writing skills with the help of a native speaker, etc.

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Assessment centres

Ruairi Kavanagh

Last updated: 21 Dec 2023, 10:40

How to prepare for a graduate assessment centre; examples of assessment centre exercises, tests and case studies.

Second interviews and assessment centres allow recruiters and job applicants a more in-depth look at whether they suit each other. Assessment centres involve assembling in one place several candidates who are applying for the same position and putting them through a variety of different tests.

How employers use assessment centres

Assessment centres make it easier for candidates to showcase a range of skills and competences than they would be able to demonstrate in an interview alone. Exercises and tasks are designed to mirror those needed in the job, so they are measuring you directly against the skills you would need to do the job well. This is why some employers feel they are a fairer way to select graduates than traditional interviews.

You are not in direct competition with the other candidates – you are all being assessed against the employer’s criteria, not against each other. In fact, it’s important to show that you can work in a team and co-operate with others.

Some assessment centres will include meals and refreshments and while this acts as a pleasant social introduction to the firm, be aware that the recruiters will notice candidates' behaviour and form preliminary impressions of people.

What to expect from assessment centres

Assessment centres can last from half a day to three days. A typical one-day assessment centre would start with a welcome to the company followed by introductions and an ice-breaker. This might be followed by individual and group exercises. During lunch you might be able to mingle with current graduate employees, with interviews taking place in the afternoon.

The programme of events can incorporate some or all of the following:

Group exercises
Individual exercises
Panel interviews
Social events
Written exercises or case studies
Aptitude tests, psychometric tests or personality tests.

Assessment centre group exercises

A group of six to eight people may be given a task to do under observation by the selectors. Group exercises are designed to assess how you communicate and your ability to accommodate the needs, views and skills of others in order to achieve a goal. Listen carefully to the instructions and focus on helping the group to complete the task.

Your aim should be to make a constructive contribution. How you work together to solve the problem is usually more important than the solution.

The group is asked to deal with a scenario based on a real-life business situation, and to present its findings.

Tip: Show recruiters you can work together. They won’t be looking for the ‘right’ conclusion but the steps you took to reach it.

Get the insights and skills you need to shape your career journey with Pathways. Gain a strong grounding in the various ways you can prepare for an assessment centre, so you can give yourself the best chance of success.

Discussion group

The group is given a topic, often a recent news story, to discuss.

Tip: Listen to other group members as well as speaking up. Prepare by reading a quality newspaper in the weeks before the assessment centre.

Leaderless task

Each member of the group is given an individual briefing document. As a group you must come up with a decision acceptable to everyone within a time limit.

Tip: No-one in the group is the designated leader so you’ll need to work together to find a solution. Recruiters will be interested in whether you’re comfortable working with differing views and able to broker a compromise.

Assessment centre individual exercises

These are designed to mirror tasks you would be doing on the job.

In-tray exercise:

You are presented with a series of letters or emails varying in degrees of importance and given about 30–60 minutes to tackle it.

They are looking for: decision making, time management, how you work under pressure.

Tips: Quickly read through everything. Identify requests needing immediate action; those you can delegate; and those you can delay. Be prepared to justify your priorities and actions to the assessors. Pace yourself; work quickly and accurately.

Case study:

You will be given a business scenario and asked to imagine they are giving advice to a client or colleague on the basis of the evidence. You may have to make a presentation explaining your findings. This may be either a group or an individual exercise. They are looking for: analysis, problem solving, business acumen.

Tip: Practise by carrying out some basic research. Find out the kind of real-life business decisions the company has to make. Read the business pages of newspapers to get a feel for current issues. See if your careers service runs workshops on preparing for case study exercises.

Presentation:

You will be asked to prepare this in advance: you will be told the subject and length of the presentation and the visual aids available (eg flipcharts, presentation software or a laptop).

They are looking for: communication ability, confidence, thinking quickly on your feet.

Plan the content: If you have a free choice, choose a subject you know or understand well. Break your presentation into three memorable points and give it a good structure – starting with an introduction and ending with a summary and an invitation for questions. Visual aids must be visual: don’t include too much text.
Think about your delivery: Less experienced presenters tend to speed up as they talk, so be aware of this and pause if necessary to get back on track. Vary your tone of your voice; minimise your movements; engage with everyone present by looking at each person from time to time.
Get plenty of practice: Practise out loud, so that you are comfortable speaking from memory with brief prompts on screen or on index cards. Get used to the timing and speaking at a measured pace. A final dress rehearsal the day before will help your confidence.

Assessment centre tips

Get as much information as you can about the tests beforehand.
Listen carefully; pace yourself; work quickly and accurately.
Be yourself – don’t act a part. If you’ve had to change your behaviour or personality radically to fit in then it could be a sign that this employer is not for you.

Learn more about preparing for assessment centres.

gradireland editorial advice

This describes editorially independent and impartial content, which has been written and edited by the gradireland content team. Any external contributors featuring in the article are in line with our non-advertorial policy, by which we mean that we do not promote one organisation over another.

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How to prepare for a law firm assessment centre.

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We are a team of qualified lawyers from US, Magic Circle and Silver Circle law firms law firms. We publish articles like this one every fortnight to give you the inside scoop on how to secure your training contract.

With years of experience analysing and reviewing documents for some of the world's most sophisticated clients, we've channeled the same level of care and attention into curating our database of successful applications to world's best commercial law firms.

Introduction to training contract assessment centres

Law firm assessment centres are daunting events, but they are the final hurdle that you need to clear to secure a vacation scheme or training contract.

This article explains how to prepare for the two most common assessment centre exercises at commercial law firms. We will cover:

Competency / motivational interviews which focus on whether you have the right skills and attitude to succeed on your training contract
Commercial case studies which test your ability to think logically and deal with common commercial topics

You may encounter additional tests which form part of the recruitment process at your assessment centre (e.g. group exercises, written exercises, psychometric tests or negotiation exercises). We plan to release other articles covering common topics like how to succeed in group exercises at assessment days shortly.

Competency / Motivational Interview

This interview is by far the most common kind of assessment you will face at law firm assessment centres. Although they vary in time, length and structure, most candidates will have to answer competency and motivational interview questions.

Competency questions focus on your skills. These questions are open-ended (e.g. ‘tell me about a time when…’) and then state a situation or a particular skill. For example, ‘tell me about a time when you demonstrated good teamwork’.
Motivational questions are questions which relate to your motivations or commitment towards a career in commercial law or the law firm you are interviewing at. Such questions may be phrased as follows: ‘why do you want to pursue a career in commercial law?’, or ‘why do you want to train at [ insert firm here ]?’.

Many candidates find these kinds of questions challenging. They are personal in nature and require preparation in advance. It’s unlikely that you can improvise an answer of sufficient quality on the spot. The aim is prepare so effectively that your answer ticks all of the boxes on your interviewer’s marking scheme while sounding completely natural.

Preparation

It's worth over-indexing on preparation before your assessment day.

The first step is to prepare a table of competency/motivational questions: write down typical questions on the left-hand side and leave space for your answers in the right-hand column.

You should write out your answers in full. However, we would suggest putting a word limit of 400 words per answer. The average person speaks at approximately 150 words per minute. This means that a 400 word answer would take you just over 2.5 minutes to get through. It’s important to speak at a pace that is easy to follow, so a 2.5 minute answer should take about three minutes to deliver at interview.

By writing out your answers, you are able to formulate a strong, logical structure and provide yourself with a safety net should your mind suddenly go blank in the interview.

For illustrative purposes only, it may look something like this:

Example of format to use when preparing answers for interview

Naturally, your table will have far more rows that the one above. We would recommend that you prepare answers for the following basic competencies:

Teamwork and leadership skills
Organisation and time management
Communication skills (including examples of dealing with difficult people/persuasion/negotiation)
Entrepreneurship/innovation
Determination/motivation
Dealing with a set-back/failure
Adaptability/flexibility

After you have prepared your answers, you may then want to transition to flashcards. Write the question on one side, and a bullet point version of your answer on the other side. Mix up the cards and test yourself on them until you can confidently answer the questions with responses that range from one to three minutes long.

Application

When you are in the real interview, it is unlikely that it will be a robotic question-and-answer process. Your interviewer is likely to adopt a conversational tone and expect that you do the same. Notwithstanding your thorough preparation, it is important that you deliver your answers in a natural manner

Once you know your answers off by heart, you should take some small liberties with the script you have prepared. This will allow your tone to be more natural and appear more spontaneous. This is an old actors’ trick: you must know your lines so well that you are able to act as though that they are coming to your head in the moment, just like the character in the scene would have happen to them.

Some interviewers will ask you direct questions, whilst some will amend the questions, which will force you to change your answer in the moment. However, so long as you have done your preparation, you need not worry – you already have the answers in your head. All you need to do is shuffle the content around to provide an appropriate response.

For example, your interviewer may ask you ‘tell me about a time when you have demonstrated strong organisational skills’. You may give your response, and the interviewer replies with, ‘that is great – but what about when that does not work out? How do you deal with that?’. This question is technically a follow-up question about your organisational skills but alludes to your ability to deal with set-backs and failure.

Consequently, you should answer with a response that transitions from your organisational answer to your set-backs answer. Again, if you have done your preparation, this will come naturally as you will not be trying to quickly make up a retort on the spot.

Case Study / Presentation Exercise

Pen on paper with the words "tackling case studies"

One of the most challenging assessments that candidates face at assessment centres is the case study/presentation exercise. This assessment is a test of your comprehension skills, commercial awareness and your application of technical knowledge. It differs to group exercises because it's usually 1-1, rather than alongside other candidates.

The exercise will usually involve you receiving a bundle of documents to review over the course of 30-45 minutes. You will probably receive some prompts and questions within the documents and, at the end of the allotted time, you will relay your findings to a partner over the course of a 5-15 minute presentation.

Like mock exam papers, the best way to prepare for a case study is to carry out practice tests before your assessment day. The NCL practice case study is our own custom case study that covers many of the areas that law firms will assess you on. By itself, though, that’s not enough – you need feedback on improvement points and visibility of what the best answers involve. Our case study therefore includes step-by-step commentary with a model answer and an explanation of the concepts employed.

Other than the NCL case study, there are some other ways to supplement your knowledge. Crucially, you should be looking to build your technical knowledge. By technical knowledge we mean your financial, commercial, and legal knowledge. This includes topics like:

Acquisition structure (sale purchase or asset purchase).
Acquisition financing (debt or equity).
Representations, warranties and indemnities.

Alongside this, you will also need to have broader commercial acumen. You will be expected to analyse a situation and consider whether it makes good commercial sense. For example, you may be asked whether your client, an e-commerce business, should acquire a high-street retailer who only has bricks-and-mortar stores. If your client only wants to expand its online presence, the acquisition seems like a bad idea. Furthermore, bring in your knowledge of current affairs: the pandemic has accelerated the decline of the high-street. Hence, even if your client wants to have a physical presence, you may want to advise them on the risks of pursuing that objective.

Building your commercial awareness and technical knowledge is a staightforward but time-consuming process. We recommend the following actions:

Listen to the Financial Times News Briefing podcast every morning. It's about 10 minutes long and gives an excellent summary of the most important commercial news stories
Read the Financial Times or the Economist's business section as much as possible
Read the same legal press that the law firm partners read. Legal Business is particularly insightful
Watch one hour of Bloomberg TV a day (it is free for one hour each day). This is more advanced but will give you an excellent insight into financial matters and provide you with some top-level analysis
Read some basic introductory books on commercial concepts (e.g. Stoakes’ ‘All you need to know about the City’)
Use Investopedia to look up concepts you do not understand and to build some deeper knowledge
Take online courses on commercial concepts (like private equity) on platforms like Coursera or edX

Once you have amassed a decent amount of knowledge, it is vital that you put it to the test in a practice case study/presentation exercise. Testing yourself against a practice case study exercise is the best way to know whether you at the appropriate level to succeed or if more work is required.

After you have used the practice case study materials, you will be able to identify gaps in your knowledge and thoroughly prepared for the actual assessment. Then, all that remains is to do the real thing!

This article has summarised the two main kinds of assessment you are likely to face at a law firm assessment centre. The first is the competency/motivational interview. To prepare for this, we recommend drafting a question-and-answer table, writing flashcards, and rehearsing answers.

The second assessment is the case study/presentation exercise. To prepare for this, we strongly recommend getting a hold of our practice case study exercise and practicing. We also recommend, in tandem, building your commercial awareness and technical knowledge by reading, listening, and watching a variety of media that is designed to educate you on a broad range of commercial and financial concepts.

Get your copy of case study/presentation assessment here . Remember, unlike others, our case study exercise comes with a detailed commentary which walks you through the exercise, provides model answers, and explains the relevant commercial concepts.

We hope you found this article useful – if you did, please share it with other candidates who might find it helpful!

So, what next?

If you are ready to move from research to action, you should look at our application database BEFORE you put pen to paper on your applications. You wouldn't walk into an exam hall without carefully reviewing past papers. It's exactly the same with applications to law firms. If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.

Most candidates read a few well-intentioned but obvious articles on how to apply to law firms. Most candidates then spend a couple of hours writing an application before optimistically submitting it. But most candidates don't even get an interview. Every year, thousands of candidates are part of the 90% that are rejected at first round.

Join us as part of the successful 10% instead. Let us give you an unfair advantage: through our comprehensive analysis of successful applications to every major law firm, our qualified lawyers will break down the ingredients of a phenomenal application. We will help you beat the odds, secure your interview and then avoid final-round failure at your assessment centre.

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Future Lawyers
Preparing for an assessment centre

For our Trainee Solicitor Pathway (previously called a training contract) and Summer Vacation Scheme assessment centres, we’ll ask you to complete the following exercises:

Case study exercise

This exercise is usually done in exam-style conditions and is always an individual exercise. A case study exercise typically involves approximately:

40 minutes of reading, preparation, and written response time.
20 minutes of questioning time.

We’ll provide you with an information pack and you’ll need to review the information contained within the pack to complete the task. The following is a real-life example of the type of case study exercise task you can expect in one of our assessment centres:

Example candidate brief

Background .

EDISONS, an international real estate investment trust, has grown rapidly to become one of the leading players in its field. EDISONS is largely focused on the management and development of shopping centres and currently owns four different shopping centre brands, which aim to cater for different segments of the retail market. This growth has come as a result of EDISONS buying existing shopping centre chains, as well as growing organically through the launch of new boutique retail parks.

In light of its 2020 Annual Report, EDISONS is once again looking to grow and is aiming to do this by purchasing existing real estate. EDISONS’ Managing Directors recently approached you, as a consultant in this area, as they have heard about other real estate investment trusts taking this approach with mixed results, and so they would like your advice on whether to move forward.

Your task is to review the information about EDISONS themselves, how purchasing existing real estate could work, and the success of other competitors.

You need to consider:

EDISONS main concerns.
What impact purchasing existing real estate could have for EDISONS.

In doing so, you will need to share your written advice before answering some follow up questions.

What are we looking for?

You’ll need to provide an excellent analysis of the information provided, presenting your final decision to the assessor in the form of a clear, structured, and well-thought through written response, as well as answering some follow up questions. Show the assessor how and why you reached your recommendation, the information you drew upon, and how you would approach the conversation with the client.

Top tips

Find the right balance between presenting enough information - not too little or too much.
Case study exercises are designed for you to make a decision and show conviction.
Make sure you’ve thought about a ‘plan B’ option.

In-tray exercise

This exercise is usually done in exam-style conditions and is always an individual exercise. The in-tray exercise represents an accurate picture of the type of work that you would undertake while working for us. Timings of these exercises can vary, but typically you will have approximately 60 minutes to complete the task.

You’ll be assessed on your ability to balance and prioritise multiple tasks at once, as well as being able to identify problems and provide suitable solutions.
The assessor will be looking to see that you’re acting in the very best interest of the firm and your clients.
Your written communication skills will also be assessed.

The following is a real-life example of an in-tray exercise task that you can expect in one of our assessment centres:

Example candidate brief

Introduction .

TechGlobe Solutions is an innovative and dynamic technology company at the forefront of the industry. Established with a vision for pushing the boundaries of technological advancements, the company specialises in developing cutting-edge software solutions. TechGlobe Solutions are a client of Browne Jacobson and you have been supporting a Senior Associate working closely with them.

The task

The Senior Associate has sent you an email requesting your support. They have scheduled a call tomorrow with TechGlobe Solutions, who are looking to explore opportunities for purchasing new technology and have reached out for legal advice. Due to prior commitments, the Senior Associate won’t be able to join the call and so they would like you to review the email from TechGlobe Solutions and complete the following task for their attention later:

Detail their main questions as bullet points.
Suggest any further information the Senior Associate may require about TechGlobe Solutions’ future plans.

The written output which you create needs to provide the Senior Associate with all the information they need as well as being clear and comprehensive.

The Interview will typically involve the following three sections and will last approximately 60 minutes:

Motivations for applying for a role with us.
Scenario-based questions – you will be presented with a scenario which would be typical of a scenario you may find yourself in once in role. You will be asked what you would do regarding the scenario presented to you and there will be a series of follow up questions to answer. You don’t need any technical knowledge to be able to answer these questions, we are looking to understand what your approach would be.
Learning and development questions – the continued growth of our people is a top priority for us and so we will be keen to understand your approach to learning and development.

Interviews are designed for us to get to know more about you in relation to the key skills and behaviours required for the role.

Example scenario-based question

You have been asked to attend an upcoming meeting with a client that you have not met before. Despite the presence of some of your colleagues, this meeting presents a chance to establish a connection with the client. How would you approach this situation?

Follow up questions:

What steps would you take to prepare for the meeting?
What strategies would you use to build relationships?
What would be a successful outcome after this meeting?
Ensure you are clear on why you have applied for a role with us.
Answer the questions as honestly as possible.
For the scenario-based questions, we will provide you with the situation and the task, so you should try and focus your response on the actions you would take and results you would hope to achieve.

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Definitive Guide to Law Firm Case Studies! Monday Article Series

Thread starter Jacob Miller
Start date Jan 18, 2021
Tags assessment centre assessment centre case study case studies case study case study interview law firm case study written assessment

Jacob Miller

Legendary member.

Jan 18, 2021
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Alice G (Jacob’s grandmother): 6%
Daniel B (Jacob’s uncle): 4%
We absolutely want 100% ownership; we won’t settle for anything less.
We don’t want the hassle of having to set up new supply lines for their existing locations, we’re keen to more or less pick up all their suppliers.
We haven’t been told how much they want for the business yet, but ideally, we don’t want to pay much more than £850mn
We want Jacob to stay on with a public-facing role in the company - he’s a major part of the brand and we don’t to lose him.”
For in-person assessment centres, if you’re wearing a wristwatch, take it off and put it somewhere you can see it at a glance to keep time. If you’re completing your assessment centre virtually, make sure there is an accurate clock somewhere that you can see at a glance for the same purpose.
Spread all the documents in pack across your workspace with a notepad/ whatever you’ll be using for notes in the middle, where you can easily use it. This mitigates the chances of accidentally missing a document if you have them all in one profile.
Locate whatever document in the file contains the key issues you are asked to cover and make a note of, or highlight, these so you can easily make reference to them.
Take a few minutes to make a plan. Skim read the information you’ve been given to get a solid handle on key facts and the broad scenario. Use this time to make notes of any particularly obvious issues that jump off the page.

The solicitor-client relationship between Lawyer McLawface LLP and KoffeeKulture
The potential buyer-target relationship between KoffeeKulture and Jacob’s Juices
The shareholder-company relationships between Jacob’s Juices Worldwide and its four shareholders, as well as Jacob’s daily position within the company
The group company relationships between Jacob’s Juices Worldwide Ltd, the target, and JJ UK/ JJ USA/ JJ Canada
The supplier-client relationship between FruitsRUs and JJ UK
Colour coding each issue with a different colour of pen or highlighter. Beware, though, that you could quickly run into issues with the number of colours you have relative to the number of issues in the paper; it is also not guaranteed that you’ll be able to access your bag/ pencil case before the exercise starts, so you may be unable to get all your pens/ highlighters
Give each issue a number. This is the approach I personally used. As you read through each document and identify an issue, number it. If you then come across another piece of information in a subsequent document which relates to an issue you have already numbered, you can give it the same number, so you remember that they are correlated

Note, for example, that we have raised concerns about tax and employment obligations after the deal. These are considerations which are a part of every commercial transaction; it is important to show that you have a wider understanding of how deals work.
In this example, points such as KK’s large existing market share are subtle and also mixed in among a lot of unimportant background information, yet any challenge from a competition authority can completely destroy the prospect of a deal. It is important to look for even the smallest hints throughout the case study.
For example, in this case study, the termination clause of the contract between JJ and FruitsRUs is included, but, although it seems as though it ought to be important, it is actually of very little consequence for any issues we are considering here.
In case you were wondering, the issue we left out was in regards the fact that JJ were developing a franchise model before discussions started concerning the acquisition. We would need to conduct further due diligence to find out more about this: what stage were preparations at? Are there prospective franchisees who have signed agreements for obligations we would need to carry forward? Missing a point doesn’t make you any weaker a candidate - they don’t expect you to catch everything!
Key issues here are that Alice is potentially developing of dementia and Daniel is adamant that he does not want to sell his stake
There are various issues with the JJ/FruitsRUs contract which could pose challenges here
JJ was recently valued at £1bn so there is a clear mismatch here. We may need to look at leveraging different issues to lower the purchase price and also look at nuanced payment models such as instalments or targets-based payment
Jacob wants to leave to start a new venture; we would need to try and negotiate him staying for a longer period and also need to ensure his new venture would not compete with JJ/ KK. We would look to have a non-compete clause in the contract to secure this.
Identify where you have had to make assumptions for lack of information OR identify where you would need to investigate/track down additional information to not make assumptions.
Think realistically about the time you are given to prepare and to “report” back (whether in an interview, a presentation or written format). These tasks are always given with a very strict time limit so think about what’s reasonable to do within that. Quality over quantity will generally win out. Do you want to be the person who identifies lots of things superficially and with no connection to other points, or do you want to be the person who is able to show depth of analysis in some areas?
Prioritise - linked to the above aspect of limited time, but also try to prioritise your points. There’s probably lots you could make, but some are likely to be more substantial, more urgent or more important than others. Your analysis or opinion of what’s more influential will probably be assessed.
Skim read or have a quick glance through all the information given to you first to try and gauge what information you have in front of you before you start to pull your ideas together. If you start to read through it meticulously from the start, you might end up realising something on the last page blows everything out of the water or changes another point considerably, effectively meaning you have to start from scratch.
Remember who your audience is. For instance, with a written response, sometimes you’ll be writing something for a partner, sometimes you will be writing for a client. They are very different audiences with very different perceptions of what is important, with very different levels of knowledge. Think carefully about who your audience is and what they might (or might not) already know.
Plan! When you are given the task don’t be tempted to jump in immediately, have a glance over the information then use your brief to create a plan (e.g. what is the issue, what is the evidence for this issue, what is the solution). This way you can avoid aimlessly looking through the information as you will never have enough time to go through everything in detail.
Perspective! To help you find a range of issues, try to read through the information given to you from the perspectives of the different practice areas (e.g. what issues would the corporate team raise vs the banking team vs the real estate team vs the competition team). Doing this will enable you to cover more ground.
Be solution focused! More often than not, once you have identified the issues interviewers will be looking to test your problem-solving skills either directly through the task itself or indirectly through follow up questions. Ultimately the role of a solicitor is to advise clients, so it is important that when you spot your problems, you consider proposals for solving them.
Structure - Always include an executive summary of your conclusions/analysis/solutions at the beginning. Anyone that has little time to be reading through an entire document of details will want to get the information that is most important first and I think this holds true for any potential audience of the document you’re writing (partners, clients, associates etc.)
Reasoning - This is a tip geared particularly to case studies that have a discussion element. Even if you are unsure of the answers to any follow up questions you might receive, the key thing is to demonstrate how you’ve come to the conclusion you have made. Really talk through every step of your thought process because even if the final answer is wrong, this is something that demonstrates the analytical skills that firms look for.
Practice - Make full use of any of the sample case studies you can find on the forum or anywhere else to practice your clarity of writing, structure and level of analysis. This can really help candidates snap out of the long-winded style of writing that many of us default to because of writing university essays.
Diagram: Often you will be asked to give an overview or a summary of the matter at hand. A great way to do this simply and concisely is to use a diagram to show a visual representation of the scenario. If you have an M&A case study for example, you might want to draw who the buyer, the seller and the target are and use arrows to show the relationship between the parties. You could also note the price of the target here and also perhaps how the transaction is being funded by the buyer if this is given – if they are getting a bank loan, you could add the bank to the diagram and also the sum of the loan. The diagram doesn’t need to be a work of art, but it just needs to sum up the scenario well and it is serving as an aid for you to tell the overall story above anything else. It also doubles up as a repository of useful info from the documents (like deal price) so you don’t need to worry too much about retaining everything in your head! ( Note from Jacob: Looks like we’re on the same page here, Alice! ) 2. Organisation strategy for multiple questions: If you are posed with multiple questions to answer in a case study, I tended to like spider diagrams. I used to write each key question in a bubble in the middle of an A4 page (which would become my spider diagram) and I attributed a different coloured highlighter for each question. Say there were three questions I needed to answer, I would have three pages upon which I would do my diagram and three highlighters, one for each question. I would then go through the materials and use the correct highlighter for when a piece of information would help me to answer a particular question. I would then add that information onto the correct spider diagram with a page number beside it for ease of reference. By the time I had gone through all the information pack, I then had all the info I needed which was easy to re-find in my colour coded information pack. At that stage, I could spend my time constructing my written work/presentation with a greater focus on argument, structure and precision. I found this a really good technique which worked well for me, especially in tight time constraints. 3. Practice areas: Before opening information packs, I would write down all the law firm practice areas and have that in front of me. This helped me to think critically about what I was reading and meant I was actively searching for points and information. Law firms tend to add details into case studies which are really subtle and can be easily missed so I found in approaching case studies in this way, I was better able to pick up on these more subtle and nuanced points which would often help me to get credit for innovative and ‘outside the box’ thinking. Final point – leave ten minutes at the end to proof if it is a written task – this is vital.

Star Member

Jan 25, 2021

My first AC is coming up tomorrow morning - this could not have come at a better time. Thank you for taking the time to write this!

Founder, TCLA

Polyglot said: My first AC is coming up tomorrow morning - this could not have come at a better time. Thank you for taking the time to write this! Click to expand...

Jaysen said: Best of luck! Click to expand...

Jan 26, 2021

Distinguished Member

Hi Jacob, first of all, thank you for this really helpful guide! I just wanted to clarify a few points: 1) In a written case study, let's say about 45 mins, how many points should you pick out? Should you stick to the ones specifically related to the client's demands (so in this case the 4 points mentioned in the note from KK Managing Director) or is it better to include everything you can find? 2) Could you please clarify what's a "targets-based payment"? I tried googling this but couldn't really find the answer. 3) Would you say it's better to try and focus equally between legal and commercial issues? Thank you! 😊

rachelzane said: Hi Jacob, first of all, thank you for this really helpful guide! I just wanted to clarify a few points: 1) In a written case study, let's say about 45 mins, how many points should you pick out? Should you stick to the ones specifically related to the client's demands (so in this case the 4 points mentioned in the note from KK Managing Director) or is it better to include everything you can find? 2) Could you please clarify what's a "targets-based payment"? I tried googling this but couldn't really find the answer. 3) Would you say it's better to try and focus equally between legal and commercial issues? Thank you! 😊 Click to expand...

Feb 5, 2021

Jacob Miller said: Very very best of luck with your AC! I'm sure you'll smash it and I'm delighted the article was of help to you!! Click to expand...

Daniel Boden

Polyglot said: Jaysen and Thank you so much! Just wanted to say I was offered a place for the CMS Academy this Tuesday and it is still sinking in. Thank you again for the article, it definitely helped! Click to expand...

Daniel Boden said: Huge congrats! Hope you've been able to celebrate 🎉🥂 Click to expand...

Emma Raymond

Feb 6, 2021

Thanks so much for posting this article. Was really helpful having a break down of how to approach case studies ahead of my assessment centre. Also appreciated the creativity with regards to the name of the stakeholders!

Feb 14, 2021

Hi, You wrote DT in the mind map above. I was wondering what it stands for...Does it mean Dispute Team?

Alya said: Hi, You wrote DT in the mind map above. I was wondering what it stands for...Does it mean Dispute Team? Click to expand...

Feb 18, 2021

Jacob Miller said: Hi all, please see below the third of my Monday Article Series! This week is my definitive guide to case studies. It's a long one - you might want to go get a coffee and settle in! Introduction This week’s Monday Article will cover how to approach law firm case studies, one of the most intimidating parts of the Assessment Centre (this was certainly the case for me!). We will first go over a mock case study scenario and then consider some points of technique for approaching the task when you’re first handed the document pack. Thereafter, we will break down the example case study and detail the approach I took to organise my thoughts and group together issues and solutions. Afterwards, we will look at how we would structure our answer for either a written assessment or a subsequent case study interview. Finally, we’ll conclude with some top tips from the fantastic TCLA team! Note, we won’t be examining how to excel in the case study interview, or in wider drafting tasks, today. This article will cover up to the point of structuring your response for the interview or drafting the letter/ email to whomever you have been asked to send it. Case studies are designed to test a variety of skills, including your ability to interpret and analyse large amounts of information. Depending on the format of assessment (i.e., written or presented interview), your drafting or presentation skills may be tested. Interview-style assessments also test your ability to think on your feet and respond to stressful situations where you may not always know the answer. Case studies are also an opportunity for you to demonstrate that you understand the work that commercial law firms undertake and how they may advise clients. Mock Scenario Note: as part of this mock cast study, we have drafted certain contract provisions. These have been greatly simplified for the purposes of this exercise, so will probably look a little different to ones you might see in real assessments! Background: You are a third-seat trainee sitting in M&A at Lawyer McLawface LLP, a large, London-based commercial law firm with international offices in most major European cities as well as satellite offices in New York and San Francisco. It is early on a Monday morning; you’ve just finished your second coffee of the day and are getting ready to go about your usual Monday routine when Jaysen, a Partner from your department, knocks on your door: “Hey- hope you had a nice weekend. Listen, we’ve just been instructed by a regular client on a potential acquisition. I’m really busy, so I don’t have time to fully brief you, but I want you on the deal team after you did so well on that big deal last month. Can you take charge of some initial due diligence for me? Just to pick up on any major issues to flag at a meeting with the client later. It’s urgent and needs to be completed in the next hour while I’m in this meeting. I’ve printed everything you’ll need.” No sooner has Jaysen handed you the document pack than he has turned around and hurried along the corridor to a meeting about another on-going deal that’s been challenged by the CMA. Your training principal, who overheard the conversation, has allowed you to delay the work you were doing for them to let you work on this new task. You open the document pack and establish that the client is KoffeeKulture (‘KK’), a large coffee chain known for their high-quality, ethically sourced coffee. In fact, you just finished one of their signature Orange Mocha Frappuccinos. They are an extremely well-established brand with approximately 25,000 stores and a large market share across the UK and Western Europe. Around 7,000 stores are owned and 18,000 are franchises. They have begun to engage in discussions with Jacob’s Juices (‘JJ’), a newer, but rapidly growing, smoothie and juice chain. JJ has around 12,000 stores across the UK and North America. JJ has supplied your client with a document containing mostly background information about the company, as well as an extract from a key contract with its main supplier, FruitsRUs. These documents, as well as a recent news article about JJ, and a short note from KK’s Global Managing Director, John Koffman, comprise the document pack which Jaysen gave you. Document 1: Background information “To whom this may concern, This document has been drafted for and on behalf of Jacob’s Juices Worldwide Ltd (‘us’/‘we’). It is to be viewed only by its intended recipients, namely, KoffeeKulture Senior Management, legal counsel and any external law firm instructed on the matter. We undertake that any information is true to the fullest extent of our knowledge, although no information contained herein shall form the basis or any part of a sale and nothing contained herein shall be considered a guarantee, warranty or indemnity. Jacob M launched our flagship Juice Bar in Farringdon, London in 2012. He used personal savings as well as money given to him by his uncle and his grandmother to launch the first venue. The venue was a great success and, in 2013, he launched two more Juice Bars, in the Spitalfields and Clerkenwell areas of London respectively. In 2015, by this time with ten Juice Bars around London and the South East, we came to the attention of Private Equity firm InvestLDN, and, after negotiations, they purchased 50% of the equity in the company. Our current shareholder stakes are as follows: InvestLDN: 50% Jacob M: 40% Alice G (Jacob’s grandmother): 6% Daniel B (Jacob’s uncle): 4% The business in its current form was valued in Q3 2020 at £1bn. Jacob is currently our global Managing Director and remains very active in the daily running of the business- it’s not uncommon for him to be seen working at our original Farringdon location if he has a quiet day (our HQ is just a few minutes away). Jacob is a major part of our brand’s image and ongoing success, but he is looking to start a new venture and, thus, is interested in selling his shares in the company and standing down as MD. InvestLDN are now looking to sell their stake in the company to realise their investment. Alice has said that she would be happy to also sell her stake in the company, but Daniel is adamant that he wants to hold onto his share for the foreseeable future. There have been rumours within the senior management that Alice is on the foothills of dementia. In terms of our global position, we currently have around 12,000 stores worldwide with around 2,500 in the UK, 6,500 in the USA (almost entirely on the East Coast) and 3,000 in Canada. We do not currently have a market presence in mainland Europe, although some recent market research we undertook would indicate that our products and brand would be well received in France, Italy, Spain and Germany. All of our stores are brand-owned, though we were developing a franchise model before these discussions started. We had hoped to launch this franchise model by late 2021 or 2022. Each country’s branches are technically under separate legal ownership- “JJ UK”, “JJ USA”, and “JJ Canada” respectively- but they’re all 100% owned by us. We have commercial rental agreements in place for all of our Juice Bars and the HQ office in Farringdon, but we have mortgages on our commercial processing plants in Luton, Delaware and Ontario. Our main produce provider for the UK, FruitsRUs, sources much of the produce from Europe and South America. They have recently raised some concerns surrounding importing produce to the UK post-Brexit, but we are confident that there shouldn’t be any issues. On that note, our contract with them is on a two-year rolling basis. The current two-year period ends on 31st March 2021. Please feel free to reach out for any further information.” Document 2: Extracts from contract between Jacob’s Juices and FruitsRUs “2.1: Change of Control FruitsRUs may, in the event of the sale of more than 50% of Jacob’s Juices Worldwide’s shares, terminate with immediate effect, or re-negotiate any terms of, this contract without committing a breach thereof. FruitsRUs must be notified of any sale before it occurs. 3.7: Termination In order to terminate this contract, Jacob’s Juices must provide a minimum of 90 working days’ written notice to FruitsRUs. FruitsRUs must provide a minimum of 60 days’ notice to JJ for the same. 4.3: Force Majeure FruitsRUs may, in the event of a force majeure event, terminate the contract without committing a breach thereof. 5.1: Dispute Resolution In the event of a dispute arising under this contract, both parties submit to the jurisdiction and laws of Luxembourg.” Document 3: Extract from a recent newspaper article (dated 12/1/2020) “…the TCLA Times can report that Jacob’s Juices has allegedly been accused of causing a customer to have a severe allergic reaction after failing to label one of its signature smoothies appropriately at one of its London locations. The customer is alleged to have gone into anaphylactic shock and required an ambulance after nut-based products were not properly identified as an ingredient in one of the brand’s drinks. The wife of the customer, who is said to be in intensive care in hospital, was heard screaming “This isn’t over! I’ll sue this company until it’s bankrupt!” during the incident. It is unclear whether legal action has commenced. That’s not all that the global drinks chain has had to deal with recently, with reports that a small, rival smoothie chain in the UK has alleged that Jacob’s Juices stole its recipes during its early days, using a disgruntled ex-employee to obtain copies. It recently released a statement saying that it would use the “full force of the law” to see that “justice was done to prevent small companies being taken advantage of by global chains”. Jacob’s Juices have been approached for comment on both matters but have thus far refused.” Document 4: Note from KK Managing Director, John Koffman “… about this proposed acquisition of Jacob’s Juices, I just wanted to make a few points clear: We absolutely want 100% ownership; we won’t settle for anything less. We don’t want the hassle of having to set up new supply lines for their existing locations, we’re keen to more or less pick up all their suppliers. We haven’t been told how much they want for the business yet, but ideally, we don’t want to pay much more than £850mn We want Jacob to stay on with a public-facing role in the company - he’s a major part of the brand and we don’t to lose him.” Your Task: Please complete the due diligence (further research into and analysis of the legal and commercial implications of the information contained within the four preceding documents) that Jaysen has asked you to. You will have 60 minutes. Please pay particular attention to the points raised by John Koffman, as well as any other issues which you feel it is important to raise. Please be ready to present your findings to the client at the meeting in an hour [OR] Please draft a letter to the client to present your findings. Points of Technique It can be extremely intimidating when you’re first presented with the document pack. There is often a mass of information and it can be hard to know where to start. When I approached these tasks, I tended to go through a few routine steps before I started my substantive preparations. Here are some of the things you might wish to consider: For in-person assessment centres, if you’re wearing a wristwatch, take it off and put it somewhere you can see it at a glance to keep time. If you’re completing your assessment centre virtually, make sure there is an accurate clock somewhere that you can see at a glance for the same purpose. Spread all the documents in pack across your workspace with a notepad/ whatever you’ll be using for notes in the middle, where you can easily use it. This mitigates the chances of accidentally missing a document if you have them all in one profile. Locate whatever document in the file contains the key issues you are asked to cover and make a note of, or highlight, these so you can easily make reference to them. Take a few minutes to make a plan. Skim read the information you’ve been given to get a solid handle on key facts and the broad scenario. Use this time to make notes of any particularly obvious issues that jump off the page. Organising your thoughts After you’ve made your initial plans and have a broad understanding of the key issues and parties, it is time to start more substantive preparations. One technique I was taught, which I continue to use even outside of case study scenarios, is to draw a diagram. Using a diagram to identify key parties, their relationships to one another, and also to identify which key issues are linked to each party gives an easy-to-reference visual representation of issues which are at the core of the scenario. They can also be expanded to add information as you continue to read through the scenario in more detail and identify new issues. The diagram will become the ‘hub’ from which you can develop the framework of your response depending on the type of assessment. When drawing your diagram, the first step is to map in the key parties (stakeholders) and their relationships to one another. Below, you’ll see the first stage of my diagram for the above scenario – this will continue to grow as we go through the scenario in more depth. View attachment 2550 As you can see, we have identified key stakeholders in the first ‘phase’ of our diagram, as well as the relationships which they have to one another. In this case, these are: The solicitor-client relationship between Lawyer McLawface LLP and KoffeeKulture The potential buyer-target relationship between KoffeeKulture and Jacob’s Juices The shareholder-company relationships between Jacob’s Juices Worldwide and its four shareholders, as well as Jacob’s daily position within the company The group company relationships between Jacob’s Juices Worldwide Ltd, the target, and JJ UK/ JJ USA/ JJ Canada The supplier-client relationship between FruitsRUs and JJ UK Now we have identified our key stakeholders, we want to move towards analysing the key legal considerations and key commercial considerations. We also need to begin to consider what law firm practice areas would be involved in the deal and in what capacity, as well as whether we can give a definitive answer or solution for a given issue or whether we need more information and, if so, what information is required . By now, you will have a broad understanding of the content of each document. It is still worthwhile, however, to go back in and re-read all the information you’ve been given, this time paying more attention to particular items. It’s important to highlight and annotate information as and when you recognise it is relevant- there are various different ways you could approach this, for example: Colour coding each issue with a different colour of pen or highlighter. Beware, though, that you could quickly run into issues with the number of colours you have relative to the number of issues in the paper; it is also not guaranteed that you’ll be able to access your bag/ pencil case before the exercise starts, so you may be unable to get all your pens/ highlighters Give each issue a number. This is the approach I personally used. As you read through each document and identify an issue, number it. If you then come across another piece of information in a subsequent document which relates to an issue you have already numbered, you can give it the same number, so you remember that they are correlated Breaking down the case study In no particular order (we’ll cover that later), below are a selection of the legal and commercial issues that are present in the above case study example, as well as detail about whether we can provide a solution or if we need more information. Before you read them, though, try going back to see how many you can pick out yourself. Remember that we’ll break down almost every possible issue that could be pulled from this scenario. In a real, timed, case study, it is highly unlikely that you’ll be able to identify every single possible issue. In the next section, we’ll discuss prioritising the different issues you manage to identify, but, for now, these issues are all things which you might expect to pop up in a case study. Note, if a Practice Area block is left blank, this is an issue that would be covered by the Deal Team, i.e., the team in M&A who would lead the transaction from start to finish (in the case study, this is the team that you are a part of, headed up by Jaysen, the partner) . View attachment 2551 View attachment 2552 View attachment 2553 Now that we’ve identified all the relevant issues and potential solutions, let’s see how our diagram has developed with the advent of these new issues being added. New information has all been added in brown ink, with relevant departments noted in black (DT denotes any area that the Deal Team would take charge of): View attachment 2554 Before we go any further, though, I want to highlight a few key considerations based on what we pulled out from the case study in the table above: Not all issues are stated explicitly in the case study Note, for example, that we have raised concerns about tax and employment obligations after the deal. These are considerations which are a part of every commercial transaction; it is important to show that you have a wider understanding of how deals work. Some issues are only stated very subtly In this example, points such as KK’s large existing market share are subtle and also mixed in among a lot of unimportant background information, yet any challenge from a competition authority can completely destroy the prospect of a deal. It is important to look for even the smallest hints throughout the case study. There will almost always be ‘red herring’ information in a case study which is designed to look somehow important but is of little consequence For example, in this case study, the termination clause of the contract between JJ and FruitsRUs is included, but, although it seems as though it ought to be important, it is actually of very little consequence for any issues we are considering here. You will almost never pull out every single issue. We’ve even left one issue out of the table above! This is natural, it would be extremely unusual to be able to identify every single potential challenge in a case study owing to your time restrictions. In case you were wondering, the issue we left out was in regards the fact that JJ were developing a franchise model before discussions started concerning the acquisition. We would need to conduct further due diligence to find out more about this: what stage were preparations at? Are there prospective franchisees who have signed agreements for obligations we would need to carry forward? Missing a point doesn’t make you any weaker a candidate - they don’t expect you to catch everything! Getting ready to present: identifying and prioritising key issues Because case study exercises are timed in such a way as to never quite give you enough time to do all the work you would like to, it is imperative to prioritise key issues so that you’re presenting the most important issues first. The reason for this is that clients, or a Partner heading into a meeting with a client, needs to know the more important issues before they are concerned with smaller, more extraneous matters. It is also very important to present either a solution or next steps in relation to each issue you raise; at the end of the day, it is a commercial solicitor’s job to find solutions to clients’ challenges, so it’s important that you show this in assessment. In my experience, I tended to find that I only ever had time to list the 6 – 8 most important issues when either drafting a letter to a client or preparing for the subsequent interview. When identifying key issues, these don’t have to be all legal or all commercial; in any event, there is often some amount of overlap between them anyway. The key thing to think about when deciding whether an issue is essential or more extraneous is what impact it could have on the deal. If an issue has the potential to stall the deal or is something which is of substantial importance to your client, it would be considered a key issue. If, on the other hand, an issue is unlikely to pose any major challenge and is not of particular importance to your client, it would be considered more extraneous and, so, less important to raise. If your document pack/ task has included particular item of importance, these are things which it is essential to bring up in the letter/ presentation. In this example, we might consider four such points: KK want 100% ownership Key issues here are that Alice is potentially developing of dementia and Daniel is adamant that he does not want to sell his stake KK don’t want to find new supply lines for JJ products and want to maintain their existing suppliers for the time being There are various issues with the JJ/FruitsRUs contract which could pose challenges here KK ideally don’t want to spend any more than £850mn JJ was recently valued at £1bn so there is a clear mismatch here. We may need to look at leveraging different issues to lower the purchase price and also look at nuanced payment models such as instalments or targets-based payment KK want Jacob to stay within the company in a prominent public-facing role Jacob wants to leave to start a new venture; we would need to try and negotiate him staying for a longer period and also need to ensure his new venture would not compete with JJ/ KK. We would look to have a non-compete clause in the contract to secure this. Structuring your response for a subsequent interview There are several factors to consider when structuring a case study response in anticipation of an interview. The first thing to consider is the structure: often, a case study interview will be structured as a presentation and subsequent interview. This presentation may be 10 – 15 minutes and involve you presenting your initial points to the assessor, usually a partner at the firm. Sometimes, the partner will be ‘in character’ as a client, so you must pitch your presentation to the client, and sometimes they won’t, so you’ll pitch it to the partner as such. The firm will almost invariably advise you what the case will be before you go into the room. It is essential that you adjust your presentation according to whether you are meant to be presenting to a lawyer or a client – essentially a layperson with some commercial, but little legal, acumen. If you’re pitching to a client, consider dropping the legal jargon and, instead, explain the issues you raise in plain English. If my interviewer was in character as a client, I would also typically check that they fully understood the point I had made before moving onto the next issue in my presentation. While this might seem patronising, considering that you know the ‘client’ is actually a lawyer who almost certainly knows far more than what you’re presenting them, it is important to show that you have good soft skills and a client-focussed manner. A client wouldn’t like to be rushed through a presentation without knowing what was being said. At the end of the day, they’re paying a lot of money to understand the various issues at hand, so play up to that character as necessary. As an extension of this point, always try and explain the thought process/ logic behind your decisions and conclusions in your presentation. When I had to prepare for an oral presentation, I would typically switch away from my diagram and spend the last ten minutes or so of the preparation time writing a bullet point list with the key issues, and next steps/solutions, I planned to raise during the presentation. I would set this out in the same way that the key issues are identified above. If I had time, I would quickly jot down some of the more extraneous issues in case I had time to discuss them, or for when I was then questioned on them. In my experience, you’re generally allowed to take all your notes into the interview with you, so I would always take my diagram and, if a point came up which I hadn’t subsequently noted on my bullet point list, I could consult this before giving a response. Check on the day whether this is permitted, though, so you know how reliant you will be on whatever materials you are permitted to take in with you. Structuring your response for a written assessment Although preparing a letter for a client, or emailing a partner, might seem starkly different to preparing for an interview, much of the same logic and approach apply. First of all, it is still vital to pitch your writing to the appropriate audience. If anything, it is even more important that, if writing for a client, you write in plain, accessible language and avoid all legal jargon. The reason for this is that, in an interview, a ‘client’ could always stop you to ask for clarification of a point where you have used inaccessible language; this is impossible with a letter. Secondly, and this goes for all legal drafting irrespective of the intended audience, be as concise and straight-to-the-point as possible. Lawyers and high-flying clients are exceptionally busy people and, as such, they don’t have time to read a long-winded introductory paragraph full of niceties and waffle. You almost certainly don’t have time to write it, either. Get straight to the issues you need to mention! I would typically include an Executive Summary at the start of my written exercise with 1 – 2 sentence bullet point summaries of each key issue and solution/next steps before more fully exploring each of the issues thereunder. This shows a good understanding of the needs of those who are likely to read the letter, for example, they might only have time to scan over key points walking between meetings and need a very brief outline of key points. It also shows good drafting skills. Similarl to an oral presentation, try and include some of the thought process/logic that’s gone into each conclusion – make sure to save this for the main paragraphs rather than the Executive Summary though! Another key point to consider here, following on from the issue of pitching to the correct audience in your style of writing, is also to pitch your tone of writing correctly. If, for example, you are drafting an internal email to be sent to a partner, this may be slightly less formal in tone than a letter going to a client. Similarly, if the case study is based on, say, advising a client on a litigious matter, this is likely to be even more formal in tone and approach than advising them on a deal. Use all these different points to show your understanding of client needs and drafting skills. Finally, and possibly the most important part of a written assessment, leave time to proofread! The last thing you want is a great response marred by a couple of silly grammatical or typographical errors. Top Tips from the TCLA team Jessica’s Top Tips: Identify where you have had to make assumptions for lack of information OR identify where you would need to investigate/track down additional information to not make assumptions. Think realistically about the time you are given to prepare and to “report” back (whether in an interview, a presentation or written format). These tasks are always given with a very strict time limit so think about what’s reasonable to do within that. Quality over quantity will generally win out. Do you want to be the person who identifies lots of things superficially and with no connection to other points, or do you want to be the person who is able to show depth of analysis in some areas? Prioritise - linked to the above aspect of limited time, but also try to prioritise your points. There’s probably lots you could make, but some are likely to be more substantial, more urgent or more important than others. Your analysis or opinion of what’s more influential will probably be assessed. Skim read or have a quick glance through all the information given to you first to try and gauge what information you have in front of you before you start to pull your ideas together. If you start to read through it meticulously from the start, you might end up realising something on the last page blows everything out of the water or changes another point considerably, effectively meaning you have to start from scratch. Remember who your audience is. For instance, with a written response, sometimes you’ll be writing something for a partner, sometimes you will be writing for a client. They are very different audiences with very different perceptions of what is important, with very different levels of knowledge. Think carefully about who your audience is and what they might (or might not) already know. Naomi’s Top Tips: Plan! When you are given the task don’t be tempted to jump in immediately, have a glance over the information then use your brief to create a plan (e.g. what is the issue, what is the evidence for this issue, what is the solution). This way you can avoid aimlessly looking through the information as you will never have enough time to go through everything in detail. Perspective! To help you find a range of issues, try to read through the information given to you from the perspectives of the different practice areas (e.g. what issues would the corporate team raise vs the banking team vs the real estate team vs the competition team). Doing this will enable you to cover more ground. Be solution focused! More often than not, once you have identified the issues interviewers will be looking to test your problem-solving skills either directly through the task itself or indirectly through follow up questions. Ultimately the role of a solicitor is to advise clients, so it is important that when you spot your problems, you consider proposals for solving them. Dheepa’s Top Tips: Structure - Always include an executive summary of your conclusions/analysis/solutions at the beginning. Anyone that has little time to be reading through an entire document of details will want to get the information that is most important first and I think this holds true for any potential audience of the document you’re writing (partners, clients, associates etc.) Reasoning - This is a tip geared particularly to case studies that have a discussion element. Even if you are unsure of the answers to any follow up questions you might receive, the key thing is to demonstrate how you’ve come to the conclusion you have made. Really talk through every step of your thought process because even if the final answer is wrong, this is something that demonstrates the analytical skills that firms look for. Practice - Make full use of any of the sample case studies you can find on the forum or anywhere else to practice your clarity of writing, structure and level of analysis. This can really help candidates snap out of the long-winded style of writing that many of us default to because of writing university essays. Alice’s Top Tips: Diagram: Often you will be asked to give an overview or a summary of the matter at hand. A great way to do this simply and concisely is to use a diagram to show a visual representation of the scenario. If you have an M&A case study for example, you might want to draw who the buyer, the seller and the target are and use arrows to show the relationship between the parties. You could also note the price of the target here and also perhaps how the transaction is being funded by the buyer if this is given – if they are getting a bank loan, you could add the bank to the diagram and also the sum of the loan. The diagram doesn’t need to be a work of art, but it just needs to sum up the scenario well and it is serving as an aid for you to tell the overall story above anything else. It also doubles up as a repository of useful info from the documents (like deal price) so you don’t need to worry too much about retaining everything in your head! ( Note from Jacob: Looks like we’re on the same page here, Alice! ) 2. Organisation strategy for multiple questions: If you are posed with multiple questions to answer in a case study, I tended to like spider diagrams. I used to write each key question in a bubble in the middle of an A4 page (which would become my spider diagram) and I attributed a different coloured highlighter for each question. Say there were three questions I needed to answer, I would have three pages upon which I would do my diagram and three highlighters, one for each question. I would then go through the materials and use the correct highlighter for when a piece of information would help me to answer a particular question. I would then add that information onto the correct spider diagram with a page number beside it for ease of reference. By the time I had gone through all the information pack, I then had all the info I needed which was easy to re-find in my colour coded information pack. At that stage, I could spend my time constructing my written work/presentation with a greater focus on argument, structure and precision. I found this a really good technique which worked well for me, especially in tight time constraints. 3. Practice areas: Before opening information packs, I would write down all the law firm practice areas and have that in front of me. This helped me to think critically about what I was reading and meant I was actively searching for points and information. Law firms tend to add details into case studies which are really subtle and can be easily missed so I found in approaching case studies in this way, I was better able to pick up on these more subtle and nuanced points which would often help me to get credit for innovative and ‘outside the box’ thinking. Final point – leave ten minutes at the end to proof if it is a written task – this is vital. That’s all for our biggest yet Monday Article! I hope you've enjoyed reading my Definitive Guide to Case Studies and that you'll find it helpful in coming assessment days! This was the third in a four-part series, please feel free to post or DM me with ideas for the next article and, as always, follow up with any questions in the thread below. Click to expand...

Feb 21, 2021

hi all, where can I find TCLA’s case studies? I know I have seen them but cannot for the life of me find them right now. (PS: Jacob, thank you so much for this! It is really helpful!)

Veep9 said: hi all, where can I find TCLA’s case studies? I know I have seen them but cannot for the life of me find them right now. (PS: Jacob, thank you so much for this! It is really helpful!) Click to expand...

Feb 22, 2021

Jacob Miller said: Pleased you like them! I think @Jaysen or @Alice G might be best-placed to advise on where the case study resources are as I'm unsure of the access level they require. Click to expand...

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Written exercises at assessment centres: showcase your professionalism

Abigail Lewis

Last updated: 21 Jun 2023, 15:40

If you're applying for a graduate job that involves producing reports or regularly communicating in writing, you could be set a written exercise as part of the assessment day. Find out what to expect.

Law firms, consultancies and property firms are among the employers most likely to set written exercises.

If you're given a written exercise to do as part of an assessment day, recruiters will want to check that you can communicate logically, clearly and appropriately in a professional environment. As part of this, they will also check your spelling and grammar.

The written exercise is likely to be related to the employer’s industry sector and the tasks you would be doing on the job. For example:

if you are applying to be a solicitor, management consultant, investment analyst or trainee manager (among other vacancies) you could be asked to review a case study and write a report, either making recommendations for further action or summarising the most relevant points for a ‘senior colleague’.
if you are applying for a marketing role you could be asked to write a press release.
you may be asked to write an email or report responding to a business scenario as part of an in-tray or e-tray exercise.

As a result of the social distancing measures brought about by coronavirus, some employers are moving to virtual or digital assessment centres. If they did so beforehand, it's likely this transition won't mean they move away from written exercises (they will just be typed). Take a look at our article for more information and advice on virtual assessment centres .

How to succeed at assessment day written tests

These exercises generally assess:

the clarity of your ideas and writing structure
your ability to identify the most important points in data/information
your ability to communicate processes/events simply
your ability to follow etiquette and communicate appropriately for your audience – whether a client, a manager or a fellow graduate
your spelling and grammar.

So, to a certain extent, you should treat a written exercise as a written exam:

Read through the instructions or brief and highlight what you need to do and the most essential points.
Write a quick plan to clarify your thoughts and to get your structure right.
Create the right tone. To be safe, keep it formal. However, you should also be simple, direct and straightforward. This isn't like writing an academic essay; the recruiter will want to understand your points as quickly as possible. Avoid using unnecessarily complex sentence structures and vocabulary.
Get to the point. Tackle the most important and most complex issues first. Ensure that any conclusions you reach, recommendations you make or any actions you call for are expressed unambiguously.
Use the format or structure of ‘correspondence’ given to you in your case study pack, if there is one, as a template if you are unsure of the right format or structure to use.
Ensure you have sufficient time at the end remaining to reread the question to check that you’ve done everything requested and to review your work, watching out for spelling and grammatical errors.
You can also practise for written analysis exercises .

It’s a good idea to brush up on your spelling and grammar before you go. The Oxford Dictionaries Online grammar and spelling sections are a good place to start. If you haven’t worked in an office before, research basic professional email etiquette – for example, always include an explanatory subject in the subject field. If you think it is likely that you will need to write a press release or news piece, research how to write them beforehand.

The employers who typically set written exercises

Law firms, consultancies and property firms are among those graduate employers most likely to assess you via a written exercise, but any employer that requires good written communication skills may test you in this way. Graduate employers who currently use, or have previously used, written exercises as a selection method include:

BNP Paribas Real Estate
British Sugar
The Civil Service Fast Stream
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
The NHS (in England)

Whichever assessment centre you're going to, be prepared for a written exercise. Bear in mind that many employers do not share the nature of their assessment centre exercises with graduates in advance, as they like to see how you think on your feet and react to the unknown.

Asking for extra time

If you have been allowed extra time in your school and university examinations – for example, if you have dyslexia – and would find it beneficial on the day, tell recruiters about this in advance. Recruiters are keen to ensure a level playing field when assessing candidates.

targetjobs editorial advice

This describes editorially independent and impartial content, which has been written and edited by the targetjobs content team. Any external contributors featuring in the article are in line with our non-advertorial policy, by which we mean that we do not promote one organisation over another.

People reading this also searched for roles in these areas:

Graduate Jobs
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Assessment Centre Guide: Case Study Exercise
Case study exercises are a popular tool used by employers to evaluate candidates' problem-solving skills, analytical thinking, and decision-making abilities. These exercises can be in the form of a written report, a presentation, or a group discussion, and typically involve a hypothetical business problem that requires a solution.
Assessment centre activities and examples
Group assessment centre activities with examples; ... Case studies. This type of activity is a good twist on role-based activities, as they address some of the aforementioned shortcomings of role-play. ... The best assessment centres utilise multiple exercises to assess each competency: i.e., a structured interview may assess communication, and ...
How to Prepare for Case Study Exercises at Assessment Centers
Step 1. Do the Research. There is a whole range of research you can look into to prepare yourself for the case study exercise: Any of the above should provide you with a better understanding of the job you have applied for, the industry you will work within, and the culture and values of the employer.
Case Study Exercise At Assessment Centres
Tips for performing well in case study exercises. 1. Process all the information. Take time to fully understand the scenario and the objectives of the exercise, identify relevant information and highlight key points for analysis, or discussion if working as part of a team. This will help structure your approach in a logical manner.
Case Study Exercise (Free Practice)
Case study exercises are proficient predictors of role performance as they will resemble the work being done on the job. Therefore, case study exercises typically tilt highly on an assessment centre rating for candidates. Likewise, if a presentation exercise is required after the case study, based on details brought up during the case study ...
Assessment Centre Group Exercise guide and examples 2024
In the same way as an in-person assessment centre, virtual assessment centre group exercises involve case-study-related exercises, discussions and real-life business challenges. Usually, a virtual assessment centre group exercise will last a couple of hours (normally a maximum of three hours). However, there is no set rule.
Assessment Centre Case Studies Practice & Tips
The key competencies that case study exercises usually assess are: Analytical thinking and assimilation of information. Commercial awareness and Innovation. Organization. Decisiveness and Judgment. The goal of the exercise is to review and analyze the given information to come up with solid business decisions.
Assessment Center Case Studies Practice & Tips
The key competencies that case study exercises usually assess are: Analytical thinking and assimilation of information. Commercial awareness and Innovation. Organization. Decisiveness and Judgment. The goal of the exercise is to review and analyze the given information to come up with solid business decisions.
Assessment Centre Group Exercises: Examples and Tips for Success
Assessment centre group exercise examples. Now let's take a look at some examples of real assessment centre group exercises. Try these at home with some friends - it's a great way to practise! Here's a general case study group exercise from JobTestPrep: Group Exercise 1. And here's a more in-depth, business-related group exercise from ...
Example assessment centre group exercises & how to pass them
Example group exercise 1: the case study. This is probably the most common group exercise you will face at an assessment centre. In this type of exercise the group is given a set period of time to work together to respond to a case study brief, often a set of documents based on a real-life business situation.
Assessment Center Case Study : A Detailed Guide
A case study assessment is a popular tool used in assessment centres for evaluating candidates by presenting them with complex and previously unknown scenarios.After analyzing the information and identifying the most relevant parts, candidates answer questions that provide the employer with insights regarding important aspects of the candidate's knowledge, cognitive abilities, and personal ...
How To PASS Your Assessment Centre
Hey guys, in this video I share my top tips and tricks for passing assessing centres, interviews, group exercises and case studies . I have successfully pass...
Coping with case studies for graduate jobs
Example assessment centre case study exercise 2. This is a similar example of a case study used for commercial and marketing graduate programmes. In this case, the groups are given a pack with details of the product range, sales figures, marketing campaigns and news clippings. The basic problem in this type of scenario is that a product range ...
PDF Mock Assessment Centres: Group Exercises & Beyond
see at an assessment centre? 2. In a group case study exercise of 8 applicants, how many people might recruiters typically put through to ... How would you approach a situation where someone in your group case study dominates the conversation? 3. Assessment Centre Schedule An Example 10:00 -10:15 Introductory coffee. 10:15 -10:30 Formal ...
Written Exercises At Assessment Centres: Examples & Tips
Marketing, health services and law are all examples of relevant industries. The exercise can take the form of reports, press releases, letters, emails or even proofreading texts written by someone else. Because written exercises are often one of the last steps in a recruitment process, you will most likely take the test at an assessment centre.
PDF Case Studies
typically be part of an Assessment Centre. Assessment Centres happen at the latter stages of the recruitment process. An Assessment Centre can consist of multi recruitment activities including interviews, group exercises, networking sessions, in tray/e-tray exercises. Example case study You can access an example case study exercise on the ...
PPTX CLICK TO ADD TITLE
Examples of Assessment Centre exercises: Case Studies. Role play. Presentations (topic may be issued on the day or in advance) Discussion groups. In-tray exercises. Social events. Written exercises (e.g., drafting an email, memo or opinion) Aptitude tests, ability tests and personality tests. Second round interviews
Assessment centres what to expect and how to prepare
Assessment centres can last from half a day to three days. A typical one-day assessment centre would start with a welcome to the company followed by introductions and an ice-breaker. This might be followed by individual and group exercises. During lunch you might be able to mingle with current graduate employees, with interviews taking place in ...
How to Prepare for a Law Firm Assessment Centre
This article has summarised the two main kinds of assessment you are likely to face at a law firm assessment centre. The first is the competency/motivational interview. To prepare for this, we recommend drafting a question-and-answer table, writing flashcards, and rehearsing answers. The second assessment is the case study/presentation exercise.
Guide to 10 different assessment centre group exercises
Examples of assessment group exercises. Here's a list of ten assessment group exercises and how they're used: 1. Problem-solving exercises. Employers use problem-solving exercises in interviews to help candidates demonstrate their ability to work with others, their ability to work under pressure and how they approach solving problems.
Preparing for an assessment centre
The following is a real-life example of the type of case study exercise task you can expect in one of our assessment centres: Example candidate brief Background . EDISONS, an international real estate investment trust, has grown rapidly to become one of the leading players in its field. EDISONS is largely focused on the management and ...
Definitive Guide to Law Firm Case Studies! *Monday Article Series*
2,389. Jan 18, 2021. #1. Hi all, please see below the third of my Monday Article Series! This week is my definitive guide to case studies. It's a long one - you might want to go get a coffee and settle in! Introduction. This week's Monday Article will cover how to approach law firm case studies, one of the most intimidating parts of the ...
Written exercises at assessment centres: showcase your ...
These exercises generally assess: the clarity of your ideas and writing structure. your ability to identify the most important points in data/information. your ability to communicate processes/events simply. your ability to follow etiquette and communicate appropriately for your audience - whether a client, a manager or a fellow graduate.

Chapter 6: Case Study Exercises

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Assessment centre activities and examples

Key assessment centre concepts

Assessment centre

Candidate / participant

Group exercises

Presentation exercises

In-tray exercises

What makes a good assessor?

Marshmallow challenge

Role-based scenario

MTa Select for recruitment assessment centres

Group discussion

Group presentation

Case studies

The NASA Challenge

Perspectives

Bad feedback

Angry customer

Role-specific situations

Virtual ice breaker

Virtual group discussion

Virtual group presentation

Psychometric assessments

A paper-based version of the above

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Page contents:

Assessment Centre Exercises:

Why are case study exercises used?

What will the case study exercise be like?

How can I prepare for the case study exercise?

What Is an Assessment Centre Group Exercise?

Virtual Assessment Group Centre

Step 1 . Research Typically Assessed Behaviors

Step 2 . Discover the Kinds of Exercises Involved

Assessment Centre Case Study Examples

Group Assessment: Discussion Exercise

Group Assessment: Leadership Exercise

Final Thoughts

Assessment Centre Case Studies Practice & Tips – 2024

What Is a Case Study Exercise?

Key Features of Case Studies

Competencies Required for Case Studies

How to Prepare for Case Study Exercises?

Case Studies: Tips for Success

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Assessment Center Case Studies Practice & Tips – 2024

What Is a Case Study Exercise?

Key Features of Case Studies

Competencies Required for Case Studies

How to Prepare for Case Study Exercises?

Case Studies: Tips for Success

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Assessment Centre Group Exercises: Examples and Tips for Success

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5 pro tips to stand out at assessment centre group exercises

#2: Follow instructions carefully

#3: Do your research beforehand

#4: Don’t be afraid to take the lead

#5: Practice, practice, practice!

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Case Study Assessment - Learn How to Pass