assessment center case study presentation

• 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)

Popular Assessment Center Case Study Topics

Case studies can be about virtually anything - however there are some topics or that appear more frequently than others. Below is a list of ideas you may encounter in your case study assessment:

• Strategic decisions in global or local business contexts.
• Expansion of departments, acquisition of new companies or products.
• Entrance into new fields of development and product lines.
• Exploring new markets.
• Reconstructing organizational trees.
• Creating advertising campaigns.
• Competition analysis

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?

• Numerical Reasoning
• Verbal Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Diagrammatic Reasoning
• Logical Reasoning
• Mechanical Reasoning
• Situational Judgement
• Deductive reasoning
• Critical thinking
• Abstract reasoning
• Spatial reasoning
• Error checking
• Verbal comprehension
• Reading comprehension
• Psychometric tests
• Personality test
• In-Tray exercise
• E-Tray exercise
• Group exercise
• Presentation exercise
• Analysis exercise
• Game based assessments
• Competency based assessment
• Strengths based assessment
• Strengths based interviews
• Video interview
• Saville Assessment
• Talent Q / Korn Ferry
• Watson Glaser
• Criterion Partnership
• Test Partnership
• Cut-e / Aon
• Team Focus PFS
• Sova Assessment
• For Practice
• For Business

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.

Why Do Employers Use Case Studies at Assessment Centers?

What to expect from a case study exercise, how to prepare for the case study exercise in 2024, how to approach a group exercise, how to approach a presentation, case study exercises at assessment centers (2024 guide).

Updated November 21, 2023

Should you be invited to be tested at an assessment center as part of an employer's recruitment process, one of the exercises you may face is a case study .

A case study exercise presents you with a scenario similar to what you would experience in the job you have applied for.

It will generally be accompanied by documents, emails or other forms of information.

You are asked to make business decisions based on the data you have been provided with, either alone or as part of a group of candidates.

A case study enables employers to assess your skill-base and likely performance in the job, providing them with a more rounded view of the type of employee you would be and the value you would bring to the company.

Commonly used in the finance, banking, legal and business management industries, the main advantage to employers of using case study exercises is to see candidates in action, demonstrating the skills they would be expected to use at work.

The skills assessed when participating in a case study exercise will vary depending on the employer, the industry and the job applied for, but may include:

• Analytical skills
• Strategic thinking
• Decision making
• Problem-solving
• Communication
• Stress tolerance
• The ability to assimilate information quickly and effectively
• Organisational skills
• Situational judgment
• Commercial awareness
• Time management
• Team working
• Knowledge pertinent to the industry or job, for example, marketing skills

Despite the skills that the employer is actively assessing, such as those mentioned above, success in a case study exercise relies on your ability to:

• Interpret and analyze the information provided
• Reach a decision
• Use commercial awareness
• Manage your time
• Communicate well

Practice Case Study Exercises with JobTestPrep

There are generally two types of case study exercise that you may face as part of a selection process:

• Subject-related case studies pertinent to the job you are applying for and the related industry
• General case studies that assess your overall aptitude and skills

The actual scenario of the case study exercise you face will vary, but examples of typical case studies include:

• Expanding a team or department
• Deciding whether an acquisition or merger is advisable
• Investigating whether to begin a new product line
• Re-organisation of management structure
• The creation of an advertising campaign
• Responding to negative publicity
• Choosing from three business proposals
• Developing a social media presence

Prepare for Case Study Exercises with JobTestPrep

For example: You are presented with the scenario of an IT company that went through an expensive re-brand one year ago. At that time, the company moved to bigger premises in a better area, and two new teams of developers were recruited to work with two new clients. The IT company has recently lost one of those clients and is facing increasing costs as the rent is raised for their premises. The company's directors have concluded that they must make one of the following changes: Make staff redundancies and offer the chance to several employees to change to part-time hours Move to less expensive premises in a less desirable area Combine a move to a flexible working business model where employees work part of the week from home and desk-share in the office along with a physical move to smaller premises in the same area where the IT company is currently based

You are asked to advise the directors on which change would provide the greatest benefit.

Here is another example:

A multi-national environmental testing organization buys out an oil-testing laboratory. A gap test is carried out on whether: The oil-testing lab should be brought in line with the rest of the organization concerning its processes, customer interface, and testing procedures The oil-testing lab should be closed down and its clients absorbed into the rest of the organization The oil-testing lab should be allowed to continue as it is, but new processes put in place between it and the larger organization

You are asked to consider the findings of the gap test and suggest the best course of action.

Just as you would prepare before a job interview, it is always in your best interests to prepare before facing a case study exercise at an assessment center.

Step 1 . Do the Research

There is a whole range of research you can look into to prepare yourself for the case study exercise:

• The job description and any other literature or documents forwarded to you
• The employer's website and social media
• Industry related news stories and developments

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.

Step 2 . Use Practice Case Studies

Practicing case study exercises in the run-up to the assessment day is one of the best ways you can prepare for the real thing.

Unless the employer provides sample case studies on their website or as part of their recruitment pack, you will not know the exact format that the exercise will take; however, you can build familiarity with the overall process of a case study through practice.

You can find plenty of practice case study exercises online. Most of these come at a cost, but you may also be able to find free sample case studies too.

For case study resources at a cost, have a look at JobTestPrep .

For two free sample case study exercises, you might like to visit Bain & Company's website .

Scroll down to the Associate Consultant Case Library. Europa also offers an extensive and detailed sample case study .

Step 3 . Timed Practice

Once you have sourced one or more practice case studies, take the opportunity to practice to a time limit.

The case study may come with a time limit, or the employer may have already told you how long you will have to complete the real case study exercise on the day.

Alternatively, set your reasonable time limit.

Timed practice will improve your response time and explain exactly how much time you should allocate to each stage of the case study process.

Step 4 . Improve Your Reading Comprehension

One skill that is key to handle a case study exercise successfully is your reading comprehension, that is, your ability to understand written information, interpret it and describe it in your own words.

In the context of a case study, this skill will help you to assimilate the information provided to you quickly, analyze it and ultimately reach a decision.

In the run-up to your assessment day, put aside time to improve your reading comprehension by reading a wide variety of material and picking out the key points of each passage.

You might find it especially helpful to read professional journals and news articles related to the job you have applied for and the related industry.

Try to improve the speed at which you can read but still retain information too. This will prove helpful during the real case study exercise.

Step 5 . Practice Mental Math

The case study exercise may include prices, area measurements, staff numbers, salaries and other numeric values.

It is important that you can complete basic mental math calculations, such as multiplication and percentages.

Practice your mental math using puzzle books, online math resources and math problems that you create yourself.

You can find plenty of online business math resources, for example:

• The University of Alabama at Birmingham Math and Business Guide
• Money Instructor
• Open Textbook Library

If you need to prepare for a number of different employment tests and want to outsmart the competition, choose a Premium Membership from JobTestPrep . You will get access to three PrepPacks of your choice, from a database that covers all the major test providers and employers and tailored profession packs.

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Top Tips for Approaching Case Study Exercises

Now that you have prepared yourself, you can further improve your chances of a successful outcome by following our top tips on approaching case study exercises on the day.

Read the Information Carefully

Read all of the information provided as part of your case study exercise to understand what is being asked of you fully.

Quickly identify the key points in the task and the overall decision you have been asked to make, for example:

• Has the exercise provided you with a choice of outcomes you must decide between, or must you create the outcome yourself?
• What information do you need to make your decision?
• Are there calculations involved in the task?
• What character are you playing in the task (for example, HR manager or business consultant) and what are that character's motivations?
• Who is your character presenting their response to? Company directors, client or HR department?

Prioritize the Information

Prioritize the information by importance.

Which pieces of information are most pertinent to the task, and what key data do they provide?

Can any of the information be dismissed? Does any of the information contradict or sit in conflict with others?

Divide Up the Tasks and Allocate Time

You will generally be asked to come to a conclusion or advise a course of action regarding your case study exercise; however, you may have to carry out several tasks to arrive at this result.

Once you have read through the information, plan out what tasks the exercise will entail and allocate time for each one.

Do Not Be Distracted by Finding the Only 'Right' Answer

Where you are provided with several outcomes, and you must decide on one, do not assume that anyone's outcome is the only right answer to give.

It may be that any of the outcomes could be correct if you can sufficiently support your decision from the information provided.

Keep the Objective in Focus

• What does the task ask you to do?
• Must you choose between three business acquisitions?
• Are you providing advice on whether or not to invest?
• Are you putting together a plan for a staff redundancy situation?

Keep the objective of the case study exercise in mind at all times.

Support Your Decision With Evidence

The conclusion you come to may seem obvious to you, but you must be able to support your decision with evidence.

Why would it be better for the company to invest in property overstock? What is the benefit to the company of entering a new market?

It is not sufficient to know which outcome would be the best. As in the real-life business world, you must be able to support your claims.

If you are assessed as part of a group, you must arrive at a conclusion as a team and bear in mind your strengths.

For example, do you have a good eye for detail and would therefore be suited to the analytical part of the task?

Arrive at a list of tasks together and then assign the tasks to different members of the group.

Please make sure you contribute to the group discussions but do not dominate them.

Group assessments are generally used by employers who place value on leadership, teamwork and communication skills.

If you are asked to present your findings or conclusion as part of a case study exercise, bear in mind to whom the task has asked you to make that presentation.

For example, a business client or a marketing manager.

Make sure that you can fully support the reasons that you came to your conclusion.

If you are presenting as a group, make sure that each group member has their role to play in the presentation and that everyone knows why the group came to that conclusion.

Act professionally to suit the job you have applied for. Be polite, confident and well-spoken.

Case study exercises are just one of the many methods that employers use to assess job applicants, and as with any other aspect of the selection process, they require a degree of consideration and preparation.

The best way to improve your chances of a successful outcome and reduce exam tension is to research the job and the industry, practice case study exercises and improve your skills.

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

Or explore the Aptitude Tests / Test Types sections.

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.

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How To Deliver A Killer Presentation At Your Assessment Centre Or Interview

Download our Ultimate Assessment Day & Interview Guide 2022 here . (It's packed with tips, tricks and insider-secrets to help you succeed.)

Delivering an assessment centre presentation can be tough, but this guide will show you how to create, display and deliver a world class presentation at your job interview or assessment centre. Let’s get started!

1 Important Starting Point Resource

• Listen to our podcast episode on how to deliver successful presenations here .

This Free Success Guide Is Split Into 3 Parts

• Part 1: Create (Planning and building your presentation.)
• Part 2: Display (How to connect a projector, iPad etc.)
• Part 3: Deliver (Expert tips for actually presenting your presentation.)

Take Presentation Practice Test Now

Assessment Centre Interview Presentation: A Dark Art

Giving a presentation at your interview or assessment centre is a very worthwhile test. Presenting is a skill that is highly valued in the modern business environment and it’s easy to see why:

•  A good presentation is an incredibly powerful and effective way to communicate. It’s a great way to deliver an idea/message/story and  being a strong presenter will greatly enhance your reputation and personal ‘brand’ .
• Few things are more tedious than a bad presentation. Being boring, long-winded or overwhelming your audience with information are cardinal sins and  few things will stain your profile as quickly and memorably as a poor presentation .

Giving a presentation can be a nerve-wracking experience, but it’s also a superb opportunity to shine. Embrace the challenge and use it as a vehicle to demonstrate your wonderful skills and experience!

Let’s start with the basics…

What Is a Presentation?

Typically a presentation is a group of slides created with Microsoft’s ‘Powerpoint’ program or Apple’s equivalent which is called ‘Keynote’. Having previously created the slides the author displays them to the audience in a ‘slideshow’ format. Hey presto, a  presentation is born.

Assessment Centre Presentation Part 1: Create

A presentation that is effective and genuinely impactful must have two things:

The secret to achieving this is in your planning. It’s vital that your presentation structure has a logical, natural flow. If it does your audience will feel they are moving seamlessly along with you and there is an exponentially greater chance they will feel engaged/convinced/impressed by what you have to say.

‘I Hate Planning, Let’s Start Making the Presentation!’

Woah there cowboy.  It is vital that you plan your presentation . Having a clear idea of what your presentation structure will be not only makes the presentation much more effective, coherent and persuasive, but it makes it so, so much easier to actually build. (Which saves you time and lowers stress.)

PRO TIP:  Spending 1 hour to correctly plan your assessment day presentation saves you many hours later in the process and turbocharges the impact your presentation will make on the audience.

If you don’t have a clear structure in mind before you begin building your presentation you will just keep creating slide after slide in a scattergun fashion as fresh ideas pop into your mind.

This results in an unbalanced hodgepodge of ideas that don’t have a logical flow and aren’t weighted correctly in importance/relevance. (It also becomes  incredibly  time-consuming and difficult to edit and shape the presentation when it’s in this messy format.)

With a clear skeleton structure in place, you can build your slides in confidence knowing that you’re hitting all the important points and there is a clear and transparent way to track your progress.

How to Structure an Interview or Assessment Day Presentation in 7 Easy Steps

You need to have clarity on what your presentation is going to be about before you begin. (If you don’t have a clear brief or title in mind then consider what your desired outcome is and work back from there. It will usually become apparent  very  quickly.)

Remember, you can practise real exercises and psychometric tests that employers use  here and here .

[Note: For most interviews and assessment centres you will be given a brief beforehand. Often something like ‘prepare a 15-minute presentation entitled “the greatest achievement of my life”‘ or ‘tell us about the most enlightening experience of your life’.]

Assessment Centre Presentation: Planning Step 1

Sit down in a quie t room with a pen and a blank piece of paper. (We strongly recommend you don’t use a PC or laptop for this stage.) 

Assessment Centre Presentation: Planning Step 2

Write your central subject, title, theme or question in the middle and draw a circle around it.

Assessment Centre Presentation: Planning Step 3

Now let your mind run crazy while you brainstorm potential sub-topics and related themes. What could you include that is relevant/interesting/compelling to your central theme?

Don’t worry about which ones are best right now, or what order they should be in, just get a ton of ideas down on the page.

You should now have a piece of paper that looks something like this:

Assessment Centre Presentation: Planning Step 4

When you’re satisfied you have plenty of ideas and sub-topics on the page, write brief notes underneath  each one covering the main things you would talk about in each area.

Can you see how our plan is beginning to take shape?

Assessment Centre Presentation: Planning Step 5

The next step is to review your ideas. We need to trim this list down as there are currently far too many ideas to cover. (Unless you want the presentation to last all day!)

Use a different coloured pen and mark the areas/ideas that are strongest, the most relavent & the most compelling. Cross out the weaker ideas.

Clear your mind and ask yourself:

• “What are the most important ideas/areas/sub-topics that I have on this piece of paper?”
• “Does this sub-topic strongly contribute to the main theme/idea of this presentation? Is it absolutely vital I include it?”
• “Can I group any of these sub-topics into 3-5 larger subject areas? What could I call those areas? How can I put my best ideas/points into a logical structure?”
• “Will I be comfortable talking about and answering questions on this topic in front of a group of strangers?”
• “What could I talk about naturally and confidently?”

What overarching themes or messages are there that your presentation could follow?

Slowly you will start to whittle down your list of sub-topics and what remains will be the strongest and most relevant areas that you should cover. Your paper should now look something like this:

Stop worrying! Download a 12-step assessment day cheatsheet & be perfectly prepared.

Click here to download your copy.

Assessment Centre Presentation: Planning Step 6

Now we need to decide on the order that we’ll present the ideas and sub-topics that made the cut.

• Which topic would make for the strongest opening to your presentation?
• Are there two topics that sit together or flow into one another well?
• Is there a narrative tale you can tell with these topics?
• Is there a natural order that suggests itself?
• What order would make the most impact to your audience and communicate your message in the clearest way?

Grab a different coloured pen and number each one.

Assessment Centre Presentation: Planning Step 7

Now it’s time to tidy this up a little and draft your final plan. (This will be the plan you will work to while actually building the presentation.)

Jot down a new plan that reflects the changes and running order we made in the previous steps. It should look something like this:

You will notice that we’ve added the following elements to the above plan:

• A ‘wow’ slide – it’s important to grab your audience’s attention at the beginning. (Why should they listen to the rest of the presentation? Why are they going to enjoy this? Startle them at the beginning – it will get them interested in what’s coming next.)
• A conclusion – it’s vital that you bring the key elements of your presentation together at the end. This reinforces all the great points you’ve made in your presentation and ensures you leave your audience with the messages/ideas/points that you want them to take from your presentation regardless of what it is – such as persuading the audience to buy bitcoin cash , invest in a 401(k), start a business , etc.

Time for a Break, Phew!

We now have our final structure. It’s packed with strong and relevant content that you are comfortable talking about and the presentation has an impactful and compelling running order.

You have made an excellent start and now have a fantastic foundation to deliver a successful presentation, well done!

Now would be a great time to go and grab a drink and clear your head. When you get back we’ll move on to building and delivering your presentation.

How To Create A Presentation Using Powerpoint

There’s several pieces of software you can use to build a presentation. The most common ones are:

• Microsoft’s ‘Powerpoint’ – This is the industry standard for presentations
• Apple’s ‘Keynote’ – Stylish, quality presentation software for Mac users
• Google Docs – Free cloud-based software from from Google

We’re going to focus on Powerpoint here as it enjoys a 95% share of the presentation market, has over 500 million users worldwide and over 30 million presentations are created with it every day. (Source:  BBC )

Mac Users (Skip This Bit if You Use a PC)

NOTE: If you have a Mac with Keynote you can save Keynote presentations in Powerpoint’s ‘PPT’ file format by going to file>export and selecting the ‘PPT’ option. Unfortunately any transitions that you created in Keynote won’t be available when opened in Powerpoint.

For Mac users we strongly recommend you buy a copy of Powerpoint for Mac to ensure 100% compatibility. (You can buy it here on  Amazon USA  and for UK visitors here on  Amazon UK

‘Ok How Do I Actually Create Slides?’

Powerpoint is a really simple program to use and you can master the basics of giving a presentation incredibly quickly. This 5 minute tutorial video by Microsoft will get you up to speed.

Example Slide Structure

Feel free to experiment and play around with your slide structure, but here’s a proven structure that you can use:

• Slide 1 : A title slide with a slick background image and powerful title
• Slide 2 : An ‘impact’ slide, that asks a profound question or highlights a startling statistic or benefit.
• Slide 3 : (OPTIONAL) A ‘contents’ slide, that outlines the bare structure of your presentation. Never, ever have more than 5 topics or sub-branches. You should move heaven and earth in your planning stage to get to 3 if possible.

(NOTE: A ‘contents’ slide isn’t always appropriate when giving a presentation. In a business or more formal setting it’s very common, but most marketing-focused and more conceptual presentations will leave this out. Some presentations work better if they appear to have a more organic flow. If in doubt, include a contents slide as it lets your audience know what to expect and helps them orientate themselves.)

• Slides 4-6 : Take your audience through ‘sub-topic 1’. Now we’re into the meat of the presentation.
• Slides 7-9 : Sub-topic 2
• Slides 10-12 : Sub-topic 3
• Slides 13-15 : Sub-topic 4
• Slides 16-18 : Sub-topic 5
• Slides 19-20 : ‘Conclusion slides’ that pull together the key messages and themes of your presentation. This is your chance to hammer home your big idea / primary message / big benefit / key points.
• Slide 21 : A ‘Q&A slide’ – Your opportunity to welcome questions from your audience.
• Slide 22 : (OPTIONAL) The ‘farewell slide’. This is your chance to sign off and direct your audience to other areas of your work. (You may want to highlight other work you’ve done, a portfolio, LinkedIn or social media profiles etc.)

PRO TIP: The golden rule of Powerpoint is ‘less is more’. One of the biggest mistakes inexperienced presenters make is putting too much writing/data in their slides.

Examples of Bad Slides

Here’s a few examples of bad slides. These images highlight some typical mistakes people make when giving a presentation. Look how ‘busy’ and unappealing they are:

How boring are these slides? They are cluttered and drab and we guarantee the only thing on the audience’s mind here is ‘when will this tedious presentation end?’.

Examples of Good Slides

How much clearer and impactful are slides like these two?

Don’t be afraid to leave white space on your slides. Your audience will appreciate it.

Remember, your presentation isn’t a script for you to read from, it’s a visual aid to underline the points you make verbally. Your audience should be focused on you, not the screen.

When giving a presentation the screen is merely a visual aid to amplify the points you make as an engaging and intelligent speaker .

(We’ll go into more detail on how to deliver your presentation, later in this article.)

Ok, so now we have a presentation with a great structure, filled with fantastic content that’s presented through engaging and impactful slides. We’re in great shape! Let’s keep trucking.

Assessment Centre Presentation Part 2: Display

Slides can be shown in a number of ways:

• Directly from a laptop or tablet (ideal for one-on-one or small group presentations)
• By plugging your laptop or tablet into a TV or external display (good for larger groups of up to 12-15 people)
• Through a projector  (a must for large audiences/rooms)

The third of the above options is the most widely used in a business setting and at interviews and assessment centres.

Pro Tip: Even if you’re taking your own laptop to do a presentation always have an additional copy on a USB flash drive as a backup. Technology sometimes fails so it’s wise to take precautions. If it’s a super-important presentation we strongly recommend you also print off a paper copy and email a copy of the file to yourself.

How to Connect an iPad to a TV Display

For ‘lightning’ iPads you’ll need to use this lead instead:  Amazon (UK)  | Amazon (USA)

Regardless of your iPad connection style, you will also need an HDMi lead which you should definitely buy online as the price markup at retailers like Best Buy and Curry’s is phenomenal: Amazon (UK) | Amazon (USA) .

Assessment Centre Presentation Part 3: Deliver

So you’ve spent hours planning and building a superb presentation that you’re really proud of?

That’s great, but remember:  A presentation needs to be delivered well if it is to be received well .

A good presenter delivers their material with:

• Clarity – Makes points in a clear and coherent way
• Conviction – Appears credible and engaging to the audience
• Impact – Makes points in a powerful and convincing way

11 Pro Tips For Delivering A Perfect Presentation

Pro tip#1 – rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.

Nothing will improve your ability to deliver your presentation more than rehearsing. Over and over and over again.

Do this so much that you know the order of the slides backwards, forwards and inside out. Record yourself doing the presentation and watch it back. Watch yourself in the mirror. How can you improve? This is huge and will help you iron out any tricky points or parts that just don’t work.

Most importantly this will make you comfortable with your presentation and the benefits of that are legion. You will appear knowledgable and credible and you’ll be able to deliver the presentation in a conversational and personal way, which is our ultimate goal.

Pro Tip#2 – Don’t Just Read Exactly What Is on the Slides

This doesn’t come across well and inhibits the’conversational’ tone that the best presentations all have. Avoid this at all costs!

Pro Tip#3 – Don’t Put Too Much Information on Your Slides

Overloading the slide is the single quickest way to make your audience switch off. It’s like a big meal that will give them indigestion. This is bad. Think ‘breadcrumbs’. Small portions. Feed them in tiny bitesize pieces over 20 slides rather than in 5 jam-packed slides.

Few things are uglier or less appealing than a slide with 17 bullet points and a data heavy graph. It’s hard to understand and looks awful. Avoid this!

Pro Tip#4 – Make Eye Contact With and Smile at Your Audience

This is hard to do if you’re an inexperienced presenter as you’ll probably prefer to look at the slides, your laptop or even the floor. Again, don’t do it!

Look your audience square in the eye and you’ll find that you feel more relaxed and they become more engaged.

Pro Tip#5 – Forget the Animations & the Snazzy Backgrounds

• Resist the urge to have a funky blue colour as your background.
• Resist the urge to embellish your presentation with complicated animations and swooshy transitions.

Just use a white background and a clear font. Trust us on this!

Pro Tip #6 – Don’t Stand Rooted to the Spot, Move Around

Don’t stay stood in one spot when giving a presentation. It makes you look uncomfortable and your audience will be more engaged if you’re moving around from place to place, speaking from different locations.

PRO TIP #7 – Speak s.l.o.w.l.y.

Another common mistake from a nervous or inexperienced presenter is to speak too quickly.

It can be really hard, but speak slowly, much more deliberately than you would in everyday conversation and give your audience time to digest what you are saying .

Don’t be afraid to leave pauses. They give the presentation, your audience and you room to breathe. They’re important.

PRO TIP #8 – Use Humour

Jokes can be a little risky if you don’t know your audience very well, but it can be a risk worth taking because using humour is a great tool to break down the barrier between you and your audience.

Make them laugh (or even just smile) and you will increase their engagement as well as relaxing yourself.

PRO TIP #9 – Be Passionate and Energetic

This is a no brainer. Why should your audience care what you have to say if you don’t look like you do? Believe in  what your saying, express yourself, gesticulate, be conversational, tell stories and don’t be afraid to digress (just a little).

Giving a presentation should be like telling a great story. Be expressive and colourful.

PRO TIP #10 – Appear Relaxed and Happy

The more relaxed and happy you appear to be while giving a presentation, the more the audience will enjoy it. They don’t know what you are planning to say, so if something goes wrong just keep going and allow yourself a big smile. They won’t even notice the hiccup.

PRO TIP #11 – Use a Pointer & Visual Aids

Our favourite is this Kensington model which is simply perfect: Amazon (USA)  |  Amazon (UK)

You can also use this to draw your audience’s attention to specific points as it has a laser pointer built in. (In our experience this is best used sparingly.)

It’s fine to use flipcharts and handouts as visual aids if you like, but remember to distribute handouts at the end of your presentation . If you hand them out before or during your presentation your audience will start flicking through them and reading ahead. This is distracting for them and you and takes the focus away from your awesome presentation!

Practise, Practise, Practise

Practising interview and assessment day exercises before the big day will massively improve your performance when it counts. You can practise real exercises and psychometric tests that employers use  here and here .

Some Final Questions for You…

• Do you have to take a numerical reasoning test or a verbal reasoning test ? If so you may want to check out the aptitude tests section of the site.
• You can find practice tests and tons of free advice on every other type of ‘reasoning test’ too: numerical , verbal , abstract , logical , inductive , diagrammatic , spatial , mechanical comprehension , UKCAT and Watson-Glaser tests .
• Worried about your assessment day? Maybe you’re worried about performing a presentation or preparing for an  interview or group exercise   or   in-tray exercise ?
• Be sure to check out our Ultimate Interview & Assessment Day Guide  – it’s filled with tips, tricks and insider-secrets that will help you succeed on the big day.
• Perhaps you’d like some guidance on  how to deal with nerves & anxiety at your interview ?
• Lastly the Tools and Resources page is packed with useful equipment and ‘A’ List recommendations that will make your life easier.

Thanks for Reading!

We hope you enjoyed our guide? We’d love to hear your feedback on this article and also to learn how your presentation goes, so please do get in touch and let us know. Thanks and good luck!

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Case Study Exercise At Assessment Centres

A case study exercise is a practical assessment commonly used in the latter stages of recruitment for graduate jobs. One of several activities undertaken at an assessment centre , this particular type of exercise allows employers to see your skills in action in a work-based context.

What is a case study exercise?

A case study exercise consists of a hypothetical scenario, similar to something you’d expect to encounter in daily working life. You’ll be tasked with examining information, drawing conclusions, and proposing business-based solutions for the situation at hand.

Information is typically presented in the form of fictional documentation: for example, market research findings, company reports, or details on a potential new venture. In some cases, it will be verbally communicated by the assessor.

You may also have additional or updated information drip-fed to you throughout the exercise.

You could be asked to work as an individual, but it’s more common to tackle a case study exercise as part of a group, since this shows a wider array of skills like teamwork and joint decision-making.

In both cases you’ll have a set amount of time to analyse the scenario and supporting information before presenting your findings, either through a written report or a presentation to an assessment panel. Here, you’ll need to explain your process and justify all decisions made.

Historically, assessment centres have been attended in person, but as more companies look to adopt virtual techniques, you may take part in a remote case study exercise. Depending on the employer and their platform of choice, this could be via pre-recorded content or a video conferencing tool that allows you to work alongside other candidates.

What competencies does a case study exercise assess?

There are multiple skills under assessment throughout a case study exercise. The most common are:

Problem solving

In itself, this involves various skills, like analytical thinking , creativity and innovation. How you approach your case study exercise will show employers how you’re likely to implement problem-solving skills in the work environment.

Show these at every stage of the process. If working in a group, be sure to make a contribution and be active in discussions, since assessors will be watching how you interact.

If working solo, explain your process to show problem solving in action.

Communication

How you present findings and communicate ideas is a major part of a case study exercise, as are other communication skills like effective listening.

Regardless of whether you present as an individual or a group, make sure you explain how you came to your conclusions, the evidence they’re based on and why you see them as effective.

Commercial awareness and business acumen

Assessors will be looking for a broader understanding of the industry in which the company operates and knowledge of best practice for growth.

Standout candidates will approach their case study with a business-first perspective, able to demonstrate how every decision made is rooted in organisational goals.

Decision making

At the heart of every case study exercise, there are key decisions to be made. Typically, there’s no right or wrong answer here, provided you can justify your decisions and back them up evidentially.

Along with problem solving, this is one of the top skills assessors are looking for, so don’t be hesitant. Make your decisions and stick to them.

Group exercises show assessors how well you work as part of a team, so make sure you’re actively involved, attentive and fair. Never dominate a discussion or press for your own agenda.

Approach all ideas equally and assess their pros and cons to arrive at the best solution.

What are the different types of case study exercise?

Depending on the role for which you’ve applied, you’ll either be presented with a general case study exercise or one related to a specific subject.

Subject-related case studies are used for roles where industry-specific knowledge is a prerequisite, and will be very much akin to the type of responsibilities you’ll be given if hired by the organisation.

For example, if applying for a role in mergers and acquisitions, you may be asked to assess the feasibility of a buy-out based on financial performance and market conditions.

General case studies are used to assess a wider pool of applicants for different positions. They do not require specific expertise, but rather rely on common sense and key competencies. All the information needed to complete the exercise will be made available to you.

Common topics covered in case study exercises include:

• The creation of new marketing campaigns
• Expansion through company or product acquisition
• Organisational change in terms of business structure
• Product or service diversification and entering new markets
• Strategic decision-making based on hypothetical influencing factors

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.

2. Work collaboratively

In a group exercise , teamwork is vital. Assign roles based on individual skill sets. For example, if you’re a confident leader you may head up the exercise.

If you’re more of a listener, you may volunteer to keep notes. Avoid conflict by ensuring all points of view are heard and decisions made together.

3. Manage your time

Organisational skills and your ability to prioritise are both being evaluated, and since you have a set duration in which to complete the exercise, good time management is key.

Remember you also need to prepare a strong presentation, so allow plenty of scope for this.

Make an assertive decision

There’s no right answer to a case study exercise, but any conclusions you do draw should be evidenced-based and justifiable. Put forward solutions that you firmly believe in and can back up with solid reasoning.

5. Present your findings clearly

A case study exercise isn’t just about the decisions you make, but also how you articulate them. State your recommendations and then provide the background to your findings with clear, concise language and a confident presentation style.

If presenting as a group, assign specific sections to each person to avoid confusion.

How to prepare for a case study exercise

It’s unlikely you’ll know the nature of your case study exercise before your assessment day, but there are ways to prepare in advance. For a guide on the type of scenario you may face, review the job description or recruitment pack and look for key responsibilities.

You should also research the hiring organisation in full. Look into its company culture, read any recent press releases and refer to its social media to get a feel for both its day-to-day activities and wider achievements. Reading business news will also give you a good understanding of current issues relevant to the industry.

To improve your skills, carry out some practice case study exercises and present your findings to family or friends. This will get you used to the process and give you greater confidence on assessment centre day.

Choose a plan and start practising

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Assessment Center Preparation: Tips & Practice Resources

Many companies are using assessment centers to assess applicants now. They use an assessment center as the final stage in the pre-employment process before a final decision is made. Since they are the final event and are relatively expensive, those job-seekers and graduates who receive invites to an assessment center are the ones that the employer believes have the highest potential for fitting the job position they are seeking to fill.

The assessment centers usually take place either in an employer’s office or in specific private assessment centers, though sometimes hotel conference rooms may also be utilized. This assessment combination helps employers to understand the applicant’s competencies and performance at work in a more rounded way than a traditional interview would allow them to do. This makes them a popular option with both the employer and the candidates since it gives a more fair evaluation of each candidate and looks more at what the individual can do instead of what they know.

What Is an Assessment Center?

Assessment centers are a combination of tasks and activities intended to test suitability for various job positions. They are highly customizable, so they are often used with many types of positions and are not restricted to only certain kinds of jobs. The candidate is evaluated with a series of individual and group tasks during this final stage in the assessment process. In the assessment center, applicants are given a chance to demonstrate their skills and capabilities in a way that goes beyond what traditional interview questions and answers would allow.

Assessment centers usually include the following types of activities:

• Welcome and intro from the employer
• Competency-based interview
• Analysis presentation exercise (also called case studies)
• Roleplay exercise
• In-Tray exercise
• Online tests (shorter versions of the psychometric tests taken earlier in the recruitment process)
• Presentations
• Group exercises

What to Expect at an Assessment Center?

The set of activities typically takes around four to eight hours, which are spread out over a period of one to two days, though mass recruitment processes can take up to three. The center is often run by the company’s HR department and is intended to simulate situations on the job. To this end, assessment center organizers may bring in actors to play the role of upset or confused customers in the role-playing exercises common to assessment centers.

This gives a more realistic environment for assessing a job-seeker or graduate applying for the position. When combined with the heavy workload in assessment centers, the way candidates respond to the stress and challenge of an assessment center allows employers to better understand how they may perform on the job.

Scoring and Competencies

Scoring is done by trained assessors who are, in an ideal situation, unbiased and fair. The candidates’ scores are based on the opinions of all the assessors instead of just one to help make the assessment center fair and useful. One assessor will be assigned to each candidate for the exercise, and the assessors will rotate through the candidates throughout the day.

The assessors are typically a mix of HR consultants and line managers. They will score each candidate’s actions against specific competency frameworks for the job position and will discuss all aspects of performance amongst themselves before making hiring decisions.

In addition, there are some key competencies and abilities the assessors look for when reviewing answers and actions from a particular candidate. They are as follows:

• Adaptability and creativity
• Analytical thinking and commercial awareness
• Communication skills and negotiation
• Leadership and decision-making
• Organization and planning
• Teamwork and persuasion
• Time Management

Individual companies may be looking for some or all of these in addition to other specific qualities. Assessment centers give an opportunity for assessors to look for these traits in a candidate, so individuals invited to an assessment center should anticipate that they will be scored numerically against a competency framework that includes all of the competencies their position requires.

How to Prepare for Assessment Centers?

Assessment centers cannot be prepared for in the same way that a traditional test or interview can be. As mentioned earlier, the assessment centers focus on what you can do, not what you know. So, unlike psychometric tests, you cannot memorize some set of information and expect to fill in all the right bubbles to do well. Instead, experience is more important than knowing all the correct responses.

With that said, there are some things you can do to prepare for an assessment center to increase your comfortability with the various exercises, questions you may be asked, and ways to respond to exercises in order to show that you are the best fit for the job.

When it comes to preparing, start with your own health. This area is often overlooked, but it is important for anyone who wishes to look and feel their best on assessment day. Looking and feeling well will boost confidence and performance.

Some of the things you should do include exercising and getting proper rest. To start with, try to exercise at least three times a week for a month before the assessment center date to lessen built-up stress and anxiety while promoting a greater sense of well-being come assessment day. Make sure you also get enough sleep on a regular schedule for a few weeks before the tests and exercises.

Along that same grain, eating right leading up to the assessment center and eating a healthy, balanced breakfast on the morning of the assessment center will help to keep those taking the tests to be alert and energized during their exercises and assessments. Make sure to remain well-hydrated as well.

Practicing and Studying

Indirect preparation for the assessment center, job-seekers and graduates should take time to practice potential exercises with friends and family. This will give a greater sense of confidence in dealing with the real exercises on assessment day.

While preparing and practicing, reflect on the rest of the process up to this point and find places that caused difficulty. Try to work on those areas from the perspective of the assessment center to ensure none of them will jeopardize a good performance on the assessment center. Also take the time to review the competencies the employer is looking for to make sure you display them in your responses and actions on assessment day.

Assessment Day Tips

Beyond the basics of preparation, using the list below to help you prepare may prove beneficial.

• Be assertive during all exercises.
• Focus more on good performance than on mistakes made, and do not focus on other candidates.
• Let assessors see your overall working methodology.
• Make sure you draw others in with group discussions, listen, and cooperate.
• Prioritize time—many candidates fail to give the best impression of themselves because they didn’t utilize time in the best ways possible.
• Dress business professionally, be on time, and have everything you need with you.
• Be diplomatic when you need to stick up for your views and do not be drawn into arguing, interrupting, or criticizing when dealing with others.
• Talk to the other candidates during breaks or exercises (when allowed) to establish connections before group exercises are started. Be warm, polite, and approachable with everyone.
• Relax and let your personality shine through. No matter what, stay positive.
• Focus on good delivery of a few key points instead of the details or always having the ‘right’ answer.

In the end, while it is not possible to practice or prepare for every part of the assessment center you may be invited to, it is possible to be prepared for the majority of the assessment center and its general requirements. Take the anxiety and as much stress as possible out of the assessment center by practicing and preparing properly. Give enough time to complete and prepare any material you have been given ahead of time and read the organization’s website, social media, and key documents so that you can share a more informed opinion.

Most importantly, keep in mind the goals of the assessors: getting to know each candidate. They are looking for the best fit, so if you are able to use key competencies they are looking for to stand out in your response to each assessment center activity, you will be able to stand out in your final score on the assessment center.

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

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How to Use Assessment Centers

Ultimate Guide to Leadership Assessments

ASSESSMENT CENTERS

The Ultimate Simulation

Just as pilots train in a flight simulator and surgeons test and practice in virtual reality, leaders can try out and experience what it’s like to be a leader in a virtual setting before they do so in real life. It's called an assessment center.

The data from a leadership assessment center is behavior-based, objective and measurable, and highly predictive of future success. In this section, you can learn everything you need to know about assessment centers from our experience as the pioneers and innovators.  

Originally, the methodology was created to select officers and spies after World War I. However, DDI’s founders and industrial-organizational psychologists introduced the assessment center approach to the business world in 1970 to identify, evaluate, and develop leadership skills in organizations. Over the last 50 years, DDI's behavior-based assessment centers have transformed into fully virtual centers that deliver powerful immersive experiences and actionable data for our clients worldwide.

What Is an Assessment Center?  

Assessment centers offer day-in-the-life experiences. Leaders immerse themselves in level-specific or role-specific job simulations and assignments in a fictitious organization. We often use the term “day-in-the-life experience” for an assessment center. You might also see us talk about immersive simulations, which are a part of assessment centers, but not synonymous. So what exactly is an assessment center?

Assessment centers are standardized evaluation experiences built on multiple components. At least one part is always a behavioral simulation, which is rated by multiple assessors. Other potential inputs sometimes include tests (such as cognitive ability tests or personality inventories), interviews, or a range of simulations that are designed to complement one another.

The important thing is there are multiple assessment components that are integrated to provide a multifaceted view of the person, including at least one that is a simulation of important target behaviors.

In the simulation portion, participants face various tasks, challenges, assignments, and interactions that a typical leader would face in the real world. For example, during a first-level leader simulation, he or she might be asked to coach a direct report with a performance problem or assigned to delegate a new task to a peer. For an executive-level participant, the assignment may be a high-profile media interview to manage a crisis facing the company.

Common job simulations used in assessment centers include: 

• Inbox exercises, which were previously known as “in-basket exercises” 
• Group discussions 
• Working simulations or roleplays with “direct reports” or “clients” 
• Fact-finding exercises 
• Analysis or decision-making problems 
• Formal presentation exercises 
• Written communication samples 

Exercises bring out the most relevant behaviors participants need for a specific position. These job aspects or competencies are identified prior to the assessment center exercise with a job analysis of the targeted position.  

Trained and calibrated assessors evaluate the participant’s behaviors and deliver a robust evaluation report. The report includes overall ratings on leadership competencies  as well as detailed feedback on specific actions or behaviors they observed. An assessment center exercise provides in-depth data to make accurate and valid hiring, succession, or development decisions based on who’s ready for future roles. 

When Should I Use an Assessment Center? 

The assessment center methodology has been proven to be fair and valid over several decades. In most situations, it is the best method available to organizations if your goal is to make accurate hiring and promotion decisions while minimizing adverse impact. More importantly, it’s a very powerful way to engage leaders with a breakthrough experience and get them excited about their own development. 

Here are specific ways to use an assessment center: 

• High-potential programs:  If you’re looking to provide a distinct program for your top talent, an assessment center can be an extraordinary moment in a leader’s career. 
• Succession : Simulations help determine readiness for the next level and pinpoint what gaps need to be addressed to accelerate readiness. 
• In-role development:  Some organizations have found it valuable to use a day-in-the-life approach for incumbent leaders in need of additional development in their current role. For example, a first-level leader with limited formal training can get additional experience in an assessment center exercise.   
• Hiring or promotion : Immersive simulations can be used for both external hires and internal promotion decisions.  

When Should I NOT Use an Assessment Center? 

Due to time and cost restraints, assessment centers usually don’t work for high-volume situations. These immersive simulations provide the most in-depth insights of any assessment. Given how robust it is, it’s typically more expensive and requires a longer time commitment on the part of the leader.  

You should also consider how critical the position is for which you’re selecting or developing someone. When there’s a greater risk and higher cost of failure, an assessment center can help you mitigate that risk with richer data.  

In short, use immersive simulations for high-value situations rather than high-volume needs. 

What Are the Advantages of Assessment Centers? 

One of the biggest advantages of an assessment center is that it can predict future capability. Meanwhile, other assessment types or data can only evaluate what someone has done in the past or is doing in their current role. But in an assessment center, you can see what someone will do when they stretch into a future situation. 

Here are some key advantages with the day-in-the-life approach. 

• Data on future performance, not the current job performance.  A realistic day-in-the-life simulation gives you a valid picture of how a person would perform in a target position before you decide to hire or promote them. 
• Participants get objective data, not perceptions.  Unlike a 360-degree feedback  assessment that is driven by perceptual data, an assessment center participant receives an objective measure of their leadership capabilities. The results are based on the evaluation of professional assessors or smart technology. 
• Targeted feedback on specific behaviors and competencies . When you get a rating on a certain competency, it will help if you know exactly what did and didn’t work. Imagine getting feedback on what you actually said or did that was effective or ineffective. An assessment center report and actionable feedback from a coach can help leaders focus on where and how to improve. 
• Proven to be valid and fair.  Since its first use in the corporate world, many researchers have studied assessment center validity and documented thousands of successful applications. There is no question that assessment centers are predictive of on-the-job performance as well as future performance. In addition, compared to other selection tools, the assessment center method is generally seen as more fair and objective in terms of gender, race, and age than other approaches. 
• It’s a pivotal moment in a leader’s career . An assessment center can be one of the most significant development opportunities for a leader. The insights they gain from the high-stakes experience can literally change how they lead now and throughout their entire career. Plus, regardless of outcome, the experience allows participants to accept the fairness and accuracy of promotion decisions and have a better understanding of job requirements. 

What Are the Potential Pitfalls of an Assessment Center?

While assessment centers provide a lot of advantages, there are a few pitfalls companies should avoid. These pitfalls include:

• Not setting appropriate expectations with the leader. Leaders need to know what they are getting into. Without the right explanation, the experience may seem intimidating and time-consuming. But with the right mindset, leaders may view it as an eye-opening experience that changed the course of their career. So it’s critical to clearly articulate what they can expect from the experience and the benefits they’ll gain before they begin.
• Unexpectedly changing your data sharing policy. Leaders want to know how assessment data will be used and who will see the results. It’s important to be clear how you plan on using the data, communicating your policy, and sticking to it.
• Viewing immersive simulation as an all-or-nothing proposition. Many organizations shy away from immersive simulations due to time and cost constraints. But there are significant payoffs to this powerful methodology. It helps develop your most critical talent and assists in making high-value and high-risk selection decisions.

What to Expect in an Assessment Center 

Before participating in an assessment center, it's important to set expectations and understand the process. Take the following steps for assessment center success: 

Step 1:  Prepare for the Assessment 

First and foremost, communicate the purpose and importance of the assessment to the leader. Also share with them how their data will be shared and used.

Leaders will then need background information about the simulation they plan to take part in. Background information can include details about their role, the company, organizational charts, financials, and other information to provide context.

Step 2: Engage in Simulation 

During the actual assessment center experience, which can be hosted in-person or virtually, leaders are given time to respond to the tasks and prompts. The simulation itself includes a mix of e-mails, interactions, and other challenges relevant to the targeted leadership level. For example, a mid-level leader simulation may require the participant to complete a business analysis while an executive-level simulation may include an activity where participants need to prepare a vision speech. 

Step 3: Score Behavior 

Certified professional assessors and smart technology score participants' behaviors. Their behaviors are evaluated against specific competencies required for success in that leadership role.  

Step 4: Share Feedback 

You may choose to have a trained feedback provider review the results with the leader. In some situations where a leader is not selected for a role, especially if it’s an external candidate, clients choose not to have feedback provided. 

But most often, this one-on-one feedback session is deeply valuable to the leader. The feedback provider is able to review the data in the context of the person’s role. They can discuss the leader's challenges and responsibilities and help them identify their strengths and development priorities within that context. 

As a result, the leader has a much deeper understanding of how they can use the data to propel their own success. Most importantly, it can help gain their commitment to their future development plan. 

Step 5: Use the Data 

Last is all about how you decide to use the data. Because the data is so rich, you can use it for a wide range of applications. For example, you can use it for hiring or promotion decisions in critical roles. Or, you can use it to make a final decision about which candidate is ready immediately for a critical role. 

Once the candidate is in the role, they can use the data to rapidly develop and improve their chances for success. 

For candidates who are not selected (but still have potential) or who went through the assessment purely for development, the next step is to design individual development plans. This approach is particularly important for high-potential leaders for whom you need to accelerate development. 

Plus, assessment center data can help design group-level development plans and pinpoint specific assignments needed to accelerate individual leaders’ readiness. 

How Do Leaders Benefit from an Assessment Center? 

In an assessment center, leaders can benefit from: 

• Feedback at both the behavioral level and overall competency level.  Leaders receive detailed feedback on the specific behaviors they exhibited or missed. They also receive overall ratings on leadership competency areas. 
• Insights into role strengths and development areas.  If the leader went through a simulation targeted at their current leadership level, then the data helps them build on their strengths and close the gaps in their development areas.  
• Data on readiness gaps . If the leader is put through a simulation targeted at the next level, they’re able to see which next-level competencies they’re ready for and competency gaps. 
• A broader appreciation of all the competencies required for success. Even high-level executives sometimes struggle to see what it will really take to succeed in bigger roles. An assessment center gives them an appreciation of what they might face in these roles and why it’s critical to develop key skills. The experience can also help them decide if they truly want to pursue certain roles.

How Long Do Assessment Centers Typically Last? 

It varies based on the level and configuration. An assessment center experience ranges from 90 minutes to a full day.

How Often Should I Administer an Assessment Center? 

As a high-value, high-stakes assessment methodology, we recommend an immersive day-in-the-life experience once for each leader at each level. 

What Else Should I Use with an Assessment Center? 

By design, the assessment center methodology focuses on evaluating behaviors. Many organizations supplement the day-in-the-life simulation data with a  personality test  or behavioral interviews . Plus, leaders benefit from individual feedback and coaching sessions to review the results with their manager or a trained coach. 

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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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Be part of the european hr community, create your own talent pool, find your perfect job, improve on your career with our career coach, what are virtual assessment centers and how to prepare yourself.

• Kristina Toender
• February 16, 2021

Just got accepted further in the application process and you’re asked to take part in a  Virtual Assessment Center (VAC) ? Either you have experienced these before, and you know what to expect OR this can be totally new for you. Personally, I had to google it when I had my first virtual assessment center invitation. So, we will break down everything you need to know and how to prepare yourself in the best possible way!

What is a Virtual Assessment Center?

Firstly, let’s explain why assessment centers exist. It is a  series of exercises to test skills  not accessible from an interview alone. It gives the hire a very detailed understanding of the candidates’ performance in real-life situations. They can have exercises that replicate a real workplace situation. This is where the candidate’s skills and behaviors are observed and evaluated. This helps in crucial decisions of hiring, developing, and identifying the best-fit candidate.

Assessment centers usually take 1 to 3 days. However, nowadays (even before Covid-19), virtual assessment centers are starting to become more common than traditional ones. As of being more cost, time, and resource-efficient . If you have ever participated in a physical one, you know what we are talking about!

There is no set script on what every VAC includes. Depending on the job positions, they will be adapted to the company’s needs. But you can be sure they will include some of these:

• Personality test
• Cognitive ability tests
• Situational judgment tests
• Real-life work situations
• In-basket exercises
• Presentations
• Written task
• Competency-based interviews

This might sound extremely daunting and over the top but it is not as bad as it looks! These exercises will be completed in the comfort of your  own personal space!  There is no right or wrong answer. You will also be sharing some of the questions with other candidates who are in the same shoes as you. Now the big key to making this run as smooth as possible , is you need to ask yourself –  How can I prepare for a Virtual Assessment Center? Continue reading, and we will remove the anxiety that you might be feeling already.

What should you expect from a Virtual Assessment Center?

As mentioned earlier, VAC can range in content and time, it all depends on what the  company needs and its resources to make that happen . I highly doubt that there will ever be VAC with all the exercises mentioned above in one day. They will pick the  ones  most related to their needs . In the invitation link, there is sure to be detailed information about the schedule. It would look something like this:

How can you prepare for a Virtual Assessment Center?

The biggest key to success when participating in a VAC is to be prepared. Below we have gathered some of our best tips  on how you can help yourself out, all from checklists to group exercises. You betcha, when I had my first VAC, I certainly wished I had all this information in one place! We hope these insights can give you that  extra push towards success.

There are many small and big things you can do for yourself to make this process  less stressful.  Let’s start with the basic stuff first . On the actual day of the VAC it is super important that you make a  quick checklist . What does a checklist look like for a VAC?

It can look like this:

• Make sure your  laptop/workspace is situated well  in regards to WIFI connection,  light, and unwanted noise.
• Make sure your  charger  is close by or plugged in, a dead laptop will not do you any good. 
• Check that your  microphone and camera work , test call your mum or a friend.
• Read  through the invitation link thoroughly. Double-check the time, date, link, and other necessary information.
• Download  necessary  software , e.g. Zoom
• Dress  appropriately  – as you would for an interview
• RESEARCH THE COMPANY  – this is a must, make notes.
• Prepare for  difficult  questions about yourself, like what are your  weaknesses & strengths , or why should you be hired .
• Practice  your  introduction  of  yourself  with relevant information for the position.
• Be on time  – join the URL link 10 min in advance so there are no last-minute errors
• Have back up  – Write down the details of the recruiter in case you lose connection to the call. Consider hotspot from your mobile if you’re having connection problems.
• Enjoy – Smile, breathe, and relax. Be excited and believe in yourself!  

How do you shine in group exercises in a Virtual Assessment Center?

Now for the tricky part. When you’re participating in a VAC, you could be in a call with  up to 20 people!  Then it can be hard to understand what is actually the wanted behavior by the hire. For example, talking too much or not talking enough can both be wrong. Most candidates dislike this exercise because suddenly now they have to work together, compared to individual tasks. This exercise is obviously important to see how you would work within teams . This can be difficult as you are all strangers and yet, you all want to shine.

Here are some tips:

• Be an  active listener . You don’t always have to talk,  j ust for the sake of talking. When others are talking, look engaged, nod your head, and have open body language. This can be useful when you want to build on something that was previously mentioned, it shows the hire that you are paying attention . Example “ I really liked what X said about this, I think this could be interesting if we combined Y’s suggestion.”
• When you get a task, it will most likely have a time limit. An easy way to shine here is to remind your fellow candidates in intervals of the time left. This showcases time management skills.
• Be an active contributor  to the discussion! Speak with reason and confidence. Don’t come off as dominant as this task is to show you are a  team player ! A big tip here could be to ask another candidate their thoughts on your comment – Teamwork is not about saying the most!

How to prepare for a case study or presentation in a Virtual Assessment Center?

There is a big chance that you will be asked as an exercise, beforehand or during the VAC to complete a  written task, presentation, or case study.  You would be given all the information needed to solve the problem or situation. This is where it’s your time to stand out! The way you formulate yourself, your problem-solving skills, and your presentation skills. This can really make a difference from other candidates. As it is impossible to pinpoint exactly what they will be about, it is smart to be prepared.

Here are some  tips :

• Study the job description  and needed skills around the job. One of the questions will for sure be around a skill that is relevant to the position. For example, if you’re applying for a team leader role, they could ask questions related to what one should do in situations like conflict.
• Take time to  properly  read the  instructions  given! Nothing is worse than missing a part due to rushing. Of course, keep in mind the time. Time management skills are also something that could be tested. Give yourself realistic time for reading, quick outlay, writing, and presentation preparations.
• Once again,  BREATH . When presenting there is nothing worse than stressing through all your hard work. Speak  slowly . Have pauses, really connect with the audience, use eye contact, and try to relax as much as possible. Don’t mumble!
• Always double-check your work ! Make sure the information is correct and there are no spelling or grammar errors. Especially, if you are handing in a written task, it can be quite damaging if you have not proofread it before handing it in.

We hope these insights made it clearer for you what a Virtual Assessment Center is. What can be expected and how to prepare yourself so you can confidently smash it? If to take two things from this blog, it is to research the company and be aware of the exercises that can be present on the day . Nothing is more unprofessional than not being prepared!

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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.

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• In-Tray Exercise
• Group Exercises

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Learning and Development | 10 Min Read

The Ultimate Guide To Assessment Centers

Table of contents.

An assessment center is a platform to evaluate an individual’s suitability for specific job roles. It includes several exercises like aptitude tests, personality evaluations, virtual assessment center case study simulators and interviews. It helps organizations better predict candidate performance and potential for a proposed position. A traditional assessment center involves in-person discussions and group exercises for which candidates are invited to a specific venue. With the advent of virtual alternatives, it is now possible to host such activities and interviews on digital platforms supporting remote evaluations.

On the other hand, a development center in HRM is used for organizational initiatives such as training needs identification, high-potential identification, leadership development and succession planning. While virtual assessment tests are often used for recruitment, development centers help identify professional strengths and challenges.

This comprehensive handbook dives deep into assessment centers and their key elements, their applications, process and more. You will also learn about designing an assessment development center following the best practices and using recommended tools.

Chapter 1: The fundamentals of assessment centers

Understanding acdcs- an upgrade to assessment center method in hrm.

An assessment center development center(ACDC) is a combination of an assessment center and a development center. It is a platform offering a detailed evaluation of an individual’s skills, organizational fitment and developmental needs – ACDCs work by assessing candidates on various competencies required to be successful on the job.

Assessment center development centers have three primary uses:

1. Personnel selection and recruitment

2. Identification of strengths and areas for training and development

3. Development and grooming of professionals to accelerate their growth path

Assessment center methods and types

Organizations employ one of the three major types of assessment centers. They are:

Traditional

Traditional assessment center method

Traditional assessment centers involve a physical location. As part of the assessment process, organizations selectively send employees to a site away from their workplace, with the following objectives:

• To encourage a disconnect from the daily routine
• Building employee engagement
• Helping boost employees’ self-awareness

Alternatively, traditional assessment centers may also involve inviting job applicants to the assessment center for tests and interviews.

The traditional assessment center method

Participants in a traditional assessment center in HRM undergo several activities such as role-playing, group discussions, behavioral interviews, and business case presentations. Meanwhile, experienced assessors observe and evaluate the participants based on their demonstrative behavior.

Toward the end of each activity, assessors collate their observations and discuss each participant’s performance. Once they agree on individuals’ performance, they create a report based on which participants get one-on-one feedback.

Limitations of traditional assessment center tests

Physical assessment centers are usually not feasible for all job levels, considering the stakes and costs involved. Also, traditional assessment centers can involve several logistical and operational problems. Therefore, few experts recommend this approach for a regular assessment or evaluation process.

Virtual assessment development centers

A virtual assessment development center is the online version of a traditional assessment center. It allows a holistic candidate evaluation without compromising the quality and standard set by physical assessment centers.

Virtual assessment center platforms and virtual assessment development centers accommodate a range of traditional tools used in assessment centers in a simulated virtual environment. However, wherever necessary, virtual assessors overlook the virtual assessment center activities that are conducted via assessment center software.

Virtual ACDC process

Virtual assessment and development center exercises are mapped to behavioral competencies relevant to a specific role. The exercises are administered online, followed by automated reports, eliminating logistical hassles, reducing human effort and curbing the overhead costs in conducting extensive in-person assessments.

We will discuss the applications of virtual assessment centers in Chapter 2.

Blended assessment center method

A blended assessment center method is an innovative hybrid approach that combines the best features of traditional and virtual assessment centers. It elevates the design of a traditional assessment center by combining conventional offline activities with online assessment center exercises. Resultantly, there is room for a comprehensive blended approach that supports multiple styles of learning and learners.

The process of a blended assessment center

In a blended assessment center, few competencies are mapped using online tools with life-like simulations, while the rest are assessed based on physical exercises. The physical part of the assessment remains the same. However, the total score is calculated based on the performance in both physical and virtual assessments. Ratings are compiled to provide a holistic view of the candidates after the exercises. One-on-one feedback sessions by the assessors follow this process to further development goals.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of assessment centers?

The most significant benefit of assessment centers is that they are accurate predictors of performance since candidates attempt tasks closer to real work situations. This provision offers both the assessors and the candidates an accurate picture of what may lie ahead. Thus, assessors can make better hiring decisions, and candidates gain a more realistic insight into their roles, ensuring a long employment association.

The only disadvantage is that designing a candidate assessment center involves creating customized assessment development center exercises for every organization and job role, which can be a trifle lengthy process because of multiple stakeholders’ involvement.

Chapter 2: Applications of assessment centers

As hinted in the first chapter of this guide, assessment center tests and exercises are used for three primary purposes: to predict future behavior to make better talent decisions, diagnose development needs, and groom potential employees.

The applications of various forms of assessment centers include:

• High-potential identification
• Training needs identification

Leadership development

Leadership hiring, succession planning.

Using ACDCs for Hi-Po identification

High-potential employees  are 91% more valuable to a business than non-high potential workers.

Assessment centers and development centers help organizations identify and develop high-potential employees who can assume additional responsibilities and drive growth. They ensure objective evaluations via real-life workplace scenarios.

Identifying professional training needs to bridge the skill gaps

Companies that invest in employee training enjoy a 24% more profit margin versus companies that don’t.

The role of an assessment center in training and development pans out across hierarchies. To bridge the skill gaps, assessment development centers enable organizations to identify training areas for their current employees and take adequate initiatives to develop their workforce’s skills. Besides, assessment center development centers provide employees and organizations with concrete data on improvement areas. Moreover, the ACDC’s insights serve as a benchmark to further employee training and development.

Assessment centers in human resource management have proven to be an extremely insightful tool to develop professionals in leadership roles . The predictive capabilities of development and assessment center tests can help deploy exercises that test leadership competencies relevant to a specific industry or organization.

Qualities to test before selecting future leaders through the assessment centre include responsiveness to change, ability to command the respect of their peers, critical thinking and risk-taking appetite. Through a series of simulation exercises, these qualities can be tested using the assessment centre.

Akindele afolabi, how to use assessment centre in the selection and development of future leaders in your organisation.

Regular assessment center methods in HRM can also be customized into leadership assessment centers that enable organizations to hire exclusively for leadership roles. Leadership assessment centers measure key leadership attributes like ethics, civic-mindedness, innovation, team development abilities, self-development awareness, ability to negotiate and influence, etc. In most cases, assessment centers are designed to simulate day-in-the-life experiences in fictitious organizations. This helps observe candidates and their behavior in fictitious leadership roles. The insights can be immensely helpful in making the right leadership hiring decisions.

Feedback from assessment center HR helps organizations identify whether they can handle the challenges offered in the next higher position. They act as a catalyst for change, as leaders learn about the gaps between their mindsets and skills and what is required to lead effectively. At an organizational level, this information can target specific growth and development programs. This can lead to important information for  succession planning  by allowing the organization to assess whether it has the number of employees required to move into key roles in the future.

Chapter 3: Assessment center methods: Vital steps in the process

Assessment and development centers can address an organization’s most learning and development needs if implemented correctly. Hence, one must understand the various steps involved in rolling out the process.

Step 1: Sensing

The sensing exercise is divided into three core phases:

1. Defining the objective

2. Underlining the job levels

3. Choosing a competency framework

Sensing phase 1: Defining the objective

Organizations should have clarity about why they want to use an assessment center development center. Concerning the various applications and possibilities elaborated in the previous chapter, an ACDC can be employed for more than one objective. A clear goal ensures that the rest of the steps follow without challenges. Choosing a type from the various assessment center examples, shortlisting the assessment and development center exercises, designing the type of questions, etc., all depend on the goal of an assessment center process.

Sensing phase 2: Underlining the job levels

The methods to assess and develop individual contributors, first-time managers, mid to senior-level management, and leadership positions vary. Ideally, the exercises must accurately reflect the variety and demands of the target role. Also, subject matter expertise is critical to establish better-suited roles for a particular assessment center technique.

Sensing phase 3: Choosing a competency framework

If organizations need to identify the skills required by the workforce to be effective in a target role, they should begin by analyzing the factors that aid employee performance. For example, competencies such as problem-solving skills, collaboration and creativity may be essential for a certain job role. However, competencies such as adaptability, strategic vision and people skills may be a priority for another job role. Hence, setting up a relevant, role-specific competency framework is crucial for the success of an assessment center process.

Sensing phase 4: Mapping competencies to relevant tools

Subject-matter experts specializing in assessment center tools and activities can help correlate various competencies to relevant assessment center exercises.

Exercises for an assessment center in HR can include situational judgment questions, personality, cognitive tools, case studies, group discussions, role-plays and various other simulation tools, online and offline. However, your assessment and development plans would fail to deliver quality results if you do not have in-depth knowledge of these tools.

Here’s an example of competency-tool mapping in a virtual assessment center development center:

Step 2: Customization of tools

After the completion of the first three sensing phases, experts customize the assessment center tools to match the organization’s requirements. After evaluating and validating these customizations, the company is ready to roll out the assessment development activities.

Step 3: Administration and management

This step involves the deployment of resources, setting up the systems and appointing assessors. The logistics and duration of this step depend on the type of assessment center chosen by the organization. A physical assessment center’s administration and management requirements vary significantly from its virtual counterpart or a blended ACDC alternative.

Step 4: Offline activities (In case of blended assessment)

On the day of in-person activity, candidates engage in individual and group exercises onsite, in the presence of trained assessors. The assessors observe job-specific behaviors and rate participants accordingly. The assessors then collaborate their offline and online ratings in the form of a report. A short debriefing may happen on the day of the assessment center, but detailed developmental feedback occurs after the report generation.

Step 5: Report generation

Assessment center reports serve as a benchmark for employee development plans and personnel selection. Observations about behaviors and performance are made using specifically developed assessment simulations. Further action depends on these reports’ comparison and analysis.

Here are examples of insights provided by an assessment center report:

Chapter 4: Key assessment center tools

Depending on the various forms of assessment centers, i.e., physical, virtual, or blended, and their objectives, individuals are evaluated using an array of tools and exercises. Assessment center tools help gauge fitment, readiness, or developmental needs. They can range from psychometric to situational judgment, from case studies to in-box exercises, from group discussions to business presentations.

|   Personality profiler          |   Cognitive abilities test          |  Case study simulator          |   Presentation exercise          |   One-to-one role-play 

Personality profiler

Personality Profiler is a type of assessment that helps identify personality traits and types in the candidates. It is a valid and standardized method to evaluate an individual on the Big Five traits like extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.

Cognitive abilities test

A cognitive abilities test measures a candidate’s cognitive skills such as observation, memory, visual processing, mental flexibility, critical thinking and decision-making. Several types of cognitive ability tests can help predict performance and determine a candidate’s job fitment.

Case study simulator

In a case study simulator, candidates look through information folders, seek answers to a few questions, and solve the problem in the available time and resources.

Presentation exercise

A presentation exercise tests candidates’ patience, ability to perform under pressure, deal with repeated questioning, and their time management skills.

One-to-one role-play

Role-plays put candidates in mock professional positions and situations. The exercise allows the assessors to test candidates’ responses and behavior with others when put in a spot. It is a useful way of assessing a candidate’s social and communication skills, empathy, and the ability to influence others in job-relevant situations.

Chapter 5: Top twelve assessment center exercises

The tools highlighted in the previous chapter are essential to conducting various assessment center exercises. The latter comprise a range of interactive sessions, interview rounds and assessments to gauge the candidates’ core competencies.

Examples of these exercises are:

Writing tests:

Assessment center written exercise examples include writing reports, drafting press releases, letters, emails or even proofreading texts written by someone else.

Icebreakers:

Employers strategically use this exercise to observe participants’ behavior in low-pressure situations.

Domain skills test:

Domain skills tests or domain expertise tests cater to multiple job roles and job levels. They test a candidate’s grasp on domain expertise, technical knowledge, and efficiency in their line of work.

Interviews:

Assessment center interview questions are chosen to understand the candidate’s industry knowledge, skill level, experience, etc.

Situational judgement tests:

They assess a candidate’s ability to deal with real-life work-related situations.

Role-plays:

They offer a great way to observe candidates in high-pressure work situations.

Case study exercise:

This exercise evaluates various approaches to a specific problem and the ability to derive a fruitful/logical outcome.

Technical assessments:

They help assessors understand how well a candidate is likely to excel in a specific industry or discipline.

Inbox exercise:

Inbox exercises are simulation tests where candidates receive emails, calls and memos, which they must attend to by prioritizing, organizing and scheduling in a limited time.

Psychometric assessments:

Tests to measure cognitive intelligence and personality traits ensure a holistic candidate evaluation.

Presentations:

As stated in the previous chapter, exercises in the form of spot presentations and planned presentations offer critical insights into participants’ expertise, experience and key professional competencies.

Group exercise:

The purpose of such an exercise is to observe candidates and their abilities to respect, collaborate and engage with other people.

Get detailed insights into assessment center exercises

Chapter 6: the future of assessment development centers.

As the talent management landscape continues to evolve and adopt modern technologies, human resource experts can now leverage technology to train and develop their workforce. To avoid the consequences of relying on a traditional assessment center, organizations are gradually adopting online tools to expedite the process, in addition to giving credible outcomes at par with the physical approach. Virtual assessment centers can overcome most pitfalls in physical assessments while greatly expanding the potential pool of applicants available to the organization.

A globally competitive marketplace mandates organizations to sync their strategic aims with the market requirements to ensure business continuity. Virtual assessment centers can prove to be efficient and effective in achieving the desired results. It is a time and cost-effective medium , and the assessments can be taken remotely . Meanwhile, blended assessment centers that incorporate both technological and human elements are increasingly becoming a go-to option for vital organizational planning initiatives.

The role of assessment centers in organizations is constantly growing. From hiring to using assessment centers in performance appraisals, companies are constantly experimenting with the online assessment center platforms and tools.

Moreover, organizations are increasingly undertaking the assessment center approach due to the following reasons:

• Relevant content in a simulated environment: Assessment centers prove to be more efficient since they effectively measure participants’ competencies in a simulated environment. Additionally, candidates can easily relate to the assessment center content as the replication of real-world scenarios appears realistic to them. Assessment centers prove to be a reliable solution, especially while assessing mid to senior management, leadership roles and others with high-stakes job roles.
• Constructive & actionable feedback: Assessment centers stand out among other forms of assessments. A standard assessment center is not only aimed at pre-assessment but employee development tools. The performance and their scores are collaborated by assessors, after which they are given constructive feedback. This is contrary to traditional forms of assessments where the task ends with report generation. The one-on-one feedback sessions act as a mirror for test-takers and help them carve a development journey. A group-level analysis helps organizations identify a particular department’s training needs.

How Mercer | Mettl can help

Mercer | Mettl is committed to the evolving needs of talent management and development. Thus, we offer two methodologies for conducting hassle-free assessment centers – virtual and blended . With subject matter experts, a pool of experienced assessors, and a suite of interactive tools and exercises, Mercer | Mettl can play a significant part in the hiring, training and development of your workforce.

What is an assessment center example?

An example of an assessment center is a virtual interactive conference where professionals discuss, or debate a given topic. Such exercise helps assess communication skills, personality traits, ability to work in a group and lead, industry knowledge and other vital competencies. On-site case study analyses and planned presentations to elucidate specific ideas are also candidate assessment center examples that help in recruitment, L&D (Learning & Development) and HiPo (high potential) identification.

What are the tips to ace assessment center exercises?

The twelve best tips to succeed at an assessment center are: 1) Research: Learn all you can about the type of assessment center, the agenda, the company’s vision and mission, expectations from your role, etc., 2) Prepare: As part of your core preparations for an assessment center test, it is vital to rehearse your ideas and presentation skills, 3) Follow the best practices: This applies to group activities and discussions, virtual assessment platforms and your overall professional behavior, 4) Double-check your connectivity: A speedy internet connection is imperative to succeed in any online assessment center activities, 5) Be punctual: Whether it is a virtual, on-site or blended assessment center, showing up five minutes before the scheduled time always makes things smoother. 6) Practice MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions): It would be extremely helpful if your assessment center exercises include aptitude tests or other psychometric assessments, 7) Ensure technical performance: The best way to prevent embarrassing tech faux pas is by testing any equipment or drives well before the assessments begin, 8) Be ready for surprises: Even if you thought you were 100% ready for an assessment center, there is no way to know what could go differently. Hence, it is wise to be prepared for unexpected challenges and not let them throw you off your game, 9) Take a proactive approach: Most assessment centers focus on leadership qualities and high potential. Therefore, being proactive will allow you to stand out and help you display your passion for the job, 10) Avoid negative self-talk: If you are not mindful of the way you speak to yourself, you may end up hurting your performance at an assessment center. It is crucial to stay motivated and use the right words when giving yourself a pep-talk before any assessment center exercise.

What to expect from an assessment center?

If you are a candidate, an assessment center can be an excellent platform to gain insights into the company culture, the type of work and other crucial details about the workplace. Therefore, while the assessment center design caters to candidate evaluation, you can use it as an opportunity to gauge the company as well. You can expect interviews, interactive sessions, briefings about the assessment process, assessor introductions and details about the selection criteria. If you are an employee participating in assessment centers, you can expect stimulating industry discussions, test of core competencies for identifying skill gaps, your employer’s plans, etc.

Originally published December 4 2019, Updated August 1 2022

D'ipanjenah Ali

Assessment center development center.

Mercer | Mettl's VADC: The Future of ACDCs

Assessment Center Development Center, commonly known as ACDC, is a comprehensive tool used by organizations to evaluate prospective or current employees for workforce management and planning. ACDCs can be implemented virtually, physically, or in a blended format, using a suite of assessment tools.

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The Full Guide to Investment Banking Assessment Centers

If you're new here, please click here to get my FREE 57-page investment banking recruiting guide - plus, get weekly updates so that you can break into investment banking . Thanks for visiting!

Over time, investment banking recruiting has become more impersonal with developments like HireVue interviews , online tests, and recruiters conducting the initial screens .

People often complain about how it’s impossible to make a “good first impression” in a pre-recorded video or when speaking to a hapless recruiter.

Ironically, though, the most personal part of the recruiting process – the assessment center – also generates many complaints.

If you’re about to attend an investment banking assessment center, you can look forward to a fun-filled day of activities, case studies, group exercises, and even more interviews and verbal/math/logical tests.

When everything moved online for a few years, people predicted the end of assessment centers, but they adapted and survived – and I think they’ll become even more important in the future:

What is an Assessment Center, and When Should You Expect One?

Investment Banking Assessment Center Definition: The assessment center (AC) is the final step in the IB recruiting process in places like Hong Kong, London, and other parts of EMEA ; it requires you to complete online tests, case studies, group exercises, and specialized tasks in addition to standard interviews.

An AC is broader than the typical Superday in the U.S. since you complete a wide range of tasks beyond standard 30-minute interviews.

At some banks and groups in the U.S., candidates memorize obscure technical questions, and interviewers ask about these topics and dig in until they find something the interviewee can’t answer.

But this behavior is less common in any region that uses ACs.

You’re better off developing a broader set of skills , such as how to work in a group, prioritize emails, and give a simple presentation, rather than memorizing technical details.

In regions like London and Hong Kong , ACs are used for investment banking , sales & trading , and other areas at banks and consulting firms.

I will focus on the investment banking AC here to avoid turning this article into a novella (for S&T tips, see the article on rates trading ).

Banks mostly use assessment centers to recruit university and Master’s students for internships and full-time roles, so you’re much less likely to attend one if you’re a lateral hire or you’re at the MBA level .

ACs sometimes come up when you apply for off-cycle internships , but it depends on your timing and how many others apply at the same time.

OK, But Why Do Investment Banking Assessment Centers Exist?

Banks use ACs to make sure that candidates are competent and qualified in real life – not just on paper.

When you apply for IB roles in a place like London, you must submit an online application, go through an initial interview or HireVue, submit competency questions, and complete online tests.

These eliminate a certain percentage of applicants, but plenty of people cheat on these tests, take them in pairs, or use tools like ChatGPT to do the work for them.

But even beyond these problems, these tests are inherently limited because they have little correlation with on-the-job performance.

Traditional investment banking interviews are also deceptive because some people are great at BSing their way through a 30-minute discussion, even if they’re terrible at the job.

But it’s much harder to deceive your way through an assessment center because:

• You must be there in-person , so it’s easy to tell if you’re cheating (and even if it’s “virtual,” you’re still doing everything in front of other people).
• You must work with other humans for at least part of the AC, which means you can succeed only if you work in a team.
• Finally, you must complete tasks similar to the ones in banking – the fact that you memorized the WACC formula means nothing if you can’t use the concepts to advise a client.

The best way to assess someone is to give them a 10-12-week internship and see how they perform, but that is expensive and impractical for thousands of applicants.

So, ACs act as a bit of a compromise:

If you’re wondering why assessment centers are universal in London but not in the U.S., I am not 100% certain.

My guess is that banks want to standardize the process and properly compare applicants since students there come from many different countries, educational systems, etc.

This is less of a problem in the U.S. because most applicants have attended university in the country, so there are fewer “cross-cultural communication” issues.

What to Expect in an IB Assessment Center

The structure, timing, tasks, and number of candidates vary by bank, but you might expect something like this:

• Number of Candidates: A few dozen in a single day (maybe 30 – 40 total).
• Universities: Expect heavy representation from the top U.K. and European target schools (Oxbridge, LSE, Bocconi, IE, HEC, etc.) along with a few students from semi-targets and non-targets.
• Offer Rate: Around the same as a Superday; expect something in the 20 – 40% range.
• Total Time Required: Around 4 – 6 hours (excluding transportation time).
• Interviews: Expect 2 – 3 interviews for 60 – 90 minutes total.
• Online Tests: They may ask you to take or re-take one or more of the earlier tests, which could consume another ~30 minutes.
• Other Tasks: They might ask you to complete something specialized, like an in-tray exercise (see below), which could take another ~30 minutes.
• (Group) Case Study: Expect a solo or group case study that might take 45 – 60 minutes. If they give you both a solo and a group case study, this will be more like 90 – 120 minutes.
• Social/Networking: Finally, there may be a networking panel or “social event,” such as a group lunch, which will take another 30 – 60 minutes.

Before you go through any of this, one simple tip is to arrive as early as possible , even if it means camping out at a coffee shop nearby.

If you’re even a few minutes late, you might be eliminated before the festivities begin!

Some of the AC tasks above are simple, while others require more explanation:

IB Assessment Centers, Part 1: Interviews

There are no huge differences here, but expect interviewers to do more cross-checking to verify that you’re telling a consistent story – since they can easily compare notes.

You’re also more likely to speak to senior bankers than in the first rounds.

You might also want to do some firm-specific research (e.g., look up a few recent deals), especially if you only have 2-3 ACs rather than 10 or 15.

Honestly, though, if you are prepared with your story , fit/behavioral questions , and decent technical skills, you shouldn’t kill yourself with even more prep.

IB Assessment Centers, Part 2: Re-Taking the Online Tests

It’s very easy to cheat, so banks may give you slight variations of the same tests on-site, with no internet access, to verify your scores.

The questions resemble the ones you might find on the GMAT or the “mental math” questions common in sales & trading interviews . Here’s an example:

Q: Suppose that the market value of the real estate in France increases by 10% next year. How much would it be worth?

A: There’s 540 total, so 540 * 10% = 54, and 54 * 5% = 27.

Therefore, the value of real estate in France is currently 3 * 54 + 27 = 3 * 50 + 3 * 4 + 27 = 150 + 12 + 27 = 189.

10% of 189 is 18.9, so the value would increase to 189 + ~19 = ~208 next year.

These questions are not difficult, but they can be challenging to finish within the time limit (often 15 – 30 minutes per test), so you need to practice repeatedly.

Some banks, like JPM, also give “Situational Judgment Tests” (SJTs), where they describe a work situation and ask how you might respond (in multiple choice format).

IB Assessment Centers, Part 3: E-Tray / In-Tray and Other Specialized Tasks

These exercises give you 5-10 minutes to read files or information about a client or ongoing deal.

Then, you’ll start receiving “simulated emails” that you’ll need to respond to (via multiple choice questions), and you might have to explain or justify your decisions afterward.

For example, you might get an urgent client request, a VP’s request to schedule a meeting for a potential client, and the same VP who wants to know the dates of an upcoming IPO roadshow .

You must prioritize and respond to these emails using the information you gathered in the beginning and common sense (i.e., client requests matter more than internal ones).

The most common mistakes here include ignoring or overlooking information and forgetting about date and time conflicts .

In the scenario above, for example, you wouldn’t want to schedule a VP’s potential client meeting on any of the same days as the IPO roadshow.

NOTE: It appears that these exercises may be less common now (as of 2023). ACs seem to have shifted to interviews and case studies, but feel free to leave a comment and clarify this point if you’ve completed one recently.

IB Assessment Centers, Part 4: Presentations, Case Studies, and Group Exercises

If you’ve already done well enough to make it to the AC, you can probably handle everything above with ease – but the case studies are a different story.

The two main variants here are solo exercises and group exercises .

If it’s a solo exercise, they might give you 30 – 60 minutes to do something like:

• Read information about a company and draft a profile in PowerPoint .
• Complete a modeling test , such as a simple merger model , the Enterprise Value bridge calculation , valuation multiples, or credit stats and ratios in different scenarios.
• Complete a pencil-and-paper test for the tasks above to test your understanding and arithmetic skills.
• Read about a company and draft a report , similar to an equity research report , describing its key risks, opportunities, and current valuation.
• Read about several target companies and recommend the best acquisition for the larger company you are advising.

You should not expect a detailed financial modeling test or other Excel interview test ; these short case studies usually involve “back of the envelope” math.

The 3-statement model and LBO modeling test on this site are highly unlikely, as they’re too complex and require too much time to check.

If you want example of solo case studies, please see:

• This assessment center case study based on a simple merger model .
• A few sample “company profile” slides in different formats .
• This qualitative M&A case study, inspired by an assessment center .

The group exercise , which might last 45 – 60 minutes, is more likely to involve advising a client or potential client:

• Of target companies A, B, and C, which one should Company X acquire?
• Should Company Y raise debt or equity to expand into a new region?
• Of acquisition offers D, E, and F, which one should Company Z accept?
• Should our bank onboard Company Q as a client? Why or why not?
• Which M&A process should Company W follow if it wants to sell? Targeted or broad, and should it sell to a strategic or a financial sponsor ?

As with the solo exercises, complex Excel work and financial models are unlikely.

The “answer” and its reasoning are also straightforward in most cases.

If you want to see an example, look at this debt vs. equity case and the logic – any test you get in real life would have even simpler numbers.

The best advice is to be structured, boring, and simple ; people do poorly when they fail to state the answer upfront or make it overly complicated.

Since the numbers and logic are simple, the real test is evaluating how well you work in a team. Some tips include:

• Strike a balance between being quiet and talkative. For example, aim to contribute one targeted comment or question every 3-4 minutes, but never speak for 3 minutes straight.
• Volunteer for the “boring tasks,” such as keeping time, taking notes, and assembling the final presentation, since you want to come across like a team player.
• Avoid interrupting others or being negative, even if they say something incredibly stupid or ridiculous.
• Bring others into the discussion, especially team members who have been quiet.
• Use everyone’s first names as much as possible to show your attention to detail and personal touch.
• In the final presentation , make sure everyone has at least some speaking role, even if it’s short.

There is no great way to practice these group exercises, but there are some tricks for improving (see the bottom section of this article).

What Happens After the Assessment Center?

As with the Superday, you’ll generally hear back quickly if you’ve won an offer, but it can sometimes take a few weeks; all you can do in the meantime is follow up occasionally.

If you have your interviewers’ contact details, it’s worth sending a few quick, personalized “thank you” messages.

Finally, you should also write down as much as you can remember about the exercises, interviews, and case studies at the AC immediately after you finish , so you have it as a reference for your next one.

How to Practice and Prepare for Investment Banking Assessment Centers

Assuming you’ve legitimately prepared for the initial interviews, you shouldn’t “need” much additional work. Dozens of articles on this site have tips, and you can get even more details in the IB Interview Guide .

For the online tests , we recommend JobTestPrep and the packages they offer for the verbal, math, logic, personality, and other tests (yes, this is an affiliate link, so I earn a small amount if you buy something through it).

For the case studies and group presentations , I recommend the following:

• Complete 3-4 solo practice case studies on company profiles, acquisition recommendations, debt vs. equity, and evaluations of recent deals. It’s worth spending 10 – 15 hours on this, but I don’t think you need to spend 40+ hours on it.
• There are several examples of AC-style case studies in the Interview Guide, but you can also create your own case studies based on news and recent deals.

For example, if you see that Company X recently raised debt or issued equity, download the company’s most recent annual report, give yourself 60 minutes, and write a quick evaluation of whether this was the right decision.

• Speed and simplicity are crucial. It’s much better to be 50% correct and 100% finished rather than 100% correct and 50% finished.

For the group dynamics, one option is to join a student investment club or case competition and go through the required teamwork there.

The best way to practice, though, is to keep doing assessment centers until you see the same scenarios repeatedly.

By the end, you’ll wonder why they seemed scary – as they become repetitive rather than intimidating.

About the Author

Brian DeChesare is the Founder of Mergers & Inquisitions and Breaking Into Wall Street . In his spare time, he enjoys lifting weights, running, traveling, obsessively watching TV shows, and defeating Sauron.

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• Case Study Exercise

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

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• What is a Case Study exercise

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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.

What is an assessment center, and what role does it have in a skills-first workplace?

Hiring for a  leadership role  is an ordeal for both employers and candidates because the stakes are high. 

The morale and engagement of the entire team working under this new leader hinges on the success of the hire.

It feels next to impossible to confidently fill such an important position while providing a  candidate experience  that doesn’t completely exhaust your applicants.

This is exactly why assessment centers exist – they give you a preview of each candidate on the job  before  you hire them.

But there’s a caveat: They’re too expensive and intense to be used for every position.

This article is broken into two parts to help you learn to use assessment centers strategically:

Explaining how assessment centers work

Explaining their role and use cases in a skills-first future

Table of contents

What is an assessment center, why do companies pick assessment centers as an employee selection method, the advantages of assessment centers, the disadvantages of assessment centers, how do assessment centers and skills-based hiring fit together, use assessment centers strategically for skills-based hiring.

An assessment center, or assessment day, puts a group of candidates through individual and group tasks and simulations based on the available position requirements to assess their competencies and how well they fit the role and company culture.

It’s an immersive “day in the life” experience, like a boot camp for hiring.

The objective is to eliminate ambiguity by putting your candidates in the same room and examining them side-by-side.

You can also use assessment centers to evaluate existing employees’ skills and training needs to help with succession planning and internal mobility.

In this case, they’re called assessment and development centers.

What exercises are used in assessment centers?

Assessment center exercises involve simulating situations and problems that are regular parts of the job description.

Generally, assessment centers use a combination of:

Personality tests

Aptitude and skills tests

Job-related simulations and role-play scenarios

Timed tasks

Assessment center interviews

Let’s say you’re recruiting a senior  software developer .

The job responsibilities include designing, testing, implementing, and updating software programs, as well as managing and leading the development team .

The assessment center exercises you’d use to hire this person might include:

Role-playing simulations of team members reporting problems

Group tasks that bring out their leadership and team collaboration skills

programming tests

where they demonstrate expertise in the right languages

Presentations and case studies on a relevant topic

The idea is to show individual performance, collaboration skills, and compare candidates as they perform the same tasks side-by-side.

Who typically runs an assessment center?

Trained assessors, hiring managers, human resources professionals, and occupational psychologists usually run assessment centers.

Depending on the role they’re hiring for, they are often joined by a decision-maker or stakeholder who is adequately prepared for the task, such as the supervisor for the role or a future close associate.

It’s good practice to have multiple people on the hiring panel to limit the chances of  personal bias  driving the final decision.

Assessment center examples

L’Oreal  routinely uses assessment centers  to filter the candidates that best match what they’re looking for.

These events last one or two days and typically include the following:

A group exercise

A case study presentation

Relevant aptitude tests, completed verbally and in writing

The group exercise is based on a relevant real-world scenario like L’Oreal launching a new product. The applicants must solve a problem together and present their solution as a group.

The case study presentation is an individual assignment.

Each candidate receives a brief with information about a hypothetical business scenario for L’Oreal, such as a gap in the market providing an opportunity for a new type of product. 

In this example, the candidate analyzes the provided information and develops a marketing strategy for the new product.

Finally, L’Oreal utilizes aptitude tests to measure certain key skills across the board, including:

Communication

Problem-solving

Adaptability

The next assessment center example comes from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), one of the leading accounting and professional services companies in the world.

PwC uses assessment centers as the  final step in the recruiting process  to determine suitability for the role. Before that, candidates have to go through:

An online application

A situational judgment test

Game-based psychometric assessments

A video interview

Candidates who pass all the preceding steps get an invitation to a half or full-day event at one of the PwC offices. This assessment center includes five main activities:

The candidate who passes all five activities with the highest mark is automatically considered a perfect match and receives an offer from PwC.

As you can see, assessment centers take serious dedication from both applicants and employers. 

This begs the question: Are they really worth the trouble?

Below are the main reasons companies choose to hold assessment centers and invest heavily in them:

Assessment centers are by no means a fix-all hiring solution, but they are a highly valuable tool when implemented correctly. 

To use them effectively, you need to know the pros and cons.

These are the advantages of assessment centers that make them worth the effort in the right situations.

Provide an accurate multi-measure view

Let’s face it: Resumes often repeat things that the applicants think you want to hear.

All the developers are  problem-solvers  and critical thinkers. Every editor is proud of their merciless attention to detail.

Every project manager is great at communicating and wearing multiple hats – whatever it takes to run the project.

Assessment centers give you the opportunity to test abilities in a standardized setting and learn more about your candidates than what school they went to or how they describe themselves.

You can choose the specific skills and traits you want to focus on, which lets you:

Draw more accurate conclusions about each candidate

Learn things about their personalities that you can’t glean from a resume

Avoid basing your decision on information that’s at best an indicator of performance, at worst not even true

Enable you to see candidates in real-world simulations

Continuing off the previous point, if everyone describes themselves the same and has similar past experiences, does that mean they are going to perform the same way?

How do you choose between them?

You need a way to filter and eliminate applicants, especially if you have a large number of them.

Putting candidates in the same room together and having them complete tasks both individually and in a group uncovers nuanced differences between them.

You get to see their skills and traits in the real world, in relation to one another  and  to your objective scale.

In other words, if you’re checking for  attention to detail , you’re able to answer some important questions:

Are they more or less attentive than their competition? 

Are they attentive enough to meet your criteria for the role?

Establish a standardized, objective benchmark

Assessment centers give you benchmarks by which to judge applicants.

Similarly to  structured interviews , assessment centers are designed to provide all applicants with the same opportunities and experiences.

The exercises go in the same order, on the same level of difficulty, and a panel of assessors judges everyone.

This minimizes the risk of bias and discrimination.

Show company culture to applicants (including unsuccessful ones)

Candidates are testing you as much as you’re testing them, so it’s important to make a good impression.

Assessment centers provide an immersive company experience to several applicants at the same time, giving you the opportunity to show off your company culture.

This is a nice perk because even the applicants that don’t land the job still get to experience the company culture and hopefully bookmark you for the future.

It’s an opportunity for you to impress them and add them to your  talent pool .

Plus, applicants talk.

Their praise of your hiring process is an irreplaceable boost to your  employer brand , sending an even larger queue of future applicants to your door.

Present a learning event and opportunity for existing staff

Assessment centers aren’t necessarily only oriented toward external candidates.

You can use assessment centers to evaluate internal talent and identify development opportunities. Running an assessment center for existing staff enables you to:

Assess current skills and gaps in your workforce

Prevent future skills gaps by providing the right training

Identify leadership potential

Test staff for succession planning

Evaluate internal candidates for an open position

Providing on-the-job education and career growth options is crucial for  internal mobility .

It’s also  one of the most important factors  employees link to job satisfaction.

Assessment and development centers give you valuable insight into your current workforce abilities and needs. You can predict and uproot potential problems but also recognize and  reward outstanding performance .

After all, why hire a stranger if you have an adequately skilled employee that already knows the business inside-out, sitting on the bench, waiting for their chance to shine?

Eliminate miscommunication and get crucial contextual insights

Sometimes you think you’re on the same page with a candidate, but the reality proves otherwise.

Let’s say you’re hiring a manager with previous managerial experience.

They’re talking about staying on top of the workflow, knowing where every piece of the puzzle fits, communicating with employees to ensure they’re well and that everything runs smoothly…

Music to your ears. It seems like a perfect fit!

But it turns out that this person was managing an in-house, onsite team and not a team of remote contractors, which is the role you’re hiring for.

Suddenly this confident and fit candidate can’t keep up with the job because the logistics are totally different from what they’re used to, and they struggle to adapt.

After some futile attempts to train them, you end up having to rehire.

An assessment center reveals these expectation misalignments and incompatibilities before the damage is already done.

In an age when it’s becoming more and more common for managers to hire candidates they’ve never even met, this gives an instant edge.

Let’s take a look at the reasons why companies reserve assessment centers for the final stages of particularly demanding hiring processes.

Tend to be expensive

It’s safe to say that hosting an event that can last for a couple of days and paying your assessors isn’t the cheapest route. And this amount goes on top of your other hiring costs because assessment centers usually aren’t used in isolation. You still need other tools like online applications, tests, and interviews to eliminate a portion of your candidates before you put the most promising ones through the assessment center. Most roles don’t require such a labor or cost-intensive process.

Consume time

As mentioned above, assessment centers can last from one afternoon to a couple of days. It’s a lot to ask from candidates.

They want the process to be short and straightforward, so you have to ensure using the assessment center model makes the most sense for everyone involved.

A needlessly long recruitment process  discourages applicants  and affects your employer brand.

Are difficult to manage

It takes very involved and attentive work to manage multiple candidates, guide them through various exercises, and keep them engaged throughout. You need highly-skilled observers on the job. Such an intense event requires a lot of careful planning and structuring to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Not suited for high volume, high turnover positions

For many roles, it simply doesn’t make sense to do such a labor-intensive examination as an assessment center. For example, if you’re hiring quick-service restaurant or retail store staff, the requirements are fairly straightforward and can be learned quickly on the job. Similarly, entry-level positions in any industry don’t need such thorough testing because the whole idea is that applicants aren’t experienced.

Finally, it doesn’t make sense to use assessment centers while hiring for seasonal jobs or positions with a high turnover rate.

All of these scenarios are money down the drain.

Allow for bias and discrimination

Assessment centers still aren’t an equal playing field for everyone. Personal bias still exists. Your hiring staff might subconsciously favor certain candidates because of their appearance, accent, or another trait they deem favorable. Extroverted and assertive personalities and people who work well under pressure might naturally outshine others during the assessments, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to being the best person for the job. What’s more, the cut-and-dry setting and synchronous schedule of the assessment center disadvantage and even disqualify certain candidates:

Single parents or caregivers who aren’t able to attend an in-person, whole-day event at the set time

International candidates who can’t travel or move for the job

Candidates with disabilities who can’t physically access your office or need special accommodation

Neurodivergent people with sensory sensitivities prone to being overstimulated by the environment

Applicants with anxiety who get overwhelmed under pressure or when surrounded by a crowd

This is a shame because, in reality, some of the candidates who wouldn’t be able to perform at their best during the assessment center or even attend it might actually be excellent at the role.

Typically require in-person attendance 

Even though virtual assessment centers do exist, in-person events are still the norm. And, much like the  office-only work model , in-person events automatically exclude a portion of people. You could have perfectly qualified candidates who can’t make it onsite for the required amount of time (or at all), limiting you to fewer options. What if your best applicant isn’t a local face? What if they live in another country and don’t have the ability to move for the job? You could miss out on some star candidates.

So, what’s the verdict here?

In short: Assessment centers have a role in a skills-first world, but they should be reserved for specific situations where the returns on the investment are worth it.

Assessment centers have a time and place

Assessment centers are great as a “heavy duty” practice when you need to get all the information you possibly can from all angles, like when planning or hiring for senior and highly specialized roles. This also includes  graduate recruitment , where there are many interested candidates with the same level of experience to sift through, especially for industries like healthcare or law. However, assessment centers are too resource-heavy to be used for every role. Additionally, they don’t fully eliminate bias, and they aren’t as inclusive as tests. With that in mind, it only makes sense to use assessment centers at the final stages of the recruitment process for specific roles that warrant them

Skills-based assessments should be the default

You can cover most of your hiring and training for internal mobility purposes with skills-based assessments for much cheaper than the assessment center method.  Tests eliminate the on-the-spot performance anxiety and personal bias so you can judge candidates by the skills that truly matter for their role. Plus, tests are more inclusive. Candidates can complete the tests in a time that works for them, in an environment that supports their needs, instead of being put into a setting that might set them up for failure. Case in point:  Working parents  might be unable to make your whole-day assessment center. Autistic people might be sent straight into a shutdown by your fluorescent lighting or another sensory nightmare. But maybe those were your best candidates. Why exclude them? With skills-based assessments, you get a larger talent pool competing for your roles, leading to more experts to choose from and better hires.

Assessment centers are particularly useful if you’re hiring for a senior, specialized leadership role, or trying to narrow down a large pool of similar-level candidates, like in graduate recruiting. However, they’re highly resource-exhaustive and unnecessary for your everyday needs. In skills-based hiring, pre-employment assessments and interviews are the reliable go-to options for most positions. They’re just as customizable, too. You can make your own combination of personality, cognitive abilities, situational judgment, and soft and hard skills tests to cover all the bases and hire an all-around best candidate. All of these can be found in  our test library . Continue down the skills-based rabbit hole and learn  how to adopt the best practices  for cheaper, more efficient, and inclusive hiring.

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Blog Case Study

How to Present a Case Study like a Pro (With Examples)

By Danesh Ramuthi , Sep 07, 2023

Okay, let’s get real: case studies can be kinda snooze-worthy. But guess what? They don’t have to be!

In this article, I will cover every element that transforms a mere report into a compelling case study, from selecting the right metrics to using persuasive narrative techniques.

And if you’re feeling a little lost, don’t worry! There are cool tools like Venngage’s Case Study Creator to help you whip up something awesome, even if you’re short on time. Plus, the pre-designed case study templates are like instant polish because let’s be honest, everyone loves a shortcut.

Click to jump ahead: 

What is a case study presentation?

What is the purpose of presenting a case study, how to structure a case study presentation, how long should a case study presentation be, 5 case study presentation examples with templates, 6 tips for delivering an effective case study presentation, 5 common mistakes to avoid in a case study presentation, how to present a case study faqs.

A case study presentation involves a comprehensive examination of a specific subject, which could range from an individual, group, location, event, organization or phenomenon.

They’re like puzzles you get to solve with the audience, all while making you think outside the box.

Unlike a basic report or whitepaper, the purpose of a case study presentation is to stimulate critical thinking among the viewers. 

The primary objective of a case study is to provide an extensive and profound comprehension of the chosen topic. You don’t just throw numbers at your audience. You use examples and real-life cases to make you think and see things from different angles.

The primary purpose of presenting a case study is to offer a comprehensive, evidence-based argument that informs, persuades and engages your audience.

Here’s the juicy part: presenting that case study can be your secret weapon. Whether you’re pitching a groundbreaking idea to a room full of suits or trying to impress your professor with your A-game, a well-crafted case study can be the magic dust that sprinkles brilliance over your words.

Think of it like digging into a puzzle you can’t quite crack . A case study lets you explore every piece, turn it over and see how it fits together. This close-up look helps you understand the whole picture, not just a blurry snapshot.

It’s also your chance to showcase how you analyze things, step by step, until you reach a conclusion. It’s all about being open and honest about how you got there.

Besides, presenting a case study gives you an opportunity to connect data and real-world scenarios in a compelling narrative. It helps to make your argument more relatable and accessible, increasing its impact on your audience.

One of the contexts where case studies can be very helpful is during the job interview. In some job interviews, you as candidates may be asked to present a case study as part of the selection process.

Having a case study presentation prepared allows the candidate to demonstrate their ability to understand complex issues, formulate strategies and communicate their ideas effectively.

The way you present a case study can make all the difference in how it’s received. A well-structured presentation not only holds the attention of your audience but also ensures that your key points are communicated clearly and effectively.

In this section, let’s go through the key steps that’ll help you structure your case study presentation for maximum impact.

Let’s get into it. 

Open with an introductory overview 

Start by introducing the subject of your case study and its relevance. Explain why this case study is important and who would benefit from the insights gained. This is your opportunity to grab your audience’s attention.

Explain the problem in question

Dive into the problem or challenge that the case study focuses on. Provide enough background information for the audience to understand the issue. If possible, quantify the problem using data or metrics to show the magnitude or severity.

Detail the solutions to solve the problem

After outlining the problem, describe the steps taken to find a solution. This could include the methodology, any experiments or tests performed and the options that were considered. Make sure to elaborate on why the final solution was chosen over the others.

Key stakeholders Involved

Talk about the individuals, groups or organizations that were directly impacted by or involved in the problem and its solution. 

Stakeholders may experience a range of outcomes—some may benefit, while others could face setbacks.

For example, in a business transformation case study, employees could face job relocations or changes in work culture, while shareholders might be looking at potential gains or losses.

Discuss the key results & outcomes

Discuss the results of implementing the solution. Use data and metrics to back up your statements. Did the solution meet its objectives? What impact did it have on the stakeholders? Be honest about any setbacks or areas for improvement as well.

Include visuals to support your analysis

Visual aids can be incredibly effective in helping your audience grasp complex issues. Utilize charts, graphs, images or video clips to supplement your points. Make sure to explain each visual and how it contributes to your overall argument.

Pie charts illustrate the proportion of different components within a whole, useful for visualizing market share, budget allocation or user demographics.

This is particularly useful especially if you’re displaying survey results in your case study presentation.

Stacked charts on the other hand are perfect for visualizing composition and trends. This is great for analyzing things like customer demographics, product breakdowns or budget allocation in your case study.

Consider this example of a stacked bar chart template. It provides a straightforward summary of the top-selling cake flavors across various locations, offering a quick and comprehensive view of the data.

Not the chart you’re looking for? Browse Venngage’s gallery of chart templates to find the perfect one that’ll captivate your audience and level up your data storytelling.

Recommendations and next steps

Wrap up by providing recommendations based on the case study findings. Outline the next steps that stakeholders should take to either expand on the success of the project or address any remaining challenges.

Acknowledgments and references

Thank the people who contributed to the case study and helped in the problem-solving process. Cite any external resources, reports or data sets that contributed to your analysis.

Feedback & Q&A session

Open the floor for questions and feedback from your audience. This allows for further discussion and can provide additional insights that may not have been considered previously.

Closing remarks

Conclude the presentation by summarizing the key points and emphasizing the takeaways. Thank your audience for their time and participation and express your willingness to engage in further discussions or collaborations on the subject.

Well, the length of a case study presentation can vary depending on the complexity of the topic and the needs of your audience. However, a typical business or academic presentation often lasts between 15 to 30 minutes. 

This time frame usually allows for a thorough explanation of the case while maintaining audience engagement. However, always consider leaving a few minutes at the end for a Q&A session to address any questions or clarify points made during the presentation.

When it comes to presenting a compelling case study, having a well-structured template can be a game-changer. 

It helps you organize your thoughts, data and findings in a coherent and visually pleasing manner. 

Not all case studies are created equal and different scenarios require distinct approaches for maximum impact. 

To save you time and effort, I have curated a list of 5 versatile case study presentation templates, each designed for specific needs and audiences. 

Here are some best case study presentation examples that showcase effective strategies for engaging your audience and conveying complex information clearly.

1 . Lab report case study template

Ever feel like your research gets lost in a world of endless numbers and jargon? Lab case studies are your way out!

Think of it as building a bridge between your cool experiment and everyone else. It’s more than just reporting results – it’s explaining the “why” and “how” in a way that grabs attention and makes sense.

This lap report template acts as a blueprint for your report, guiding you through each essential section (introduction, methods, results, etc.) in a logical order.

Want to present your research like a pro? Browse our research presentation template gallery for creative inspiration!

2. Product case study template

It’s time you ditch those boring slideshows and bullet points because I’ve got a better way to win over clients: product case study templates.

Instead of just listing features and benefits, you get to create a clear and concise story that shows potential clients exactly what your product can do for them. It’s like painting a picture they can easily visualize, helping them understand the value your product brings to the table.

Grab the template below, fill in the details, and watch as your product’s impact comes to life!

3. Content marketing case study template

In digital marketing, showcasing your accomplishments is as vital as achieving them. 

A well-crafted case study not only acts as a testament to your successes but can also serve as an instructional tool for others. 

With this coral content marketing case study template—a perfect blend of vibrant design and structured documentation, you can narrate your marketing triumphs effectively.

4. Case study psychology template

Understanding how people tick is one of psychology’s biggest quests and case studies are like magnifying glasses for the mind. They offer in-depth looks at real-life behaviors, emotions and thought processes, revealing fascinating insights into what makes us human.

Writing a top-notch case study, though, can be a challenge. It requires careful organization, clear presentation and meticulous attention to detail. That’s where a good case study psychology template comes in handy.

Think of it as a helpful guide, taking care of formatting and structure while you focus on the juicy content. No more wrestling with layouts or margins – just pour your research magic into crafting a compelling narrative.

5. Lead generation case study template

Lead generation can be a real head-scratcher. But here’s a little help: a lead generation case study.

Think of it like a friendly handshake and a confident resume all rolled into one. It’s your chance to showcase your expertise, share real-world successes and offer valuable insights. Potential clients get to see your track record, understand your approach and decide if you’re the right fit.

No need to start from scratch, though. This lead generation case study template guides you step-by-step through crafting a clear, compelling narrative that highlights your wins and offers actionable tips for others. Fill in the gaps with your specific data and strategies, and voilà! You’ve got a powerful tool to attract new customers.

Related: 15+ Professional Case Study Examples [Design Tips + Templates]

So, you’ve spent hours crafting the perfect case study and are now tasked with presenting it. Crafting the case study is only half the battle; delivering it effectively is equally important. 

Whether you’re facing a room of executives, academics or potential clients, how you present your findings can make a significant difference in how your work is received. 

Forget boring reports and snooze-inducing presentations! Let’s make your case study sing. Here are some key pointers to turn information into an engaging and persuasive performance:

• Know your audience : Tailor your presentation to the knowledge level and interests of your audience. Remember to use language and examples that resonate with them.
• Rehearse : Rehearsing your case study presentation is the key to a smooth delivery and for ensuring that you stay within the allotted time. Practice helps you fine-tune your pacing, hone your speaking skills with good word pronunciations and become comfortable with the material, leading to a more confident, conversational and effective presentation.
• Start strong : Open with a compelling introduction that grabs your audience’s attention. You might want to use an interesting statistic, a provocative question or a brief story that sets the stage for your case study.
• Be clear and concise : Avoid jargon and overly complex sentences. Get to the point quickly and stay focused on your objectives.
• Use visual aids : Incorporate slides with graphics, charts or videos to supplement your verbal presentation. Make sure they are easy to read and understand.
• Tell a story : Use storytelling techniques to make the case study more engaging. A well-told narrative can help you make complex data more relatable and easier to digest.

Ditching the dry reports and slide decks? Venngage’s case study templates let you wow customers with your solutions and gain insights to improve your business plan. Pre-built templates, visual magic and customer captivation – all just a click away. Go tell your story and watch them say “wow!”

Nailed your case study, but want to make your presentation even stronger? Avoid these common mistakes to ensure your audience gets the most out of it:

Overloading with information

A case study is not an encyclopedia. Overloading your presentation with excessive data, text or jargon can make it cumbersome and difficult for the audience to digest the key points. Stick to what’s essential and impactful. Need help making your data clear and impactful? Our data presentation templates can help! Find clear and engaging visuals to showcase your findings.

Lack of structure

Jumping haphazardly between points or topics can confuse your audience. A well-structured presentation, with a logical flow from introduction to conclusion, is crucial for effective communication.

Ignoring the audience

Different audiences have different needs and levels of understanding. Failing to adapt your presentation to your audience can result in a disconnect and a less impactful presentation.

Poor visual elements

While content is king, poor design or lack of visual elements can make your case study dull or hard to follow. Make sure you use high-quality images, graphs and other visual aids to support your narrative.

Not focusing on results

A case study aims to showcase a problem and its solution, but what most people care about are the results. Failing to highlight or adequately explain the outcomes can make your presentation fall flat.

How to start a case study presentation?

Starting a case study presentation effectively involves a few key steps:

• Grab attention : Open with a hook—an intriguing statistic, a provocative question or a compelling visual—to engage your audience from the get-go.
• Set the stage : Briefly introduce the subject, context and relevance of the case study to give your audience an idea of what to expect.
• Outline objectives : Clearly state what the case study aims to achieve. Are you solving a problem, proving a point or showcasing a success?
• Agenda : Give a quick outline of the key sections or topics you’ll cover to help the audience follow along.
• Set expectations : Let your audience know what you want them to take away from the presentation, whether it’s knowledge, inspiration or a call to action.

How to present a case study on PowerPoint and on Google Slides?

Presenting a case study on PowerPoint and Google Slides involves a structured approach for clarity and impact using presentation slides :

• Title slide : Start with a title slide that includes the name of the case study, your name and any relevant institutional affiliations.
• Introduction : Follow with a slide that outlines the problem or situation your case study addresses. Include a hook to engage the audience.
• Objectives : Clearly state the goals of the case study in a dedicated slide.
• Findings : Use charts, graphs and bullet points to present your findings succinctly.
• Analysis : Discuss what the findings mean, drawing on supporting data or secondary research as necessary.
• Conclusion : Summarize key takeaways and results.
• Q&A : End with a slide inviting questions from the audience.

What’s the role of analysis in a case study presentation?

The role of analysis in a case study presentation is to interpret the data and findings, providing context and meaning to them. 

It helps your audience understand the implications of the case study, connects the dots between the problem and the solution and may offer recommendations for future action.

Is it important to include real data and results in the presentation?

Yes, including real data and results in a case study presentation is crucial to show experience,  credibility and impact. Authentic data lends weight to your findings and conclusions, enabling the audience to trust your analysis and take your recommendations more seriously

How do I conclude a case study presentation effectively?

To conclude a case study presentation effectively, summarize the key findings, insights and recommendations in a clear and concise manner. 

End with a strong call-to-action or a thought-provoking question to leave a lasting impression on your audience.

What’s the best way to showcase data in a case study presentation ?

The best way to showcase data in a case study presentation is through visual aids like charts, graphs and infographics which make complex information easily digestible, engaging and creative. 

Don’t just report results, visualize them! This template for example lets you transform your social media case study into a captivating infographic that sparks conversation.

Choose the type of visual that best represents the data you’re showing; for example, use bar charts for comparisons or pie charts for parts of a whole. 

Ensure that the visuals are high-quality and clearly labeled, so the audience can quickly grasp the key points. 

Keep the design consistent and simple, avoiding clutter or overly complex visuals that could distract from the message.

Choose a template that perfectly suits your case study where you can utilize different visual aids for maximum impact. 

Need more inspiration on how to turn numbers into impact with the help of infographics? Our ready-to-use infographic templates take the guesswork out of creating visual impact for your case studies with just a few clicks.

Related: 10+ Case Study Infographic Templates That Convert

Congrats on mastering the art of compelling case study presentations! This guide has equipped you with all the essentials, from structure and nuances to avoiding common pitfalls. You’re ready to impress any audience, whether in the boardroom, the classroom or beyond.

And remember, you’re not alone in this journey. Venngage’s Case Study Creator is your trusty companion, ready to elevate your presentations from ordinary to extraordinary. So, let your confidence shine, leverage your newly acquired skills and prepare to deliver presentations that truly resonate.

Go forth and make a lasting impact!

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How to prepare for a law firm assessment centre.

Who are Next CIty Lawyer?

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:

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

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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Assessment Center: Explanation, Objectives & Approach

In this article, you will learn what an assessment center is and what you as an applicant and also as a company need to consider.

Surely you've heard of assessment centers before. But have you ever participated in one? Anyone who answers this question with "no" is probably grateful for that in the first moment. Most applicants think of uncomfortable testing situations and solving difficult tasks. But what exactly do we mean by an assessment center and do candidates really have so much to fear?

Definition Assessment Center: What is it anyway?

An assessment center, also briefly called AC, is one of the most popular diagnostic methods for personnel selection. It offers the opportunity to make further applicant selection on the basis of a complex evaluation process after a preselection. Various selection methods and processes are to be used to find the best-suited applicants for the respective position. "To assess someone" means as much as to evaluate someone, to determine their value. This complex evaluation process is usually carried out by companies (e.g. HR employees, executives) or external service providers (e.g. consultants). The number of participants in an assessment center varies from company to company. A rough guideline is between 5 and 15 candidates, although large corporations may invite more participants, who are then divided into different groups.

This type of selection process is particularly popular in the recruiting process when hiring apprentices, trainees or higher job positions. Especially for these positions, companies place a lot of value on sustainability - the more precisely the selection is made, the more likely it is that the perfect candidates for these positions will be found and remain loyal to the company for a long time.

There is a primary distinction between group assessment centers, individual assessment centers and online assessment centers. The great advantage of a group is that not only the technical skills, but also teamwork can be examined more closely. How do the candidates work in a community and what roles do they play in a discussion?

The tasks of the selection process can be very different and in most cases serve not only to test the technical, but also the personal qualifications and competencies, e.g. with the help of personality tests .

Sequence and components of an assessment center

While a normal job interview in most cases does not last longer than a few hours, a classic assessment center can take up to three days.

In an assessment center, personal and professional competences, skills and abilities should ideally be tested to provide information about the suitability of the candidates. The exact tasks and the course of one or more examination days vary from company to company. But there is a rough schedule that most companies use or something similar. These include self-presentation, individual exercises and group exercises followed by reflection.

Self-presentation

• Presentation of the person and previous career
• Representation of the own motivation for the position
• Highlighting of one's own strengths and weaknesses

Individual exercises

• Stress tests
• Presentations
• Individual interview
• Intelligence tests

Group exercises

• Group discussions
• Partner presentations
• Self-assessment
• Thoughts on the previous tasks

Typical tasks in an assessment center

• In-box exercise: When asked about the typical stress test in the assessment center, everyone agrees: It is the inbox exercise. Anyone who ever searched in their preferred search engine for assessment center tasks will have come across this exercise. The inbox exercise is a classic where you have to prioritise 15 to 20 to-dos from the email inbox under difficult conditions (time pressure and mutual dependencies of tasks). The difficulties mainly consist in the fact that the tasks assigned can overlap or distractions by colleagues, calls and meetings may come up. The aim of this task is to better assess the stress resistance and organisational talent of the candidates.
• Group discussion: The group discussion is also a popular exercise within the assessment center. In most cases, the topic is preset - sometimes even the roles to be assumed in the discussion. The goal is to better assess the ability to discuss, criticize, and work in a team.
• Presentations: Presentations are at least equally popular - either alone or in a group. Usually a topic is given, for which you prepare a presentation in a set time and then present it. The subject areas can range from technical to economic or current affairs. In addition to appearance and presentation skills, stress resistance, media competence, comprehension and linguistic skills are also assessed.
• Role plays: Sounds more exciting than they really are. Basically, in this frequently chosen group task, it is a matter of assuming given conversation roles to solve professional conflict situations. Depending on the position to be filled, these roles can be correspondingly different. For higher job positions, for example, leadership skills can be tested in a simulated employee conversation, while other issues with conflict potential can be addressed for apprentices.
• Case examples: Case studies, also called case studies, are an excellent way to demonstrate both technical skills and problem-solving competencies. They are suitable for both individuals and teams and involve the analysis and solution of specific challenges from the company context. An important aspect of case studies is the ability to quickly and effectively analyse a situation and propose a solution, especially under time pressure. They represent a great challenge, but they also allow you to prove and show how you successfully solve problems.
• Reflection: A subsequent reflection may not seem like part of the selection process at first glance, but your self-reflection and assessment of the situation reveals more than you think. Again, the aim is to remain authentic and keep an overview.

Recommended applicant management software

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• JobShop von talentsconnect
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What are the advantages of the assessment center for applicants?

Even though most candidates break out in a sweat at the word, there is nothing to fear from a good employer with a regular assessment center. After all, there is a reason why you applied for this position and with a little preparation you will also sell yourself well. Of course, the competition is great, since you can assume that all invitees have equally good qualifications, but you can also see this as an opportunity.

• Transparency and fairness: In an assessment center, all participants are exposed to the same conditions and everyone knows on the basis of which tasks he or she is evaluated. The evaluations are made according to fixed criteria and tend to be less biased than a short job interview. Another advantage is that in normal job interviews you don't know who or how many candidates have applied yet - here on the other hand, you know your competition and know exactly who and what skills you are competing against.
• Increased chances of success: Everyone has a bad day. It is of course inconvenient if a job interview falls on this day. With several days, you have the chance to make up for a bad day and convince again. The variety of tasks can also play into your hands: not every task will suit you equally and that is also perfectly fine. In the assessment center, you can present your strengths, but also your weaknesses and show how you deal with them. Appropriate self-reflection and self-assessment are an important part of life and work.
• Better self-assessment: Not only the assessors will determine whether you are suitable for this job, but also you yourself. Ideally, many tasks within the AC also cover the requirements of the position to be filled. Are you overwhelmed with them or do you feel well-equipped for the job? Do you enjoy these tasks or do you perhaps even realize that you don't feel very comfortable in this role? In the end, you will learn a lot about yourself personally as well as professionally - whether you get the job or not.

What are the benefits of the Assessment Center for companies?

In times of a shortage of skilled workers, one can of course ask how useful this exclusive type of personnel selection really is, but for some companies the assessment center still has advantages.

Especially large and well-known companies that generate a large number of applications for trainee or leadership positions can benefit from this selection process.

• Comparability: The assessment center enables several promising candidates to be tested simultaneously in a work-like environment and thus better assessed. Especially in leadership positions, prior assurance of competence and qualification is particularly important to secure the future of the company.
• Better assessment options: In a short job interview, usually only a fraction of the hard skills such as expertise and technical competence can be tested, let alone the soft skills such as teamwork, conflict management and communication. The assessment center provides a clear overall picture that provides much more information about a candidate than a regular job interview ever could.
• Objectivity: Because in an assessment center several assessors evaluate the candidates based on fixed criteria, this type of evaluation is more objective than the short job interview with a maximum of two respondents.
• Lower follow-up costs: With the help of a well-executed assessment center, the error rates in personnel selection can be reduced and thus money can be saved. Not only for companies, but also for the employees, especially apprentices and trainees, it is nice to know that they fit the position and the company. In many cases, a good selection of apprentices even increases the chances of being taken on and capable young professionals stay longer in the company.

What disadvantages does the assessment center have for companies and applicants?

The ever-evolving labor market means that only a few companies can really afford a multi-stage selection process with a multi-day assessment center. The company must be very popular to be able to generate such a high number of capable applicants who also have the time and inclination for such a selection process. If you as a company already have problems attracting a sufficient number of potential applicants, you should not think directly about a classic assessment center. In addition, there are a few disadvantages that the AC can bring:

• High effort and higher costs: Organizing an assessment center and executing it for several days is expensive for companies and time intensive for all involved. You should be aware of your own cost-benefit factor.
• Validity and significance of tasks: The validity of the various testing procedures can be disputed. Can one really draw solid conclusions about the abilities of the candidates based on a very stressful "inbox exercise"? Not every person can bring their best performance in exam situations and not every person is good at presenting, which may not be of great importance in the particular position.

In many assessment centers, only rudimentary versions of their predecessors are now being implemented, which reduces the variety of methods and can lead to limited meaningfulness.

Tips for applicants in the assessment center

It's not always about the result in an exercise. In many cases, the assessors want to see how you approach tasks, what your analytical thinking is and how you behave in problems. So if you find yourself on the wrong track in one or the other task: Don't worry! Not infrequently, this type of test is designed so that a solution is not found directly. Focus and show your counterpart how you deal with these situations and requirements.

Following competencies are also evaluated in an assessment center apart from the direct tasks:

• Conflict resolution behavior
• Communication skills and rhetoric
• Self-confidence / Self-assuredness
• Teamwork capability
• Body language and appearance
• Fit with the company and cultural fit

All of this you can prepare for to some extent. What you as an applicant should definitely do, is to become aware of your strengths and weaknesses in advance. This not only helps in case you are specifically asked about them, but also so that these insights can help you in the process. If you're more introverted and calm, be aware of that and use these traits for you – let others rush forward while you observe and react a bit more considered. If you are the exact opposite of introverted, first observe yourself and remember to stay cooperative in the team.

See more the solution and less the problem – this not only applies to the characteristics, but also to all tasks in the assessment center.

You can prepare well for speaking freely and presenting. Choose a professional topic that is ideally unfamiliar to you and prepare for it within a certain timeframe. Ask your partner, friends or family if you can give this presentation and take their tips to heart.

In every situation it is important to stay attentive, listen to the other and not interrupt them. Even in a heated discussion, you should remain friendly and let the other person finish his or her sentence and look into their eyes.

Stay authentic and try not to be something or someone you are not. After all, the goal is to get the right job in a fitting company.

Tips for the process of an assessment center for companies

As a company, it is important to know and assess the advantages and disadvantages of an assessment center and to be able to decide if this very costly diagnostic procedure is the right selection process for the respective position.

If you have decided in your company to carry out an assessment center, the further procedure must be planned very precisely. The planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation is very complex and requires personnel, time and monetary capacities to carry out this selection process.

• Planning and preparation: As soon as the idea of the assessment center stands, you should note how many new employees are to be hired at all and what your expectations of the participants are. How long should the AC go and how many capacities do you have available for this? The question should also be clarified as to how many assessors the selection days are to be organized with and which employees and executives are suitable for this. You should also consider booking an external service provider (for example a consultant). Secure the necessary internal as well as external resources as quickly as possible so that the assessment center can be planned. This includes not only the human resources, but also the required premises, technology and catering.
• Work out the tasks: Once all the framework conditions have been clarified and invitations have been sent to the applicants, you can work out the tasks. In order to be able to guarantee the validity of these tasks, you should be very clean in the preparation. Which tasks really give insight into the abilities of your participants and how can you sensibly cover and evaluate them?
• Work as assessors and evaluation: Be prepared and get ready as a tester for questions - you need to understand what you want from the applicants and where the journey is going. Each of the assessors must know his or her tasks and know what he or she needs to pay attention to. Not only during the tests, but also during the breaks or at lunch, impressions of the respective candidates can and should be collected. Recording these impressions and subsequent exchange with co-examiners is important in order not to forget important impressions and to get a good overall picture.

When you tell the applicants your results afterwards, then be open and fair. Especially after multi-day assessment centers, in which candidates have put a lot of time and energy, they expect clear feedback on their performance and transparent feedback.

Online assessment center for remote selection process

Online assessment centers have become a very popular form of selection process especially since the pandemic. For companies with several 100 applications for certain positions, this type of applicant selection is particularly advantageous. They are not only significantly cheaper than the classic AC, but also less effort. Companies can acquire more efficiently online and at the same time address applicants who would otherwise have a very long journey. In our current remote work culture, the online assessment center is only consistent and the tasks overlap for the most part with the offline AC exercises. Even here, group and individual exercises take place and tasks such as interviews, topic and self-presentations, case study, role plays and group discussions can be conducted online under certain restrictions. In addition, online tests are conducted, which take a closer look at logical thinking, linguistic ability, abstract thinking and personality. Within an online assessment center, however, only very limited observations can be made of soft skills and personality, and the interpersonal interactions with fellow applicants or examiners are also missing.

Candidates will undoubtedly be excited about both selection procedures and the desire for tips and practice material is great. Some providers, such as Cyquest, offer a TestTrainer where applicants can practice in advance. Even if the exact same questions do not come up in a real online assessment center during a test run, the clock is ticking and can help you get a first impression.

Another interesting option in digital personnel selection is time-shifted video interviews. This is not a classic conversational situation where a direct exchange takes place. With the time-shifted video interview, there is no fixed time or place for the conversation, but only a predetermined period. For example, the respective HR department gives the candidates several days to several weeks to present themselves in a video and complete tasks and tests within this framework.

Most of the time you get a link that takes you directly to the platform where you are asked the questions and can also record the video directly. But don't worry, most of the time everything is explained in detail on these pages so that nothing goes wrong.

This type of interview is the most time-saving way, although only a fraction of the factors can be evaluated as, for example, in a regular assessment center. You can particularly impress as an applicant here with substantive know-how and convincing argumentation as well as body language.

Recommended online assessment center software for companies

As a company, to ensure that the hiring tests are really scientifically based, software providers should be used who specialize in online assessment centers. The procedures are continuously optimized and also save you a lot of time, costs and nerves.

CYQUEST is renowned as the premier provider of online assessments for large corporations, SMEs but also smaller companies. The software offers seriously constructed and comprehensively scientific tests that are adapted to the respective companies. In order not to have to break through the digital applicant process, CYQUEST can even be connected to the common applicant management systems such as Successfactors, Beesitze, avature, Talentlink, or d.vinvi (and many more).

AON Assessment

Aon’s Assessment Solution also develops innovative online Assessments based on psychometric procedures. With creative test formats and scientific innovation, Aon is also one of the most well-known Assessment providers on the market and promises to transform the HR and recruiting strategy .

Interviewsuite by viasto

A renowned provider for video recruiting is interview suite by viasto . As explained before, recruiting decisions can be made regardless of time and location based on time-shifted video interviews. Viasto is a German company offering customized video recruiting solutions and thereby taking a lot of work off your hands.

The market for assessment providers has grown large by now and is just as varied as the testing procedures themselves. If you're looking for a good software, find out what solutions cover your requirements and fit into your recruiting process.

I hope that you, whether HR or applicant, have been able to get a good overview of what an assessment center is and what needs to be considered here.

Whether an individual, group or online assessment center is an option for your company and your HR strategy based on your open positions and capacities. Each of these selection methods has its advantages and disadvantages. While good group exercises can reveal more soft skills and personal characteristics, online assessment centers are very validated and much faster to implement.

As an applicant, you don't need to worry - if you fit the advertised position, are motivated and well prepared, there's nothing standing in the way of a successful assessment center.

Good luck to all!

Kathrin Weller ist Content-Marketing-Redakteurin bei der Wollmilchsau GmbH . Sie ist verantwortlich für alle redaktionellen Inhalte – egal ob Studie, Interview oder Blogbeitrag. Das Wollmilchsau-Team entwickelt die Personalmarketing-Software Jobspreader . Mit Daten, Technologie und Know-how nimmt der Jobspreader den Zufall aus dem Recruiting und verhilft allen Stakeholdern, vom Hiring Manager zum Recruiter, zu schnellen Entscheidungen, besseren Stellenanzeigen und mehr passenden Kandidat*innen.

Software mentioned in the article

Common European Framework of Reference for Language skills

Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) self-assessment grids

UNDERSTANDING

Listening a1.

I can recognise familiar words and very basic phrases concerning myself, my family and immediate concrete surroundings when people speak slowly and clearly.

Listening A2

I can understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to areas of most immediate personal relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local area, employment). I can catch the main point in short, clear, simple messages and announcements.

Listening B1

I can understand the main points of clear standard speech on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. I can understand the main point of many radio or TV programmes on current affairs or topics of personal or professional interest when the delivery is relatively slow and clear.

Listening B2

I can understand extended speech and lectures and follow even complex lines of argument provided the topic is reasonably familiar. I can understand most TV news and current affairs programmes. I can understand the majority of films in standard dialect.

Listening C1

I can understand extended speech even when it is not clearly structured and when relationships are only implied and not signalled explicitly. I can understand television programmes and films without too much effort.

Listening C2

I have no difficulty in understanding any kind of spoken language, whether live or broadcast, even when delivered at fast native speed, provided I have some time to get familiar with the accent. 

I can understand familiar names, words and very simple sentences, for example on notices and posters or in catalogues.

I can read very short, simple texts. I can find specific, predictable information in simple everyday material such as advertisements, prospectuses, menus and timetables and I can understand short simple personal letters.

I can understand texts that consist mainly of high frequency everyday or job-related language. I can understand the description of events, feelings and wishes in personal letters.

I can read articles and reports concerned with contemporary problems in which the writers adopt particular attitudes or viewpoints. I can understand contemporary literary prose.

I can understand long and complex factual and literary texts, appreciating distinctions of style. I can understand specialised articles and longer technical instructions, even when they do not relate to my field.

I can read with ease virtually all forms of the written language, including abstract, structurally or linguistically complex texts such as manuals, specialised articles and literary works.

Spoken Interaction A1

I can interact in a simple way provided the other person is prepared to repeat or rephrase things at a slower rate of speech and help me formulate what I'm trying to say. I can ask and answer simple questions in areas of immediate need or on very familiar topics.

Spoken Interaction A2

I can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar topics and activities. I can handle very short social exchanges, even though I can't usually understand enough to keep the conversation going myself.

Spoken Interaction B1

I can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. I can enter unprepared into conversation on topics that are familiar, of personal interest or pertinent to everyday life (e.g. family, hobbies, work, travel and current events).

Spoken Interaction B2

I can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible. I can take an active part in discussion in familiar contexts, accounting for and sustaining my views.

Spoken Interaction C1

I can express myself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. I can use language flexibly and effectively for social and professional purposes. I can formulate ideas and opinions with precision and relate my contribution skilfully to those of other speakers.

Spoken Interaction C2

I can take part effortlessly in any conversation or discussion and have a good familiarity with idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms. I can express myself fluently and convey finer shades of meaning precisely. If I do have a problem I can backtrack and restructure around the difficulty so smoothly that other people are hardly aware of it.

Spoken Production A1

I can use simple phrases and sentences to describe where I live and people I know.

Spoken Production A2

I can use a series of phrases and sentences to describe in simple terms my family and other people, living conditions, my educational background and my present or most recent job.

Spoken Production B1

I can connect phrases in a simple way in order to describe experiences and events, my dreams, hopes and ambitions. I can briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. I can narrate a story or relate the plot of a book or film and describe my reactions.

Spoken Production B2

I can present clear, detailed descriptions on a wide range of subjects related to my field of interest. I can explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

Spoken Production C1

I can present clear, detailed descriptions of complex subjects integrating sub-themes, developing particular points and rounding off with an appropriate conclusion.

Spoken Production C2

I can present a clear, smoothly-flowing description or argument in a style appropriate to the context and with an effective logical structure which helps the recipient to notice and remember significant points.

I can write a short, simple postcard, for example sending holiday greetings. I can fill in forms with personal details, for example entering my name, nationality and address on a hotel registration form.

I can write short, simple notes and messages relating to matters in areas of immediate needs. I can write a very simple personal letter, for example thanking someone for something.

I can write simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. I can write personal letters describing experiences and impressions.

I can write clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects related to my interests. I can write an essay or report, passing on information or giving reasons in support of or against a particular point of view. I can write letters highlighting the personal significance of events and experiences.

I can express myself in clear, wellstructured text, expressing points of view at some length. I can write about complex subjects in a letter, an essay or a report, underlining what I consider to be the salient issues. I can select style appropriate to the reader in mind.

I can write clear, smoothly-flowing text in an appropriate style. I can write complex letters, reports or articles which present a case with an effective logical structure which helps the recipient to notice and remember significant points. I can write summaries and reviews of professional or literary works.

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