Free UK Civil Service Practice Test & Study Guide (2024)
On the current page, we'll provide you with free practice tests for most of the different UK civil service tests. We know how difficult and stressful those tests are, which is exactly why we believe proper practice is crucial for success.
In each section, a short explanation about the current test will be presented, and then 2-4 sample questions covering all the crucial topics you'll face in your civil service exam.
If you're looking for in-depth information and more practice about specific civil service tests, check out our dedicated pages with the links attached for each section.
Good Luck!
Choose Your Civil Service Assessment:
Civil Service Numerical Test (CSNT)
The Civil Service Numerical Test (CSNT) is a psychometric test that assesses your numerical reasoning skills and aims to ascertain your ability to evaluate numerical information, perform calculations, and solve mathematical problems.
The CSNT has no time limit and usually takes up to 45 minutes. Your score will not be impacted by how long you take.
💡 For detailed information about the test, dedicaded practice guides, and practice questions, go to our Civil Service Numerical Test page.
Civil Service Numerical Practice Test
Let's start with an easy one:
Approximately how many more miles did Surveyor 2 travel during the first three months than Surveyor 1?
Now, Let's move on to a more difficult one:
How much did a family, visiting the Louvre, spend (in £) if it consisted of 3 adults, 2 students and 1 senior and 2 of the adults and 1 of the students bought their tickets online?
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Civil Service Verbal Test (CSVT)
The Civil Service Verbal Test (CSVT) is a psychometric test that aims to evaluate your ability to understand written information, identify the relevant pieces, and draw logical conclusions.
You will be presented with a passage of text followed by a statement. You will need to determine whether the statement is ‘true’, ‘false’, or ‘cannot say’.
The CSVT has no time limit, and it usually takes up to 45 minutes to complete. Your score will not be affected by the time it took you to complete the test.
💡 For detailed information about the test, dedicaded practice guides, and practice questions, go to our Civil Service Verbal Test page.
Civil Service Verbal Test Practice Questions
Let’s start with an easy one:
Determine whether the statement bellow (in bold) is ‘true’, ‘false’, or ‘cannot say’:
The production of organic food products supplied in food stores continues to increase considerably with demand particularly high in Europe and North America. Health awareness and higher standards of living are both enhancing consumption, and the market is likely to triple over the next decade. The organic food industry is facing the challenge of how it will cope with the forecasted future demand.
Consumers change their food habits because they care more about their health.
Now let’s move on to something a bit more complicated:
Determine whether the statement bellow (in bold) is ‘true’, ‘false’, or ‘cannot say’:
Manufacturing capability in Asian economies has developed immensely in its refinement but it remains an extremely multifaceted process subject to everlasting room for improvement. The most important initiative has been the implementation of ISO 9000 standards that have been utilised as quality regulators and error minimisation mechanisms. Nevertheless the profound emphasis given to refinement results in increased costs approaching those of Western manufacturers which raises question as to their feasibility.
Low costs are one of the advantages that Asian manufacturers have over their Western counterparts.
Let’s see a more challenging one:
Determine whether the statement bellow (in bold) is ‘true’, ‘false’, or ‘cannot say’:
About half of all women and many men will experience urinary tract infections at some point in their lives. They are usually caused by Escherichia Coli (E. coli) bacteria.
It is common knowledge that E. coli can grip to human cells using appendages with tiny protein hooks on their tips, but this protein's structure, or how it interacts with human cells, is less-known.
The hooks consist of interlinking chains of this protein, called FimH, which are difficult to pull apart into separate molecules. Researchers in Switzerland have recently managed to isolate individual FimH molecules for the first time.
They found that when FimH is pulled by tensile forces – as during urination – the protein grips tightly to the sugar molecules that coat the surface of human cells, making it very hard to flush out. When urination stops, the force disappears, and the protein can release its grip, and the bacteria now move to the bladder.
Half of the population will suffer from a UTI during their lifetime
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Civil Service Judgement Test (CSJT)
The Civil Service Judgement Test assesses a candidate's match for a particular position in the civil service by evaluating how they would deal with situations that may arise in the workplace.
The CSJT Test consists of two parts: Self-Assessment Personality Questionnaire, Behavioural Assessment (SJT).
💡 For detailed information about the test, dedicaded practice guides, and practice questions, go to our Civil Service Judgment Test page.
Civil Service Judgement Test Behavioural Sample Question
You have recently been recruited to the Civil Service and were assigned to a team of six employees. Your last personal project in the team ended today, a few days earlier than expected. You go into the team's office, but everybody is very busy with their projects, and no one is available to tell you what you need to do next.
What would you do in this situation?
#1
Use this time for productive things, such as organising your workstation and arranging your inbox clutter.
#2
Send an e-mail to your manager saying you have finished your project early, and you will be happy to assist in anything he might have for you.
#3
Speak to your team members to find out if there is anything you can help them with.
#4
Research new, upcoming projects within the department. See if any of them are interesting to you.
Civil Service Judgement Test Personality Sample Question
Determine your level of agreement with the next sentence:
I always keep a lid on my feelings.
Civil Service Fast Stream Online Test
The Fast Stream Test includes a Work Style Questionnaire and a Situational Judgement Questionnaire. The SJQ consists of 12 videos which require you to rate possible courses of action.
The Civil Service gives you up to five days to complete these tests, providing you with practice material. We highly recommend that you use this time to practise as much as possible.
💡 For detailed information about the test, dedicaded practice guides, and practice questions, go to our Civil Service Fast Stream Online Test page.
Situational Judgement Practice Test
You manage a small department in a large company. A few weeks ago your department was assigned to work on an important project. As the deadline approaches, it seems that the department is very far behind and the pressure is rising. You announced that in the upcoming week you need everyone to put in extra efforts and stay extra hours to close the gap. You begin to feel that employees' morale is dropping – you notice that employees take longer breaks, make more errors and you even overhear someone saying that staying extra hours for this mission is an overreaction as it’s not important enough.
Rate the effectiveness of the following actions:
Please rate each response independently of the others, whereby each rating can be used more than once (1=Effective, 2=Partially Effective, 3= Ineffective, 4= Counterproductive).
- Increase the working hours to 9 hours a day so workers will finish more tasks.
- Ask other managers about the number of tasks their employees finish a day to know if your team is doing fine in comparison to other teams.
- Tell your employees to have shorter lunch breaks or disciplinary actions will be taken.
- Talk with Mark about his absence and the low number of tasks that he has completed.
Explanation
Response A: Ineffective.
Increasing the working hours doesn’t necessarily mean your team members’ work will be more effective or productive. having a longer working day of 9 hours instead of 8.5 hours will not necessarily help employees finish more tasks.
Response B: Partially Effective.
Asking other managers about the number of tasks their team members finish a month can help you get a better understanding of the average number of tasks you should expect to be completed. The problem with this response is that it doesn’t help make your team more productive.
Response C: Counterproductive.
This action would probably make the situation worse. Shorter lunch breaks will give the employees more time to work but their work will likely be less productive because a break helps workers gain energy. You can also see that the team member that takes the longest lunch breaks finishes more tasks than the others, which shows that longer breaks don’t always harm productivity. Threatening your employees with punishment can make them feel less motivated and even decrease their productivity level.
Response D:Effective.
Mark is the team member with the least tasks completed. He also has the highest number of absences. It is important to talk with a team member that has a lot of absences in order to understand the reason for them, to show your empathy, and to check if there is a problem you should know about. This is a positive action that will help resolve the situation.
Increasing the working hours doesn’t necessarily mean your team members’ work will be more effective or productive. having a longer working day of 9 hours instead of 8.5 hours will not necessarily help employees finish more tasks.
Response B: Partially Effective.
Asking other managers about the number of tasks their team members finish a month can help you get a better understanding of the average number of tasks you should expect to be completed. The problem with this response is that it doesn’t help make your team more productive.
Response C: Counterproductive.
This action would probably make the situation worse. Shorter lunch breaks will give the employees more time to work but their work will likely be less productive because a break helps workers gain energy. You can also see that the team member that takes the longest lunch breaks finishes more tasks than the others, which shows that longer breaks don’t always harm productivity. Threatening your employees with punishment can make them feel less motivated and even decrease their productivity level.
Response D:Effective.
Mark is the team member with the least tasks completed. He also has the highest number of absences. It is important to talk with a team member that has a lot of absences in order to understand the reason for them, to show your empathy, and to check if there is a problem you should know about. This is a positive action that will help resolve the situation.
Work Style Questionaire Practice Test
Determine your level of agreement with the following sentences:
I prefer complex problems over simple ones.
I prefer projects that are solely dependent on me rather than others.
Helping others makes me feel good.
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Civil Service Management Judgement Test (CSMJT)
The Civil Service Management Judgement Test is an online situational judgement test. The test measures your ability to demonstrate judgement and decision-making regarding daily management of others.
In the test, You will view 15 workplace situations, along with 4 possible reactions. You must read the scenario, then choose which one action you would be most likely to take, and one action you would be least likely to take.
💡 For detailed information about the test, dedicaded practice guides, and practice questions, go to our Civil Service Management Judgment Test page.
Civil Service Management Judgement Practice Test
You manage a quality assurance (QA) team in a telecommunications company. Your boss, the head of the QA department, holds weekly meetings with all subordinate team managers such as yourself. The purpose of these meetings is to give the managers guidelines for the next week.
Your boss is a charismatic and ambitious person who tends to speak often about his vision of the department, future goals, and destinations. However, when referring to the tasks of each manager, his requests are somewhat abstract. You feel frustrated as you are not receiving specific operational guidelines to execute your team's tasks.
What would you do in this situation?
Which of the following actions would you be Most likely to take?
A. Set up a personal meeting with your boss and tell him that his instructions are too vague and general for you to handle, and that you need him to be more specific about operational teamwork.
B. Try to see it as an opportunity to work more independently within your team. Come up with a working method of your own for the team that will be directed at achieving your boss's objectives.
C. Find out from the other team managers whether they are coping with similar problems. If so, ask them how they deal with them, and act accordingly.
D. Wait until the end of the quarterly meeting, when the boss asks the team managers for feedback, and politely tell him how you feel about the meetings.
Which of the following actions would you be Least likely to take?
A. Set up a personal meeting with your boss and tell him that his instructions are too vague and general for you to handle, and that you need him to be more specific about operational teamwork.
B. Try to see it as an opportunity to work more independently within your team. Come up with a working method of your own for the team that will be directed at achieving your boss's objectives.
C. Find out from the other team managers whether they are coping with similar problems. If so, ask them how they deal with them, and act accordingly.
D. Wait until the end of the quarterly meeting, when the boss asks the team managers for feedback, and politely tell him how you feel about the meetings.
The answer to the MOST question is A, and the answer to the LEAST question is D.
In this situation, you are faced with ambiguity due to your boss's management style. The main objective of this item is to evaluate your ability to work under management.
Notice that you are asked to choose two responses: the best and the worst. The best way to approach this sort of question is comprised of two steps: 1. marking each response as generally positive or negative, and 2. comparing the positive and the negative responses.
Let's consider each response individually:
Response #1: Deals with the problem head-on. You are informed that your manager's requests are somewhat abstract and that you therefore lack the specific operational guidelines to execute your team's tasks. Speaking directly with your manager will enable you to clarify task guidelines and execute them more accurately. Although this response may appear to indicate an inability to deal with ambiguity, it is the best response in this given situation. Communicating ambiguity is effective here, as it's better your manager makes clarifications rather than you start the task without understanding what it entails. The communication skills this response exhibits are an important element of working under management.
Response #2: Deals with the problem by taking initiative and creating your own management style. Here you show an ability to deal with ambiguity, find creative solutions to problems, and exhibit high levels of autonomy. However, you do not clarify the guidelines for the task and may therefore fail to execute this task as your manager anticipated. This response demonstrates many desirable competencies, including independence, strategic skills, and problem solving.
Response #3: Does not target the problem directly or actively search for a solution. This response lacks problem-solving skills and strategic skills. It also shows poor communication skills as you seek for the answer elsewhere, rather than addressing your manager directly. You are informed that when referring to the tasks of each manager, your boss's requests are somewhat abstract. You can therefore assume the other managers are facing the same ambiguity as yourself.
Response #4: Is a passive response as you take no action for solving the problem. Passivity is an extremely undesirable characteristic of a future manager. This is therefore the worst response choice out of the given four.
The two positive responses are #1 and #2 as both challenge the problem and find an appropriate solution. Response #1 appears to be the better response as it shows your ability to work under management and it addresses the main problem at hand—clarifying goals with superiors.
The two negative responses are #3 and #4 as neither addresses the problem directly or actively searches for a solution. Response #4 is the worst response due to its passive nature.
*Although we mark response #1 as the best response, the choice between response #1 and #2 should be based on the information you have gathered on the company you are applying to, as sometimes the company may indicate a preference for one or another style. For instance, in this scenario, the organisation you are applying to may place more emphasis on autonomy than collaboration and would therefore opt for response #2 as it shows independence. It is therefore important you consider the organisation’s values when answering SJT questions.
You have been managing a sales department for the past year and have consistently achieved great sale figures. Due to personal reasons, you have recently been unfocused at work and, as a result, your work performance has declined. Additionally, due to changes in the market, the sale figures of your team have decreased. Your director does not seem to be taking the changes in the market into account and is blaming your poor performance on poor leadership on your part.
What would you do in this situation?
Which of the following actions would you be Most likely to take?
A. Explain your personal situation to the director and apologise for the decline in team performance. Ask to take a few days off to recuperate.
B. Make a decision to put aside your personal situation and consult other sales directors regarding their ways of coping with a volatile market. Devote yourself entirely to your work.
C. Update the director on the changes in the market and explain that there is nothing that can be done at the moment to improve sales.
D. Scold your team for their poor performance and set new, more attainable sales targets in line with the changes in the market.
Which of the following actions would you be Least likely to take?
A. Explain your personal situation to the director and apologise for the decline in team performance. Ask to take a few days off to recuperate.
B. Make a decision to put aside your personal situation and consult other sales directors regarding their ways of coping with a volatile market. Devote yourself entirely to your work.
C. Update the director on the changes in the market and explain that there is nothing that can be done at the moment to improve sales.
D. Scold your team for their poor performance and set new, more attainable sales targets in line with the changes in the market.
Best response: B
Worst response: C
Explanation: This item examines your ability to focus on your work despite dealing with personal issues. Additionally, this item sets out to examine your conscientiousness, specifically your ability to take responsibility for your actions, as you are told that your work performance has declined due to you being unfocused at work. The best response to this scenario is one that both takes action to improve performance of the sales team and responsibility for the poor performance so far.
Response A demonstrates conscientiousness as you are able to admit that your inability to focus at work has led to the decline in sales, and so you take responsibility for the poor performance of your sales team. Although it is good that you explain your personal situation to your director and apologise for letting it interfere with your work, you don't put any effort into changing the current situation. Taking a few days off while your team and you are dealing with new changes in the market displays a lack of organisational thinking, as you are not putting the organisation’s objectives at the highest priority. Additionally, you demonstrate a lack of resilience as you are unable to retrieve effectiveness following setbacks in your work performance.
Response B demonstrates resilience as you are able to re-focus on your work, putting aside any personal issues that may have distracted you previously. You demonstrate organisational thinking as you are determined to advance the company's objectives—to increase performance and hence sale figures. Your decision to consult other sales directors shows resource management skills, as you are able to use fellow colleagues to advance your goal. Thus, this is the best response choice.
Response C is a passive response. Although you update your director on the changes in the market, you explain that there is nothing you can do about them. This response choice shows a lack of resilience on your part. Furthermore, this response lacks conscientiousness as you do not take any responsibility for the poor performance of your team. Rather, you place the entire blame on the changes in the market.
Response D appears effective as you set new, more attainable sales targets in line with the changes in the market, which could help to increase sales performance. However, this response avoids the main problem of the scenario—your ability to deal with personal issues without letting them interfere with your work performance. Scolding your team members indicates that you take no responsibility for the decrease in performance and sales, displaying a lack of conscientiousness and loyalty towards your team. Not only do you shrug off responsibility for the decline in sales numbers, but you also alienate your team.
The two positive responses are A and B as both demonstrate resilience. Response B is the better response as you take an active approach to increase sales performance, whereas response A lacks action.
The two negative responses are C and D. Response D is slightly better as you set some new attainable goals to deal with the change in the market, whereas response C is extremely passive and shrugs off responsibility, making it the worse response.
Civil Service Work Strengths Test
The Civil Service Work Strengths Test is a behavioural assessment designed to evaluate your professional strengths by analysing your daily routine, performances, drives and motivations.
The test, which is taken online, comprises three sections – 1 work-preferences assessment and 2 Situational Judgement Tests. The Civil Service Work Strengths test has no time limit, and it usually takes two to four minutes to respond to each question.
💡 For detailed information about the test, dedicaded practice guides, and practice questions, go to our Civil Service Work Strengths Test page.
Civil Service Work Strengths Test - Work Preferences Questions
Determine your level of agreement with the next sentence:
I'm known for my sound judgement.
Civil Service Work Strengths Test - SJT Questions
You work at a government agency that provides social services to citizens. One day, a client comes to your office and expresses frustration and anger about the agency's long wait times and slow response in processing their request for financial assistance. The client starts yelling and banging on your desk, demanding immediate action.
Rate the responses according to their effectiveness on a scale of ‘effective’ to ‘counterproductive’
- You ignore the client's outburst and continue working on your computer, hoping the client will calm down on their own. As the client's behaviour is unacceptable and unprofessional, you don’t need to engage with them.
- You remain calm and acknowledge the client's frustration. You apologize for any inconvenience caused and ask the client to explain the issue in detail. You assure them that you will do everything in your power to expedite the request and inform the client of the following steps and the estimated time frame for resolution.
- You offer to escalate the issue to a higher authority. You assure the client that the agency takes their concerns seriously and will work to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
- You calm the client by changing the subject and discussing unrelated topics, such as the weather, sports, or personal life.
The ranking is
- Effective – response 2
- Partially effective – response 3
- Ineffective – response 4
- Counterproductive – response 1
Response 2 is the most effective because, by remaining calm, you show that you control the situation and can handle the client's outburst without escalating it. Acknowledging the client's frustration and apologizing for any inconvenience caused shows that you understand the client's perspective and take their concerns seriously. By informing the client of the following steps and the estimated time frame for resolution, you show that you are taking action and keeping the client informed.
Civil Service Work Strengths Test – Section C Sample Question #1
Your team is working on a project that requires input from a team member who is out of the office on vacation.
Civil Service Customer Service Skills Test
The online Customer Service Skills Test evaluates your proficiency and aptitude for customer service positions by assessing your abilities in managing challenging customers, making effective decisions, and being attentive to details.
The test consists of 3 parts, the first and the second are not time-limited, and the third is limited to 10 minutes to complete.
Customer Service Skills Test Parts
- First part - During the first part of the Customer Service Skills Test, you will encounter various customer service scenarios that provide you with context and communication from a customer. Your objective is to examine the scenario and the customer's communication, review three feasible responses to the customer, and choose the most suitable one. Once you have made your decision, you will receive additional communication from the customer in response to your initial reply. You will then be presented with three additional possible responses to the customer.
- Second Part - you will be presented with a sequence of workplace situations in a customer service context, along with a variety of feasible actions. Your task is to read each scenario and assess the effectiveness of each action by choosing from four possible options: Counterproductive, Ineffective, Fairly Effective, and Effective. There are six scenarios in total, with four actions to rate in each scenario
- Third Part - The third section of the test evaluates your proficiency in working efficiently and precisely under time constraints. You will have 10 minutes to complete this segment. You will be given brief snippets of customer information, such as lists of address details, account numbers, and dates. Your task is to identify any discrepancies between two pieces of information or input the requested information with accuracy.
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Civil Service Casework Skills Test
The online Customer Service Skills Test evaluates your proficiency and aptitude for casework positions by assessing your abilities in managing challenging information capacity, making effective decisions, and being attentive to details.
The test consists of 3 parts, the first and the second are not time-limited, and the third is limited to 10 minutes to complete.
Customer Service Skills Test Parts
- First part -During the initial section of the test, you will encounter a situation and a variety of relevant background information, such as customer emails, letters, messages from colleagues, etc. Your objective is to examine the scenario and background information, then read a series of statements that relate to the scenario. For each statement, you must determine whether it is definitely true/false, probably true/false, or cannot say, based on the information you gathered.
- Second Part - you will be presented with a sequence of workplace situations in a casework position context, along with a variety of feasible actions. Your task is to read each scenario and assess the effectiveness of each action by choosing from four possible options: Counterproductive, Ineffective, Fairly Effective, and Effective. There are six scenarios in total, with four actions to rate in each scenario
- Third Part - The third part of the test assesses your ability to work accurately and quickly under time pressure. You will have 10 minutes to complete this section. You will encounter brief snippets of case information, such as lists of address details and account numbers. Your task is to either identify any discrepancies between two pieces of information or enter the requested information accurately.
Additional Links to Civil Service Pages
More Free Practice
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