Administrative Officer 2015 open competition

jameskil

The_Conductor wrote: »

Congratulations on reaching the qualifying standard- however, we're only calling the top 250 to the next stage..........
Apparently they had just shy of 4000 applicants.

Well done to those of you who are in the top 250.

Its so damn annoying that the numeracy isn't counted- and I really don't think its fair in today's day and age........

especially when you score so well on it! makes no sense

griffdaddy

I'm out based on the questionnaire. Did well in both the verbal and numerical but I guess that's just the way she goes.

jameskil

keepkeyyellow wrote: »

550s - assessment questionnaire screwed me over the most

i was in band A for numerical and verbal. Band C for bloody assessment questionnaire. in the 1500s
theres time from my life ill never get back

Butterface

I got in the 490s. Ah well, 'twas worth a shot in the dark anyway!

Sunnies Washington

How do they mark you? Is it a score per area? Or is it literally pass/fail?

hard copy

it's pass/fail ie if you fail any one of the three sections you're out. After that, if you pass all three, your score in verbal and assessment is ranked against the scores of everyone else , the numerical doesn't go towards the ranking.

The numerical and verbal seem to be fairly right or wrong for answering whereas the assessment is a bit more ambiguous and they can probably tweak it according to the type of candidate they think they want. From this and previous competitions it usually seems to me to be the assessment that's biggest variable in deciding ranking.

connmel

Delighted to have placed 77! I am totally shocked as I placed much lower after the EO tests last year. Also I did the tests with dodgy Wifi in a hotel lobby in Lanzarote with people asking me about car hire every 5 mintues! Hard luck to those who didn't make it and to those outside the number being called and best of luck in the next stage to everyone who got through.

PM me nudes

Placed in the low to mid 200s

OwaynOTT

Number 1!

with a few few other digits

Armaghmagic

Aced the Verbal and Numerical ones.......Failed the assessment! Exact same outcome as the Garda one where I fell down on the assessment!

How do you pass the bloody assessment?? Really disappointed as I got over 65 in the verbal :-(

Slydice

Didn't place well at all

Congrats and good luck to all those through to the next round

HannahR31

Passed all of them 😊 near perfect score on the verbal but the assessment pulled me down. Ended up just a little higher than 300. So nothing short term but if they take another batch 6 months from now or something then maybe. Holding out a little hope for now anyway. Considering I thought I wouldn't even pass I'm slightly chuffed.

fangler

Finished in the Top Tier for all 3 Tests but yet placed in the 1600's. Seems strange

Omnishambles99

The_Conductor wrote: »

The proposal is its to be what will be the first ever external HEO competition with an equal External/Interdepartment/Internal split- 1:1:1 with the ratios to be set dated back to the 1st of July last (same as for the AP panels). If there are internal HEO promotions since the 1st of July- there would have to be commensurate appointments from both the new (to be) constituted external and interdepartmental panels.

Its not just one Department dragging its feet though- apparently, its several.

Hi , it's not the first external open HEO comp. I was a CO back in ( I think) 2004-2005 and I did the psycho-metric exams out in RDS for an open HEO then . Got nowhere . What really annoyed me was I met a guy there who was an EO and he asked me what was I doing there ... I said going for the HEO competition... He was very surprised .... Hopefully a lot of that grade consciousness has left our job at this stage !!

PM me nudes

fangler wrote: »

Finished in the Top Tier for all 3 Tests but yet placed in the 1600's. Seems strange

They also take time into account afaik

lauras91

Ranked in 800s.. Bit disappointed, actually did better in the assessment than I thought though. Maybe next year!

octo

The_Conductor wrote: »

Its so damn annoying that the numeracy isn't counted- and I really don't think its fair in today's day and age........

Yes, it's really annoying. I came 435th. I aced the numerical and the assessment but fell slightly short on the verbal.

It makes no sense. Why would the civil service/PAS not want to rank people on numeracy? Surely it's just as important. Anyway, I'm grumpy now.

ColcloughP

982.

Top band in assessment and verbal while passing verbal and still only 982.

I wasted a month straight studying those stupid tests.

The_Conductor

Omnishambles99 wrote: »

Hi , it's not the first external open HEO comp. I was a CO back in ( I think) 2004-2005 and I did the psycho-metric exams out in RDS for an open HEO then . Got nowhere . What really annoyed me was I met a guy there who was an EO and he asked me what was I doing there ... I said going for the HEO competition... He was very surprised .... Hopefully a lot of that grade consciousness has left our job at this stage !!

There are grade conscious people everywhere- unfortunately. They are dinosaurs. In at least 2 recent internal competitions- serving COs have topped the panel in AP competitions- and fair play to them.

Ignore people who are grade conscious- the best work colleagues you can possibly have- are competent hard working colleagues- who go that extra mile with colleagues and customers- as a matter of course.

Life is short- too short for nonsense........

Armaghmagic

I feel awful when I see people annoyed about their placing when I havent been placed at all!!

Be thankful you are at least in with a shout if not straight away :-)

AnClar2013

Help! Would anyone who ranked high on the 'assessment questionnaire' consisting of the personality test and scenarios mind telling me what way they approached answering the questions especially the scenarios? I have done a few AO aptitude test now over the years and I always pass the Numerical and Verbal and never the questionnaire part v frustrating. I haven't cracked the code! If anyone who did well in this wouldn't mind sharing please.

roe_cat

AnClar2013 wrote: »

Help! Would anyone who ranked high on the 'assessment questionnaire' consisting of the personality test and scenarios mind telling me what way they approached answering the questions especially the scenarios? I have done a few AO aptitude test now over the years and I always pass the Numerical and Verbal and never the questionnaire part v frustrating. I haven't cracked the code! If anyone who did well in this wouldn't mind sharing please.

Got 57 in the assessment - so my lowest score but still enough to get through...
I do go for honest answers rather than a strategy - but I also gave an awful lot of the options a very noncommittal answer - marked very few of them as excellent or terrible. You don't have to pick one as the best and one as the worst. If all of the options you're given seem so-so - say that. I think some people try to rank them from best answer to worst but you can give them all the same rank if you want.

Armaghmagic

AnClar2013 wrote: »

Help! Would anyone who ranked high on the 'assessment questionnaire' consisting of the personality test and scenarios mind telling me what way they approached answering the questions especially the scenarios? I have done a few AO aptitude test now over the years and I always pass the Numerical and Verbal and never the questionnaire part v frustrating. I haven't cracked the code! If anyone who did well in this wouldn't mind sharing please.

I am in the exact same scenario. Both for these tests and the similar ones for the Gardaí, I passed the numerical and verbal tests with ease but failed both of the assessment questionnaires! :mad:

Are there any sites or courses that you can do that help with doing better at the assessment questionnaire? Normally I would get annoyed and let it pass but I am not allowing this to fail me in the next similar tests I attempt!

connmel

roe_cat wrote: »

Got 57 in the assessment - so my lowest score but still enough to get through...
I do go for honest answers rather than a strategy - but I also gave an awful lot of the options a very noncommittal answer - marked very few of them as excellent or terrible. You don't have to pick one as the best and one as the worst. If all of the options you're given seem so-so - say that. I think some people try to rank them from best answer to worst but you can give them all the same rank if you want.

I scored 69 in the assessment - my highest score and tbh I finished it not having a clue if I had passed or failed. I give 100% gut instinct answers and try not to overthink them. Thinking back I only gave 2 or 3 options a 'worst' rank across the entire sequence and generally I found there was 1 that jumped out as the best idea with maybe 2 that were equally ok.

frankiejoepat

I placed high 1300s.

I scored well above average in verbal and exactly average in assessment. Seems incredible to pick people for interview based on these tests alone without reference to their application. I was under the completely wrong impression that you just needed to pass the tests in order to be considered for interview and your application form would then come into play.
I should have read the instructions a little better!!
I also didn't think that 4,000 would apply.

I wonder how many of the 4,000 passed?!

How likely is there to be a 2nd competition and if there is will it be simply be taken from that top 250 again?

Anyone know how many positions are roughly up for grabs?? Those 250 are competing for what, 20 positions?

Bit depressed by the whole experience - not even breaking into the top 1,000 albeit I only spent probably 8 hours preparing and only prepared for the numerical as I had failed it previously....

Damn and blast.

Well done to the people who made it.

Sunnies Washington

Its a tough process no doubt. Where did the figure of 4000 come from?

frankiejoepat

They told me in the feedback that almost 4,000 had applied, I presume its in the 3,800s or 3,900s.

Sunnies Washington

frankiejoepat wrote: »

They told me in the feedback that almost 4,000 had applied, I presume its in the 3,800s or 3,900s.

So they took what, the top 6.5% to interview? That's some skinny odds right there.

octo

connmel wrote: »

I scored 69 in the assessment - my highest score and tbh I finished it not having a clue if I had passed or failed. I give 100% gut instinct answers and try not to overthink them. Thinking back I only gave 2 or 3 options a 'worst' rank across the entire sequence and generally I found there was 1 that jumped out as the best idea with maybe 2 that were equally ok.

Yes, I got also got 69. With the self-assessment I stayed away from the extreme adjectives. For example, I marked my self fairly outgoing and confident, but not extremely so. I think I would then have come across as a mad cocky bstrd!)

With the work scenarios I used common sense. Be a bit assertive but not too much. What would a decent and sound manager do? Take action to solve a problem but don't go over the top and try to sort it yourself without passing it on to your boss - unless of course it's something serious.

derailed

Was informed last night by PAS that I was in the early 600's and that it was intended to call those placed up to 250 but could be considered thereafter.

It is my 3rd time to receive an AO placing in the last 7-8 years after almost making the cut for Round 2 in the open AP competition this year. Unfortunately from my recent experience and hearsay the number PAS quote as to be called for the next phase (in this case 250) does not usually run over this amount.

Very frustrating once more having scored so highly in verbal and numerical reasoning while being well over the pass mark in the assessment questionnaire was not enough to progress to Stage 2. Again I disagree with numerical reasoning not being a primary factor for overall positioning and just don't know where to go about preparing for assessment questionnaires as it appears to be a case of pot luck above anything else.

Best of luck to those going to next stage and sorry for anyone else that have not advanced beyond this point.