Administrative Officer 2021 in the Civil Service.

Oh dear I'll give it a miss so 🤦‍♀️

The tests were really a dumpster fire, at least they got rid of the one from last year that asked you to look at the picture pattern and say what comes next

The testing window was extended until Friday morning. Shouldn't significantly delay the results coming out, sometime the coming week you'd think.

I completely agree. I have never struggled with graphs and info the way I did on this test. In fact, I believe it will be a fail for me. Worst tests I've ever done.

PAS are just a mass filtering system and their priority is just to get x number of people filtered out at every stage. They don't give a fiddler's about applicants' time. If they did, they wouldn't have those ridiculous application forms. You would have a profile with your professional info etc. saved and supplementary questions they could add according to the competition.

The real shame is that they are entrusted with hiring the people who make this country run every day, public and civil servants, even if it's only in a small way. But they put no strategic thought or HR/recruitment expertise into the running of these competitions, from what I can see.

Similarly, I'm at around the 900 mark. Difficult to tell what their thinking is - it would defeat the purpose of an OOM if they were to call everyone who passed through to (what I presume is) a one-way recorded interview. Can't see them wading through a thousand recorded interviews as well, although they may have a different process in mind this time out because the tests were of such poor quality. It's a bit of a black box the whole thing.

Got my result. Placed around the 100 mark.

Is anyone else having issue with format on detailed application form? It's like the PDF was just formatted weirdly to my PC. Has "enter body text" on the questions/answers section, if I try and click the drop down part it just goes into text format.

Has anyone gone through the Irish stream and knows what’s next? I placed mid 20s in that and late 300s in the general English!

I placed mid 70s in Irish and 1300ish in the general

I didn’t even pass these tests.. Second year to fail them in a row! Maybe third time lucky!? 😂😂😂

Yes, having the same issue myself. Have you reached out to PAS yet for assistance?

Mine's the same. When I open it in the browser (which one can't fill-in correctly), there is a bit about supplementary questions. When opened in a pdf reader like Adobe, there's section A & C and nothing about these supplementary questions.

Honestly, PAS seriously needs to get their act together.

I was reading the other day in an article, that depending on what age they are hired, it costs the civil service up to 4m euro to recruit, train, pay and retain an AO over the lifetime of their career. For such a consequential hire, this is what the recruitment process is like? Give me strength.

Yes this is what I have on my application form too. Based on previous PAS application forms, section B consists of supplementary questions re competencies which do not feature on this AO application form so it skips straight to section C.

Not sure it’s anything to do with being too quick, probably more how you answered. I know a few people in the civil service and they suggested to always pick the option that allows you to help as much as you can while also not going over anyones head (I.e. if one of the options suggests you check with someone more senior then you should pick that) I hope this makes sense!! And good luck for next time round 🙂