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This page sits under UK Assessment Tests and is separate from US Civil Service exams.

This page sits under UK Assessment Tests and is separate from US Civil Service exams.

The Civil Service Work Strengths Test is an online assessment of your strengths: what you do regularly, what you do well and what motivates you. Official Cabinet Office guidance on GOV.UK places Strengths as one of the five elements in the Success Profiles framework, used alongside other methods such as application evidence, technical assessment and interviews.

Depending on the job level, you sit one of two versions of the test. Strengths are arranged in pairs so the assessment covers them more fully. The test has three parts: agreement ratings about typical behaviour, effectiveness ratings of actions in workplace scenarios, and most/least likely choices on further scenarios. It is not timed. Most people take about two to four minutes per scenario, and GOV.UK recommends allowing at least an hour.

The exercises below are original educational prompts. They are not official Civil Service, Cabinet Office, Civil Service Jobs or JobTestPrep items. Preference-style prompts are unscored. Scenario commentaries label a most defensible professional approach for study only. They are not official scoring keys and do not invent a “perfect personality” profile.

Start with the free official Civil Service Work Strengths practice test. Independent third-party familiarisation is optional after that official practice. Commercial products are not the employer, assessment publisher, government body or official recruitment administrator.

Key Takeaways

  • The Work Strengths Test relates to Success Profiles Strengths, not Behaviours diagnosis.
  • It is distinct from the Styles Assessment and from the Judgement Test.
  • Answer honestly; do not invent a fake strengths persona.
  • Campaign use and banked-score rules follow official guidance and your invitation.
  • There is no universal Work Strengths pass mark across campaigns.

Quick facts

Item Detail
Assessment name Civil Service Work Strengths Test (Work Strengths Test)
Framework Success Profiles - Strengths
Versions Two versions by grade band (AA-EO style strengths vs HEO-SCS 1 style strengths)
Structure Three parts: agreement statements; 10 scenarios with effectiveness ratings (4 actions each); 5 scenarios with most/least likely choices
Timing Not timed; about 2-4 minutes per scenario for many people; allow at least an hour
Specialist knowledge None required
Official practice Free Work Strengths practice test (not scored)
Scoring Percentile vs a comparison group; feedback in Civil Service Jobs
Banked scores Yes, if you pass at or above the minimum standard for that grade grouping (see below)
Integrity Your own answers only; supervised retest may be required at interview

The vacancy and invitation control. Confirm instructions in your Civil Service Jobs invite before preparing.

What the Work Strengths Test measures

Official preparation guidance lists the strengths measured in pairs.

Administrative to Executive Officer level

  • Analytical / Problem Solver
  • Relationship Builder / Team Player
  • Adaptable / Explainer
  • Organiser / Decisive
  • Service Focussed / Focussed

Higher Executive Officer to SCS 1 level

  • Analytical / Problem Solver
  • Relationship Builder / Team Leader
  • Adaptable / Resilient
  • Explainer / Influencer
  • Organiser / Strategic

Public Success Profiles guidance also describes strengths more generally as what people do regularly, do well and find motivating. That framing supports honesty: the aim is role fit, not a rehearsed “ideal civil servant” persona.

Test structure (three parts)

Part 1: Agreement statements

You rate typical behaviour and preferences at work (for example agreement with statements about how you usually respond). Ratings can range from very strongly agree to very strongly disagree. Answer as you normally behave. Do not invent answers you think recruiters “want”.

Part 2: Effectiveness ratings

You see workplace scenarios relevant to the job level, each with four actions. Rate each action independently using:

Rating Official meaning (summary)
Counterproductive Unacceptable; would make the situation worse
Ineffective Poor; would not help
Fairly Effective Useful; some help
Effective Good; would help resolve the situation

You may give the same rating to more than one action. Official guidance lists 10 scenarios in this part.

Part 3: Most and least likely

Similar scenarios, but you choose which of four actions you would be most likely to take and which you would be least likely to take. Official guidance lists 5 scenarios in this part.

Some questions may appear as videos with subtitles, British Sign Language translation and written transcripts. Scenarios can be replayed.

How to prepare

  1. Read Preparing for the Civil Service Work Strengths Test on GOV.UK end to end.
  2. Complete the official Work Strengths practice test first, especially if you use assistive technology.
  3. Skim public Success Profiles: Strengths so you understand what “strengths” means in Civil Service recruitment language.
  4. Practise answering preference and strengths-style prompts honestly. Do not reverse-engineer a fake profile.
  5. For scenario parts, practise rating each action on its own merits: integrity, fairness, service quality, evidence and realistic collaboration.
  6. Allow at least an hour on the day. Start early enough to raise access issues at least two working days before the deadline.
  7. Use independent third-party materials only as optional extra familiarisation after official practice.

JobTestPrep UK Civil Service Work Strengths practice can support additional strengths-style familiarisation as an independent commercial option. Confirm what is free versus paid on the product page. It is not Civil Service Resourcing or an official campaign assessment.

Honesty and integrity (read before practising)

Official guidance is clear that:

  • answers must be your own;
  • you must not ask anyone for input;
  • hiring managers may require a supervised retest if you reach interview;
  • preference and strengths responses should reflect your typical behaviour, not a rehearsed persona.

Trying to “game” agreement items usually makes answers inconsistent across the test. Inconsistency and artificial patterns do not help. Treat preference items as self-description, and treat scenario items as calm judgement about what helps the situation.

Banked scores (Work Strengths)

According to current Work Strengths preparation guidance on GOV.UK:

  • If you pass at or above the minimum required standard, your score can be banked and reused for future jobs in the same grade grouping.
  • If you do not pass, the score is not banked. You can retake on future applications.
  • Civil Service Jobs checks for an applicable banked score when you apply. If one exists, you may not be invited to retest; if none exists, you must take the test.
  • A banked score typically expires when six months have passed, a new score benchmark is applied, or technical platform work affects banked scores.
  • Banked scores do not transfer between different Civil Service online tests.
  • Grade groupings for banking on this test are publicly listed as: AA and AO; EO; HEO and SEO; Grade 7, Grade 6 and SCS 1.
  • Meeting the minimum standard for a job level is no guarantee of an invitation to the next stage. Recruiters may raise the pass mark after the deadline.

Always re-check the live GOV.UK page and your vacancy instructions, because banking rules are administrative and can change.

Practice exercises: 24 original educational items

These 24 original exercises train honesty on preference-style prompts and calm judgement on strengths-linked workplace situations. They are not live Work Strengths items and do not reproduce proprietary scoring keys.

How to use them

  • Part A items are unscored. There is no Correct answer.
  • Part B items ask you to identify the most defensible effectiveness ranking focus for learning discussion.
  • Part C items ask for most likely and least likely educational choices with rationales.

Part A: Unscored preference-style reflections (8)

Rate each statement privately from “very strongly disagree” to “very strongly agree” as it applies to you at work. There is no key.

Unscored 1

“I find it energising to dig into ambiguous data until I can explain the options clearly.”

Unscored reflection: Notice whether this sounds like your real working energy or like a sentence you wish sounded true. Honesty beats impression management.

Unscored 2

“I often take the lead in bringing people together when work spans several teams.”

Unscored reflection: Do not inflate how often you actually do this. Strengths care about regular behaviour, not occasional one-offs.

Unscored 3

“Changing priorities mid-week usually drains me more than it motivates me.”

Unscored reflection: A candid answer is useful even if it feels “less perfect”. Roles differ in how much adaptability they need day to day.

Unscored 4

“I prefer clarifying a complex process in plain language before people have to ask twice.”

Unscored reflection: Compare your instinct with Explainer-style strengths without inventing a scoring formula.

Unscored 5

“I usually decide quickly once I have enough evidence, rather than waiting for perfect certainty.”

Unscored reflection: Separate genuine decisiveness from rushed guessing. Answer as you typically operate, not as you performed once.

Unscored 6

“Keeping service users’ needs visible while I organise competing tasks keeps me focused.”

Unscored reflection: Service focus is about habitual attention, not slogans. If deadlines usually crowd out the user, do not pretend otherwise on practice honesty drills.

Unscored 7

“I am at my best when I can set a plan, track progress and adjust calmly when facts change.”

Unscored reflection: Organiser and strategic instincts both show in planning habits. Stay with your usual pattern across grades you might apply to later.

Unscored 8

“Public criticism of a decision I helped shape usually makes me dig into the evidence again rather than disengage.”

Unscored reflection: Resilience and analytical strengths can look different under pressure. Do not rehearse a scripted “cool under fire” answer if it is not typical for you.

Part B: Effectiveness-rating scenarios (10)

For each scenario, four actions are listed. Educational commentary marks a most defensible “Effective” action and a clearly weaker action. This is study discussion only, not an official key. In the real test you rate every action independently and may use the same rating more than once.

Scenario 1

A colleague sends you a nearly finished public-facing note with a figure you believe is out of date. The deadline is this afternoon.

A. Publish as currently written to protect the timeline. B. Pause briefly, check the source with the analyst who owns the figure, then update or qualify the wording before issue. C. Quietly delete the disputed figure and hope nobody notices. D. Argue with the colleague on a group channel about competence.

Most defensible “Effective” focus: B Usually weaker: A, C, D Rationale: Accuracy and service focus come before false speed. Checking evidence is fairly effective to effective; hiding or attacking usually fails the situation.

Scenario 2

You join a new team mid-project. Documents are incomplete and priorities conflict.

A. Wait silently until someone hands you a perfect brief. B. Map known stakeholders, list open assumptions and propose a short clarification meeting with your manager. C. Invent missing requirements so work “looks moved on”. D. Criticise the previous team publicly for leaving a mess.

Most defensible “Effective” focus: B Rationale: Analytical and relationship-building strengths show as structured clarification, not blame or invention.

Scenario 3

A member of the public is frustrated about delay. Your team’s published timeframe is still within policy, but communication has been poor.

A. Tell them policy timescales mean they should stop complaining. B. Acknowledge the frustration, confirm the current status against the published process and explain the next clear step and contact point. C. Promise a faster personal deadline you cannot meet. D. Ignore the message until the deadline expires.

Most defensible “Effective” focus: B Rationale: Service-focussed responses stay calm, factual and specific without inventing entitlements.

Scenario 4

Two teams each believe the other owns an urgent risk. Your manager is in meetings all morning.

A. Escalate immediately by emailing every senior person without facts. B. Capture both teams’ positions in a short note, identify what evidence is missing and agree who will own the next check by a named time. C. Choose a side based on who is friendlier. D. Leave the risk until someone else notices.

Most defensible “Effective” focus: B Rationale: Organiser and decisive strengths rely on evidence, clear ownership and proportionate escalation.

Scenario 5

You are asked to explain a policy change to operational colleagues who feel overloaded.

A. Circulate a dense legal annex and walk away. B. Summarise what changes, why, what stays the same and what support is available, then invite questions. C. Soften key obligations so people “feel better” even if the wording is inaccurate. D. Refuse to explain because operations “should already know”.

Most defensible “Effective” focus: B Rationale: Explainer strength is clear, accurate communication that respects the audience.

Scenario 6

A process change is announced with short notice. Your own work plan no longer fits.

A. Refuse all change and stop delivering. B. Re-prioritise with your manager, flag what will slip and adjust your plan calmly. C. Pretend nothing changed and hope managers forget. D. Commit to every previous deliverable plus the new change without discussion.

Most defensible “Effective” focus: B Rationale: Adaptable behaviour is realistic re-planning, not denial or empty over-commitment.

Scenario 7

A teammate has a strong idea but struggles to land it with a sceptical stakeholder.

A. Take over the idea and present it as yours. B. Help them structure evidence and offer to join a joint clarification if useful, while keeping credit clear. C. Tell them the stakeholder is unreachable and they should drop it. D. Mock the idea in a team chat so others back off.

Most defensible “Effective” focus: B Rationale: Relationship Builder / Team Player strengths support others without stealing credit or undermining them.

Scenario 8

You notice a spreadsheet error that would slightly overstate performance. The pack goes to a senior meeting tomorrow.

A. Leave it to avoid awkwardness. B. Correct the error, note the change and inform the pack owner promptly. C. Overcorrect further so the figures look more impressive. D. Circulate a sarcastic note naming the person who typed the cell.

Most defensible “Effective” focus: B Rationale: Integrity is part of effective analytical and service-focussed action.

Scenario 9

Your team is behind on a shared inbox. Several colleagues are already doing overtime.

A. Demand everyone stay late indefinitely. B. Triage by risk and service impact, agree a temporary coverage plan and tell your manager what remaining risk remains. C. Clear only easy messages so volumes look better. D. Hide the backlog from managers.

Most defensible “Effective” focus: B Rationale: Focussed organisation balances pace with risk transparency.

Scenario 10

A stakeholder asks you for an off-system favour that would bypass published eligibility rules.

A. Agree quietly to “keep them happy”. B. Decline the bypass, explain the published route and offer legitimate next-step support. C. Suggest they use a different colleague known for bending rules. D. Argue publicly about the stakeholder’s character.

Most defensible “Effective” focus: B Rationale: Fairness and service focus require applying rules consistently while remaining helpful.

Part C: Most / least likely educational scenarios (6)

Choose which action you would be most likely and least likely to take. Commentary gives an educational most/least for public-sector professionalism. It is not an official key.

Scenario 11

You have incomplete information for a decision that must be made today. Delay will harm users; a reckless choice would also harm them.

A. Decide randomly to show pace. B. Identify the minimum evidence needed, seek it quickly from the right owner, then decide with uncertainty stated clearly. C. Delay indefinitely to avoid responsibility. D. Ask a friend outside the organisation how to vote.

Educational most likely: B Educational least likely: A or D Rationale: Decisive / analytical strengths favour proportionate evidence and owned decisions, not gambling or outside coaching.

Scenario 12

A new team member is hesitating to speak in a planning meeting.

A. Speak over them constantly so the meeting finishes early. B. Invite their view on one concrete topic and make space for a response. C. Tell them privately afterward that quiet people do not progress. D. Joke that they seem uninterested.

Educational most likely: B Educational least likely: A, C or D Rationale: Relationship Builder behaviour creates workable inclusion without embarrassment.

Scenario 13

Priorities change twice in one week. You feel frustrated.

A. Vent on a public team channel about leadership incompetence. B. Update your task list, confirm the new order with your manager and note knock-on impacts once. C. Keep working to the old plan in protest. D. Promise everything will still land unchanged regardless of facts.

Educational most likely: B Educational least likely: A or C Rationale: Adaptable and resilient responses re-plan instead of performing frustration.

Scenario 14

You must brief a non-specialist audience on a technical constraint.

A. Use jargon to sound expert. B. Translate the constraint into plain language, state the practical impact and check understanding. C. Omit the constraint so the message stays positive. D. Send a 40-page annex and refuse questions.

Educational most likely: B Educational least likely: A, C or D Rationale: Explainer / Influencer strengths reward clarity and honesty about impact.

Scenario 15

Two deliverables clash and only one can meet the published date.

A. Stay silent until both fail. B. Surface the clash early, propose options with evidence and ask for a decision. C. Quietly deprioritise the noisier stakeholder without telling anyone. D. Promise both dates and hope capacity appears.

Educational most likely: B Educational least likely: A, C or D Rationale: Organiser / Strategic strengths make trade-offs visible early.

Scenario 16

A user-facing process change will help most people but create a short inconvenience for a small group.

A. Ignore the small group because they are few. B. Check impacts, plan clear communication and mitigating support where policy allows. C. Cancel the improvement entirely to avoid any complaint. D. Blame the small group for resisting modernisation.

Educational most likely: B Educational least likely: A or D Rationale: Service-focussed judgement balances majority benefit with fair mitigation, not dismissal.

Extra practice set: mixed strengths drills (8)

These mix preference honesty and scenario thinking. Preference items remain unscored.

Mixed 17 (unscored)

“When I finish a carefully organised delivery plan, I usually feel more motivated than drained.”

Unscored reflection: Track energy, not image. Strengths include what motivates you.

Mixed 18 (unscored)

“I regularly check whether my work still serves the user when internal pressure rises.”

Unscored reflection: Frequency language matters. “Regularly” should mean regularly for you.

Mixed 19

A colleague asks you to support their preferred narrative by soft-pedalling a known risk in a senior pack.

A. Soft-pedal to protect team harmony. B. Keep the risk visible with proportionate language and evidence. C. Exaggerate the risk beyond the evidence for leverage. D. Withdraw your name from the pack and refuse further discussion.

Most defensible focus: B Rationale: Analytical integrity and decisive fairness usually outrank comfort.

Mixed 20

Your manager is unavailable and a stakeholder wants an immediate verbal commitment on funding you do not control.

A. Give a confident yes to keep momentum. B. Explain the decision rights, take the request and escalate through the proper route with a clear timescale. C. Invent provisional approval “subject to later paperwork”. D. Accuse the stakeholder of bullying.

Most defensible focus: B Rationale: Influence without authority still needs honesty about who decides.

Mixed 21

You are tired at the end of a long day and notice yourself beginning to skip detail checks.

A. Push through unchecked so you look tireless. B. Pause, note remaining checks for tomorrow if safe, or ask for cover if the item is time-critical and safety-sensitive. C. Sign off everything remaining without reading. D. Hide unfinished items and claim completion.

Most defensible focus: B Rationale: Focussed quality service includes knowing when fatigue creates risk.

Mixed 22

A cross-team workshop is stuck on personalities.

A. Leave early without comment. B. Refocus the group on shared outcomes, evidence and decision options. C. Side with the loudest voice to end discomfort. D. Schedule another workshop with no agenda change.

Most defensible focus: B Rationale: Relationship Builder / Team Leader energy shows as constructive refocusing.

Mixed 23

You receive praise for a strength you do not actually use often.

A. Build a whole identity around the praise for the test mindset. B. Note the feedback, but keep describing your real habits when answering strengths-style items. C. Deny all praise automatically. D. Copy a peer’s stronger profile because it “sounds better”.

Most defensible focus: B Rationale: Educational honesty practice: compliments are not permission to invent a fake profile.

Mixed 24

A scenario offers four actions that all look partly helpful.

A. Pick the flashiest option without reading carefully. B. Rate or choose based on what independently improves accuracy, fairness, user clarity and owned next steps. C. Mirror whatever a friend said they would choose. D. Choose the option that looks most senior regardless of fit.

Most defensible focus: B Rationale: In Parts 2 and 3 of the real test, independent ratings and most/least choices reward careful reading, not shortcuts.

Devices, access and reasonable adjustments

Official guidance recommends:

  • a quiet place and stable internet;
  • a larger screen when possible (phones and tablets may work but are not preferred);
  • not closing the browser unnecessarily (you can usually resume);
  • contacting the recruiter if a workplace blocks access;
  • requesting reasonable adjustments through the application if needed.

Queries should usually be raised at least two working days before the deadline. See the reasonable adjustments candidate guide for online tests.

Official resources

FAQ

What is the Civil Service Work Strengths Test?

It is an online Civil Service psychometric test of strengths: what you do regularly, what you do well and what motivates you. It sits within Success Profiles and is one of the eight commonly listed Civil Service online tests on GOV.UK.

How many parts does it have?

Three: agreement ratings about typical behaviour, effectiveness ratings across 10 scenarios (four actions each) and most/least likely choices across 5 further scenarios, according to current GOV.UK preparation guidance.

Is the Work Strengths Test timed?

No. Official guidance says it is not timed. Many people take about two to four minutes per scenario. Allow at least an hour.

Are there different versions by grade?

Yes. Official guidance describes one strength set for Administrative to EO level and another for HEO to SCS 1 level, with strengths arranged in pairs.

Should I answer strength and preference items honestly?

Yes. Official Success Profiles strengths guidance stresses that strengths questions are not about rehearsed “right” answers. Trying to invent an ideal profile usually creates inconsistency. Be yourself and stay consistent.

Are scenario ratings the same as preference items?

No. Preference items describe you. Scenario parts ask you to rate how effective actions would be, or which action you would be most and least likely to take. Read each action independently where the instructions say so.

Can I give the same effectiveness rating to more than one action?

Yes. Official Work Strengths guidance states that you can.

Will my score be banked?

If you meet the minimum required standard, current Work Strengths guidance says the score can be banked for the relevant grade grouping for a limited period (commonly until six months pass, a new benchmark is applied, or platform changes affect banked scores). Banked scores do not transfer between different tests. If official guidance later changes, follow the live GOV.UK page.

Can I retake if I do not pass?

For future applications, yes if you did not meet the minimum standard (that score is not banked). Within a live campaign, follow your invitation. Meeting a minimum standard still does not guarantee progression.

Where do I get feedback?

From your application centre on Civil Service Jobs. Specific question-level answers are not released, for test security. Your score is presented as a percentile against a comparison group.

Can I take it on my phone?

It may work on smartphones or tablets, but official guidance recommends a larger screen. Use the official practice test to check accessibility first.

Should paid prep replace the official practice test?

No. Start with GOV.UK guidance and the official practice test. Independent commercial Work Strengths materials are optional extras only. They are not official and cannot redefine Civil Service scoring.

Next steps

  1. Complete the official Work Strengths practice test.
  2. Watch the Work Strengths information video.
  3. Practise answering strengths items honestly, then take the live test in a quiet hour with stable internet.

If you also want broader independent Civil Service format familiarisation after official practice, use the optional commercial link in the preparation section above and confirm current coverage on the product page.

Return to the UK Assessment Tests hub for more British public-service guides.