The HEO 2024 Competition is now open for applications.
Link is here: https://www.publicjobs.ie/en/?option=com_jobsearch&view=jobdetails&cid=189011&campaignId=24231106&Itemid=263
Closing date for initial applications is 3pm on the 6th June, 2024.
Best of luck everyone! Candidate Information video is available here: https://vimeo.com/943622208/bbf6b13d05
As a few have said, numerical is usually my strongest and I was stumped by a few. Felt like I was missing data
Yeah I found that on a couple, I was looking around the screen thinking I was missing some of the information. Overall I found the numerical really difficult and I normally do quite well on them.
Did anyone else find the info wasn't very clear?
Similar experience for me in regards to the numerical. They got progressively harder so I'm hoping that means I was answering them correctly. Then again, progressively harder for me might have been easy for someone else, it's hard to tell. I did throw a guess at 2 because they were taking me too long to try to decipher what exactly I was supposed to do.
I would imagine we all got randomised verbal questions so it's hard to judge by someone else's comments on what they selected. For me, I had a mix of true, false and cannot say. Again, I might have gotten them all wrong 🤣
Numerical was fine for me, just took longer than expected. They were definitely harder than the Aon/Cut-e tests used in the 2023 EO competition I found verbal more difficult. I probably answered 'can't say' too many times.
Found the numerical incredibly difficult….not holding out much hope for a pass.
Well that was a 💩show.
Numerical was a complete disaster. Very demoralising tbh.
can’t go back - ye have to keep going once you’ve given your answer
let’s just say I’ll be chalking this one down to experience 🙈
You can't skip I remember reading in the information. I believe as it's adaptive assessment your answer to the question determines the next question you get.
Unfortunately you can't. You're stuck with your selection.
Pretty sure you can't. It either tells you in the familiarisation material or when you're reading through the test information before you take the test.
I was away until tonight and will have to do the tests in the morning .. not ideal but this is the hand I've been dealt. Just a quick question please..
Can we skip questions and go back to them at the end? Or is it a case of once you move on you're stuck with what you've selected?
Info was missing from most tables and charts for me.
Same as you guys.
Verbal was fine (Or least I thought and hope so)
The numerical…That was ridiculous! Took me about 25 minutes to do it and majority of it was guess work. As someone said above, unless this is for a finance or accountant role, I did not get the point of that at all.
Hope for the best for all of us
Just done both tests; to echo some of the sentiments on here - the numerical test; goodness me, I was feeling most deflated halfway through trying to come up with answers to them. Reading the replies here, I take solace in knowing I'm not alone :-)
Did the verbal reasoning afterwards; not too sure how I felt I scored but one thing I know for sure was that it was nowhere as stressful!
is it jobs as rocket scientists we applied for or HEOs? 😫 and was it just me or was some information that you needed to get the answer missing from the table?
one set of questions came up in a previous EO test so at least I got them right 😮💨
best of luck everyone, we can relax now til results are out. anyone for a gin on a school night 🥂
Ok I done the tests yesterday and here is my feedback…
WHAT. THE. HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELL. WAS. THAT!!!
Unless I am going for a specialist maths or finance role, those question were COMPLETELY unsuitable for a general intake! If getting top marks in higher level Leaving Cert maths is a requirement say it. If you want an intake of HEO who a math wizz's fine, but say it! Don't expect people to try to remember formulas they haven't used in years. I don't know what PAS is expecting.
I also did the Interdepartmental 2022 comp.
A wee rundown of how that went, with some info others may find useful, or may not....
The Numerical/Verbal tests were Stage 1: These had a score of 20 to pass, with a max of 80.
I got 36 and 44 in the two tests and got placed low 60s in OOM for my nominated county (not Dublin).
The written application was Stage 2: The written application score was 21 to pass, with a max of 50. The scores were based on how you answered each competency.
Those were: 1.Team Leadership Experience. 2.Managing Projects & Delivery of Results. 3.Judgement, Analysis & Decision-Making. 4.Interpersonal & Communications Skills.
I just scraped by with a score of under 25 in each of those.
Surprisingly this jumped me up to under 30th in OOM for my nominated county.
I contacted PAS a few times over the 2 years to see if I had moved in OOM and the last check I did I was told that I was still on the same place in OOM.
Then the announcement for this year's interdepartmental HEO came out, and I applied for that, this comp, and thought nothing more of the 2022 comp.
Then, boom! I got a contact for interview for the HEO 2022 comp... Couldn't believe it.
Anyway... I didn't get it.
I came very, very close though, having passed 9 out of the 10 criteria. Those criteria split as follows: 6 competencies for the interview part, and I passed all. And 4 criteria for the presentation q&a, but passed only 3. I know what I messed up in so I won't be making that mistake again.
My point for this long post....
Even if you don't do great (see my scores above for Numerical/Verbal above), you're still in with a chance of making it to interview :)
That's that, hope someone gets something out my sharing this.
Good luck again, everyone!
I seen it in the familiarisation booklet😊 We will have results before the beginning of August. At least we won’t be waiting months like usual
In the Stage 1 Familiarisation Booklet, in the Next Steps paragraph, before Data Protection -
4. It is anticipated that results of Stage 1 will issue to your publicjobs messageboard by beginning of August 2024. In the event of any unexpected delays, you will be notified.
Same here. Took well under 20 minutes for the verbal but definitely at least half an hour on the numerical. It wasn't intentional. I just sort of lost track of time trying to figure it out
Sounds like we're in the same boat! :)
Good luck to u Coffeesiphon!
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I got 9/15 if I had to guess, the same for verbal, time wise I spent a horrible 35 minutes on numbers and 13 minutes on the verb, I think if points get taken off for time that'll give me the boot out of this one.
That soon thought maybe a bit longer 🤔
Just done mine.
I went into it with the idea that I'd try focus on accuracy and let the speed just be whatever it is.
I found the verbal straight forward and finished it in surprisingly reasonable time... as in, under 20 mins.
I'd say I was a half hour on the numerical.
The first block of 5 questions was straight forward enough.
The second block of 5 questions was really tough. The numerical grid and the questions of it were doing my head in and I spent way too long at them.
Third block went quicker.... I guess the adaptive questions got easier as I spent so long on the second block 😄
Fug it, it's done now.
Good luck everyone!
I hear ye - I found the numerical had far more “can’t say” responses. I found the numerical v unclear. Answer me this - how do they calculate the pass mark? I heard today if the overall is low they have to lower the pass mark - is that right?
thanks a million! Of course leaving it until the last minute as usual is never a good idea!!
Where is this stated?
States built in or web camera both fine to use. You will know at the verification stage whether all ok.
