Executive Officer in the Civil Service 2026

Another question.
For the current/recent employment section, what do you fill in here if you’re currently unemployed and haven’t worked for some time? I graduated a couple of months ago from uni, still looking for work in the meantime, and last worked in 2024.

It’s a compulsory requirement to fill it in but no option for an end date so don’t want pretend I’m still working for that company.

Looks like I’ll have to just put my old employment (2024) as my current since I can’t leave it blank or else I’ll just have to make a note on the application saying N/A ?

Put your most recent qualification. You dont need to put your Leaving Cert if you have a degree minimum from what has been said on here and Reddit.

I just uploaded a photo of the university graduation certificate. I didn’t mention LC at all, just my degree that I graduated in October from.

For you, your bachelor & PhD with PhD first would be most applicable.

For anyone who has done the tests, how difficult have you found them to be? I have done some practice on the public jobs website. I scored upper range on the job simulation, and I need a bit more practice on the verbal, but I would be most worried about the numerical one. Would the scores for the different tests be added up together to determine your OOM or is information on that yet to come?

There’s a thread from the 2023 Dublin EO competition and from the 2024 Nationwide one. The majority of people who failed, failed on JS (SJ). There’s no real way to practice for SJ as the examples are specific to the Civil Service.

Also, the sample test on Public Jobs doesn’t allow you to rank the answers. It’s annoying as you don’t get to really practice this skill against the time before the real thing.

For the numerical, I’m really weak with numbers and recognizing questions. My plan is to sit down with the EO father and practice all the questions, trying to get familiar with recognizing the question and what it’s asking me to do. You only need 9 I think to pass numerical. I would focus on answering the shorter questions first and leave the text heavy ones last.

Numerical and the written timed essay (500 words max) don’t count towards the OOM.

The SJ and Verbal count. So if you’re doing well in SJ, you’re at a major advantage over many.

Verbal is probably the easiest to do well in as there’s a lot of tips online for it. Read the statements first and leave your own opinions out of it.

Thank you so much for the detailed response!

That’s so handy you have someone who is in the CS and familiar with the test to help you out. I will definitely keep in mind of answering the shorter ones first that’s a great tip. I just need to practice a ton with the numerical one and hopefully not blank by the time I have to do the test. 😆

Potential silly question. At the end of the form there was a question for the open stream that asks you how you meet the essential criteria on page 4 of the booklet. Are people just putting qualifications there or also putting examples of how they met competencies? Didn't seem like enough room to also put competencies and the example only listed qualifications. But they asked you about qualifications earlier in the form ... Thanks for your help lads

There's a written essay for the EO? It seems like the EO assessment is more involved than the AO one.

It’s part of the online tests since 2023. If you read through the 2023 and 2024 EO threads it’s covered there.

500 words max, 30 mins times, answering a two parter question relating to management of a situation, drawing on your own experiences. There’s 3 different scenarios someone could be given to prevent everyone copying each other and sharing it. You can’t use your phone or be searching things on the laptop as the webcam will be on.

It doesn’t count for the OOM and isn’t marked. Like the numerical, you just need to pass. Supposedly it forms part of the interview but everyone from those threads said they weren’t directly asked on it.

Not looking forward to that as I think I’ll struggle without any leadership work experience. Seems everyone who didn’t have an extensive work history really struggled.

I completed a similar assessment for Sainsbury’s last month for a grad program where I had to respond to a management two parter question except it was via a two minute timed video response (couldn’t study in advance), it was mortifyingly bad.

From reading the past threads for this, I’m certain down the line if you pass interview they’ll ask for you to send over proof of the degree. They’re pretty strict on it.

Just looking back at 2024 competition am I right in thinking it was just under 2 years the panel? Around 20months maybe? Just gauging if that is regular length of panels for Open EO competitions and also Revenue EO competition panels thanks

that's good to know, thank you!

Thank you @Aisling(",)

Thanks, Punt. Do you know what weighting it carries on the two competencies compared to the interview STAR examples/general questions they ask you or if a marking scheme was published for that essay component?