NEW 2020 Assistant Principal Officer Competition

Nicole2020 · 02-06-2020 9:35pm

Rainbowstar wrote: »

Same as that - I found numerical much harder than last year. Doubt I passed. Best of luck with it!

Sure all we can do now is wait. You too!

plasticheart · 02-06-2020 10:52pm

Just finished the tests. Found the verbal OK but the numerical was tough for me. I had 3 questions to go on the numerical and 5 mins left so rushed a bit at the end. I'd be very surprised if I passed but it's my first time going for AP so it'll be a learning curve.

Best of luck to everyone!

Mervyn Skidmore · 02-06-2020 11:33pm

Done and dusted. Found all 3 tough enough to be honest. I really don't do well doing the PAS exams but have been doing fairly well in my department. I'm hoping to get the AP internally this year, came very close last time.

Interestingly for HEO I had a PAS interview and an internal interview 1 week apart. Failed the PAS one badly and was in the top 5 in my department internally. A head scratcher.

Brera · 03-06-2020 12:44am

Rainbowstar wrote: »

Oh I wish that was all Dublin Board!!
If you progress through this and then short-listing (that was the next stage last year - based on your application)
Then you sit the supervised tests AGAIN, PLUS an e-tray exercise.
It's basically a work scenario where you are asked to write a brief/ memo based on info given. You then get interrupted with a demand from your boss to do another task e.g. an email to the Minister.
In the middle of all this you get lots of lots of questions with work case scenarios you have to answer - multiple choice.
There is prep work etc sent before-hand so you'll get it if you progress that far.

I found it extremely challenging and it overwhelmed me on top of the other 3 tests. I was 8 months pregnant which didn't help!!

Like they now do these initial tests for PO online with a webcam active to supervise you. Why not do this for AP and then only bring us in for the e-tray.
I don't understand it - it's very demanding on that day - in my experience.

I did the EO a couple of years back and they did the E-Tray and the interview on same day. The whole thing was a lot for one day.

Lots of people were passing the interview and then failing the e-tray lol

Needless to say for the next competition they did the e-tray first and did the interviews on another day.

Brera · 03-06-2020 12:58am

dee75 wrote: »

And here's a separate post on how the 2018 competition worked (for me). Again, this is no guarantee as to how it will operate this time around. You will see changes between the 2016 and 2018 competitions.

Stage 1 Home Aptitude Tests
Tests - held between 27 September and 2 October 2018
Results - on 25 October 2018. Gave order of merit based on verbal and situational judgment scores. You just had to pass numerical. Qualifying score on all 3 was 40 points.

Stage 2 Shortlisting
This was different from 2016 competition.
Anyone who scored more than 106 points in Stage 1 (i.e. combined verbal and situational judgment score exceeding 106 points) then had their application form reviewed by a panel who decided if it met the standard or not. I don't know how many were knocked out here, but I'm aware that at least a few appealed the decision to PAS.

Stage 3 Supervised Tests
Tests - I think tests were spread out over a long period with several batches. Mine was in early March 2019
Results - on 20 March 2019. Order of merit was determined by Job Simulation and Etray results only.
Verbal - qualifying score 38 points
Numerical - qualifying score 38 points
Job Simulation - qualifying score 41 points
Etray Exercise - qualifying score 40 points

Stage 4 Interview
Interviews - held over several weeks in April 2019 (again may have been different for others - depends what batch you were in).
Results - 23 April 2019. Gave order of merit for your First Chosen Region, and separate message later giving you OOM for your Second Chosen Region. Gave breakdown of scores for each competency. Qualifying score was 41 points per competency, with a maximum of 100 points for each.

Thanks for that.

It will be interesting to see this time how the video interview plays out.

They have listed it after shortlisting in the information booklet.

I wonder is it a replacement for the e tray / simulation exercise or just an additional step added to server as a filter before the interview round.

poundhound · 03-06-2020 1:02am

Jesus, the numerical test?
Lord have mercy!

Toulouse · 03-06-2020 6:29am

Audreyly wrote: »

Yeah I have gotten a reply but it’s more of a brush off and they are saying the questions are linked to the paragraph, I replied back explaining as simply as possible what the problem was as I thought maybe they don’t understand me and again the reply seemed to be trying to brush me off and indicating that I was the one that didn’t understand the question and they didn’t even look at the paragraph or the questions (I had sent a screen shot of the paragraph and the first two questions), my original messages wasn’t replied to until after 11.30 last night which I am assuming the help desk is not in England. Maybe if more people who have the same problem send them a message they might look into it

I thought the same as you, emailed them and got the same response. However looking at it again I can see that they are correct. Pretend that you are saying those sentences directly to someone in relation to the scenario, I was relating them to myself, which I think was why they didn’t seem to fit. Hope that helps!

griffid · 03-06-2020 7:39am

Are we assuming that, considering social distancing etc, they are still going to go ahead with elements that require groups of people in a confined space for a period of time? The interview panels couldn’t sit for more than what, 2 hours a day?

I wonder how it’ll all work, just extend the amount of time the process takes by some more weeks so that smaller groups can be brought in?

Or skip the supervised tests and go straight to the video round before holding interviews by zoom.

Cheeseplant · 03-06-2020 9:20am

griffid wrote: »

Or skip the supervised tests and go straight to the video round before holding interviews by zoom.

Next stage could be the online competency recordings, then shortlisting, then zoom interview?
Really don't want an online interview. I think it would be very difficult to build rapport and get energy from the board.

Anonire · 03-06-2020 9:34am

Cheeseplant wrote: »

Next stage could be the online competency recordings, then shortlisting, then zoom interview?
Really don't want an online interview. I think it would be very difficult to build rapport and get energy from the board.

I think they will cut some people before the online video.
I would hate an online interview too. Much rather in person but if needs must. Don't think the supervised tests will happen unless they do them online.

Mervyn Skidmore · 03-06-2020 9:36am

Next round is the swimsuit round.

Rainbowstar · 03-06-2020 9:54am

poundhound wrote: »

Jesus, the numerical test?
Lord have mercy!

I feel your pain. I thought I may have failed it last year but scraped by. This was far worse for me. No way I could've passed unless it's 2 out of 18 for a pass!!

Aglomerado · 03-06-2020 10:20am

Mervyn Skidmore wrote: »

Next round is the swimsuit round.

Then the Bush Tucker trials ..."I'm a civil servant get me out of here!":D:D

Audreyly · 03-06-2020 10:23am

Toulouse wrote: »

I thought the same as you, emailed them and got the same response. However looking at it again I can see that they are correct. Pretend that you are saying those sentences directly to someone in relation to the scenario, I was relating them to myself, which I think was why they didn’t seem to fit. Hope that helps!

Yeah after I had another look back on it last night I realised the same, I think by that stage I was so use to the other questions that I didn’t notice the curve ball that was thrown on this one

runjb · 03-06-2020 10:27am

Did anyone else hear of some people not been invited through to complete these tests? I have heard of one person, which sounds out of step with the screening process as discussed up until now, where everyone does the tests and screening takes place afterwards at some stage.

Audreyly · 03-06-2020 10:29am

griffid wrote: »

Are we assuming that, considering social distancing etc, they are still going to go ahead with elements that require groups of people in a confined space for a period of time? The interview panels couldn’t sit for more than what, 2 hours a day?

I wonder how it’ll all work, just extend the amount of time the process takes by some more weeks so that smaller groups can be brought in?

Or skip the supervised tests and go straight to the video round before holding interviews by zoom.

My own opinion is that the next stage will be supervised test done online(this was done for recent PO) then the 3 questions asked and you video record your response, after this I would think depending on how many have gotten through they may do an e-tray and then finally the online interview, again this is only my thoughts on it, it’s my first time to do PAS AP so could be totally off the ball

Brera · 03-06-2020 10:38am

Audreyly wrote: »

My own opinion is that the next stage will be supervised test done online(this was done for recent PO) then the 3 questions asked and you video record your response, after this I would think depending on how many have gotten through they may do an e-tray and then finally the online interview, again this is only my thoughts on it, it’s my first time to do PAS AP so could be totally off the ball

I would say your probably about right.

I’m just hoping they have the online supervised testing perfected. It was done last year for the internal EO competition for the Gardaí and it was a disaster. In the end the whole thing had to be redone in the offices in Abbey Street.

iuil1999 · 03-06-2020 10:39am

Hey all. I did the test yesterday and it said I had completed 100%...grand.
Did anyone get an acknowledgement email after that or do I assume it's done and dusted?

Hippo · 03-06-2020 10:48am

That numerical test was ridiculous, easily the worst I've participated in.

This time, in an attempt to be clever, I signed up with the provider to practice tests. None of the practice tests provided resembled what we were given.

Dublinboard · 03-06-2020 10:48am

Would anyone have a link to the PO thread to read about the online videos. Can’t find it anywhere

Brera · 03-06-2020 10:51am

Hippo wrote: »

That numerical test was ridiculous, easily the worst I've participated in.

This time, in an attempt to be clever, I signed up with the provider to practice tests. None of the practice tests provided resembled what we were given.

I was the same. The practice tests seemed like they were from a totally different competition

Brera · 03-06-2020 10:52am

iuil1999 wrote: »

Hey all. I did the test yesterday and it said I had completed 100%...grand.
Did anyone get an acknowledgement email after that or do I assume it's done and dusted?

You don’t get an acknowledgement email. Once it says 100% your done

jones · 03-06-2020 10:59am

Brera wrote: »

You don’t get an acknowledgement email. Once it says 100% your done

I was wondering the same my assessment is 100% but there's a line saying see below for information that you need to proceed but i'm assuming that just means the 3 assessments. Imagine going through all of this and then it doesnt submit :eek:

*Gaijin* · 03-06-2020 11:06am

Did them over the weekend. I too found the numerical tough going. Barely scraped it last time. I recognized a few of the questions in both numerical and JS from 2018, including the one that seemed to throw a few people.

trigger26 · 03-06-2020 11:16am

done and dusted now, I was a bit unmotivated to finish the rest after doing the numerical first, that was tough out. Verbal and the situational part were a pleasure compared to it! Best of luck everyone.

Rainbowstar · 03-06-2020 11:19am

Brera wrote: »

I would say your probably about right.

I’m just hoping they have the online supervised testing perfected. It was done last year for the internal EO competition for the Gardaí and it was a disaster. In the end the whole thing had to be redone in the offices in Abbey Street.

I know it was used fine in the recent PO so they must've gotten it right.

John Hutton · 03-06-2020 11:20am

Numerical was horrific. Had to guess a chunk of them. Ah well

Rainbowstar · 03-06-2020 11:23am

Hippo wrote: »

That numerical test was ridiculous, easily the worst I've participated in.

This time, in an attempt to be clever, I signed up with the provider to practice tests. None of the practice tests provided resembled what we were given.

Totally agree. Same as that.
Working from home with kids I didn't get time to practice at all but I didn't actually get some of the calculations required. That has happened to me before on some questions and I've passed - but I found that on many more questions this time. Maybe this was a lack of practice but I don't think so.
It's awful to have such a barrier to getting forward.

quad_red · 03-06-2020 11:34am

https://imgur.com/bxyMEyh

I got the error below constantly the last few days. I did all 3 exams last night when I finally got in. Wanted to go in today to double check everything was done but just keeping getting that error.

On chrome, IE, firefox and edge. On my personal laptop (pc), my friend's imac and a HP laptop. On my wifi and tethered to 4G. With cookies cleared. In incognito mode.

Wtf is wrong with that site?

Can other people log into it after they complete the tests?

Did you get an email confirming all the tests were done? ( edit: i see that's been answered above )

Anonire · 03-06-2020 11:34am

I didn't notice the questions in the sj that put some off maybe I wasn't paying enough attention. I just found 100 questions to be so long.

NEW 2020 Assistant Principal Officer Competition

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