Higher Executive Officer in the Civil Service - Exam Preparation

Hi All

As a pro at sitting these exams and failing !!! has anyone any hints or tips to the secret of passing these ?

there have been over 4000 applications for 6 HEO positions and 3 AP positions. So don't be disappointed over any results is one important thing to remember. The other one is to use your time wisely in there. None of the maths questions are really hard...but if you let yourself get tied down with them you won't get them all done.

If they're using standard SATs (Scholastic Aptitude Tests), have a look at http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/prep_one/prep_one.html. What legend99 says about watching your time allocation is crucial — many candidates don't finish all the sections/questions, which is instant death to your score...

This is the most depressing post I've ever read. I really thought I had a chance of getting one of them jobs and out of here!
Think I'll be taking an €8 an hour job like your man on the other thread.

pricilla said:

This is the most depressing post I've ever read. I really thought I had a chance of getting one of them jobs and out of here!

Click to expand...

And just to make it worse, think of how many of those 4,000 applicants are serving EOs going for the HEO and HEOs going for the AP, all who would have already sat and passed similar exams (and the interviews)!

Sample Standard Question from the Mathematics subtest:

Three Civil Servants of equivalent grade and seniority are competing for a single promotional post. What is the probability of any one of them securing the promotion?

A. 0%
B. 33.3%
C. 50%
D. No, no, of course take it again, Councillor/Minister — it's obviously a faulty golf tee..!

[Disclaimer: this purely fictional question refers to no particular Civil Service/Councillor/Minister, and any resemblance to such entities living or dead is entirely unintentional...]

Thanks guys for the responses. I am a serving EO actually and have gone for this exam twice before (got promoted from CO to EO by 2 competitive interviews - internal ), never passed, although I have a third level qualification, just cant manage to pass these blasted things !

I read in a recent Union magazine about the quota of 6 posts, so i reckon genius aptitudes are necessary to get even near the front door !!!, to be honest, for my own self worth I would just like to pass it, so i dont end of feeling like a complete Homer Simpson, each time the post man drops the dreaded results in the door........... If I pass the maths in one exam, i fail the job sim, or verbal....then visa versa !! doh !!!!!!!!!!!

legend99 said:

there have been over 4000 applications for 6 HEO positions and 3 AP positions. So don't be disappointed over any results is one important thing to remember. The other one is to use your time wisely in there. None of the maths questions are really hard...but if you let yourself get tied down with them you won't get them all done.

Click to expand...

Actually some of the Maths questions are quite hard. Normally about 5. feel that the real test of the test if you like is to know to not get bogged down on them!

Did those exams a few years ago. Did OK but think I fell down on the job simulation questions in the end. Practice makes perfect. Use the practice booklets and try doing them in the time frame that you will have on the day (x mins/secs per Q). Can't remember the average time per Question in the exams but it's pretty short - I thought there would be a lot less questions to answer in the given time. Hard to get the right balance between speed and accuracy!
On a more positive note all the practice must've paid off because I'm now in the final processing stage to get a job as a statistician from a "competition" I applied for almost 2 years ago!

What drives me nuts about these exams is that a good manager only needs to be ok at maths, but the job simulation should count for more. A good mathematician could be a lousey manager. The weighting of the 3 tests is really outdated.

And you don't have to get all the maths done, there is a cut-off number, about 15 out of 30.. ...

Did you hear anything back yet?

wexford said:

What drives me nuts about these exams is that a good manager only needs to be ok at maths, but the job simulation should count for more. A good mathematician could be a lousey manager. The weighting of the 3 tests is really outdated.

And you don't have to get all the maths done, there is a cut-off number, about 15 out of 30.. ...

Click to expand...

I thought the weighting of the HEO tests didn't even include maths. I'm 100% certain of this with the EO exams, where so long as you meet the minimum standard, your maths score is not used in calculating your panel position. 15 out 35 is all thats required at EO level.

The job simulation and verbal reasoning ones do count for your "order of merit" position and are far more important.

Also they no longer have negative marking on the maths round, so if all else fails tick furiously.

Its at stage two that you get your chance to go on about your managerial ability.