Coping with assessment centres

What assessment centres are designed to do

Assessment centres generally last one or two days and consist of a range of assessment exercises, such as group interviews, psychometric tests, role-plays and panel interviews. These exercises are designed to test you, to see how you perform in certain tasks, and whether you have the skills required to do the job. The tests are usually held on employers' premises or in a conference centre and are considered by many employers to be the fairest method of selecting staff. This is because a number of different selectors get to see you over a longer period of time and have the chance to see what you can do, rather than what you say you can do, in a variety of situations.

More about the different elements

Assessment centres can vary greatly in design, but often consist of some of the following elements:

group exercises
- these are designed to test your ability to work as part of a team, and to see whether you are a more of a leader or a follower. You will be given a group task to perform within a set amount of time, and this task may encourage competitiveness or co-operation
role play
- how would you deal with an unhappy patient, or a difficult colleague, if you were actually doing the job you are applying for? This will usually be about seeing how you respond in a stressful or awkward situation - and showing you can think under pressure
presentations
- you may need to make a short presentation. Few of us enjoy public speaking but it is a useful skill that can be learnt. It can help to make very brief notes that you can refer to during the talk, and you should be given enough time to prepare.

As well as the tests themselves, the assessment centre will also usually include:

information sessions
- where you will learn more about the NHS and the roles available. Listen carefully, as the information provided is likely to be more up to date than any research you may have done previously.
social events
- there may also be some kind of social element, where you will get to meet the other candidates and the selectors, and possibly also recent graduates and senior management. Although this may appear to be a more informal part of the day, you should still behave in a way that reflects well on you. That means not drinking too much or being overly forceful in your views.

How to prepare

Think about the skills asked for in the 'person specification' for the job - or discussed in the initial interview, if you have already had one. Every test, exercise and interview will be matching you against those criteria, and will be designed to measure whether you have the required skills and behaviours to do the job. Dress as you would for an interview and arrive in plenty of time.

"Before going to an NHS assessment centre, my advice would be to try and get some understanding of the scope of the work and the issues affecting the NHS at the current time. This will help you to prepare by giving you an insight into the culture and an appreciation of the pressures and decisions affecting the service."

Alan Simmons, NHS Careers Consultant

An assessment centre is really a chance for the employer to find out more about you and what you can do. It is also a chance for you to find out more about the NHS and whether you are suited to the job. So relax, do your best, enjoy it and learn from the experience.

You may also like to read our articles on 'Managing the interview' and 'Developing a career plan'.