Fast Stream Tests key terms

A graduate entry programme into the UK Civil Service that recruits people onto a range of specialist and generalist schemes and develops them towards senior leadership roles over several years.

The Civil Service framework for assessing people, built from five elements: behaviours, strengths, ability, experience and technical. Recruiters pick whichever elements fit the role being filled.

One of nine named Civil Service behaviours, such as Making Effective Decisions or Working Together, that describe how work should be done and are used as scored assessment criteria.

A way of structuring an answer about past experience by setting out the Situation you faced, the Task required, the Action you took and the Result achieved, so the evidence is complete and easy to follow.

The rules a candidate must satisfy to apply, such as nationality or right to work, degree classification, and any scheme-specific requirements like a relevant degree subject.

The choice a candidate makes between the Fast Stream's different schemes, such as generalist, economist or digital, which shapes later assessment and where they are posted.

A practice in which identifying details are removed from an application before it is reviewed, so assessors judge the written evidence alone and unconscious bias is reduced.

A short written part of the application form where the candidate explains their motivation for the role and gives evidence of their suitability in their own words.

Changes made to any stage of the process, such as extra time, a different test format or a quieter room, so a candidate with a disability or health condition is not disadvantaged.

Checks on identity, right to work, criminal record and employment history that must be passed before appointment. Some posts need higher levels, such as Security Check or Developed Vetting.

An online test presenting realistic work scenarios, each with several possible responses, in which the candidate judges which responses are most and least effective.

A timed online test of interpreting tables, charts, percentages and ratios under pressure, measuring how accurately the candidate draws conclusions from numerical data.

A timed online test in which the candidate reads short passages and decides whether given statements are true, false, or cannot be determined from the text provided.

A self-report online questionnaire asking how the candidate prefers to work and interact with others. It describes patterns of preference rather than testing knowledge or ability.

A sample version of an online test taken beforehand so the candidate can learn the format, instructions and pacing without the result counting towards their application.

The minimum result a candidate must reach on a test or exercise to progress, set in advance by judging the standard the role actually requires.

Scoring in which a candidate's result is compared with the results of a reference group, so the reported score shows relative standing rather than absolute performance.

A score expressed as the percentage of a comparison group who did worse, so the 80th percentile means the candidate outperformed 80 per cent of that group.

A fixed period within which a test section or exercise must be finished, after which answers are locked, so pacing and quick judgement matter as much as accuracy.

The measures that keep online tests fair and secure, such as personal test links, identity checks, and rules against copying questions or getting help from others.

A multi-exercise event where trained assessors watch candidates perform realistic work tasks across a day, then pool the evidence to judge overall suitability.

A task in which several candidates work together on a shared scenario while assessors watch how each person contributes, influences, listens and handles disagreement.

An exercise where the candidate reads a set of documents and writes a short, clear briefing or recommendation for a senior reader within a strict time limit.

An exercise requiring the candidate to study data or written material, identify the key issues and produce reasoned conclusions, advice or a recommended course of action.

A simulation of a manager's inbox in which the candidate must prioritise items, draft responses and decide what to delegate or escalate within a fixed time.

An exercise in which the candidate prepares and delivers a short spoken presentation on a set topic, then answers questions from the assessors about it.

An exercise where a trained role-player acts as a colleague, client or member of staff, and the candidate must handle the conversation as they would at work.

A trained person who observes candidates during exercises, records specific evidence of what they say and do, and later compares it with the agreed assessment criteria.

Specific observed examples of what a candidate actually did or said in an exercise, used as the basis for ratings instead of general impressions or self-descriptions.

A discussion held after the exercises in which assessors share the evidence they gathered, resolve disagreements and agree a rating for each candidate against each criterion.

A grid listing the criteria being assessed alongside descriptions of performance at each level, used so that every assessor applies the same standard to every candidate.

The last stage of the process, where a panel interviews shortlisted candidates, tests the earlier judgements and decides whether each candidate should be recommended for a place.

A structured interview run by several assessors who ask every candidate the same core questions and score the answers against agreed criteria before comparing notes.

An interview that asks what a candidate enjoys and does well, using rapid follow-up questions, to judge whether the activities of the role come naturally to them.

The senior panel member who leads the Final Selection Board, keeps questioning and scoring consistent across candidates, and signs off the final recommendation.

A quality check in which results from different boards or assessors are compared and adjusted where necessary, so that the same standard is applied to every candidate.

The ranking of candidates by assessed performance, used to decide who receives offers when the number of available places is smaller than the number of suitable candidates.

The process of matching successful candidates to a particular Fast Stream scheme and posting, taking account of performance, stated preferences and the needs of the business.

A request made after the outcome for information on how the candidate performed, usually given as a summary against the criteria rather than raw scores or assessor notes.