WSIB Plum Assessment: The Case Manager Hiring Process in 2026
Luca from Candidate Falcon
Editorial Team
You applied for a Case Manager role at Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), and a Plum assessment arrived a few days later. This guide explains what the Plum survey involves, what WSIB applicants report about the steps after it, what the 2026 hiring freeze means for your application, and how to prepare.
WSIB does not describe the Plum step on its careers pages, so we label every source: what WSIB says, what Plum says and what candidates report.
The short answer
- It is the Plum Discovery Survey, a roughly 25-minute online survey with preference questions, grid puzzles and workplace scenarios.
- Applicants report it as the first step after applying, usually within days, with a short window to complete it.
- It is not proctored and mostly asks about you. Candidates describe "a few logic questions" alongside the preference sections.
- Hiring was paused in 2026. Candidates and employees report a hiring freeze from February 2026, so long silences after Plum were common.
The role WSIB is hiring for
WSIB's Case Manager page says you need a university degree and at least two years of experience in case management, adjudication or customer service. Case managers are the main contact for injured people and employers, make entitlement decisions and manage return-to-work plans. New hires get formal training, mentorship and regular check-ins from day one.
Most of the Plum reports below come from Case Manager applicants, the role discussed most on r/OntarioWSIB.
Where Plum fits in WSIB's hiring process
Putting candidate reports together, the process looks like this:
- Online application on WSIB's careers site.
- Plum assessment. In March 2026, one applicant received it two days after applying; another had three days to complete it.
- A further assessment, for some. A Glassdoor review describes a scenario-based assessment with a written email resolving a conflict, counted at 40%.
- Panel interview. A Hamilton applicant on Glassdoor describes two operations managers and six questions in STAR format. A case manager hired five years ago remembers three interviewers, two customer service questions and one case management question.
- Training class. Successful candidates join a training group with a start date.
A commenter citing WSIB's website said the process can take up to 12 weeks.
What candidates say about the Plum assessment
From February and March 2026 threads on r/OntarioWSIB:
- "It's not hard, it's based on yourself." One applicant added that it took them a while.
- Not proctored, with a few logic questions, according to another.
- No update afterwards. Several applicants waited two to five weeks after Plum without news; one had heard it can take up to four weeks.
- The portal can change. Some saw their application marked "paused" after completing Plum; others still saw "Applied".
One candidate, interviewed in early 2025 without being sent Plum, received it on two later applications and concluded it means you are not being seriously considered. That is one person's reading, and nobody from WSIB confirmed it. A simpler explanation is that Plum is the standard first step for most applicants, while the later assessments and the interview are where shortlisting shows.
The 2026 hiring freeze
In March 2026, applicants reported an email confirming a hiring freeze at WSIB, with an April training group for external hires cancelled and postings marked as paused. In June 2026, a candidate wrote that the provincial hiring freeze announced in September 2025 had taken effect at WSIB in February 2026 and paused all hiring. Employees in the same thread expected little Case Manager hiring for the rest of 2026.
What that means for you:
- Silence after Plum was not necessarily a rejection. Many applicants completed Plum just before the pause.
- Your profile lasts a year. Plum allows a retake only a year after your last attempt, so a profile from early 2026 may still be on file if hiring reopens.
- Check WSIB's careers site for open postings before you plan your preparation around a date.
What is in the Plum assessment
The Plum Discovery Survey has five sections, and Plum's help center describes how you answer each one.
| Section | What you do | Right answers? |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Statements | Choose the statement most like you and the one least like you from each set | No |
| 2. Problem solving | Select the missing piece in a sequence of grids, from several options | Yes |
| 3. Adjectives | Choose the words most like you and least like you | No |
| 4. Problem solving | A second set of grid puzzles | Yes |
| 5. Scenarios | Choose the most and least effective response to a workplace situation | In part |
Plum says the survey is not timed and does not record how long you take, and you can pause and come back. Your answers become a profile on 10 Talents, such as Communication, Conflict Resolution and Decision Making, which WSIB compares with what it set for the role. For the full breakdown, read our Plum assessment guide.
How to prepare for the WSIB Plum assessment
- Do it within the window. Candidates report a deadline of a few days. The survey itself is not timed, so choose a quiet half hour.
- Practise grid-sequence puzzles. They are the "logic questions" and the only sections with a single right answer. Check one feature at a time: how many squares are shaded, where they are and which way they move.
- Think like a case manager in the scenarios. The best responses usually listen first, explain decisions clearly, follow policy and keep the claim moving. The worst avoid the person, blame someone or promise what you cannot deliver.
- Answer the statements honestly and consistently. Similar statements come back against different ones, so answering for effect tends to produce contradictions.
- Prepare STAR stories for the panel. Customer service under pressure, a difficult conversation, a decision you had to explain and how you manage a heavy caseload.
Practise the Plum formats
Candidate Falcon has independent Plum-style practice for every section: problem-solving puzzles with every rule explained, social intelligence scenarios, the statement and adjective sections with an estimated profile on the 10 Talents, and a full Discovery Survey run. Every puzzle, scenario and statement is our own, not Plum's or WSIB's, and practice results are not your Plum Profile. Playing them needs a plan that includes Plum; see pricing. Looking for answer packs? Read why no Plum answer key exists first.
FAQs
Does WSIB use Plum?
Case Manager applicants on r/OntarioWSIB and Glassdoor report a Plum assessment as the first step after applying, in 2025 and 2026. WSIB's careers pages do not name the provider.
Is the WSIB Plum assessment proctored?
Candidates say no. Plum's survey is completed online, it is not timed, and you can pause and come back before the deadline in your invitation.
How long after the Plum assessment does WSIB reply?
Candidates in early 2026 waited two to five weeks or more, partly because of the hiring freeze. A commenter cited WSIB's website saying the whole process can take up to 12 weeks.
Does getting the Plum assessment mean I am shortlisted?
No. Candidates report it is sent to most applicants soon after they apply. The further assessment and the panel interview are the steps that show you are progressing.
Sources
- WSIB: Case Manager (requirements and training; read 24 October 2026).
- Glassdoor WSIB interview review: Plum, then a panel interview with STAR questions (seen through search results, October 2026).
- Reddit, r/OntarioWSIB (individual reports, read October 2026): waiting after Plum and what it involves, February 2026, timelines and the hiring freeze email, March 2026, applications paused after Plum, March 2026 and the freeze in June 2026.
- Plum help center: Discovery Survey FAQs, the Plum Talents, retakes and how your profile is used.
Candidate Falcon is independent and not affiliated with WSIB, Plum, Phenom or any other company named here.
