UK Civil Service Online Tests: What Each Test Involves and How to Prepare

When you apply for a UK Civil Service job, the advert may ask you to take one or more online tests before the interview. GOV.UK lists eight commonly used tests, from verbal and numerical reasoning to judgement, strengths and casework tests, and you take them through your Civil Service Jobs application centre.

This page explains what each test asks you to do, which ones are timed, how scores and pass marks work, when a pass can be reused and how to prepare. Every fact comes from GOV.UK's own guidance for each test, linked below.

Civil Service Tests at a Glance

Which tests?	Eight are in common use. The job advert says which ones apply, and the scenarios match the level of the job.
Are they timed?	Mostly not. Only the third part of the Customer Service Skills Test and of the Casework Skills Test has a limit, 10 minutes. GOV.UK still suggests allowing at least an hour per test.
How are they scored?	As a percentile against other applicants who took the same test. The recruiter sets the pass mark for the job and can raise it after the deadline.
Can a pass be reused?	For most tests, yes: a pass is banked for six months for jobs in the same grade grouping.
Free practice?	Yes. GOV.UK links a free, unscored practice test for each of the eight tests.

The 8 Civil Service Online Tests

The table follows GOV.UK's list. Each test name links to its official guidance; the practice link opens the free official practice test.

Test	Who takes it	What you do	Time
Civil Service Verbal TestFree practice	Any role whose advert lists it	Read a passage, then decide whether a statement is true, false or cannot say. Adaptive.	Untimed; most people take 15 to 45 minutes
Civil Service Numerical TestFree practice	Any role whose advert lists it	Read a graph or table, then pick the right answer from several options. Adaptive.	Untimed; most people take 15 to 45 minutes
Civil Service Judgement TestFree practice	Roles from AA to Grade 7 whose advert lists it; scenarios match the job level	Rate your own ambition, motivation and flexibility, then rate four actions per workplace scenario from Counterproductive to Effective.	Untimed; two to four minutes per scenario
Civil Service Management Judgement TestFree practice	Roles from Executive Officer to Senior Executive Officer that need it	15 management scenarios: choose the action you would be most likely and least likely to take.	Untimed; two to four minutes per scenario
Civil Service Work Strengths TestFree practice	Any role whose advert lists it; strengths differ by grade	Three parts: rate statements about yourself, rate actions in 10 scenarios, then pick most and least likely actions in 5 more.	Untimed; allow at least an hour
Civil Service Styles AssessmentFree practice	Any role whose advert lists it	276 pairs of statements: choose which one is more like you, and by how much.	Untimed; usually 45 minutes to an hour
Customer Service Skills TestFree practice	Customer service roles at AA/AO and EO	Three parts: answer customer messages, rate actions in 6 scenarios, then a timed numerical and data-checking section.	Parts 1 and 2 untimed; part 3 is 10 minutes
Casework Skills TestFree practice	Casework roles at AO and EO	Three parts: judge statements about case papers, rate actions in 6 scenarios, then a timed section checking or entering case details.	Parts 1 and 2 untimed; part 3 is 10 minutes

The Civil Service Verbal and Numerical Tests

In the Verbal Test you read a passage and then a statement about it, and decide whether the statement is true, false or cannot say, based only on the passage. In the Numerical Test you read a graph, a table or other figures and choose the right answer from several options. GOV.UK suggests having a calculator, rough paper and a pen ready.

Both tests are adaptive: a right answer may lead to a harder question and a wrong one to an easier question. That is why the length varies from person to person and is usually shorter than a fixed test. Your score reflects how many questions you answered and how hard they were, and a few unscored trial questions are mixed in.

Neither test is timed. Most people take 15 to 45 minutes each, and GOV.UK suggests allowing at least an hour. Because the questions adapt, don't worry if they feel harder as you go: it usually means you are doing well.

The Civil Service Judgement Test (CSJT)

The Judgement Test has two parts. First comes a self-assessment: you rate how ambitious, motivated and flexible you are at work. It is 15% of your overall score, and GOV.UK advises answering honestly because you may be asked about it at interview.

Then come workplace scenarios on the behaviours chosen as important for the job, three scenarios per behaviour. Scenarios for three of the behaviours are short videos (with subtitles, British Sign Language and transcripts); the rest are text. Each scenario has four possible actions, and you rate each one on its own:

Counterproductive: an unacceptable action that would make the situation worse.
Ineffective: a poor action that would not help the situation.
Fairly Effective: a useful action that would be of some help.
Effective: a good action that would help to resolve the situation.

You can give the same rating to more than one action, so two actions can both be Effective. The test is untimed; most people take two to four minutes per scenario. If you close the browser you can reopen where you left off, but only twice, and you can launch the test three times in total.

Looking for answers? Read why there are no official Civil Service Judgement Test answers and how to reason through each rating instead.

The behaviours come from the nine Civil Service Behaviours in the Success Profiles framework: Seeing the big picture; Changing and improving; Making effective decisions; Leadership; Communicating and influencing; Working together; Developing self and others; Managing a quality service; Delivering at pace. The job advert names the ones that matter for the role, so read it before the test. Our Civil Service Behaviours guide explains what each one asks for at your grade.

The Civil Service Management Judgement Test

This test is for jobs from Executive Officer to Senior Executive Officer level that involve managing people. It has 15 scenarios, some on video and some in text, each with four actions. Instead of rating every action, you choose the one you would be most likely to take and the one you would be least likely to take.

GOV.UK names five aspects of behaviour it measures: Collaborative, Decisive, Empathetic, Confident, Agile. It is untimed (two to four minutes per scenario), and unlike most other tests its result is not banked for later applications.

The Civil Service Work Strengths Test

The Work Strengths Test looks at what you do regularly, what you do well and what motivates you. It has three parts:

Statements about your typical behaviour and preferences at work, rated from “very strongly agree” to “very strongly disagree”.
10 workplace scenarios, each with four actions rated from Counterproductive to Effective, as in the Judgement Test.
5 scenarios where you choose the action you would be most likely and least likely to take.

The strengths measured depend on the grade of the job:

Administrative to Executive Officer

Analytical/Problem Solver
Relationship Builder/Team Player
Adaptable/Explainer
Organiser/Decisive
Service Focussed/Focussed

Higher Executive Officer to SCS 1

Analytical/Problem Solver
Relationship Builder/Team Leader
Adaptable/Resilient
Explainer/Influencer
Organiser/Strategic

The Civil Service Styles Assessment

The Styles Assessment is a self-assessment of how effective your work behaviours are, measured against the Civil Service Behaviours. It shows 276 pairs of statements. For each pair you choose which statement is more like you, and by how much, on a scale between the two. You can go back and change answers until you submit. It is untimed and usually takes 45 minutes to an hour.

One warning matters: GOV.UK says random responding or overusing the middle option can stop a score being produced, and you may then be asked to take it again, up to three attempts. Give each pair a real answer and use the whole scale.

The Customer Service Skills and Casework Skills Tests

These two tests are for operational roles. Both have three parts, and only the third part is timed.

Customer Service Skills Test

Customer service roles at AA/AO and EO

Customer queries: choose one of three replies, then reply to the customer's next message from three more.
6 customer service scenarios: rate four actions each from Counterproductive to Effective.
10 minutes of numerical and data-checking questions, answered quickly and accurately.

Casework Skills Test

Casework roles at AO and EO

Case papers such as emails, letters and colleague messages: judge statements as definitely or probably true or false, or cannot say.
6 casework scenarios: rate four actions each from Counterproductive to Effective.
10 minutes checking or entering case details such as addresses, account numbers and dates.

Scores, Pass Marks and Banked Results

Every test gives a percentile: your result compared with a representative group of applicants who took the same test. A percentile of 44 means you did better than 44% of that group. Each job level has a minimum standard, but the recruiter sets the final pass mark after the deadline and can raise it, taking into account how many candidates the next stage can take. You are told whether you passed at the final level, and passing does not guarantee an invitation to the next stage.

For the Verbal, Numerical, Work Strengths and Customer Service tests, a pass is banked for six months and reused for jobs in the same grade grouping: AA and AO; EO; HEO and SEO; Grade 7, Grade 6 and SCS 1. Banked scores never move from one test to another, and the Management Judgement Test is not banked. A Styles Assessment score is banked for jobs at the same grade.

After a test you get your score and an automatically generated feedback report in your application centre, but no feedback on individual questions. If you don't pass, you can take the test again in a future application. Hiring managers may also ask candidates invited to interview to retake a test under supervised conditions.

What About the Fast Stream?

The Civil Service Fast Stream graduate programme has its own online stage: a work-based scenarios test and a case study assessment, both untimed. They are separate from the eight tests above, and the Fast Stream online tests page sets out the current format and dates.

How to Prepare for the Civil Service Online Tests

Read the job advert. It says which tests are used and which behaviours matter, and behaviours are often assessed again at interview.
Take the free official practice tests for the tests you will sit (links in the table above). They are unscored but show the real interface.
For the Verbal Test, answer only from the passage. “Cannot say” is right when the passage does not settle the statement, even if you know the answer from elsewhere.
For the Numerical Test, keep a calculator and paper ready, and check which part of the table or graph the question uses before you calculate.
For the judgement scenarios, rate each action on its own. Ask whether it would make the situation worse, not help, help a little or resolve it, and use the same rating twice when it fits.
For the self-assessments, answer honestly and use the whole scale. You may be asked about your answers at interview, and in the Styles Assessment overusing the middle option can cost you a score.
For the timed part 3 of the Customer Service and Casework tests, check characters one by one: accuracy counts as much as speed.
Plan an uninterrupted hour per test on a laptop with a stable connection, well before the deadline.

If you need a reasonable adjustment, such as more time, read GOV.UK's candidate guide to reasonable adjustments for online tests before you start.

Want more practice than the official tests?

GOV.UK's practice tests are short and unscored. Candidate Falcon has Civil Service-style practice for all eight tests, with original passages and scenarios, a review after every run and the 10-minute clock on the timed parts. It is independent practice, not the real tests, and not affiliated with the UK Civil Service.

Explore Civil Service practice

Interview next?

Civil Service interviews often ask about behaviours and strengths too (see our behaviours guide with STAR examples and example interview questions). Candidate Falcon's one-way video interview practice lets you rehearse timed, recorded answers and get feedback on what you said. It is general interview practice, not a Civil Service simulation, and Candidate Falcon is not affiliated with the UK Civil Service.

Explore video interview practice

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the Civil Service online tests?

They are the online tests the UK Civil Service uses in recruitment. GOV.UK lists eight commonly used tests: the Verbal Test, Numerical Test, Judgement Test, Management Judgement Test, Work Strengths Test, Styles Assessment, Customer Service Skills Test and Casework Skills Test. You take them through your Civil Service Jobs application centre after an email invitation.

Which Civil Service test will I have to take?

It depends on the job: the advert says whether a test is used, and the scenarios match the job level. The Judgement Test is used for roles up to Grade 7, the Management Judgement Test for roles from Executive Officer to Senior Executive Officer, the Customer Service Skills Test for customer service roles at AA/AO and EO, and the Casework Skills Test for casework roles at AO and EO.

Are the Civil Service tests timed?

Most are not. GOV.UK says the Verbal, Numerical, Judgement, Management Judgement, Work Strengths and Styles tests are untimed, though it suggests allowing at least an hour. The exception is the third part of the Customer Service Skills Test and of the Casework Skills Test, which has a 10-minute limit.

How are the Civil Service tests scored, and what is the pass mark?

Your score is a percentile: it compares you with a representative group of applicants who took the same test, so 44 means you did better than 44% of them. Each job level has a minimum standard, and after the deadline the recruiter can raise the pass mark. You are told whether you passed at the final level. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee the next stage.

How does the Civil Service Judgement Test work?

It starts with a self-assessment, where you rate how ambitious, motivated and flexible you are at work; this is 15% of the score. Then you see workplace scenarios, three for each behaviour chosen for the job, and rate four actions per scenario as Counterproductive, Ineffective, Fairly Effective or Effective. You can give the same rating more than once. It is untimed.

Can I reuse a Civil Service test result?

Often, yes. For the Verbal, Numerical, Work Strengths and Customer Service tests, GOV.UK says a pass is banked for six months and reused for jobs in the same grade grouping (AA and AO; EO; HEO and SEO; Grade 7, Grade 6 and SCS 1). A Styles Assessment score is banked for jobs at the same grade. Banking does not apply to the Management Judgement Test, and banked scores never transfer between tests.

Can I retake a Civil Service test if I fail?

Yes, in a future application. If you do not meet the standard, you can take the test again when you apply for another job. Separately, hiring managers may ask candidates invited to interview to retake a test under supervised conditions, so your result should reflect what you can really do.

Where can I practise the Civil Service tests for free?

GOV.UK links a free, unscored practice test for each of the eight tests, plus a guidance page and a short video for each. They show the real look and feel, so try the ones listed in your job advert before you start the real test.

Does Candidate Falcon offer Civil Service practice tests?

Yes. Candidate Falcon has independent Civil Service-style practice for all eight tests, in its games plans. The formats follow GOV.UK’s guidance; every passage, table, scenario and scoring key is Candidate Falcon’s own, and a practice result is not a Civil Service percentile.

Related Resources

Civil Service grades: The seven grades from AA to SCS, with roles, pay and the tests at each.
Civil Service personal statement guide: How to write it, with a full example and the rules on AI.
Civil Service Behaviours guide: The 9 behaviours by grade, with example questions and STAR answers.
Situational strengths test vs situational judgement test: How the Civil Service rating scale compares with other judgement tests.
Cappfinity assessment guide: Numerical and strengths tests used by many UK graduate employers.
All free guides: Guides for other assessments and video interview platforms.

Sources: GOV.UK guidance on the Civil Service online tests, selecting online tests, the Verbal and Numerical tests, the Judgement Test, the Management Judgement Test, the Work Strengths Test, the Styles Assessment, the Customer Service Skills Test, the Casework Skills Test and the Civil Service Behaviours, checked 29 October 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Candidate Falcon is independent and is not affiliated with the UK Civil Service, Civil Service Jobs or the Government People Group.