Civil Service Fast Stream 2024 - Applicants thread

I got my feedback for numerical test:

'Your responses to the Numerical test demonstrated a good capability to successfully perform calculations, and evaluate and interpret numerical information to solve problems. In this respect your performance on this assessment is higher than the majority of people who previously took the test'

Is this the best feedback one can receive?

Reply 81

FishkillFun

6

Original post by 1604

I got my feedback for numerical test:

'Your responses to the Numerical test demonstrated a good capability to successfully perform calculations, and evaluate and interpret numerical information to solve problems. In this respect your performance on this assessment is higher than the majority of people who previously took the test'

Is this the best feedback one can receive?

I believe so.

Reply 82

Mariscan

3

Could you please advise what are the least popular options? Thinking to apply and want to increase my chances by choosing the least competitive ones. Cheers

Reply 83

FishkillFun

6

Original post by Mariscan

Could you please advise what are the least popular options? Thinking to apply and want to increase my chances by choosing the least competitive ones. Cheers

If you’re interested in the least competitive schemes, you need to consider the number of vacancies, as well as the number of applicants. I don’t have the information to hand, but it was possible last year to find the exact number of vacancies per scheme.

Houses of Parliament and Diplomatic and Development are invariably the most competitive, as these only have a few vacancies each year.

If you are appropriately qualified, the schemes with specific prerequisites (STEM degree, research background, etc.) are often less competitive. Note that this does not apply to Government Policy STEM, as this is not a separate scheme to Government Policy - they are just interested in monitoring the proportion of applicants with STEM backgrounds.

(edited 6 months ago)

Reply 84

1604

12

Original post by Mariscan

Could you please advise what are the least popular options? Thinking to apply and want to increase my chances by choosing the least competitive ones. Cheers

Think the economist stream is easiest

Reply 85

ThatOldGuy

19

Original post by 1604

Think the economist stream is easiest

If you have a degree in Economics, definitely.

Reply 86

LegalTom

20

I have a question and hope someone can help me out: I don’t have to take the online assessments because I interned at the civil service this year, got the fast pass and am automatically progressed to the final stage. However, I was wondering what happens to my choices. Do I sit an assessment centre for all my choices or are my four choices decided by a bench mark and whittled down to one choice before my assessment centre?

(edited 6 months ago)

Reply 87

FishkillFun

6

Original post by LegalTom

I have a question and hope someone can help me out: I don’t have to take the online assessments because I interned at the civil service this year, got the fast pass and am automatically progressed to the final stage. However, I was wondering what happens to my choices. Do I sit an assessment centre for all my choices or are my four choices decided by a bench mark and whittled down to one choice before my assessment centre?

As I understand it, you are regarded as having passed the online tests for all of the schemes you applied to. That means that you can be in the running for up to four when you go to the FSAC. If your first preference scheme doesn’t have a final selection stage, this essentially means that you only need to complete the FSAC and you could get a place on your first preference scheme, automatically withdrawing you from the others. If your first preference scheme does have a final selection stage, you could be considered for various schemes in parallel, but if you do well enough in your first preference, you will still be withdrawn from the others - even if you do well enough to be offered a place on them.

(edited 6 months ago)

Reply 88

elisaxgarcia122

10

Hey!I was wondering if i apply for the SIP and get in would I the be allowed to start the faststream straight after?Thanks :smile:

Reply 89

FishkillFun

6

Original post by elisaxgarcia122

Hey!I was wondering if i apply for the SIP and get in would I the be allowed to start the faststream straight after?Thanks :smile:

As far as I know, it is not possible to complete an internship and the Fast Stream in the same year.

Reply 90

Mariscan

3

Thank you for your reply!

Original post by FishkillFun

If you’re interested in the least competitive schemes, you need to consider the number of vacancies, as well as the number of applicants. I don’t have the information to hand, but it was possible last year to find the exact number of vacancies per scheme.

Houses of Parliament and Diplomatic and Development are invariably the most competitive, as these only have a few vacancies each year.

If you are appropriately qualified, the schemes with specific prerequisites (STEM degree, research background, etc.) are often less competitive. Note that this does not apply to Government Policy STEM, as this is not a separate scheme to Government Policy - they are just interested in monitoring the proportion of applicants with STEM backgrounds.

Reply 91

FriedFish

14

Original post by FishkillFun

As far as I know, it is not possible to complete an internship and the Fast Stream in the same year.

Yes, as the other fish said, you will be withdrawn from the internship if you are successful on the fast stream. In practice though... civil service administration may not be all that efficient. I declined my internship place but continued to receive emails and inside info even after I emailed HR

Reply 92

elisaxgarcia122

10

Original post by FishkillFun

As far as I know, it is not possible to complete an internship and the Fast Stream in the same year.

Ok!Thank you :smile:

Reply 93

Shibaken

5

I only put 2 stream preferences on my application, the first being Diplomatic and the second HR. I wasn’t really sure about the other streams as I don’t have STEM or economic knowledge so I didn’t put them down, but now I kind of regret it after hearing how competitive the Diplomatic one is. How competitive is HR?

Reply 94

FishkillFun

6

Original post by Shibaken

I only put 2 stream preferences on my application, the first being Diplomatic and the second HR. I wasn’t really sure about the other streams as I don’t have STEM or economic knowledge so I didn’t put them down, but now I kind of regret it after hearing how competitive the Diplomatic one is. How competitive is HR?

Based on recruitment data up to 2021, it’s certainly not the least competitive, with a success rate in the range of 0.9-1.6%. That’s consistently below average, but not by much.

The average success rate has typically been skewed upwards by schemes with a large number of vacancies (generalist) and/or abnormally high success rate (statistical service).

As such, HR usually sits well within the normal range when it comes to competitiveness.

For comparison, HoP and Diplomatic have success rates of around 0.1% and 0.2% respectively.

One caveat: as the generalist scheme had a consistently high success rate and relatively large number of vacancies, it is difficult to predict the impact of its replacement on the competitiveness of other schemes.

(edited 6 months ago)

Reply 95

Shibaken

5

Original post by FishkillFun

Based on recruitment data up to 2021, it’s certainly not the least competitive, with a success rate in the range of 0.9-1.6%. That’s consistently below average, but not by much.

The average success rate has typically been skewed upwards by schemes with a large number of vacancies (generalist) and/or abnormally high success rate (statistical service).

As such, HR usually sits well within the normal range when it comes to competitiveness.

For comparison, HoP and Diplomatic have success rates of around 0.1% and 0.2% respectively.

One caveat: as the generalist scheme had a consistently high success rate and relatively large number of vacancies, it is difficult to predict the impact of its replacement on the competitiveness of other schemes.

Thanks for the great reply! :smile:

Reply 96

ThatOldGuy

19

Original post by Shibaken

I only put 2 stream preferences on my application, the first being Diplomatic and the second HR. I wasn’t really sure about the other streams as I don’t have STEM or economic knowledge so I didn’t put them down, but now I kind of regret it after hearing how competitive the Diplomatic one is. How competitive is HR?

They're all pretty competitive, since only 1.8% of people who apply get work. That means you've got to be better than 55 other people to get a place(on average). The least competitive are the mathy ones, like Statistics and Economics where it's around 7-9% get accepted. The least competitive is Houses of Parliament, where you have to beat out 999 other people to get the spot. Diplomatic is about 1/333.

HR isn't the most or least competitive.

Reply 97

elisaxgarcia122

10

Hey!what were the questions like & how can I prepare ?

Original post by 1604

I got my feedback for numerical test:

'Your responses to the Numerical test demonstrated a good capability to successfully perform calculations, and evaluate and interpret numerical information to solve problems. In this respect your performance on this assessment is higher than the majority of people who previously took the test'

Is this the best feedback one can receive?

Reply 98

ThatOldGuy

19

Original post by elisaxgarcia122

Hey!what were the questions like & how can I prepare ?

So we can't tell you the questions themselves, since that would go against what we agreed to when we signed up for it and we could get booted off if we did so. But you can do a search online for practice tests for the civil service and they'll help you.

Reply 99

Arrabbiata

5

Original post by JMR2021_

Just be wary that if you put Houses of Parliament or Diplomatic anything other than your first choice, then you won't get them (simply because they are the most competitive ones)

Ah I was really interested in Houses of Parliament but thought I had a better chance at govt. policy STEM so put it first, I should have checked :/
I applied thinking I wont get very far, I know the civil service is the biggest graduate employer but looking at the numbers now its still tiny (4 vacancies for parliament and 13k applicants!), most probably reserved for the Eton->Oxbridge grads.
Does anyone know much about the future prospects for operational delivery or government policy paths? Policy seems to line up with my degree well and operational delivery gives some certifications that seem useful so I picked them, but I'm worried since they're new schemes that it'll just be a mickey mouse course.

The maths seemed really easy, I was worried since it said the next question would be easier if you get one wrong and they were all GCSE level percentage or ratio questions but I apparently got higher than the majority. The situational judgement one was really hard for me though, seems really strict about whats ineffective or only partly effective and theres no feedback released.

(edited 6 months ago)

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