HMRC Tax Specialist Programme (TSP) 2018

I think it's understandable to feel a sense of anger when you've invested time in a thing and it doesn't go the way you wanted it. I personally think it's best in these circumstances to take a step back and evaluate where and why things went wrong. Perhaps seek the advice of a third-party, someone impartial.

For what they're worth, these are my thoughts:

I think of all the sifting tests in the CS application process, the SJT is probably the one which derives the most 'honest', 'representative' results. It's not something you can really prep for in the same way you can for the verbal and numerical reasoning tests. It's directly testing the way you are most likely to conduct yourself on a day-to-day basis in a workplace setting. The skills it's testing are those you've acquired over your lifetime, over a multitude of complex settings: your ability to read people, to empathize, to persuade, to read situations, to motivate, to prioritize and so on and so forth. These skills are very subtle; people are rarely self-aware of, and even less likely to self-evaluate (indeed, it's difficult) their strengths and deficiencies in these areas.

Now, you say you are an approachable and helpful and well respected person at work. I don't doubt that you think you are all that.

However, my immediate impressions of you, from your posts, is that you might be a bit narcissistic (you probably think you are a 'confident'. And, I'm sorry to say, I am not surprised you didn't do well in the SJT.

I think you should be cautious making such extreme comparisons in your perceived worth of the numerical/verbal tests and the SJT, as if to suggest that lower scores in the former is an indication of intelligence, whereas high scores in the latter is simply luck (and low scores therefore also something to dismiss as just 'bad luck'. To me, this indicates you're quick to adopt a contemptuous attitude to things you are not immediately good at. It's quite juvenile. It's classic cognitive dissonance.

You are probably intelligent IN SOME WAYS. But I would also point out that some of the logic that you have employed in your other comments, such as this:

'If you read previous posts, people previously scored very high in the SJT and the following year very low - this clearly shows that getting a good score in the SJT is based on luck.'

'Therefore, I know for certain that the SJT is not a good indicator of of what it sets out to achieve.'

Also makes me doubt that your verbal reasoning score of 99% is truly representative of your logical faculties.

I would personally advise that you take a step back from this. And then: genuinely and honestly consider your overall behavior, not just in the workplace, but towards your family, your friends etc. Maybe read your posts again tomorrow morning after a night of contemplation. Invest in some SJ practice tests, or try some free ones, and read the explanations given. Perhaps even invest in a self-improvement book (see something like 'The Chimp Paradox'.

You stated - 'I think of all the sifting tests in the CS application process, the SJT is probably the one which derives the most 'honest', 'representative' results. It's not something you can really prep for in the same way you can for the verbal and numerical reasoning tests. It's directly testing the way you are most likely to conduct yourself on a day-to-day basis in a workplace setting. The skills it's testing are those you've acquired over your lifetime, over a multitude of complex settings: your ability to read people, to empathize, to persuade, to read situations, to motivate, to prioritize and so on and so forth. These skills are very subtle; people are rarely self-aware of, and even less likely to self-evaluate (indeed, it's difficult) their strengths and deficiencies in these areas.'

Surely you don't believe this based on some hypothetical situations with ambiguous responses condensed down to about thirty minutes.

Surely the SJT says nothing about a person - more of the cutting down should happen following the verbal and numerical tests and scrap the SJT - the top performers in these tests should get an interview where an interviewer can actually talk to you about your actual experiences and find out 1000 times more about you then they ever could from the SJT.

I'll say again - I perform very well at work. have always been a top performer and have always excelled in team situations etc so I know for certain that the SJT is not representative of me in any way.

Got through to the second stage, must have scraped it. Done a video interview before for the fast stream, not thrilled to be doing it again but it's a necessary evil and hopefully if we can get through to the AC and score reasonably well we'll hopefully be put on a reserve list for an O role, onwards and upwards!

It is definitely really close then as our sift scores only differ by 1 mark and we got the same score on the numerical test.

Does your status on Civil Service Jobs still say "scheduled for 1st interview"? I am hoping they haven't forgotten to update me!

A colleague got 61% and went through, just for those working out the percentage needed x

Are you sure? I got 62% and didn't get through.

It may not have been a straightforward percentage cutoff - they may have looked at scores in previous tests, or certain competencies when deciding.

Sorry to hear you weren't selected :-(

Are you sure? I got 62% and didn't get through.

Anyone who has done the fast stream civil service video interview how was it like?

I have done it before and passed. My AC is on Tuesday for the Fast Stream. You get 8 questions have 30 seconds of prep time at the beginning of each question then the camera starts rolling straight. You can’t rerecord the answers but can redo the practice question as many times as you want to get a hang of the process. Not sure if it will be anything similar.