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Fast Stream 2023 (Reinstated) applicants thread.

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Original post by Alex kore
its a new stream. Yes


ah okay thank you. what was your fourth choice last year when they didn't have generalist STEM?
Just Finished! Mine are:
WS1: 'A lot of alignment'
SJT: 'high range'
Num: Average
WS2: above average

slightly annoyed at the numerical, more because they gave me so many questions it ended up taking an entire hour lol
Generalist Stem has temporarily replaced DDaT and Cyber ,last minute decision
Original post by myturnnow
Generalist Stem has temporarily replaced DDaT and Cyber ,last minute decision


I heard that from someone else as well but it doesn't make sense. On their website it's still there as an option. I put DDAT first and Generalist STEM second on my application just now. where did you hear that they've replaced DDAT with the generalist STEM stream?
Reply 44
Hi if one has chosen the generalist scheme, is it compatible towards working for the Foreign Office ( which was my initial intent)?In my case chose only 2 schemes on the application and understand that to apply for the Diplomatic scheme, one had to be a UK resident for the last 5 years , which is not my case, so does it necessarily disqualify me if one wants to work for the UK abroad?Moreover it is mentioned that one can withdraw from a scheme, only before the assessment date is sent: does it mean if one is offered a job after the assessment test, it is impossible to refuse it?If anyone could reply to all of the above, it'd be greatThank you
Original post by cheesypastaa
ah okay thank you. what was your fourth choice last year when they didn't have generalist STEM?


last year i had totally different choices. as I hadn't started my postgrad degree
Original post by Alex kore
last year i had totally different choices. as I hadn't started my postgrad degree


how far did you get last time, if you don't mind sharin?. do you have anything you could share about your experience with the application process that could help anyone?
Reply 47
Just pressed ‘finish’ took me WAY longer than I expected!

WSQ1: ‘a lot of alignment’
SJT: ‘above average’
Numerical: ‘higher than the majority’
WSQ2: ‘above average’

For those who haven’t taken the tests yet - tests were fine in terms of difficulty although numerical went on for a while - good luck to all applicants!
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by Whfmc
Just pressed ‘finish’ took me WAY longer than I expected!

WSQ1: ‘a lot of alignment’
SJT: ‘above average’
Numerical: ‘higher than the majority’
WSQ2: ‘above average’

For those who haven’t taken the tests yet - tests were fine in terms of difficulty although numerical went on for a while - good luck to all applicants!


Did you take any practice tests? I’m pretty dumb lol
Original post by cheesypastaa
I heard that from someone else as well but it doesn't make sense. On their website it's still there as an option. I put DDAT first and Generalist STEM second on my application just now. where did you hear that they've replaced DDAT with the generalist STEM stream?

We had an internal communication but apparently it wasn't quite right 😆
Original post by myturnnow
We had an internal communication but apparently it wasn't quite right 😆


oh 😂😂😂 so it's not replacing it? and if you don't me asking, what do you do in the civil service? are you applying to the fast stream this year?
Reply 51
Original post by Wooord!
Did you take any practice tests? I’m pretty dumb lol


I’ll be honest - I didn’t because I just wanted to get them done.
I just did the practice questions before each test and went from there. They go through the answers of the practice questions so it’s a good indicator. I wouldn’t worry about it though - just try your best.
Does anybody know if it takes into account if you don't do all of the tests in one sitting? Like if you spread them out over a couple of days? :smile:
Just finished, the numerical took me way longer than the rest
WSQ1: mostly aligned
SJQ: moderate capability
Numerical: higher than the majority
WSQ2: average

Would have liked to have scored slightly higher, especially in the WSQ2 but it is what it is and now the wait….
This is my first time applying to grad schemes as I am in my final year of uni so although I would really like to be successful I am trying not to get my hopes up.
Apart from this the only other I have applied for is the nhs gmts
Good luck to everyone in the online tests
Reply 54
Original post by Flyingfishbrrr
Does anybody know if it takes into account if you don't do all of the tests in one sitting? Like if you spread them out over a couple of days? :smile:


It’s fine if you spread them out. You have 5 days to complete everything :smile:
Original post by Whfmc
It’s fine if you spread them out. You have 5 days to complete everything :smile:


Thanks! Good luck to you :smile:
Reply 56
Finished the tests! My results were:
WSQ1 = Mostly aligned
SJQ = Above average
Numerical = Higher than the majority
WSQ2 = Average

Numerical took me over an hour, but I ended up doing much better on the tests than I did last year. I didn't get enough to unlock Work Based Scenarios last year but missed it by the skin on my teeth, so hopefully this is enough to progress (Especially for the Diplomatic and Development)

Has anyone's Work Based Scenarios unlocked yet? Last year for some they unlocked within an hour after completing the tests, but it might be too early after applications opening yet.
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by cheesypastaa
how far did you get last time, if you don't mind sharin?. do you have anything you could share about your experience with the application process that could help anyone?


i didn't make it past the online tests phase. This year ive done much better on the tests. Waiting to see if I've done enough to progress to the next stage. Just take your time.
Original post by KangNa
Finished the tests! My results were:
WSQ1 = Mostly aligned
SJQ = Above average
Numerical = Higher than the majority
WSQ2 = Average

Numerical took me over an hour, but I ended up doing much better on the tests than I did last year. I didn't get enough to unlock Work Based Scenarios last year but missed it by the skin on my teeth, so hopefully this is enough to progress (Especially for the Diplomatic and Development)

Has anyone's Work Based Scenarios unlocked yet? Last year for some they unlocked within an hour after completing the tests, but it might be too early after applications opening yet.


hasnt unlocked yet or been told that I'm I didn't pass
In the FAQ, it says: "We aim to set final pass marks for the online test pass marks by the end of January."
So it could take a while until they unlock the work-based scenarios, although they also say that "Candidates will receive their results periodically and not all at the same time", so I'm not sure if that means that some may receive the results earlier.

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