NICS G6 and G7 promotion

Wonder what the timescale will be from completing the tests to finding out if a) passed the tests and b)passed the sift. I have an awful feeling my application won't cut the mustard. was a difficult one i thought, especially within that stupid character count.

Does anyone know, are you allowed a blank sheet of paper? I need to work through thr questions on paper sometimes. I can't see anywhere that it says you cannot do that...

Completed all of my tests today, definitely took longer than previous SO & DP tests, but wouldn't say they were that much more difficult, mainly just the attention span required, (and avoiding the temptation to take longer and go back over since there's no time limit).
From memory, I think it was only 2, maybe 3 weeks between tests finishing and getting results, so that would suggest mid to late Feb, think there's only around 100 declared vacancies so would imagine 200 interviews max in the first batch, more likely 100 when you consider it's G5 and G3 required.
Not expecting to pass the eligibility sift to be honest, but you have to throw your hat in.

Yeah I worry about that too.
In the past I spent time practicing method questions to get up to speed. I don’t feel the need this time because it’s intoned but I worry I’ll spend a few hours per test then it all be for nothing at sift.
(If I even pass the management decisions which I never know which way they want them to be answered)

Going back to 2019 SO board. I was initially told I passed the aptitude / online assessment even got my merit position but just missed out on the first batch of interviews. They called something like the first 250 to interview I was in the 400s. A few weeks/months later. I was sent another message explaining the next batch of interviews were being called and I finished high enough but was ruled out based on not passing the sift. So basically it took a good few months after completing the assessment and even then I got my result and merit list and wasn't informed for another few months that I had failed the sift. If this is run the same way. Whoever determines if you have passed the sift or not will only be looking at it when they have determined you are due to be interviewed based on your merit position. If for example you finished 600+ from this over 2000 applications for Grade 7 and that was deemed the 3rd batch of interviews if they were maybe doing them in blocks of 200. You might not know if you have passed or failed the sift for quite some time. Strangley the higher you finish in the online assessment merit list the quicker you should know if you've passed the sift or not.

Yeah I would say that's a fair assessment. The online tests are the part I'm actually pretty confident with. The last EO1 and last 2 SO ones I done I was top 90 percentile in 2 of them and top 99 in the other one. Those were all timed. With these ones not being timed I'd be shocked if I didn't finish relatively high in the online assessment. It's the borderline experience with the sift answers that worries me. Would be nice to get a chance at interview. Sift and interview showing experience and competency based is when the problems begin 😀😀.

Thank you for this - Interesting to see 22 applications from those already at Grade 7!

They can see you through your web cam, the web cam looks at your face and shoulders, it can’t see your calculator or your notes, the notice in the instructions is a deterrent but there is absolutely no way to follow up, it’s also why you tick the honesty agreement.
I have done several proctored exams in the past, including ones were you are literally watched by a person in another country, that was quite funny actually as I tend to sit rest my chin on my hand so they would constantly tell me to stop covering my mouth, they would ask you to show your desk and around the room before the test started, nothing like that with these tests.

Guessing that has to be TPs? Can't think of what else would make sense. Would there be G7s on fixed term contracts or anything?

Is it easier to get a G7 or G7 graduate job in northern Ireland than in the rest of the UK civil service?

Not long as a Dp myself,applied more so to test my examples out not that the feedback is ever great. Was concious how many years it can be between these competitions. Though seeing how on the ball and sharp my G7 is i am nowhere near that level currently.

I admire your honesty. Not everyone will be ready and that's ok you learn on the job. You do need to be competent to a level though and plenty won't be. We see them all around us. You are right to give it a go.

Hi folks, back again for another round of torture! See a few familiar names from the 2022 SO/DP competition.
Perhaps a silly question, but is anyone being impacted being able to complete the tests due to power outages? Like so many, we have been out since yesterday with a schedule fix date of early Feb. I intended to use our home PC however obviously can’t. Is it possible to complete the tests on a NICS work laptop?
Would NICSHR/HRC perhaps extend the deadline for tests due to this issue?
Thanks

Thanks for the reply Dazzle. I won’t even get a chance to do them this week in the office as I have a full schedule and as you say, high risk of interruption. The worry is that HRC won’t extend the date … maybe NICSHR makes that call.