The Accelerated Economist Training Program Assessment Centre (AETP)

Congratulations! You are going to participate in the Accelerated Economist Training Program (AETP) Assessment Centre administered by the Assessment, Testing and Counselling Directorate of the Public Service Commission. We know that you will find your participation in the Assessment Centre a challenging and enriching experience that will help guide your future career development.

Assessment Centre

An assessment centre is an integrated set of exercises and instruments designed to assess competencies that enable senior analysts to perform their jobs effectively. Assessment centre has the following characteristics:

• Candidates are assessed on several competencies related to the position to which they are applying.

The AETP Assessment Centre has been designed to measure six core competencies: analytical thinking/judgement, planning and organizing, oral communication, interpersonal relations, leadership, and initiative and motivation.

• Multiple assessment techniques are used to assess candidates on the appropriate competencies.

The AETP Assessment Centre employs three interrelated exercises that simulate activities and duties commonly performed by senior policy analysts. These exercises are: a Written Simulation, a Task Force Exercise, and a Meeting with a Director General.

• Assessments are conducted by multiple assessors who have been trained in assessment techniques.

Each assessment team in the AETP Assessment Centre consists of professionals who have received extensive training in personnel assessment.

• Assessors' observations are compiled and integrated to yield a consensus on the performance of each candidate.

Assessors combine their observations of each candidate's performance in the Assessment Centre exercises to arrive at a consensus on the ratings for the six competencies.

Competencies Assessed

The AETP Assessment Centre was developed by the Assessment, Testing and Counselling Directorate to assess the following six competencies:

• Analytical Thinking / Judgement: Identifies, defines and analyses problems and situations using rational and intuitive processes that result in the drawing of accurate conclusions, the generation of viable solutions and the visualization of new potentials. Uses appropriate strategies to achieve objectives which take into consideration the situation, the issues and the people involved.
• Planning and Organizing: Establishes courses of action, plans work for a definite time, and sets priorities and makes effective use of time and resources for task accomplishment.
• Oral Communication: Shapes others' understanding in ways which capture interest, inform and gain support.
• Interpersonal Relations: Interacts with others in ways that advance the work of the organization by developing respect, mutual understanding, and productive working relationships. Is flexible, tolerant and sensitive to the needs, feelings and positions of others.
• Leadership: Attracts and mobilizes energies and talents to work towards a shared purpose in the best interests of the organization, the people comprising it and the people it serves.
• Motivation and initiative: Actively attempts to influence events. Seeks opportunities to originate action and approaches tasks in an optimistic manner. An innovative and creative self-starter.

These are the core competencies that define effective performance of senior policy analyst.

The Exercises

Three situational exercises will be used to assess your competencies. Situational exercises, the hallmark of the assessment centre method, simulate important aspects of a senior policy analyst's job. In these exercises, you will be asked to handle a number of duties as if you were actually on the job.

• The Written exercise requires you to prepare a briefing note for a Minister.
• The Task Force Exercise requires participants to work together as part of a group established to study a proposal. Participants are expected to organize their time and resources and reach a consensus on a plan of action.
• The Meeting with a Director General calls upon you to give an oral briefing to one of your Director General.

The Assessment Process

Each Assessment Centre will be conducted in a one-day session during which four to six participants will be evaluated by a team of three assessors. For each participant, all of the observations relevant to a specific competency will be reviewed by the assessment team, one competency at a time, and performance will be rated on a 7-point scale.

The Assessment Centre exercises are designed to provide you with many opportunities to demonstrate behaviours related to the competencies being assessed. Your ratings will be based on the behaviours you have demonstrated or failed to demonstrate. For example, behaviours which "attract and mobilize the energies and talent of others" would lead to higher ratings on Leadership. Conversely, behaviours that hinder "working towards a share purpose" would lead to lower ratings on Leadership.

Preparation

The AETP Assessment Centre focuses on generic competencies. As a result, you cannot study for the Assessment Centre. You may, however, find the following tips useful . . .

• Get a good night's sleep. You will be more fresh and alert; your concentration will also be better.
• Give yourself plenty of time to arrive at the Assessment Centre site. The last thing you want to do is to start the day feeling rushed.
• Do not schedule any other business, such as important phone calls, on the day of the assessment. The fewer things you have to think about, the better you will be able to concentrate on the Assessment Centre exercises.
• When you are involved in the exercises, you should perform as if you are on the job. This will help you to behave naturally and will ensure that you give the exercises the attention and consideration they require.

The Results

A written Assessment Report will be produced shortly after your participation in the assessment centre. The report will give a description of the assessment centre approach, the competencies assessed, and the assessment exercises used in the AETP Assessment Centre. This will be followed by your performance profile; that is, the ratings that you received on each of the six competencies. Brief comments regarding your performance on each competency will also be included. These comments give examples of the observations that related to the evaluation of your performance on a particular competency.

Three copies of your report will be produced; one copy will be sent to the Accelerated Economist Training Program, one copy will be sent to you, and one copy will be kept in our files.

More Information

If you would like any additional information, please contact: