In-basket:

The in basket technique is probably one of the best know situation

or simulation exercises used in assessment centres. It is a method
of acquainting new or promoted employees with the complexities
of their jobs by presenting them with a range of problems they
might find in their 'in basket' when they take up the job. It also
helps in acquainting employees about their job where a number of
problems are kept in the "in-basket" (usually kept on the desk of
the employee). The worker has to look at the problems which
could also be complaints from different employees and
simultaneously deal with those problems. As the employee solves
these problem, he/she transfers them to the "out-basket". This
technique is mainly used in selection and training of employees.
 How the in-basket works:
• In this technique, the trainee or interviewee is given some information about the
role to be played such as, description, responsibilities, general context about the
role. The trainee is then given the log of materials that make up the in-basket
and asked to respond to materials within a particular time period. After all the
trainees complete the in-basket, a discussion with the trainer takes place.

In this discussion the trainee describes the justification for the decisions. The
trainer then provides feedback, reinforcing decisions made suitably or
encouraging the trainee to increase alternatives for those made unsuitably.

A variation on the technique is to run multiple, simultaneous in baskets in which

each trainee receives a different but organized set of information. It is important
that trainees must communicate with each other to accumulate the entire
information required to make a suitable decision.
 Scoring

• As a means of providing the satisfaction of a specific measure of performance,

a simple scoring system may be developed during the discussion. For example,
the group might use “5” to indicate an extremely good answer, and “1” to
indicate a very poor one with others slotted in between.

Assessors can score the candidates on the following; the importance given to

each point will vary according to the behaviour’s required for the job.

• How well the candidate has identified the ‘Key’ issue of the item.
• Candidate interpretation of the information provided.
• Ease and speed with which the interviewee has arrived at their decision.
• The way in which the information has been evaluated.
• How effective the actions / decisions are in dealing with the presented
problem.
 Case study exercises

The case study exercise is a realistic simulation of the type of business or

strategic problem you are likely to encounter in your new role. Typical
competencies assessed in the case study are:
• Analytical Thinking
• Assimilation of Information
• Commercial Awareness
• Innovation
• Organising
• Decisiveness
• Judgement
• The case study presents the candidate with a series of fictional
documents such as company reports, a consultant’s report, results
from new product research etc. (i.e. similar to the in-tray exercise
except these documents will be longer). You will then be asked to
make business decisions based on the information. This can be done
as an individual exercise, or more likely done in a group discussion
so that assessors can also score your team working ability.
• After analysing the documents and deciding on a way forward, you
(or the team) will be required to present your proposal in the form
of a brief report or presentation. With individual case studies, you
will probably present your recommendations at an interview with an
assessor. The exercise is assessing your approach to solving the
problem as much as the solution you arrive at. In fact, case study
exercises are usually designed not to have one ‘correct’ answer. As
long as you logically justify your recommendations, and these stand
up to interrogation from the assessor, you are likely to score marks.
• Employers like to use case study exercises because they can easily
be bespoke to the company and offer an accurate test of how you
might get on in the real job.
• Information from the case study exercise lends itself to be used as
scene-setting for other exercises at the assessment centre. It is
common to have the same fictional setting running through the
assessment centre, to save time on having to describe a new
scenario for each task. You will be told in each exercise if you are
expected to remember the information from a previous exercise,
but this is rarely the case. Usually the only information common to
multiple exercises is the fictional scenario; all data to be used in
each exercise will be part of that exercise.
 Role-play exercises

• Role play exercises are among the most popular assessment tools used by graduate
recruiters at the assessment centre stage of the recruitment process. Role play
exercises are very common in graduate recruitment scheme selection, and are
particularly useful when assessing candidates for client facing positions such as
consulting, sales and law. Although many group exercises may incorporate aspects of
role-play, typical role play exercises are conducted one to one, either with a member
of the recruitment team or an actor. Candidate’s performance will be observed
throughout the exercise and their performance will be assessed, noting the
candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. The content and context of role play exercises
will vary considerably depending on the role and the organisation, however typically
candidates will be role-playing the position in which they have applied, and will need
to act out a common workplace scenario/problem. For a sales role, candidates will
likely need to convince a prospective customer/client to purchase their
product/service, or handle a complaint. For a consulting role, the candidate may
undertake the role of the consultant, and the recruiter/actor will play the role of a
client, or a prospective client.
 Group Exercise
• Group exercises, sometimes called group discussions, are a
common exercise used by employers. Each group exercise will
vary in its detail, but the style and format tend to follow a
common format. We have designed a typical style of group
exercise, which you can download below. Feel free to
download the exercise, print it out and sit the exercise with
friends or colleagues. Please respect our copyright though; if
you want to use this for anything other than personal use you
will need our permission.
• Group exercises are a common selection technique used by graduate
recruiters to assess candidates at the assessment centre stage of the
recruitment process. Group exercises are often used in graduate
schemes for positions requiring collaboration and team work such as
management consulting, finance and IT. Candidates will be assessed in
groups of 8-16, and provided with a work place relevant problem, or
scenario requiring the entire team to work together and solve this issue.
The task will be relevant to the industry being recruited for, and
candidates may or may not be working with candidates applying for the
same position. Throughout the duration of the test all candidates will be
observed, and their behaviours and performance will be noted by the
recruitment staff. There are many variations when it comes to group
exercises, some may take the form of a role play exercise such as a mock
meeting. Similarly it may involve a problem solving scenario, requiring
candidates to work as a team and solve the issue/identify the solution.
What does a group exercise assess

• Group exercises typically assess a candidates behaviour in a

group, and the overall group dynamics involved in the exercise.
Typical factors assessed in a group exercise include:
• team working ability
• social skills, confidence and communication skills
• business acumen
• leadership potential and influence
• capacity to deal with deadlines under pressure
• how compatible a candidate's skills and behaviour are for the role
• interpersonal skills, i.e. listening skills, persuasion, diplomacy,
mediation, composure, patience etc.
• decisiveness and critical thinking ability
Types of Group exercise
• Depending on the organisation and their selection procedures, the format of the group
exercise may vary considerably. The three most common group exercise formats are:
• 1. Practical tasks: The most common form of group exercise, the group will be given a
task, usually a problem solving task and will be required to find the solution. These tasks
may or may not be workplace relevant, for example candidates may be asked to build a
tower out of straw. The function of these exercises will be to test the teams
coordination and team working ability, more so than individual knowledge or individual
contribution.
• 2. Discussion: You may be asked to perform a leaderless group discussion, in which
candidates will be presented with a work place relevant scenario or problem. The group
then must address this issue and find a logical conclusion, for example identifying a
problem with an organisation/department and agreeing on steps to resolve this issue.
• 3. Role-play exercise: Candidates may be asked to undergo a group role-play exercise. In
this exercise candidates will be provided with a particular role, background information
on the situation and full briefing. An example of a group role-play exercise is a mock
meeting, in which each candidate assumes a specific role, and must fulfil their
respective objectives and the group objective.