Statistician
in the
Civil Service
Stage 1
Pre-Test Information Booklet
This is an important document so please set some time
aside to read it in advance of the test session.
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for applying for the role of Statistician in the Civil Service.
The Public Appointments Service (PAS) is committed to the principles of good recruitment
practice and these principles involve fair and impartial selection. This stage consists of
Aptitude tests devised to assess key skills and attributes required to perform in the Statistician
role.
You will take these tests online in a supervised environment in our offices in Chapter House,
26-30 Abbey Street Upper, Dublin 1.
The purpose of this pre-test information material is to help you to understand this stage of the
selection process and introduce you to the format of the tests. Work through this information
carefully as it will help you understand what you have to do and what you can expect during
this stage of the process. It will also ensure that you are prepared to perform to the best of
your ability.
Information on the subsequent stage of the selection process will be made available to the
candidates who are invited to progress.
PUBLIC APPOINTMENTS SERVICE
July 2015
© Public Appointments Service, 2015
The reproduction of any part of this document by any process whatsoever is breaking copyright law.
©Public Appointments Service
Statistician
Page 2
Overview
The aptitude tests are being administered online in a supervised testing environment. Practice
tests are provided for you in advance of the testing date and therefore you will require a PC or
laptop to practice these tests; Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Reasoning test.
To qualify candidates must also reach the required standard in both aptitude tests. Those who
achieve the required standard will be ranked accordingly. Only those who qualify and are
placed highest will be invited to the next stage of the process. However, the number to be
invited forward will be determined by the PAS from time to time, having regard to the likely
number of vacancies to be filled.
Qualification at Stage 1 is no guarantee that a candidate will be invited to the next stage of the
selection process.
Honesty Contract
Integrity and honesty are key values within the Civil and Public Service. As potential
employees you are expected to honour these values, both in how you approach this
competition and by agreeing to follow the rules and procedures laid down. By taking part in the
selection process, you are confirming that you are the person named on the application and
you agree to complete the tests honestly and without assistance. A third party must not
personate a candidate at any stage of the process. By accessing or attempting any
assessment/test materials you are agreeing to be bound by the terms set out.
Stage 1 - Aptitude Tests
Overview of the Aptitude tests
The online Aptitude tests are delivered and administered on behalf of PAS by CEB (SHL), our
test service provider.
You should note that these are timed tests and they will automatically finish after the allocated
time has elapsed. For your convenience a timer will appear on the screen and will indicate the
time you have remaining on your test. It is recommended that you work quickly and accurately
through the tests. However, it is expected that not all candidates will finish all questions.
After logging in, you will be required to accept the data protection and terms and conditions by
ticking the relevant boxes.
©Public Appointments Service
Statistician
Page 3
Practice Material
Practice material for the aptitude tests (Verbal and Numerical) is currently available online at
www.shldirect.com
We strongly recommend that you read the preparation guides very carefully, then complete the
examples and the timed practice tests. This will help you understand what you have to do
before you undertake the real tests.
The practice tests are designed to give you an opportunity to familiarise yourself with the type
of questions you can expect to face in the actual test. They are similar in style to the real tests
but remember the number of practice questions is less than the number of questions on the
real test. You can also expect the actual tests to be more difficult than the practice tests. You
can access this practice material as often as you wish.
Please note that the user name and password required when you login for the practice tests is
different to the one you will use for the actual online tests. The username and login for the
online test will be provided to you on the day in our offices.
The Actual Tests
There are three tests for you to take in our offices:
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Verbal Reasoning (19 minutes)
Numerical Reasoning (25 minutes)
Work Sample Exercise (60 minutes)
You must take all three exercises; if you do not take all three you will be deemed to have
withdrawn from this campaign.
The testing session itself, including instructions and examples, should take you no more than 3
hours to complete.
©Public Appointments Service
Statistician
Page 4
Verbal Test
In this assessment you will be presented with a series of text passages, each of which is
followed by several statements. Your task is to read the passage and evaluate each statement
according to the following rules:
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Select TRUE if the statement must be true based on the information in the passage.
Select FALSE if the statement is definitely false given the information in the passage.
Select CANNOT SAY if you cannot say whether the statement is true or false without
further information.
Base your answers only on the information given in the passage.
After each question there are a number of different answer options. There is one, and only one,
correct answer to each question. Click on the answer you think is correct. When a response
has been selected a black dot will appear in the centre of the button.
Try to work quickly but accurately. Do not spend too long on any question. If you are not sure of
an answer mark your best choice and go on to the next question.
Remember:
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
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Once you have answered a question and clicked the ‘Next’ button:
You will not be able to go back to the question or change your answer.
Do not use the ‘Back’ button on your browser – this will end the assessment.
Once the test is downloaded it is not affected by loss of internet connection;
Once you start the test you should not use the ‘Back’ button on your browser – this will
end the assessment;
Once the allocated test time has elapsed, the test will close regardless of the number of
questions completed.
If you choose to complete a full length practice test you will be asked to register with
SHL. Please be advised that your login details for the actual assessment tests will be
different.
Numerical Test
In this assessment you will be using facts and figures presented in various statistical tables to
answer questions designed to assess your ability to evaluate numerical data.
After each question there are a number of different answer options.
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

There is one, and only one, correct answer to each question.
Click on the answer that you think is correct.
When a response has been selected a black dot will appear in the centre of the button.
Try to work quickly but accurately. Do not spend too long on any question. If you are not sure of
an answer mark your best choice and go on to the next question.
©Public Appointments Service
Statistician
Page 5
What you will need
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You may use a calculator if you wish.
Make sure you have a pen and some paper available for your calculations for the
practice tests. Rough work paper will be provided for you when you are taking the tests
in our office.
Remember:




Once you have answered a question and clicked the ‘Next’ button:
You will not be able to go back to the question or change your answer.
Do not use the ‘Back’ button on your browser – this will end the assessment.
Once you start the test you should not use the ‘Back’ button on your browser – this will
end the assessment;
Once the allocated test time has elapsed, the test will close regardless of the number of
questions completed.
If you choose to complete a full length practice test you will be asked to register with
SHL. Please be advised that your login details for the actual assessment tests will be
different.
Work Sample Exercise
In this exercise, candidates will be presented with statistical and other related information and
will be asked to prepare concise notes in relation to a series of questions based on that
material. The information provided will be in the form of tables and passages of text.
Candidates should study the information provided before answering the questions.
Candidates will not be asked to carry out statistical analysis i.e. use statistical packages.
However, they will be asked to demonstrate their ability to observe trends in data and critique
the methodology described in the information.
You will be asked to hand write your answers. No style of handwriting is required but legibility
and neatness are important. Should you be invited to interview, your notes will form the basis of
a presentation to the interview board and will be read by the board in advance.
You will have 1 hour to complete this exercise.
NOTE:
Candidates should note that scores achieved on any test(s) taken as part of this campaign may
be carried forward to subsequent open, departmental or other campaigns. This will be
determined by the PAS on a case by case basis.
All test materials are subject to copyright and all rights are reserved.
©Public Appointments Service
Statistician
Page 6
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Terms and Conditions
Your attention is drawn to this important information. By accessing or attempting any assessment/test materials
you are agreeing to be bound by the terms set out below.
1. All test and assessment materials are subject to copyright and all rights are reserved. No part of
the tests/ assessment materials (including any text, questions and/or potential answer options) or
associated materials (including practice and/ or familiarisation materials) may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, printing,
photographing, recording, written or otherwise, at any stage. To do so is an offence and may result
in you being excluded from the selection process. Any person(s) who contravenes this provision,
whether an applicant or other, or who assists another person(s) in contravening this provision, is
liable to prosecution and/ or civil suit for loss of copyright and intellectual property.
2. Your attention is drawn the Commission for Public Service Appointment’s Code of Practice for
Appointment to Positions in the Civil Service and Public Service. In particular please note Section
5 - Responsibility of Candidates (see below).
Canvassing
Candidates should note that canvassing will disqualify them and will result in their exclusion from
the appointments process.
Candidates’ obligations
Candidates in the recruitment process must not:
 Knowingly or recklessly provide false information
 Canvass any person, with or without inducements
 Interfere with or compromise the process in any way.
A third party must not personate a candidate at any stage of the process.
Penalties for failure to comply
Any person who contravenes the above provisions, or who assists another person in contravening
the above provisions is guilty of an offence. A person who is found guilty of an offence is liable to a
fine and/or imprisonment.
If a person found guilty of such an offence was or is a candidate in a recruitment process, then:
Where he/she has not been appointed to a post, he/she will be disqualified as a candidate
Where he/she has been appointed subsequent to the recruitment process in question, he/she
shall forfeit that appointment.
3. The admission of a person to the competition, or invitation to undertake any element of the
selection process is not to be taken as implying that the Public Appointments Service is satisfied
that such a person fulfils the essential requirements.
©Public Appointments Service
Statistician
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