What to expect from a virtual assessment centre

Assessment centres are a common feature of graduate recruitment processes. You’re probably already familiar with the concept of an in-person assessment centre, but would you know what to do if faced with an online assessment centre? Employers are looking for the same things – they’re just doing it remotely.

When taking part in a digital assessment centre, expect interviews, online tests, a presentation and an opportunity to meet the team (albeit via video call).

We’ll run through the key elements and how to nail them by covering:

• What’s a virtual assessment centre?
• What to expect at an online assessment centre
  • Interviews
  • Tests
  • Presentations
  • Insight sessions

A virtual, online or digital assessment centre is the same as a standard assessment centre day, but it takes place online. Instead of visiting a workplace, you’ll do any assigned tasks remotely. It’s great practice for working from home. Plus, it makes the opportunity more accessible. For example, if you’re considering working in another city to where you’re studying, you don’t need to spend money travelling to attend the assessment centre.

When taking part in a virtual assessment centre, you’ll get valuable insight into the company culture and the type of work they do. Your potential employers will also use the centre to see if you’ve got the core skills you’ll need to do the job.

How will you know what to expect? Often, the employer will send you information ahead of the day outlining the exercises. If not, ask the recruitment team for some more information. If you don’t ask, you won’t get.

Although you can’t know exactly what will come up, it’s still a good idea to prepare for the most likely tasks. That way, you’ll attend the day with confidence. Remember, you deserve to have got this far. If you take the time to do your research, you’ll boost your chances of success.

We’ll run through the typical exercises to expect on the day:

Digital assessment centres usually contain an interview. You need to prepare for biographical and technical ones. Don’t know the difference? Don’t worry, we’ve got you.

A biographical interview will be about you, your experiences, strengths and weaknesses. You’re the topic of discussion here.

Technical interviews feature questions specific to the role you’ve applied for. The technical style is used for grad jobs that are in specialist areas (eg. engineering). In a technical interview, you could be shown a diagram to complete or a line of code to fix. Companies that require graduates with analytical mindsets ask questions like these. For example, investment banks use technical interview questions to check how numerate a candidate is and assess their logical thinking.

Some interviewers will mix different question types together.

You could be quizzed about yourself and then asked a brainteaser (eg. “How many people go in and out of Heathrow every day?”) or a tricky arithmetic question (eg. “What’s the square root of 200?”). Don’t worry though; we’ve got some tips for handling brainteaser questions. And if you’re going for a communications job, it’s unlikely you’ll be thrown a maths curveball.

Whatever questions you face, it’s important to tackle virtual interviews as you would if you were having them in person. It’s key that you’re still dressed appropriately and have thought about the background behind you. Make sure everything the interviewer will see on camera is clear and professional.

If it helps, take advantage of the virtual set-up and stick key points up on the wall in front of you or in your notebook. Just don’t make it too obvious that you’re reading pointers.

You’ll likely do at least one test at your digital assessment centre. Sometimes, you’ll do multiple as employers want to evaluate candidates on several aspects. Other times, they’ll ask you to do another based on how well you did the first.

Here are the assessment centre tests to prepare for:

An in-tray exercise typically takes the form of a business simulation where you’re given a task (normally related to the role you’re applying for) and must tackle it as if it’s your real job.

At a physical assessment centre, they’re sometimes paper-based but you’ll do an electronic exercise as part of a digital assessment centre. The online version of an in-tray exercise is an e-tray exercise.

A typical example of an e-tray exercise involves having a busy email inbox and prioritising tasks.

To succeed with in-tray exercises, keep the following things in mind:

• There will likely be a lot of information to read – make sure you take in as much as you can while keeping an eye on the time.
• Remember that it won’t always be possible to do everything within the time limit. You’re partly being assessed on how well you prioritise your workload. Just be prepared to justify why you didn’t complete every task if asked.
• Expect the unexpected. Often, your assessor will add things in halfway through. You’ll have to show how you deal with it, so be ready for things to change as you go along.
• Show your writing ability. You may be assessed on how well you’ve written your emails, so watch out for typos and make sure everything is clear.
• Sometimes, you’ll have a debrief afterwards where an assessor asks you questions about your work and the decisions you’ve made. If you think logically as you go through the task, it’ll be easier to explain your reasons.

There are different types of psychometric tests. In fact, there are so many that it’s hard to prepare for them all. If possible, find out what type of test you’ll be facing (ie. numerical reasoning, abstract reasoning, etc.) and research that. Sometimes, there will be no right or wrong answers (ie. like with a personality test) so you can’t practise all types to improve.

For help here, visit our psychometric tests guide.

Ability tests will vary based on the role you’re applying for. In general, ability tests check things like your understanding of the basic principles of the technical side of the role, your writing ability or your maths skills. Think of these tests like an exam paper or practical assessment that you’ll do virtually.

Are they interviews? Are they tests? The reality is they sit somewhere in between. Regardless of how you view them, case studies are becoming more common in the recruitment process.

In a case study interview, your interviewer will give you a simplified business situation (usually fictional but believable) and test you on how well you deal with it. Sometimes, it will be one-on-one in a traditional interview set-up and other times, it’ll involve group collaboration. With a digital assessment centre, an individual test is more likely. However, it’s still possible that you’ll work with others in a virtual room. So, prepare for both.

The point of a case study interview is to assess how candidates deal with large volumes of information to come to logical business conclusions. Because of that, they’re particularly common in the consulting sector but other industries may use similar tests.

To prepare, read our guide on how to crack a consulting case study interview.

Employers ask candidates to give presentations to assess their communication skills and how well they work with and analyse information.

Again, the nature of presentations will vary depending on the job you’ve applied for. Sometimes, the employer will send you information ahead of the day so that you’ve got time to prepare your presentation. Whether you receive guidance during the assessment centre day or in advance, read all instructions carefully and follow the presentation guidelines. If they want a 10-minute summary, don’t write enough for an hour-long lecture.

At a virtual assessment centre, you don’t need to address a crowd to do your presentation. Talking to a screen instead of an in-person audience eases the nerves for some people. You still want to show off your public speaking skills though – whether online or in person.

As much as online assessment centres are for employers to get an understanding of who you are, it’s crucial that you get an insight into the company to make sure they’re right for you too. It’s a two-way process.

For this reason, it's likely you’ll receive a presentation from employees and have the opportunity for a Q&A session. Take it as seriously as when you’re the one in the spotlight. Prepare a few questions to show you’ve done your research and that you’re enthusiastic about working there. Remember that an insight session is your opportunity to find out if the role will suit you, so take full advantage.

A virtual assessment centre is just like an in-person assessment centre – except it takes place remotely.

Expect to come across similar interviews (biographical and technical), tests (including case studies, e-tray exercises and psychometric assessments) and presentations (some where you’re the presenter and others where you’re in the audience).

To stand out at a digital assessment centre, practise exercises and do your research on the company. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it isn’t as important because you’re not physically in a workplace. These days, lots of people work from home, so show that you’ll be professional wherever you are.

Just make sure that you’ve got the set-up that will help you show your full potential. So, check that your tech’s working, your internet connection’s strong and that your surroundings are camera-ready before you begin. Good luck!