General Competency Test: Level 1 (GCT-1-207) 

There is a 180-day waiting period before you can retake the test, regardless of the format (in-person on the Candidate Assessment Tool or paper). If you retake the test during the waiting period, your result will not be valid, and a new retest period will be set from the most recent test date.

Once you receive an email invitation, you can book your in-person supervised test session on the Candidate Assessment Tool.

To cancel or reschedule your test, log in to your account and modify your reservation.

You can get used to the test environment (for example, selecting the official language of your choice) and test format (for example, adjusting font size) by practising with the General Competency Test: Level 1 sample test on the Candidate Assessment Tool.

You can also review the sample questions below to help you prepare.

Sample questions

Understanding written material

This type of question involves reading a short passage, which is usually in memorandum format, and answering a question about the information in the text.

Question 1

Government of Canada

TO: All employees
FROM: Manager

Please note that the answer sheets currently being used will be replaced with new ones next year. The existing supply of answer sheets should be used from now until the end of the year. It is important that the new sheets are used next year because they will enable the collection of additional information that will be required at this time.

The main purpose of this memorandum is to:

• (1) Indicate the need for new answer sheets.
• (2) Notify employees that new answer sheets will replace the existing ones.
• (3) Notify employees that the current answer sheets are inadequate.
• (4) Indicate the need for additional information.

Solving numerical problems

This type of question involves choosing the correct answer to a practical numerical problem.

Question 2

You are in charge of financial services and must calculate overtime pay for employees in your division. Due to a heavy workload, an employee had to work 35 hours of overtime in two weeks. For 28 of these hours, the employee was paid at 1.5 times the hourly rate. For the remaining hours, the employee was paid at twice the usual hourly pay. The employee's hourly pay is $10. How much overtime money should the employee be paid for the 2-week period?

• (1) $340
• (2) $420
• (3) $560
• (4) $760

Drawing logical conclusions

In this type of question, the task is to choose the correct answer to a practical problem.

Question 3

One of your duties is the selection and disposal of boxes of obsolete files. According to regulations, ordinary files become obsolete after 24 months, protected files after 36 months, and classified files after 48 months. Which of the following boxes of files can be discarded?

A. A box containing ordinary files dated 26 months ago and classified files dated 34 months ago.

B. A box containing ordinary files dated 38 months ago and protected files dated 28 months ago.

• (1) A only
• (2) B only
• (3) Both A and B
• (4) Neither A nor B

Answers

• Question 1: (2)
• Question 2: (3)
• Question 3: (4)

If you encounter barriers in assessment that could affect your performance on the test, you can request assessment accommodations directly in the Candidate Assessment Tool as soon as you receive your invitation to book an in-person supervised test session.

You can also contact the Assessment Accommodation Unit directly with your questions: ae-aa@cfp-psc.gc.ca.

• Bring one piece of signature identification with photo, and your Personal Record Identifier (PRI) if you’re a federal public servant
• For this test, you can use a calculator:
  • if you take the test in-person on the Candidate Assessment Tool, a virtual on-screen calculator is provided
  • if you take the paper version, a handheld calculator is provided
  • you can also use your own calculator as long as it’s not part of a cellphone, personal digital assistant or other electronic device that may have internet access or the ability to record or transmit testing material (for example, a scientific calculator)
    • Refer to Acceptable calculators to find out which calculators can be used
• Arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled test time
• Don’t be late: you won’t be allowed into the room after the test session has started
• Budget your time during the test:
  • you have 85 minutes to complete the test (add 20 to 30 minutes for administrative procedures)
  • answer all test questions: some answers will earn you partial marks
  • don’t spend too much time on a question you find difficult
  • guess when you are unsure: choose the best response by first eliminating the choices that seem the least likely; there is no penalty for guessing
• If you feel unwell before or during the test, tell the test administrator; otherwise, if you complete the test, you must accept the test result and the retest restrictions

You can access your test results through the My Tests section in the Candidate Assessment Tool, 48 hours after you complete your test.

You will receive a pass/fail result as well as the raw score you obtained on your test.

If you need an official copy of a previous test result, fill out and submit the Confirmation of previous Public Service Commission of Canada test results form.

If you believe that the test was administered under unfavourable conditions, inform the hiring department or agency. The situation will be assessed and, if a retest is necessary, it will be granted.

Tests taken on the Candidate Assessment Tool cannot be rescored, as a scoring key is automatically applied for each test.

Your result will be provided as a pass/fail and as a raw score; no detailed feedback can be provided.

As a test taker, you play a crucial role in protecting the integrity of the testing process. Before taking the test, you must read, understand and accept the terms of use.

For more information about how the Public Service Commission of Canada ensures its testing is reliable, valid and fair, visit the Test integrity web page.