Leadership Achievement and Situational Assessment (LASA)

This is a modular assessment that is used for selection purposes for positions at the EX-1 to EX-5 levels.

It is designed to assess your readiness to assume the role of a leader at the next executive level.

Assessment tools

The assessment consists of 3 types of exercises: an oral presentation based on your professional achievements, 1 or 2 role plays and a question period.

The specifics of the assessment will depend on the level of the position and the specific needs of the hiring manager.

The assessment board includes 2 executive assessors and an assessment specialist from the Public Service Commission of Canada.

Board members will use the description of your career achievements as well as the responses you provide during the assessment to assess how well you meet the assessment criteria for the expected level.

The exercises may explore leadership themes such as diversity, inclusion and self-awareness, among others.

The assessment is conducted virtually on MS Teams.

Assessment process

The assessment process lasts between 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on the position being staffed. The length of each exercise will be provided to you in advance of your assessment date.

1. Oral presentation

This part of the assessment typically lasts 20 to 30 minutes.

You’ll describe work-related achievements and challenges that demonstrate the 6 key leadership competencies.

The goal of the presentation is to demonstrate your leadership authentically, by clearly describing the context, your role and behaviours, and their impact when you’re faced with complex challenges. Guidelines on how to prepare your oral presentation in advance of your assessment will be provided to you before your scheduled assessment date.

2. Role plays

This part of the assessment lasts between 10 and 20 minutes.

On your assessment day, you’ll be given instructions and context for role plays and time to prepare. The role play exercise offers you the opportunity to go beyond what you say you’ll do and demonstrate your skills by responding to challenges faced by executives.

3. Question period

This part of the assessment lasts between 30 and 40 minutes.

You’ll respond orally to questions about your experience and about leadership topics in general. This exercise includes behavioural and situational questions that are tailored to you, to provide you with more opportunities to demonstrate key leadership competencies. On your assessment day, you’ll be given the questions in advance and time to prepare your responses.

Create vision and strategy

Leaders define the future and chart a path forward. They are adept at understanding and communicating context, factoring in the economic, social and political environment. Intellectually agile, they leverage their deep and broad knowledge, build on diverse ideas and perspectives and create consensus around compelling visions. Leaders balance organizational and government-wide priorities and improve outcomes for Canada and Canadians.

Mobilize people

Leaders inspire and motivate the people they lead. They lead by example, setting goals for themselves that are more demanding than those that they set for others.

Uphold integrity and respect

Leaders exemplify ethical practices, professionalism and personal integrity. They create respectful and trusting work environments where sound advice is valued. They encourage the expression of diverse opinions and perspectives, while fostering collegiality. Leaders are self-aware and seek out opportunities for personal growth.

Collaborate with partners and stakeholders

Leaders are deliberate and resourceful about seeking the widest possible range of perspectives. They demonstrate openness and flexibility to forge consensus and improve outcomes. They bring a whole-of-government perspective to their interactions. In negotiating solutions, they are open to alternatives and skillful at managing expectations. Leaders share recognition with their teams and partners.

Promote innovation and guide change

Leaders have the courage and resilience to challenge convention. They create an environment that supports bold thinking, experimentation and intelligent risk taking. They use setbacks as a valuable source of insight and learning. Leaders take change in their stride, aligning and adjusting milestones and targets to maintain forward momentum.

Achieve results

Leaders mobilize and manage resources to deliver on the priorities of the government, improve outcomes and add value. They consider context, risks and business intelligence to support high-quality and timely decisions. They anticipate, plan, monitor progress and adjust as needed. Leaders take personal responsibility for their actions and outcomes of their decisions.

The board members assess candidates on the competencies. Ratings are made using a 5-point scale.

We want to make sure you have the support you need to fully demonstrate your abilities.

Accommodation measures during an assessment can be tailored to each situation. They can include working with sign language interpreters or reader services, and using alternative formats, technical support or attendant services.

If you think that accommodation measures could make this assessment more accessible to you, please notify the person in charge of the hiring process as soon as possible. Look for their contact information at the bottom of the job poster or in the email inviting you to the assessment.

Learn more about testing accommodation measures.

The Leadership Achievement and Situational Assessment requires no specialized or technical training, knowledge or experience, so you cannot study for it directly.

You’ll be invited to take part in an orientation session ahead of the assessment date to help you understand expectations and prepare. You’ll also receive written guidelines 7 days in advance of your assessment date, so you can prepare your presentation and be ready on assessment day to present your achievements and challenges.

You’ll need access to a reliable internet connection and an electronic device (desktop computer, laptop, or tablet) with a functional webcam. You’ll also need a space for the assessment. If these are not available, other options are possible. For example, you could use a phone, and work out of a government office. 

• Have one piece of identification that includes your signature and photo, and if you’re a public servant, also have your Personal Record Identifier (PRI)
• Ensure you will be alone in a closed room for approximately 3 hours without interruption
• Ensure your connection to the network is reliable
• Ensure you have direct access to your email on the day of the assessment to receive the test material
• During the assessment, use headphones to eliminate background noise
• You are not permitted to access any additional files on your computer or information on the internet

Personal information is used to provide assessment services to clients of the Personnel Psychology Centre. It is collected for staffing-related purposes, in accordance with sections 11, 30 and 36 of the Public Service Employment Act. For departments and agencies not subject to this act, personal information is collected under the authority of that department or agency’s enabling statute and section 35 of the Public Service Employment Act. Second language evaluation results will be disclosed to authorized departmental officials. Results of all other tests will be disclosed only to the requesting department or agency. Test results may be disclosed to the Investigations Directorate of the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) if an investigation is conducted pursuant to section 66 or 69 of the Public Service Employment Act. Your information may also be used for statistical and analytical research purposes. In some cases, information may be disclosed without your consent, pursuant to subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act. Providing your personal information is voluntary, but if you choose not to provide your information, you may not be able to receive Personnel Psychology Centre services.

The information is collected and used as described in the Personnel Psychology Centre’s (PSC PCU 025) Personal Information Bank.

You have the right to access and correct your personal information, and to request corrections where you believe there is an error or omission. You also have the right to file a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada about the handling of your personal information.

The hiring department or agency is responsible for communicating the results to candidates, and the information is stored in the staffing file.

An optional feedback session with an assessment specialist is also offered to discuss the results of the evaluation.

There is no retest period for this assessment since the results are process-specific and cannot be transferred to other appointment processes.