Understanding the Public Service Entrance Exam suite of products

The Public Service Entrance Exam is an innovative suite of recruitment and selection tests for staffing officer-level positions in the public service. It is used to assess 2 competencies:

What is the Public Service Entrance Exam suite of products?

The Public Service Entrance Exam includes the following:

The two-step assessment process that incorporates an unsupervised internet test is an efficient way to manage large volumes of applicants and identify qualified candidates in the early stages of a staffing process.

How to use the Public Service Entrance Exam?

A major innovation of the exam is that each competency can be assessed:

Unsupervised Internet Testing (Step 1) screens applicants, based on merit, at minimal cost to clients and applicants. Costlier and more time-consuming, supervised testing is limited to those who pass the unsupervised internet test and those who have successfully met all other requirements for the position.

Supervised testing (Step 2) must occur prior to appointment, but hiring managers can choose at what stage in the selection process they make use of this test. Options include:

When using a two-step assessment process, please note that:

Why opt for the two-step assessment process?

Learn more about unsupervised internet tests

Unsupervised Internet Testing is an innovative merit-based tool that helps reduce the volume of applicants and identify qualified candidates in the early stages of a selection process.

Unsupervised internet tests are only used as Step 1 of a two-step assessment process. An applicant's unsupervised internet test results must be verified by administering the corresponding Public Service Commission supervised test (Step 2) before an appointment can be made.

Applicants complete the test online, without supervision, at a time and location of their choice, within a specified time frame.

Unsupervised internet test results are non-transferable and cannot be re-used for another staffing process.

These tests can be administered to applicants:

The suite of Public Service Entrance Exam unsupervised internet tests includes:

Learn more about supervised testing

Supervised testing involves administering tests in a supervised environment at a predetermined time and location.

It can be done by using traditional paper tests or by administering the test electronically using the Public Service Commission's On-line Testing Facility.

Supervised tests can be used on their own or as a follow-up (Step 2) to an unsupervised internet test (Step 1) in a two-step assessment process.

Unsupervised internet test scores are non-transferable. However, existing supervised test results can be re-used by candidates in other staffing processes.

The suite of Public Service Entrance Exam supervised tests includes:

Selecting the right combination of Public Service Entrance Exam products

Public Service Entrance Exam assessment tools can be selected and combined according to the needs of the hiring manager. Please note that in a two-step assessment process, an unsupervised internet test must be followed by supervised testing, using the corresponding Public Service Commission test. Some options are as follows:

Competency Being Assessed Sequence of Testing Alternative
Reasoning and judgement

Step 1: 370 unsupervised test
Step 2: 371 supervised test

Choose only the 371 supervised test

Reasoning alone

Step 1: 372 unsupervised test
Step 2: 373 supervised test

Choose only the 373 supervised test

Judgement alone

Step 1: 374 unsupervised test
Step 2: 375 supervised test

Choose only the 375 supervised test

Candidate information about the tests

Information for managers and human resources advisors

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