About the exam
Casework Skills Test Exam structure
An independent study guide for the UK Civil Service Casework Skills Test, limited to the three-part structure and six capabilities described in current public Government People Group guidance.
Issuer and path
Civil Service Casework Skills Test Study Guide is administered through UK Civil Service. Check official resources before booking, retesting, or relying on a stale requirement.
Part 1: Information and Evidence Judgement
0 scored + 0 pretest
Untimed review of casework sources followed by five-point judgements about statements; the item count is not publicly specified.
Part 2: Casework Action Effectiveness
0 scored + 0 pretest
Untimed review of six text or video scenarios, rating four actions independently in each scenario.
Part 3: Timed Accuracy
0 scored + 0 pretest
Ten-minute comparison and accurate-entry work using short case records; the item count is not publicly specified.
Before opening your invitation
Use a quiet setting, a stable internet connection and preferably a larger screen. Read every instruction, answer every question and contact the recruitment team at least two working days before the deadline when GOV.UK support is needed. Your invitation and advert control the live deadline and adjustments.
Official Outline Coverage Map
Coverage is mapped to official outline item counts so content depth can be checked without hard-coding a single exam.
| Topic | Official outline items | Your questions | Your flashcards | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information Processing | 0 | 110 | 18 | Good |
| Analysis and Problem Solving | 0 | 100 | 18 | Good |
| Making Decisions | 0 | 105 | 18 | Good |
| Delivering a High-quality Service | 0 | 100 | 18 | Good |
| Delivering at Pace | 0 | 86 | 18 | Good |
| Accuracy | 0 | 100 | 18 | Good |
How to use this guide
How to prepare for the Casework Skills Test
Learn the instructions and response scales first, then practise evidence-bounded judgement and controlled accuracy with original, non-official material.
1. Identify the task
Decide whether you must judge a statement, rate one action independently, find a discrepancy or enter a requested value.
2. Anchor to supplied information
Locate the exact sources, scenario details or record fields that govern the response; do not import specialist policy knowledge.
3. Apply the published response rule
Use the five-point truth scale, four-point effectiveness scale or exact comparison/entry instruction as appropriate.
4. Check the boundary
Confirm that the response is supported, independently judged or exactly transcribed, and preserve controlled pace in the ten-minute part.
Source Purpose and Navigation
Identify what each supplied email, letter or message contributes before attempting a statement judgement.
Key rules
Rule 1
source identity and purpose
Exam cue: Name the source, author, date and purpose before extracting a fact.
Rule 2
case chronology
Exam cue: Build a light source map so that later checks return to the correct record.
Rule 3
relevant and irrelevant detail
Exam cue: Identify the task, anchor to supplied information, apply the published response rule and check the result.
Rule 4
cross-reference points
Exam cue: Identify the task, anchor to supplied information, apply the published response rule and check the result.
Common traps
Treating every source as equally relevant.
Prevention: Do not import specialist policy knowledge, copy secure material, invent official timings or weights, rank independent actions, or trade exactness for uncontrolled speed.
Using a remembered detail without checking which document supplied it.
Prevention: Do not import specialist policy knowledge, copy secure material, invent official timings or weights, rank independent actions, or trade exactness for uncontrolled speed.
Memory anchors
Four source anchors
Source, author, date, purpose.
Map before judging
Locate the relevant record before evaluating the statement.
Purpose controls use
A request, update and decision notice do different work.
Chronology first
Order dated material before drawing a sequence conclusion.
Relevance is local
A detail matters only if it bears on the statement.
Return to source
Verify the exact wording instead of trusting memory.
Next best moves
Quick check-up
Use a short quiz to confirm the rule pattern is actually sticking.
Check-up Questions
A case file contains an application dated 4 March, a customer email dated 8 March correcting the postcode, and an internal note dated 9 March confirming the correction. Which source should be opened first to check the current postcode?
A statement concerns whether a customer supplied evidence before a deadline. The file has a receipt log, a decision letter and a colleague's general guidance message. Which source is most directly relevant?
Answer all questions to submit.
Next step personalized recommendations
Open another topic next
Official resources
Verify the details with the official sources
Use these links for eligibility, scheduling, handbook rules, and issuer updates. Our guide helps you study; official sources tell you what the testing partner currently requires.
Preparing for the Casework Skills Test
Government People Group candidate guidance for purpose, three-part structure, response labels, timing, practice, results, security and support.
Official Casework Skills Practice
The unscored familiarisation tool linked from the current GOV.UK candidate guide; use it to check the test's look and feel and assistive-technology access.
Selecting online tests (vX)
Current recruiter guidance naming the Group C capability framework and the additional information-processing and accuracy measures for this test.
Civil Service online tests
Current general candidate guidance on the Civil Service test family, preparation, percentile reporting and test security.
Reasonable adjustments for online tests
Current candidate guide for requesting and discussing access adjustments with the recruitment team.
Official Casework Skills Test video
The short Casework Skills Test video linked from the current GOV.UK candidate guide.
FAQ
Common Casework Skills Test questions
Is this an official Civil Service practice test?
No. This is an independent study guide based only on current public GOV.UK instructions and capability labels. Use the official unscored Casework Skills Practice linked from GOV.UK to check the live look, feel and assistive-technology experience.
Which roles use the Casework Skills Test?
The current candidate guide says it is used when recruiting people for casework duties at Administrative Officer and Executive Officer levels. The job advert and invitation determine whether it applies to a particular vacancy.
What happens in Part 1?
You review a scenario and sources such as emails, letters and colleague messages, then judge statements using five labels: definitely true, probably true, cannot say, probably false or definitely false. The public guide does not state the number of statements.
Do I rank the four actions in Part 2?
No. GOV.UK says to rate every action independently. You may use the same rating more than once. Across six scenarios you rate four actions each as Counterproductive, Ineffective, Fairly Effective or Effective.
How long is the test?
Parts 1 and 2 are untimed and Part 3 is timed at 10 minutes. GOV.UK recommends allowing about one hour for the whole test, but does not publish that recommendation as a single overall countdown.
How is the score calculated?
GOV.UK says the number and difficulty of questions and the pattern of judgement responses produce a score that is compared with a representative group and shown as a percentile. It does not publish a question-level scoring key or section weights.
What score do I need?
There is no single public fixed pass mark for every application. The minimum standard depends on job level, and the recruiter may raise the pass mark after reviewing applicant scores and the vacancy context. Passing a minimum does not guarantee progression.
Are all three parts timed?
No. Only Part 3 is timed, at 10 minutes. A practice tool should not impose invented official time limits on Parts 1 or 2.
What accessibility support is public?
GOV.UK says videos include subtitles, British Sign Language and written transcripts, and Part 3 can switch from images to plain text. Request any reasonable adjustment through the recruitment team or contact in the job advert.
Are the 601 planned practice questions an official weighting?
No. The 601 allocation is a Pass Harbor future-authoring plan spread across the six public capabilities. It is not a Civil Service question count, scoring model or section weight, and no questions have been authored here.