Canadian Public Service Exam

Our online preparation pack includes practice materials for the common tests you will probably face in the Canadian Public Service Exams.
The pack includes:

The Canadian Public Service Commission (PSC) is known for its employment within the governmental sector. Be it public health, clerical work, public safety, or another occupation, the Canadian PSC seeks to find the best candidates for various job positions within Canada.

One of the ways the commission does this is through the Canadian Public Service Exam. If you’re hoping to navigate the complex hiring process and pass your assessments, Prepare4Success can help prepare you for the different types of tests on the Canadian Public Service exam.

Hiring Process for the Canadian Public Service Exam

Before you can get started with the actual exam, you will first need to follow a series of steps:

1. Online Application First, apply for the type of public service position you want using the Canadian PSC website. To do this, create an account, select the job posting, and then fill out the required information, such as personal details, education, work history, and additional experiences you may have.
2. Take the Test Once submitted, your application will be screened. If chosen, a recruiter will contact you with instructions for taking job-specific assessments.
3. Interview Next, you may be required to have an interview. You may be asked questions about your personality and work preferences.
4. Security screening Lastly, they will perform a background check and screening.

Public Service Commission Exam Categories

The Canadian PSC divides its jobs into different categories to help assign specific tests to certain job types. There are tests ranging from administrative support to management categories:

Administrative Support Levels

From clerical work to office managers, if you are hoping to get a government job within Canada’s administrative support levels, you will need to take assessments such as the Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation Test (GSPT), the General Competency Test Level 1 (GCT1), and an Office Skills Tests (OST).

Officer Level

Officer-level tests are broad and dependent upon the type of position in which you are hoping to land. You might have to pass a General Intelligence Test (GIT-310), General Competency Test: Level 2 (GCT2-314), Public Service Entrance Exam (Test of Judgement 375), Written Communication Test (WCT-345), or others. Many of these tests seek to measure your ability to use reasoning skills, good judgement, or basic cognition.

Management Level

For management-level positions, you will likely be assessed on the kinds of skills necessary for being a good manager, such as good communication, teamwork capabilities, strong leadership, and critical thinking skills.

Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA)

With over 40,000 employees, the CRA is a large employer within the public service sector. They employ people within a number of fields, including auditors, ITs, and accountants.

Canadian Public Service Exams

Now that you’re familiar with the different categories, we will discuss two of the most common tests that you might encounter on the Canadian PSC exam: The Public Service Entrance Exam and the CRA Situational Judgment Test.

Public Service Entrance Exam 371 (PSEE 371)

The Canadian PSEE 371 examines your ability to use reason and judgment. This exam is primarily for helping managers choose ideal candidates for federal officer-level positions or training programs. There are two parts to the PSEE 371 exam: The Test of Reasoning 373 and the Test of Judgement 375. Your hiring manager can choose any number or combination of these exams during the hiring process.

Test of Reasoning 373 (TOR)

The TOR assesses your problem-solving and reasoning skills. There is a supervised test, which is timed at 90 minutes and has 30 multiple-choice questions, and an unsupervised test, which has 26 questions. Both tests may be used at the manager’s discretion and contain questions that fall under four categories:

1. Numerical Reasoning Questions These questions are arithmetic word problems that present you with information that you must use to identify and solve for an unknown value.
2. Logical Reasoning Questions For logical reasoning questions, you need to be able to logically apply underlying conclusions to the information given within the test question to determine which answer choice is valid.
3. Analytical Reasoning Questions You are given written data in which you must use the relationship between the data to find the relationships that follow.
4. Series Questions In series questions, you are presented with numbers or letters that follow an underlying rule. Your job is to find that rule and then apply it to the missing information.

Test of Judgement 375 (TOJ)

The TOJ is also a multiple-choice, timed examination, with a 40-question supervised exam and 52-question unsupervised exam. You have 60 minutes to complete the supervised exam and 75 minutes to complete the unsupervised version.

CRA Situational Judgement Test

The other test that we will be discussing is the Canada Revenue Agency’s Situational Judgment Test. This test also comes in two formats: The Situational Judgement Test – Recruitment Version (SJT-R) and the Situational Judgement Test – Management Version (SJT-M).

Both tests seek to assess how you might handle challenging situations at the workplace, with scenarios dependent on whether you’re applying to a recruitment position or management position. The SJT-R contains 102 questions that must be completed within 2 hours and 20 minutes, while the SJT-M has 35 questions and a one-hour time limit.

How to Pass the Canadian Public Service Exam

To pass your exams, you will need to make a certain score on the tests. This can vary, but scores within the 35^th percentile or better are often considered passing, meaning you must score better than 65% of previous test takers. In some cases, the hiring manager may lower that bar to the 50^th percentile, where you only need to do better than 50% of test takers.

One of the best ways to pass your exams is by taking a professional Canadian Public Service practice exam. At Prepare4Success, we have a comprehensive PSC practice test that can increase your chances of doing well by up to 70%.

Start Practice now to get started bettering your chances for success on PSC exam.

Canadian Public Service Exam covers a wide range of topics, including language, reasoning, and situational judgment. Here are ten sample questions:

Language Proficiency:
Select the correct sentence that best demonstrates proper grammar and usage:
a) Their going to the park.
b) There going to the park.
c) They’re going to the park.

Numerical Reasoning:
If a train travels at an average speed of 60 km/h for 2 hours and then increases its speed to 80 km/h for the next 3 hours, what is the total distance traveled?

Verbal Reasoning:
Which word is the closest in meaning to “pervasive”?
a) Scattered
b) Ubiquitous
c) Limited

Analytical Thinking:
If all roses are flowers and some flowers fade quickly, can we conclude that all roses fade quickly?
a) Yes
b) No
c) Uncertain

Situational Judgment:
You notice a colleague struggling with their workload and falling behind on deadlines. What is the best course of action?
a) Offer to help them with some tasks.
b) Report the issue to your supervisor.
c) Ignore the situation and focus on your own tasks.

Logical Reasoning:
If “All birds have feathers” and “Some birds can fly,” which of the following statements is necessarily true?
a) All birds that can fly have feathers.
b) Some birds that can fly have feathers.
c) All birds that have feathers can fly.

Abstract Reasoning:
Identify the pattern and complete the sequence: 3, 6, 9, 12, __

Ethical Decision-Making:
You discover that a coworker has been engaging in unethical behavior. What should you do?
a) Confront the coworker directly.
b) Ignore the behavior and hope it resolves itself.
c) Report the behavior to the appropriate authority.