DWP Selection tests...

A question about : DWP Selection tests...

Hello, i was wondering if anyone could help...

I'm due to sit the selection tests for the DWP soon (literacy and numeracy tests)

Although i'm still very young it's been a couple of years since i was at school and had anything to do with maths! I didn't do very well at all in my GCSE Maths and have taken the selection test before and failed.
However i have already worked for the DWP as an AA for 9 months. I never had to sit any test for this and was always praised in my job (temp contract).

While i was working for the DWP my boss asked me to emial HR and ask if i could have an old test paper. I did this and was told i couldn't have one as they were a secure item.

Ive taken the test twice now and it's been EXACTLY the same test. How this can be a secure item i don't know?

Anyway...

I was wondering if anyone had any example questions of the maths test (as the practice ones they send you before are nothing like the real ones).
Id be very greatful of any help, tips and practice questions. (A real paper would be handy )

Thanks

Best answers:

• Hi
  the literacy questions are like this:
  john went too the shop. (circle the errors)
  The maths ones are like this:
  There are 10 class rooms in a school and 10% are being used. How many classrooms are being used? (answer 1)
  Hope this helps!!!!
• Is this a version of the Civil Service entrance exam? I had to do one similar about 9 years ago when I was an AA @ MAFF (as it was then).
  I can't remember specifally what the questions were, but it wasn't a hard exam. So I think as long as you know the difference between "Their" and "There", you should be okay.
  I'm presuming that this text is being taken so that you can convert from a tempt to perm?
  AFAIR, the term "secure item" is just something that can't be removed from Government offices and should be kept in a locked tank. Rather than the contents of the document.
• Not sure if things have changed, but if you have already taken the test (and passed?), do you have to take it again?
  When I got my pass marks, the letter said you would just show it to prove you had passed, and would not have to sit the test again. Maybe it's different now?
• Thanks for the advice guys, i have taken it now, just waiting to hear back.
• These have just been held for the new recruitment going on at our office. Apparently the pass rate was terrible.
  I did mine a few years ago. 40 people attended and only two of us got jobs from that test day.
  But, funnily enough, whenever I do a jobsearch for someone the spelling and grammar on the job information is shockingly bad.
• I passed!!!
  Through to interview stage now, that should be ok :-)
• Well done on going through to interview...I'm sure you will ace it. Personally I think we should take an insanity test when we join up would be more appropriate..but then maybe its the 10 years of service whats warped my mind! Good luck and dont forget to look over your application form cos they will ask questions normally.
• I have also passed the selection tests and have an interview for DWP in approximately 3 weeks. Does anyone have any idea on what type of questions they will be asking?
• DWP uses competency based interviewing so you should expect questions like 'tell me about a time when you had to work with others to solve a problem' or 'tell me about a time when you have acted on negative feedback'.
  What they are looking for is you to tell them four things...
  S - situation - what happened, what was the problem?
  T - task - what did you need to do?
  A - action - what did you do?
  R - result - what was the outcome of the action you took? What did you learn? What would you do differently?
  If you apply STAR when answering the questions you should do just fine. If you google competency questions or interviews you should be able to find other examples.
  Good luck!
• Thank you very much for that. I really appreciate it.
• Can anyone help, my friend recently sat the num & lit dwp test and received a letter to say she scored 17 in the numeracy test - is this a join score or is it only for the maths part and is this suggesting she hasfailed the literacy part? Also, on her info pack it said the pass rate was 14 - does anyone know the full rates to job applied for ratio - ie if you apply for an officer is the rate 14 or more.
  Thanks
• Literacy pass marks.....
  for AA pass mark 8
  for AO pass mark 9
  for EO pass mark 11
  Numeracy test pass mark is 10
  I would say the score your friend got was just for the numeracy test
• I did these tests a month ago. There are either 2 or 3 different papers for each one. My numeracy paper was about classrooms in a college. You were given a number of tables of data with the number of people rooms can hold, how many computers are in the room, whether the rooms were accessible to wheelchairs etc. Example of a question is 'How many computers there are in rooms with wheelchair access?' Just make a 'note' of which rooms are wheelchair accessible and just add up the total computers in those rooms.
  You can bring a calculator with you
• The test has 18 questions all multiple choice which makes it even easier,basically you are given info on a school,example questions on my test were..
  There is 20 classrooms with 12 rooms having disabled access..what percentage of the rooms have disabled access?
  The Library room has 10% of the schools computers..if there are 240 computers in the whole school how many computers does the library room have?
  Seriously it is easy..I am pretty average at maths (Grade C at GCSE) and i scored 16 out of 18.The only thing i would be carefull of is that the test is timed..15 mins so i was rushed towards the end..guessed the last 2 answers probs the 2 i got wrong!
  Not sure what the pass rate is probs be 14.
• Hi All, I Took These Tests Last Week And Got Through To Interview On The Same Day. I Found The Interview Rather Tough As You Have To Answer The Questions Based On Things You Have Done In Your Life To Display The Competencies.
  Today I Received A Letter With My Scores On For The 2 Tests But No Mention Of The Interview. Does This Mean That I Havent Been Successful This Time Or Will I Get Another Letter To Say If I Have Been Successful Or Not? Anyone Got Any Idea? Thanks.
  Ps The Letter Says I Dont Have To Sit The Tests Again If I Were To Reapply In The Future.
• The Literacy Test Was A Passage Which Contained Spelling Mistakes, Grammatical Errors Etc And The Numeracy Test Was The One About A College With Various Rooms, Different No Of Pc's, So Many Had Wheelchair Access, And Also Different Class Times Eg, 8-10 Pm Or 5-7 Pm. The Questions Were Based On The Information Given In The Tables Which You Had To Work Out. There Was A Calculator Provided. We Had 20 Mins And Believe Me It Goes Quick. I Got To No 16 Out Of 20 Questions, I Dont Think Many People Finished.
  Good Luck If You Are Sitting It.
• hi mate, have you taken the literacy test yet? if so any ideas what to look out for? if you can remember any words or grammer mistakes to look for...... would be very grateful
  thanks