Having failed at 5 assessment centres including 2 last month, I want to be prepared for the unexpected in my next (and possibly last ) actuarial assessment centre. So I wanted to ask everyone what is the strangest task you've had to get through at an assessment centre? For me it can only be the blindfolded task this life company put us through: *There were 4 candidates in our team *Each was given weird, irregular, coloured shapes that formed a series/set from which there were 2 pieces missing. *The team had to figure out the shapes and colours of these pieces whilst blindfolded
Nothing weird really. You should remember they're not testing your ability to figure out the shapes and colours, but actually how well you communicate and interact with the other people.
I do remember that, it's obvious that that's their objective. My point is that there are traditional and non-traditional ways of doing it. To date, the test I have described is the only non-traditional one I have had and all agencies I have described it to say they have never heard of such a test and couldn't have imagined it.
Playing with lego was one I had - though I can't remember where! I think it was like a competition, where in your group you had to try and build the tallest tower, for cheapest - I think they had graphs showing cost and stuff according to how long you took and how many lego pieces you used as well... it was actually quite fun! I've only done that once, for all I know this could be a common exercise, so apologies if you've heard this one before.
To be honest I can't remember. The more I think about it the more I think it was one of those example assessment day things held by some company rather than an actual real assessment day. I think my group won that particular activity On the line of assessment days though, one of my friends told me about an assessment day one of their friends had. It was for some sort of management job, and part of it was where the group of candidates were given a scenario, such as you're on a plane, the plane crashes, you're in the middle of nowhere, you have a certain number of items, what would you do? I believe this is a rather common exercise in assessment days. Anyway, this guy basically said "right, i will kill him him and her so that i have food, take him, cos he's strongest and can help me out and carry stuff etc". Apparently he got the job, cos he showed good leadership skills...
I remember about hearing one where in the middle of standard compentcy question came the question To get a rhino into a fridge you open the door put the rhino in and close the door. How do you get an elephant in?" A few more questions then "The lion is having a party and all the animals are invited. Who didn't turn up?" More questions... "You come across a crocodile invested river how do you cross?" These would have thrown me as I'd have forgotton about the previous questions.(answers below) Open the door, take the rhino out, put the elephant in and close the dorr The elephant, he's stuck in your fridge Just swim, the crocs are at the lion's party
hiya phil what are your qualifications like? usually if its a close call they may look into qualifications?
