Public Service Entrance Exams

It is that time again…October, the Government of Canada officially announces the opening of Post Secondary Recruitment (PSR) Campaign. During the next few weeks, thousands of Canadian students across the nation and abroad will compete for the final prize – an indeterminate position in the Government of Canada. Only a select few will be chosen for these coveted positions. Those who are not chosen for a position will have to compete during the year in job competitions that are open to the public or wait another long year for the next PSR campaign to be held. During that year, colleagues who prepared for the exams and succeeded in the PSR job competition will have already started their new positions.

The PSR campaign has changed dramatically during the past decade. What was once a combination of the Graduate Recruitment Test, the Situational Judgement Test and the Written Communication Proficiency Test (or the Written Communication Test)  is now combined in the Public Service Entrance Exam. The Public Service Entrance Exam was introduced in the 2011 Post Secondary Recruitment Campaign and was designed with two main goals: reduce costs and eliminate candidates at the earliest stage possible. For more information on the format of the Public Service Entrance Exam click here

The Public Service Entrance Exam is an opportunity given only once a year to all university graduates (or those that will be graduating). This makes it the only deciding exam that will allow you to continue in the selection process. The Public Service Entrance Exam is the first filter after your resume and cover letter to eliminate thousands of potential candidates before  Government officials even meet you in person. That’s why the first part of the exam is administered online. Each step you pass in the exam is the closer you get to departmental exams and eventually the dream job that you deserve. So how do smart students manage to get screened out of the PSEE?

Here are the 4 top reasons students get eliminated from the PSEE:

1. Not taking preparation seriously: The effort that you put into studying for the PSEE is what you will get out of it. Do not look at the Public Service Commission online sample questions for practice (they are significantly easier than the questions on the real exam and are only there to provide an idea of the structure of the questions). Also, do not listen to advice from other students who are competing for the same job as you. They are your competition and have no interest in you getting the job that they want. Many students have decided to take a structured approach a year later after telling me that they got the surprise of their lives when they could no longer solve questions halfway during the PSEE: by then it was too late. Start your preparation early so that you are not caught off guard.

2. Planning to “go with the flow”: Has it been a long time since you’ve taken a math course or a course with “reasoning ability” type problems? You are not alone. The PSEE has many intricacies that are not evident to the untrained eye. Answers usually have slight nuances so that those who have not practiced will most likely choose the wrong option. Remember the objective of the PSEE is to eliminate you. The earlier you start practicing the better outcomes you will have. Leave the mentality of “going with the flow” for your annual vacation.

3. Poor approach to the exam: The Government of Canada’s Public Service Entrance Exams gives you very little time to answer each question. You need to have a systematic approach to how you will allocate your time. If you do not structure your time properly, you will run out of time during the exam and be forced to guess answers with the hope of getting “lucky”. Getting a job in the Canadian government is not about being “lucky”, it’s about being prepared.

4. Forgetting that it an amazing opportunity that comes only once a year: The Public Service Entrance Exam is your only opportunity to continue in the Post Secondary Recruitment campaign in any given year. Departments have the right to set the passing mark for the PSEE at their own discretion. If you fail the Public Service Entrance Exam it is over for that year, there is no re-write, no excuses are accepted.  The Government of Canada is not a university, they will not allow students to re-write an exam unless there is a technical issue on their system. Other students will take the exam seriously, pass it, and continue in the process. I have received emails from several students who failed the PSEE, asking if there is a winter recruitment campaign. They were disheartened to discover that they had to wait another year to have their next opportunity. Your future career is too important to wait another year for an exam that you can start preparing for today.

You have one chance each year to pass the PSEE and excel in the PSR campaign. Do you really want to be that person who opens up their email to receive a rejection message? Or do you want to be a successful university graduate who wakes up every morning excited to go to their secure government job where they are changing the everyday lives of Canadians? The choice is yours, but one thing is certain, life continues and you definitely do not want to be looking at this page wishing that you made this decision one year ago.

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We provide the following two options: