Written assessment and interview
On this page
- Tips for written assessment and interviews
- Accommodations for written assessment and interview
- Alternate test dates
- How long results remain valid
- Sample exam questions
Tips for written assessment and interview
During the written assessment
- Carefully read all instructions for the exam
- Do not ignore asset qualification questions
- Do the assessment on your own
- Make sure you can answer questions about each competency with concrete examples
- Practice and review sample questions beforehand
During the interview
- Do not be afraid to take a few seconds to think before or during your responses.
- Take your time. This is your chance to sell yourself to the college and show us you have the qualifications.
- Speak clearly, at a good speed, using proper grammar.
- Do not read directly from your notes. Instead, use your notes as prompts, to remind you of the points you want to make. Reading directly from your notes will make you speak too quickly. The interview board members may miss important information you say.
- Use the time to explain why you believe you are the perfect candidate for the program.
General tips
- Review links provided to identify information that can support your answers.
- Break down the questions to think about the information that you want to include.
- As you prepare your answers, remember the job you are applying for.
- Draw on personal experiences as examples. Remember to relate them to the competency in question.
- For example, if providing an example for teamwork using a sports team, make sure it shows how your teamwork capabilities relate to the Officer Training Program.
- Be prepared to answer:
behaviour-based questions
Behavioural questions focus on how you handled various situations in your past. Understanding how you handled these situations will help give a sense of what you might do in the future. When providing answers to behavioural questions, it's important to use specific examples instead of speaking in general terms.
When you respond to behavioural questions, you'll need to use the STAR technique, as it provides a reliable structure to help you organize your thoughts. There are four steps to answering questions using the STAR technique:
- (S) Situation
- Describe the situation in which the event took place.
- (T) Task
- Describe the task you were asked to complete. If there was a particular problem or issue you were trying to solve, describe it here.
- (A) Action
- Explain what action you took to complete the task and/or solve the problem.
- (R) Results
- Explain the result of your actions. For example, explain if your actions resulted in completing a task, resolving a conflict, improving a situation, etc. Try to focus on how your actions resulted in a success.
situation-based questions
Situational questions focus on how you'll handle real-life scenarios presented to you. Situational questions help us to better understand your thought process and assesses various skills.
When you respond to situational questions, you'll need to use the ARC technique, as it provides a reliable structure to help you to organize your thoughts. There are three steps to answering questions using the ARC technique:
- (A) Action
- What action will you take to address the situation?
- (R) Reasoning or Rationale
- What is the reasoning/rationale behind your actions? How did you arrive at this decision?
- (C) Considerations
- What factors did you taking into account when making your decision?
Accommodations for written assessment and interview
If you have a functional limitation, disability or condition that could impede your performance while completing the written assessment or the interview, you must notify the college admissions. Do not begin the written assessment or the interview until a member of the admissions team contacts you.
If, before the written assessment or interview you experience a physical or psychological problem that may interfere with completing the assessment, please notify us immediately via the link on your invitation.
Should you choose to proceed with the written assessment or interview without requesting accommodation ahead of time, you must accept the written assessment or interview results.
Alternate test dates
Requests for an alternate date will only be considered for one of the following reasons:
- religious obligations
- death in the immediate family
- medical reason with a doctor's certificate (proving illness for the entire week)
- planned vacation with costs already incurred
- paid military leave or training
Proof may be requested in these circumstances. If you require an alternate test or interview date for one of the above-mentioned reasons, you must notify us via email noted on the invitation to the written assessment or interview.
How long results remain valid
Successful results of the written assessment and interview are valid throughout the selection process. If you receive unsuccessful results, your candidacy for the Officer Training Program will be terminated. If you wish to reapply to a future selection process, you may do so in the next selection process in the fall of the year.
During the assessment process both cheating and plagiarism are considered forms of misconduct and are not permitted. Any person found cheating or plagiarizing, including those who help others cheat, may be subject to sanctions including removal from the selection process.
Sample exam questions
These sample questions will help you prepare for the written assessment and your interview.
Leadership
Question 1 What are two characteristics you believe every leader should have?Â
Why do you consider them to be important?
Question 2 Give an example of a time you played a leadership role in an event, activity, work unit or project.
Describe the actions you took to lead.
Adaptability
Question 1 What aspects of your lifestyle will you need to change to adapt to the new lifestyle of officer cadet?
Question 2 What skills or behaviours will you use to help make this change?
Judgement
Question 1 What actions would you take to manage and resolve a conflict issue with another cadet?
Question 2 What factors would you consider before taking these actions?
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