Assessment Centre

In recruiter context

Common at graduate scheme stage and for management/leadership roles. A typical UK assessment centre runs 4-7 hours and includes: group exercise (you're observed working with strangers on a problem), individual case study, presentation, structured interview, sometimes a psychometric test. Each exercise is scored against the company's competency framework. The mistake candidates make is treating it like a series of separate interviews — it's not. Assessors compare candidates side-by-side at the end of the day. Standing out positively in the group exercise (without dominating it) and asking thoughtful questions in the case study are the two highest-leverage moves.