You'll mostly be asked behaviour questions: “Tell me about a time when…” questions, one for each behaviour named in your job advert, pitched at the level of your grade. The panel scores each answer, then usually asks a follow-up to test how deep your example goes. Some interviews also ask strengths questions, about what you enjoy and what motivates you, and questions about your experience.
The questions aren't secret. Panels write them from the same published lists that describe each behaviour at each grade, called the Success Profiles behaviours. So if you practise questions built from those lists, at your grade, you've practised what will be scored, even if the panel's wording is different on the day.
This page explains how a Civil Service interview is put together, how the questions change from grade to grade, and how to practise. Then it gives you one practice question for every behaviour at every grade from AA to Grade 7, with the follow-up a panel might ask and a plain-English note on what they're listening for. These questions were written by Plum from the official descriptions. They are not official Civil Service questions.
Civil Service jobs are assessed with Success Profiles, the framework every department uses for recruitment. It can test five things: behaviours (how you work), strengths (what you enjoy and do well), ability (usually online tests), experience (what you've done before) and technical skills or qualifications. Each advert says which of these the job uses, and whether they're tested in the written application, at interview, or both.
There are nine behaviours: Seeing the Big Picture, Changing and Improving, Making Effective Decisions, Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together, Developing Self and Others, Managing a Quality Service, and Delivering at Pace. An advert picks a handful of them, usually not all nine. Look for the list of behaviours in your advert. Those are the questions you'll get.
Your written application is usually scored first, in a stage called the sift. If you pass the sift, you're invited to interview, often on Microsoft Teams or another video call. A small panel asks the questions, takes notes, and scores each behaviour separately. Many departments score each answer out of 7, and 4 is the usual pass mark, but check your candidate pack because it varies.
Strengths questions are different. They aren't published in advance, they're quick, and they ask how you feel about things (“What kind of work gives you energy?”) rather than for an example. You can't prepare scripted answers for them, and you don't need to. Answer honestly and briefly.
Civil Service jobs are graded. From the bottom: Administrative Assistant (AA), Administrative Officer (AO), Executive Officer (EO), Higher Executive Officer (HEO), Senior Executive Officer (SEO), Grade 7 (G7) and Grade 6 (G6). Some departments use their own names for grades, but the advert usually gives the Civil Service equivalent.
The nine behaviours stay the same at every grade. What changes is how big the example needs to be. Take Making Effective Decisions. At AA and AO, the panel wants to hear that you checked the facts and asked when you were unsure. At EO, that you weighed options and explained your decision. At HEO and SEO, that you gathered evidence from several sources and set out options, costs and risks. At Grade 7, that you made a sound decision when the evidence was incomplete.
Pitch your examples at the grade you're applying for, not the one you're in now. If you're stepping up, choose the examples where you did the most: the time you made the call, not the time you helped someone else make it.
Find your grade below. Open your job advert and note which behaviours it tests at interview. Then practise only those questions first. If you have time left, practise the others too, because panels sometimes ask about a behaviour from a different angle.
Answer each one out loud using STAR: the Situation and Task briefly, about 20% of your time; the Action, what you did, about 60%; and the Result, about 20%. Say “I”, not “we”. Some people add a final R for Reflection, one line on what you learned, which is called STARR.
Then answer the follow-up, also out loud. Panels nearly always probe, and the follow-up is where weak answers fall apart. If you can't answer the follow-up for your example, choose a different example or fill in the detail now.
Last, read the “listening for” note under each question. It's a plain-English summary of the official description for that behaviour at that grade. Check that your answer shows at least two of the things it mentions.
Administrative Assistant (AA) and Administrative Officer (AO) are the entry grades. Typical jobs: processing cases and forms, answering phone and email enquiries, keeping records, supporting a team. The Success Profiles behaviours at this level are about your own work: understanding your tasks, getting them right, helping colleagues and treating customers well.
Panels at this grade don't expect you to have led anything. They want ordinary work done carefully: a time you checked something before acting, explained it clearly, or helped someone out. Examples from shops, call centres, care work, hospitality, volunteering or study all fit.
Tell me about a time you needed to understand how your own tasks fitted into your team's priorities. Follow-up: How did knowing that change the way you did the work?
Listening for: You know your responsibilities and how they feed the team's goals; you think about how your work affects people with different needs.
Tell me about a time you suggested a better way of doing a task. Follow-up: What happened when you raised it, and did anyone push back?
Listening for: You review how things are done, suggest improvements (including digital ones) and help colleagues learn new procedures.
Tell me about a time you spotted an error or missing information before you made a decision. Follow-up: What guidance or people did you check with first?
Listening for: You use guidance, check the facts, fix gaps before deciding and ask when you're unsure.
Tell me about a time you took personal ownership of something that went wrong, or could have. Follow-up: How did you treat the people involved?
Listening for: Enthusiasm and accountability for your own role; fair, respectful, inclusive treatment of others.
Tell me about a time you had to explain something to someone who needed it put a different way. Follow-up: Why did you choose that method (email, phone, face to face)?
Listening for: Clear, plain language; the right channel for the person; listening and checking understanding.
Tell me about a time you helped a colleague, or asked for help yourself, to get the team's work done. Follow-up: How did you make sure they were OK, not just the task?
Listening for: You pitch in beyond your own job, build supportive relationships and look out for wellbeing.
Tell me about a time you spotted a gap in your own skills and did something about it. Follow-up: Did you pass what you learnt on to anyone else?
Listening for: You find your own gaps, plan to close them, act on feedback and share what you learn.
Tell me about a time you made sure a customer got what they actually needed. Follow-up: How did you keep them updated along the way?
Listening for: You understand customer needs, manage your own time, prevent problems and keep people informed.
Tell me about a time you had a deadline and a lot on at once. Follow-up: How did you keep the quality up while working fast?
Listening for: Focus and pace, following the rules, organising your own work and updating your manager.
Executive Officer (EO) is often the first grade with some responsibility for others or for a caseload of your own. Typical jobs: caseworker, team leader of a small team, officer handling a set of customers or cases. The behaviours step up from your own tasks to your team and the people you deal with: linking your work to wider goals, handling difficult conversations, making and explaining decisions.
If you're applying for your first EO job from an AO role or from outside, you don't need to have been a manager. Show that you took responsibility for a decision, a customer or a piece of work, and explain your reasoning.
Tell me about a time you made sure your work served a wider goal, not just the task in front of you. Follow-up: How did you keep up to date with what was affecting your area?
Listening for: You link your team's work to wider objectives and different stakeholders' needs, and stay current on issues.
Tell me about a time you helped a team accept a change they weren't keen on. Follow-up: How did you explain the reasons for it?
Listening for: You suggest improvements, stay open to change, help others understand it and use technology to make things more efficient.
Tell me about a decision you were responsible for where you had to weigh up options and risks. Follow-up: How did you explain the decision afterwards?
Listening for: Timely, fair decisions backed by research; you seek advice when unsure and explain your reasoning clearly.
Tell me about a time you dealt with behaviour at work that wasn't acceptable or inclusive. Follow-up: What did you do in the moment, and what happened next?
Listening for: You role-model an inclusive workplace, tackle poor behaviour promptly and give credit to others.
Tell me about a difficult conversation you handled with someone at work or a customer. Follow-up: How did you keep it respectful and still get your point across?
Listening for: Clear, concise speech and writing; the right channel; handling challenge with confidence and sensitivity.
Tell me about a time you worked with people outside your own team to get a result. Follow-up: What did you change in how you worked to make it go smoothly?
Listening for: You build contacts beyond your team, share knowledge, listen with real interest and support colleagues.
Tell me about a time you helped a colleague build a skill. Follow-up: How did you decide what to delegate to them?
Listening for: You spot skills gaps in yourself and the team, support others' development and welcome feedback.
Tell me about a time you had to tell a customer what could and couldn't be done. Follow-up: How did you balance their needs with what the business could deliver?
Listening for: Clear plans and priorities, honest explanations to customers, and fixing common problems at the root.
Tell me about a time you hit a setback on a piece of work with a deadline. Follow-up: How did you make sure the team had what they needed to recover?
Listening for: You spot barriers early, set clear goals and responsibilities, check progress and support people when it gets hard.
Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and Senior Executive Officer (SEO) share one set of behaviour descriptions. These are middle-manager and specialist grades: managing a team, running a project or service, advising on policy. The behaviours expect you to set direction: align work to wider priorities, involve stakeholders, weigh options and risks, and develop people.
At SEO, show bigger scope than at HEO: more people, more money, more risk, or a more senior audience. The same question works for both. What changes is the size of the example you choose.
Tell me about a time you aligned your team's work with wider organisational priorities. Follow-up: What emerging issue did you spot, and how did it change your plans?
Listening for: You understand the strategic drivers in your area, align activity to them and watch for new trends.
Tell me about a time you simplified a process so it used fewer resources. Follow-up: How did you support people who found the change hard?
Listening for: You improve and simplify with others, welcome ideas from many sources, make it safe to challenge and take managed risks.
Tell me about a difficult or unpopular decision you made. Follow-up: Who did you involve, and what other options did you rule out?
Listening for: Credible evidence from several sources, inviting challenge, strong recommendations that set out options, costs and risks.
Tell me about a time you made sure everyone was clear on objectives and timescales for a piece of work. Follow-up: How did you handle conflict or non-inclusive behaviour along the way?
Listening for: Clear direction, championing inclusion, recognising others' achievements and managing conflict and misconduct.
Tell me about a time you got an important message across to a mixed audience with different interests. Follow-up: How did you check it had landed?
Listening for: Straightforward, honest, engaging communication with a clear purpose, styled to the audience and checked for understanding.
Tell me about a time you built a working relationship with a stakeholder to share resources or information. Follow-up: How did you make people from different backgrounds feel their input counted?
Listening for: Joined-up teamwork across groups, professional stakeholder relationships, team spirit and wellbeing support.
Tell me about a time you coached or mentored someone. Follow-up: What feedback have you acted on recently to improve your own or your team's performance?
Listening for: You spot capability gaps, make sure development objectives are met and coach people for succession.
Tell me about a time you set up or reviewed a system or service to improve its quality. Follow-up: How did you gather and act on customer feedback?
Listening for: Developing and reviewing services, agreeing priorities with stakeholders, value for money and resolving risks.
Tell me about a time you had conflicting demands and had to reprioritise your team's work. Follow-up: How did you give people room to deliver while still owning the result?
Listening for: Keeping the team on top priorities, monitoring against milestones and reassessing workloads quickly.
Grade 7 and Grade 6 share one set of behaviour descriptions. These are senior manager and senior specialist grades. The behaviours expect a government-wide view: shaping plans from wider economic, political or technological change, influencing senior leaders, making decisions on incomplete evidence, and building capability across teams.
Panels at this level probe hard on judgement and on how you brought others with you. Have examples where you took a position, held it under pressure, and can explain the trade-offs you weighed.
Tell me about a time you used a wider economic, political or technological development to shape your area's plans. Follow-up: How did you influence senior leaders with it?
Listening for: A government-wide view, plans that reflect strategic priorities, and bringing together stakeholders' views.
Tell me about a time you challenged senior management on a change proposal. Follow-up: How did you weigh the impact on culture, morale and end users?
Listening for: Changes that add value, a safe environment for challenge, spotting early signs things are going wrong.
Tell me about a decision you made on incomplete or complex evidence. Follow-up: How did you make sure it was taken at the right level, without extra bureaucracy?
Listening for: Interpreting data from several sources, weighing positives, negatives and risks, deciding confidently when details are unclear.
Tell me about a time you stood by your team's decision under pressure to back down. Follow-up: How did you keep the team motivated through it?
Listening for: Promoting inclusion, welcoming challenge, defending decisions where needed and inspiring teams.
Tell me about a time you had to deliver a difficult message and persuade people to accept it. Follow-up: How did you explain the complex part so it was easy to follow?
Listening for: Building trust through clear, honest communication; explaining complex issues simply; delivering hard news with sensitivity.
Tell me about a time your network helped you deliver a shared objective. Follow-up: Where did you compromise, and where did you challenge assumptions?
Listening for: Building and keeping a network, challenging assumptions while compromising where it helps, and an inclusive, approachable style.
Tell me about a time you made sure development opportunities reached everyone in your team, not just those after promotion. Follow-up: How have you changed a plan or process because of what teams learnt from each other?
Listening for: Role-modelling learning, identifying future capability needs and making development open to all.
Tell me about a time you planned how a service would be delivered, including the legal, security or accessibility requirements. Follow-up: How did you compare it against best practice?
Listening for: Practical delivery plans, compliance, proactive risk management and benchmarking against industry best practice.
Tell me about a time you set clear roles and performance standards to get a team delivering. Follow-up: How did you adjust when performance slipped?
Listening for: Everyone owns their role and priorities, clear performance processes, and the right resources for timely, quality results.
Tonight: find your grade, circle the behaviours your advert tests at interview, and pick one example for each. One line per example is enough to start.
This week: answer each question and its follow-up out loud, one a day. Time yourself: about 2 to 3 minutes per answer. Check each one against the “listening for” note.
Before the interview: practise with a different wording, because the panel won't use these exact words. Plum's AI interview panel asks behaviour questions for your grade in its own words, follows up like a real panel, and tells you how each answer landed.
No. Plum wrote them from the Cabinet Office's Success Profiles behaviour descriptions for each grade. Panels write their own questions from the same descriptions, so these cover what gets scored, but the wording on the day will be different.
Usually one main question for each behaviour your advert lists for the interview, each followed by one or more follow-ups. Many interviews also include strengths questions and sometimes a question about your experience or a short presentation. The advert and candidate pack say what to expect.
They use the same behaviour descriptions, so the questions are the same. At SEO, the panel expects bigger scope: more people, more money, more risk or a more senior audience. Choose your largest examples for SEO.
Grade 6 shares its behaviour descriptions with Grade 7, so use the Grade 7 questions. Expect the panel to look for wider influence and more senior stakeholders at Grade 6.
Yes. Administrative Assistant and Administrative Officer share one set of behaviour descriptions. The examples you give can be the same kind: everyday work done carefully, from any job, volunteering or study.
Pitch at the grade you're applying for, but use real examples. Pick the times you went furthest: you made the decision, led the change, or handled the difficult person. Explain your reasoning clearly, because that's what the higher grades score.
Repeat it back to buy a few seconds, decide which behaviour it's testing, and use your example for that behaviour. Asking “Can I take a moment to think?” is normal and won't count against you.
A live AI panel on Plum asks the question for your grade, then the follow-up.