Graduate Development Programme: candidate guide 2026
Guidance for candidates applying to the 2026 Scottish Government Graduate Development Programme.
Getting ready for Assessment Centre
This guidance relates to candidates who have been invited to Assessment Centre following their application:
This section provides information to help you prepare for your Assessment Centre including details about the assessment activities and what to expect on the day.
The Assessment Centres for our Graduate Development Programme are made up of 3 assessment activities:
Requesting adjustments
We want every candidate to have the opportunity to perform at their best during assessment and we are happy to provide adjustments to standard procedures wherever possible.
Questions will be provided in advance for the main part of our interviews to all candidates. These will be provided at least 48 hours in advance of Assessment Centres taking place.
Our recruitment team need advance notice to action adjustments for Assessment Centres. Please contact us by 8 February 2026 to request any adjustments at: ScottishGovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot
Assessment activities
1. Written Analysis Exercise
Total task duration: 90 minutes
The Written Analysis Exercise provides candidates with a scenario based on a fictional organisation with a range of supporting information. You are asked to analyse this information and present a recommendation in a written report.
Please read the following for guidance:
- this task is completed on the SHL Assessment Platform and will be timed; you will have 90 minutes to complete and upload a template provided with your answers
- you will not meet the assessors for this activity, as the platform provides all of the information you need to complete the task
- you will receive an invite to access this assessment from our assessment provider, SHL, look out for notifications from talentcentral@shl.com
- your access to the platform will be set up for the specific date and time of your assessment, and you will not be able to login and complete the activity before this time
- please download the report template and complete it locally on your computer, this prevents work loss due to connection issues and provides you with a saved copy, then upload the finished version back to the platform for assessment
- a timer is included on the platform to help you manage your time: you must upload your written report before the timer runs out, as you will not be able to submit this afterwards
- when the allocated time to complete the activity has ended, you will be returned to the homepage and you will no longer have access to the activity materials or upload option
- when you have completed the activity, you should click ‘End Task’; if you click this button, you will not be able to resume the activity or access the materials again
2. Stakeholder Communication Task
Total task duration: 1 hour
The Stakeholder Communication Task builds on the previous scenario you were presented with, in the Written Analysis activity.
In this assessment you will participate in a role-play exercise with 2 stakeholders who have differing views on the proposal you submitted. This is a timed activity that takes 1 hour to complete.
This activity is made up of 2 parts:
- Part 1: a preparation period where you can access information and make notes
- Part 2: the stakeholder role-play with an assessor
Part 1: 30 minutes
- the preparation part of this activity is undertaken on the SHL platform
- you will receive an invite to access this assessment from our assessment provided SHL, look out for notifications from talentcentral@shl.com
- your access to the platform will be set up for the specific date and time of your assessment, and you will not be able to login and complete the activity before this time
- when you access the platform, you will be presented with some information which builds on your knowledge of the previous scenario featured in the written analysis assessment
- a timer is included on the platform to help you manage your time; when the allocated time for preparation has ended, you will be returned to the homepage and you will no longer have access to the activity materials
Part 2: 30 minutes
- the second part of this assessment is undertaken in a MS Teams meeting between yourself and the assessor (who will play both stakeholders)t
- you will receive an invite to access this assessment from our recruitment team, look out for notifications from EarlyCareers@gov.scot
- please note that invites for Teams meetings start shortly before you are expected to join, so the assessors can access these first
- the timings for this activity will require you to join the Teams meeting for the stakeholder role-play immediately after the preparation period ends
3. Interview
Total task duration: 1 hour
The interview will be structured around three parts, which will flow as one conversation.
- part one will explore your motivations and career goals
- part two will focus on your reflections from the day
- part three will cover a range of questions relevant to the graduate role
The interview is attended via a MS Teams meeting. You will receive an invite to access this assessment from our recruitment team, look out for notifications from EarlyCareers@gov.scot.
Questions in advance
The questions in part three are designed to give you the opportunity to demonstrate your skills and experience across a range of areas. These questions will be shared in advance to allow you time to think about and prepare examples or brief notes.
We recommend that you don’t script your answers to the questions, as the interview format is intended to be a conversation with assessors, who are interested to find out about you as a person.
Additional information
Before the assessment centre
You will receive 5 diary invites in advance of the assessment centre, to the e-mail address you applied with. These will include invites for:
- your Welcome Call at the start of the day
- completing your Written Analysis Exercise on the SHL Platform
- completing your Stakeholder Communication Exercise Preparation on the SHL Platform
- completing your role-play for the Stakeholder Communication Exercise on MS Teams
- completing your Interview on MS Teams
You should check you have received all invites in advance of the assessment centre, if you can’t find the invites please check junk or trash folders in your e-mail. If you still do not have notifications, please contact us at: EarlyCareers@gov.scot
You will be provided with questions for the main part of the interview at least 48 hours in advance of the assessment centre slot you are booked to attend.
Please contact us in advance of the assessment centre if you require any adjustments to be applied as specific system set up is required to enable this.
You may want to check your technical set up in advance of assessment centres taking place, we have provided some information on system requirements for you in this guide.
What to expect on the day
Welcome call
You will be invited to a welcome call at the start of your assessment centre, this is a chance to meet your host for the day and hear some useful hints and tips before you get started.
After the welcome call you will start your first activity – the Written Analysis Exercise. This is followed by the Stakeholder Exercise and Interview. Short breaks are included between activities and you will also have an opportunity to take a short lunch break.
Timings
The assessment centre is designed so that all activities are undertaken on one day and in a specific order. We ask that you are ready to start your activities promptly as there is a lot to cover during the assessment centre activities.
For elements on the SHL Platform, you will be invited to read some instructions before starting the timer for your assessment. 5 minutes has been allocated for this in our timings for the day. Once the timer has been started you will be able to continue to access the instructions.
If you take longer than 5 minutes to start the timer, you may start running behind schedule. If a candidate falls behind to the extent that it will impact on the start times of subsequent activities, we may not be able to continue with your assessment.
Support on the day
The host that you meet on your welcome call will be available to support you throughout the day and you will be able to use the SHL technical help options if you have any technical difficulties.
Use of AI Tools
You are not permitted to use AI tools for completing any part of the assessment centre activities. This includes both preparation for activities and in the live assessments. Any breach of this requirement will result in removal from the assessment process.
System requirements
SHL provide the following guidance as recommended system requirements for completing online assessments:
Connection speed
You should use a 56Kb, or faster, Internet connection to get the best experience.
Pop-up windows
Please disable any pop-up blocking software, which may prevent the test from downloading, before attempting the tests. University or company networks may have restrictions in place so please check with your local systems administrator first.
The following browsers and operating systems have been thoroughly tested and certified for use with the assessment system. It is strongly recommended you use one of the following:
Supported Internet browsers
- Google Chrome Version 50 and higher (Windows, Mac)
- Mozilla Firefox Version 50 and higher (Windows, Mac)
- Safari Version 11 and higher (Windows, Mac)
- Microsoft Edge Version 80 and higher (Windows)
Supported operating systems
- Apple Mac OS 11.x (up to Mac OS X v11.2 1 - Big Sur)
- Microsoft Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista
Please note, most browsers can be downloaded from the supplier's website for free. Click here to check your settings now.
Auto translate
When using Microsoft Edge please ensure you disable the page translation function.
When the translate function is enabled the translate button is shown in blue in the address bar.
Please click on the translate button and click on 'Show Original'.
Please note, most browsers can be downloaded from the supplier's website for free. Click here to check your settings now.
Accessing the SHL Platform
Links are provided in the diary invites for assessment activities; these are individual to each candidate. When you click on a link you will be required to register for an account, please ensure that you use the e-mail address you applied with.
You will be asked for some contact details and diversity information to register for the SHL Platform, only the information required for setting up your account is mandatory, you are not required to provide diversity details and you can opt to not complete these details.
MS Teams
You will also be required to access MS Teams meetings for elements of the assessment.
Use of screen readers
We have created a version of the assessments which are optimised for use with screen-readers. This requires additional system set up and we ask that you contact us by 8 February 2026 to request this version at: ScottishGovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot
Feedback for candidates
We will provide you with a comprehensive feedback report based on your performance at the Assessment Centre, covering both the elements tested and the activities you completed.
Feedback reports will be issued after the assessment centres have been completed, depending on the slot you have booked it may be several weeks until you receive this.
Reports will be issued to the e-mail address that you applied with. Please note that we cannot provide any additional feedback in addition to the information provided in your report.
Contact
To learn more about careers at the Scottish Government, visit our careers website.
You can also keep up to date with notifications about the Graduate Development Programme by following our social media channels.
Facebook: ScotGovJobs
X (Twitter): @scotgovjobs
If you have a specific question relating to recruitment you can e-mail us at: ScottishGovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot