An in-basket exercise is a tool used to evaluate decision-making and prioritisation skills. The in-basket exercise can come in multiple stages, each requiring more effort than the next. The first step every candidate will have to endure is reading and organising a handful of provided documents. The correspondence and tasks should be separated and grouped based on their content and instruction. Then, a timeline must be created; candidates may be asked to write it down or just keep a mental note of it. An additional step would be the completion and delegation of the assigned tasks. This is asked of candidate’s whose capabilities in management and teamwork need to be evaluated alongside their prioritisation skills. Some candidates are asked to go one step further and role play the delivery of their instructions to an assessor acting as a subordinate or colleague. By doing this, the company is given insight into their behaviour and personality.
The candidate’s performance during the in-basket exercise mirrors their capabilities in areas such as judgement, leadership style, and most importantly, how they work under pressure. In some cases the candidate is given more work than they are expected to complete, this is to highlight the depth of your prioritisation and processing skills; the assessor will inform you ahead of time if this is the case.
When Will I Take an In-Basket Exercise?
Although in-basket exercises serve the same purpose, they can be used for a variety of reasons. Some companies ask that you participate in this exercise during the interview process, and some companies use the in-basket exercise to assess employees that are up for promotion. This exercise is most commonly used for government and finance related positions.
If you are a job seeker who has been asked to partake in an in-basket exercise, you will most likely take it during the assessment day. This may add to the pressure as you have numerous candidates around you who are working on it as well. Some candidates are asked to complete an in-basket exercise on-site before their final interview. Your performance on the in-basket exercise will be evaluated after your interview, so the two can be compared alongside one another.
Employees who are up for a promotion at their work that may be assuming a managerial role will be asked to complete an in-basket exercise. The more in-depth version of the exercise that includes role playing will be utilised for candidate’s being assessed for a promotion. They are usually given a high volume of assorted tasks that must be finalised within three to four hours.
How Is the In-Basket Exercise Scored?
The scoring system for in-basket exercises varies depending on the company. Some administer a multiple-choice questionnaire that measures your proficiency and understanding of the exercise and others evaluate you based on your method of completion, the quality of your correspondence and the timely manner in which you complete the exercise.
Employers, or potential employers, that use a multiple-choice evaluation will penalise you for wrong answers which means guessing can be detrimental. Because it is commonly not expected that applicants complete every task, skipping over a question you are unsure of and coming back to it later is a better technique than simply guessing.
How to Prepare for an In-Basket Exercise?
Participating in an in-basket exercise requires a lot of focus, reading comprehension and excellent time management. Preparing for an in-basket exercise by using online practice tests is the best way to discover what pace works best for you and simultaneously ensures that the work will be completed. With an online practice test, you will be able to acquaint yourself with the general theme of the content and improve your ability to assign tasks a certain degree of importance over the other tasks. Keep in mind the qualities that companies are assessing while you prepare for the in-basket exercise because those are what you are going to need to enhance on the day you complete the exercise.
Final Thoughts: In-Basket Exercise
If you have an in-basket exercise in your near future, there is no need to stress. You can practice with us by clicking the practice tab! We want you to feel extra confident and more than ready when you complete the in-basket exercise.
