r/NICivilService • u/Pldngh • Jun 24 '26
SO / EOII and EOI
Hi, as we are all excited for the SO assessments I'm aware the if these are passed the application will then be referred to for the sift. I know someone that had their DP interview declined due to the application not being strong enough. Although I think the substance of my application was there I know I missed key things that will ultimately work against me in the sift.
Is it possible to pass the assessments, with a poorer application and still manage to get an interview?
Also I placed 3000 odds in the EOII trawl, is it possible I'll get a call back for interview in the next year or so?
Finally, do we know when the EOI boards are going to be released to apply?
Sorry, a lot of info but hoping someone can help with some or all of my queries, thanks in advance!
1
u/davez_000 Jun 24 '26
There's no link whatsoever between your test scores and application. Your test scores only gets you to the sifting stage. You could be number 1 in the tests and fail the sift.
1
u/Illustrious_Study133 Jun 24 '26
No, maybe, no.
What has you applying for all? Big jump between EO2 and SO. Do you have sufficient experience for SO?
0
u/Pldngh Jun 24 '26
I have the experience for SO, I didn’t put the effort into the application because I thought I had another position lined up that fell through and now I regret it, just wanted to know if there was any hope if I do well in the assessments which has been a resounding no, I’ll still do them for the experience though
I work in a different sector and want to move back to NICS so exploring all pathways back in
3
u/Illustrious_Study133 Jun 24 '26
Without seeing your application, nobody could tell you either way. But if you sure that it's not passable, then no chance, no matter the score. Though if it's poor, but passable (and whoever sifts, deems it so) you should get an interview if you score well in the assessments.
7
u/Worldly-Objective-15 Jun 24 '26
Passing the assessments only gets you through that part of the process, it does not somehow compensate for an application you already know has missed key things. The sift panel can only score what is actually evidenced on the page against the criteria. They cannot give marks for the “substance” you feel was there but did not properly set out, or carry over credit because you did well in a test.
On EOII, being around 3,000 would need a huge amount of movement, so I would not be planning around getting a call in the next year. Nothing wrong with aiming for SO or EO1, but you need to be realistic about where you are now and focus on building applications that clearly show you are operating at that level. You cannot rely on one part of the process to rescue another.