Case study

This book is aimed at all candidates taking European institution competition exams (AST cycle, AD cycle and specialist competitions) who wish to prepare in the best possible way for the case study test.

The case study exercise forms part of the tests held at the assessment centre. It is a written test based on a dossier of material. It is designed to evaluate particular competencies, ie: “Analysis and problem solving”, “Delivering quality and results”, “Communicating” and, where appropriate, “Prioritising and organising”.

The case study is a technical test. It is usually taken on computer. Candidates must answer a number of questions basing their answers on the information contained in the dossier. The main challenges of the test lie in the size of the dossier (usually ten or more documents) and the time allowed to complete it (90 minutes). To succeed in this test, candidates must:

-      analyse the questions correctly to avoid going off topic;

-      quickly identify the most relevant documents and extract key ideas from them;

-      structure their answers;

-      write in a clear and precise style.

This book is a step-by-step guide on how to deal with a case study. It shows you, at every stage, how to obtain maximum points in each competency. It includes:

-      a detailed methodology;

-      a sample case study with answers;

-      a competency evaluation table.

The methodology is based on EPSO’s competency framework and on the case study tests set by EPSO since 2010.