HMRC TSP Online Tests 2026: Verbal, Numerical and Judgement Test

The first two stages of HMRC's Tax Specialist Programme selection are three Civil Service online tests: the Verbal Test, the Numerical Test and the Civil Service Judgement Test (CSJT). None of them is timed, and none needs any tax knowledge. What makes them hard for TSP applicants is the calendar. The Verbal and Numerical tests come in sequence and must both be submitted within two days of the application deadline, and the Judgement Test follows a week later with a seven-day window. This guide explains each test from the official GOV.UK guidance, how HMRC uses the scores, and how to plan the next three weeks. ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not part of HMRC, the Civil Service or Civil Service Jobs. Every rule and date here is quoted or summarised from HMRC's own pages and its 2027 candidate guide, and HMRC decides every application.

HMRC TSP 2027 candidate guide; GOV.UK test guidance, read 21 Oct 2026.

HMRC's candidate guide sets the sequence: "After submitting your application, you will be invited to complete: the Civil Service Verbal Test. If you meet the minimum standard, you will be invited to complete the Civil Service Numerical Test." Both "are completed online and are untimed, but they must be submitted before the published deadline of 11.30am 28 October 2026." Then, "Candidates who progress from Stage 1 will be invited to complete the Civil Service Judgement Test" between 4 November and 11:30am on 10 November 2026.

Work backwards from 28 October. If you submit shortly before 11:30am on 26 October, you have about 48 hours for both tests, and the Numerical invitation only follows once you meet the Verbal minimum standard. HMRC's own tip is to "complete the tests within 24 to 48 hours of receiving your invitation", and the job page lists a maintenance window on Sunday 25 October 2026 from 12 noon to 1pm UK time when the tests cannot be opened. Earlier is better, and that is the only timing advice that matters here.

GOV.UK says the Verbal Test measures "the ability to identify relevant information and draw logical conclusions from written information." Each question gives you a passage and a statement, and you decide whether the statement is true, false or you cannot say based on the information given. The words that matter are "based on the information given". A statement can be true in the world and still be "cannot say" in the test, because the passage does not establish it.

Three features of the test change how you should approach it. It adapts: "if you get a question right the next question may become harder, and if you get a question wrong the next question may become easier" so the length varies. You cannot move around: GOV.UK's tips say "Answer every question – you cannot skip or go back." And some questions are trial items that are not scored, used to calibrate future tests. The test can be taken in English or Welsh.

GOV.UK says the Numerical Test measures "the ability to perform calculations, and evaluate and interpret numerical information to solve problems." You are shown graphs, tables or other numerical information, followed by a question with several possible answers, and you identify the correct one. It adapts in the same way as the Verbal Test, and the same rule applies: you cannot skip or go back. GOV.UK's tips say "You may wish to have some rough paper, a pen and a calculator to hand."

The test assesses calculation and the interpretation of data together. Typical slips are percentage change against percentage point change, reading the wrong row or year, ignoring the unit in a column heading (thousands, millions, per cent), and averaging percentages that have different bases. A calculator helps with arithmetic, but it does not catch these.

The CSJT is the Stage 2 test, open from 4 to 10 November 2026. GOV.UK describes it as an online situational judgement test that "measures your ability to demonstrate judgement and decision-making regarding specific Civil Service Behaviours" chosen for the job. It has two parts.

The four ratings are fixed. Counterproductive is an unacceptable action that would make the situation worse. Ineffective is a poor action that would not help. Fairly Effective is a useful action that would be of some help. Effective is a good action that would help resolve the situation. GOV.UK adds: "Do not assume that only one action is either effective or ineffective - you can rate more than one action the same." There are three scenarios for each behaviour tested. Depending on the job you may see text scenarios, video scenarios or both; videos have subtitles and British Sign Language translations. You can re-open the test after closing it only twice after first starting.

HMRC does not say which behaviours its CSJT uses, or at what grade level the test is set. GOV.UK says "You will only be presented with scenarios that are relevant to the job level you have applied for." We have written about the scoring and the rating scale in more depth in CSJT pass mark and scoring, CSJT tips from the behaviours and what a CSJT percentile means.

All three tests report a percentile. GOV.UK's example: "if your percentile is 44, you scored better than 44% of the group." Each job sets a minimum standard for its level. Once you meet it, GOV.UK says one of two things happens: you are invited to any further tests, or after the deadline the recruiter reviews all scores to decide the job's pass mark, considering the impact on protected groups and the number of invitations to the next stage. The recruiter may raise the pass mark. HMRC confirms it may do this for the TSP: "we may increase pass marks at any stage of the campaign", and because applications are assessed separately per location, "the score required to progress may vary between locations."

If you have recently passed a Civil Service Verbal or Numerical test for another job, GOV.UK's banking rules may apply: a pass at or above the minimum standard is banked for up to six months for jobs in the same grade group (it expires sooner if a new score benchmark is applied or platform work affects banked scores), and Civil Service Jobs will not invite you to retake it if you hold an applicable banked score. The grade groups are AA and AO; EO; HEO and SEO; and Grade 7, Grade 6 and SCS 1. HMRC's guide links to these rules but does not say which group the TSP tests fall in, so whether an earlier score carries over is something only Civil Service Jobs will tell you.

GOV.UK gives the same practical advice for every test: a quiet place, a stable internet connection, a large screen if possible, reading every instruction, and sending any help request "at least two working days before the test deadline". Workplace networks sometimes block the test platform, so a work laptop may not be the right device. Your answers must be your own; GOV.UK says a hiring manager may ask candidates to retake a test under supervision, and HMRC's guide says using AI or other help during an assessment may lead to withdrawal.