Checked 14 October 2026. From GOV.UK Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours (updated 29 January 2025), Success Profiles: Candidate overview, Using the Civil Service Jobs website as a candidate (last updated 27 January 2026), A brief guide to competencies (12 April 2016) and Civil Service Careers pages, read on 14 October 2026. The behaviour examples are quoted word for word and reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The interview questions are written by us from those examples.
Making effective decisions changes more sharply between grades than most of the behaviours. At AA and AO the GOV.UK examples are about supporting decision making: using guidance, checking the information and asking for input. At EO the first example is about taking responsibility for the decision itself. This guide prints the GOV.UK examples for Making effective decisions at all six grade bands, word for word, shows what changes from one band to the next, gives six interview questions that we wrote from those examples, and sets out how to structure a written example. It contains no sample statements and no model answers: an example only counts if it is yours.
What Making effective decisions means: the official definition
GOV.UK defines the behaviour in these words: “Use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice. Carefully consider alternative options, implications and risks of decisions.” Civil Service Careers prints the same definition on its Behaviours page. Everything else on this page builds on that definition and on the grade-band examples that follow it.
Our count of the bullet points under each band in Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours (updated 29 January 2025): 36 examples in all for this behaviour. The number of bullets is not a measure of how hard a band is.
Making Effective Decisions at each grade band: the GOV.UK examples in full
On GOV.UK each list completes a sentence that ends “are when you:”, which is why the examples begin with a verb in lower case. They are reproduced exactly, including GOV.UK’s own punctuation. Find the band that matches the grade in your advert; the headings are GOV.UK’s.
Administrative Assistant (AA) and Administrative Officer (AO) grade or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Making effective decisions at AA and AO (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | use guidance, analyse relevant information and ask colleagues for input to support decision making |
| 2 | identify and deal with any errors or gaps in information before making a decision |
| 3 | consider the diverse needs of those affected by decisions and how it will impact them |
| 4 | provide advice and feedback to support others in making accurate decisions |
| 5 | ask others to clarify decisions when confused and query any issues that arise constructively |
Executive Officer (EO) grade or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Making effective decisions at EO (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | take responsibility for making effective and fair decisions, in a timely manner |
| 2 | analyse and research further information to support decisions |
| 3 | talk to relevant people to get advice and information when unsure how to proceed |
| 4 | explain how decisions have been reached in a clear and concise way, both verbally and in writing |
| 5 | demonstrate the consideration of all options, costs, risks and wider implications, including the diverse needs of end users and any accessibility requirements |
Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and Senior Executive Officer (SEO) grades or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Making effective decisions at HEO and SEO (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | understand your own level of responsibility and empower others to make decisions where appropriate |
| 2 | analyse and use a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions |
| 3 | invite challenge and where appropriate involve others in decision making |
| 4 | display confidence when making difficult decisions, even if they prove to be unpopular |
| 5 | consult with others to ensure the potential impacts on end users have been considered |
| 6 | present strong recommendations in a timely manner outlining the consideration of other options, costs, benefits and risks |
Grade 7 and Grade 6 or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Making effective decisions at Grade 7 and Grade 6 (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | clarify your own understanding and stakeholder needs and expectations, before making decisions |
| 2 | ensure decision making happens at the right level, not allowing unnecessary bureaucracy to hinder delivery |
| 3 | encourage both innovative suggestions and challenge from others, to inform decision making |
| 4 | analyse and accurately interpret data from various sources to support decisions |
| 5 | find the best option by identifying positives, negatives, risks and implications |
| 6 | present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of complex and sometimes incomplete evidence |
| 7 | make decisions confidently even when details are unclear or if they prove to be unpopular |
Deputy Director or equivalent
| No. | GOV.UK example of Making effective decisions at Deputy Director (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | act decisively and make bold, unbiased decisions at a strategic level |
| 2 | make sense of a wide range of political and national pressures and influences to develop strategies which meet organisational goals |
| 3 | clearly communicate the purpose and reasons for recommendations and decisions |
| 4 | consult with others where necessary to ensure decisions meet the diverse needs of the end users |
| 5 | accept and respond to challenge constructively |
| 6 | clearly recommend the best option articulating risks and impacts on economic, environmental, political and social factors |
Director and Director General
| No. | GOV.UK example of Making effective decisions at Director and Director General (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| 1 | develop departmental or functional strategies and priorities while considering a wide range of political, national and international pressures |
| 2 | manage and mitigate evaluated risks and options when making decisions |
| 3 | demonstrate transparency around decisions and create a culture where others feel able to challenge decisions being made |
| 4 | give unbiased evidence-led advice to Ministers and other senior officials based on extensive robust analysis |
| 5 | when required, be able to make unpopular decisions and defend them at the highest level |
| 6 | ensure early and continued engagement with the right stakeholders when making recommendations or decisions |
| 7 | emphasise the importance of considering the different needs of end users |
What changes from band to band
The lists move from supporting a decision, to owning one, to deciding with incomplete evidence, to defending a decision at the highest level. The middle column quotes the wording that first appears, or matters most, at that band. The right-hand column is our reading of it and is not official guidance.
| Grade band | Wording from the GOV.UK examples (verbatim) | Our reading |
|---|---|---|
| AA and AO | “use guidance” · “ask colleagues for input” · “errors or gaps in information” · “ask others to clarify decisions when confused” | The examples are about getting the inputs right and asking when unsure. Nothing in this list speaks of taking responsibility for a decision. |
| EO | “take responsibility for making effective and fair decisions, in a timely manner” · “explain how decisions have been reached” · “all options, costs, risks and wider implications” | The decision is yours, it has to be timely, and you have to be able to explain how you reached it. |
| HEO and SEO | “empower others to make decisions where appropriate” · “invite challenge” · “even if they prove to be unpopular” · “present strong recommendations” | You now decide which decisions are yours and which belong to others, and you are expected to hold a difficult decision when it is unpopular. |
| Grade 7 and Grade 6 | “stakeholder needs and expectations” · “decision making happens at the right level” · “complex and sometimes incomplete evidence” · “even when details are unclear” | Incomplete evidence enters the wording. You are responsible for where decisions are taken as well as for your own. |
| Deputy Director | “bold, unbiased decisions at a strategic level” · “political and national pressures” · “accept and respond to challenge constructively” | Strategic decisions under political and national pressure, with challenge accepted as part of the process. |
| Director and Director General | “transparency around decisions” · “unbiased evidence-led advice to Ministers” · “defend them at the highest level” | Advice to Ministers, a culture in which decisions can be challenged, and the defence of unpopular decisions. |
One line that runs through every band: the people a decision affects
Every band has an example about the needs of those on the receiving end of a decision.
| Grade band | GOV.UK example (verbatim) |
|---|---|
| AA and AO | consider the diverse needs of those affected by decisions and how it will impact them |
| EO | demonstrate the consideration of all options, costs, risks and wider implications, including the diverse needs of end users and any accessibility requirements |
| HEO and SEO | consult with others to ensure the potential impacts on end users have been considered |
| Grade 7 and Grade 6 | clarify your own understanding and stakeholder needs and expectations, before making decisions |
| Deputy Director | consult with others where necessary to ensure decisions meet the diverse needs of the end users |
| Director and Director General | emphasise the importance of considering the different needs of end users |
Our reading: a decision example that covers the evidence and the options but never says who was affected, and how you took that into account, leaves out a line that GOV.UK repeats at every grade. At the junior bands it is about considering their needs; at the senior bands it becomes consulting them and making sure others consider them.
Six Making effective decisions interview questions, built from the GOV.UK examples
We looked for official example interview questions for this behaviour on GOV.UK and on Civil Service Careers and found none. What the official pages do say is short. GOV.UK says you “may be asked to give examples of when you have demonstrated a particular behaviour”, or “how you would behave in a given situation”. A Defra recruiter writing on the department’s GOV.UK blog says behaviour questions “may start with ‘Tell me about a time when…’”.
The six questions below are example questions we wrote from the descriptors, one for each grade band. Each is built from a single GOV.UK example, shown beside it so that you can see where the wording comes from. We do not claim that any department asks them. Use them to rehearse, and expect your panel to word its own.
| Grade band | Example question (written by us) | The GOV.UK example it is built from (verbatim) |
|---|---|---|
| AA and AO | Tell me about a time when you identified an error or a gap in information and dealt with it before a decision was made. | identify and deal with any errors or gaps in information before making a decision |
| EO | Describe a time when you took responsibility for making a fair decision in a timely manner. How did you reach it? | take responsibility for making effective and fair decisions, in a timely manner |
| HEO and SEO | Give an example of a difficult decision that you made with confidence even though it proved to be unpopular. | display confidence when making difficult decisions, even if they prove to be unpopular |
| Grade 7 and Grade 6 | Tell me about a time when you presented a reasonable conclusion from complex and incomplete evidence. | present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of complex and sometimes incomplete evidence |
| Deputy Director | Describe a time when you recommended the best option and set out its risks and its impacts on economic, environmental, political and social factors. | clearly recommend the best option articulating risks and impacts on economic, environmental, political and social factors |
| Director and Director General | Give an example of how you have created a culture where others feel able to challenge the decisions being made. | demonstrate transparency around decisions and create a culture where others feel able to challenge decisions being made |
Two points on using them. First, a panel can turn any of these into a hypothetical (“How would you…”), which GOV.UK expressly allows for. Second, each question is narrower than the behaviour. A good answer to one of them shows that line of the list clearly and touches others on the way; it does not try to recite the whole list.
How to structure a Making effective decisions example
The rules are the same for all nine behaviours. The short version is in the table; the full version, with the STAR method in the words of the official guide, the four official statements on word limits and how examples are scored at sift, is in our guide to Seeing the big picture, which holds the full explanation.
| Point | What the official page says |
|---|---|
| Who picks the behaviours | Recruiting managers “will choose a selection of behaviours which are best suited to the specific job role”, and “You will not be asked to demonstrate all Civil Service Behaviours for one role.” (GOV.UK) |
| Length of a written example | “The online application form will automatically delete any words which exceed the 250 allowed for each example.” (GOV.UK, Using the Civil Service Jobs website). Follow the limit shown in your own advert and form. |
| Structure | “In your own examples, consider using the STAR method which allows you to set the scene, show what and how you did and the overall outcome.” (GOV.UK) |
| Covering every line | “There is no expectation that you need to demonstrate every part of each example to be successful.” (GOV.UK) |
| Where an example can come from | Work, “or somewhere else such as”: work experience, volunteering, in connection with a hobby (GOV.UK) |
| Score needed at sift | “Generally to progress to the next stage a candidate should score at least 4 for each example.” Rating scales “can vary across recruiting organisations but the standard is the same.” (GOV.UK) |
GOV.UK’s advice on structure is one sentence: “In your own examples, consider using the STAR method which allows you to set the scene, show what and how you did and the overall outcome.” The table below is our suggestion for what each part should carry when the behaviour is Making effective decisions. It is drawn from the definition and the examples above, and it is ours, not an official template.
| Part of STAR | What to put there for Making effective decisions (our suggestion) |
|---|---|
| Situation | The decision that had to be made, and by when. |
| Task | Whose decision it was. Say plainly whether you took it, recommended it or supported someone else in taking it. |
| Action | The evidence you gathered and checked, the options you compared and why you rejected the others, who you consulted, the risks you weighed, and how you explained the decision. |
| Result | What was decided, what happened as a result, and whether the decision stood up afterwards. |
Then check the draft against your band. Take the list for your grade from the tables above, or use the tool, and go line by line. Mark a line as shown only when you can point to the sentence that shows it. Lines with no sentence behind them are either gaps to fill or parts you have chosen not to cover, which GOV.UK allows.
Check a draft example against your grade band
Choose the grade band of the job. The list shows every example GOV.UK gives for Making effective decisions at that band, word for word. Tick a line only if a sentence in your draft shows it happening. The tool counts the ticks; it does not score your example.
GOV.UK: “There is no expectation that you need to demonstrate every part of each example to be successful.” The examples are from Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours (updated 29 January 2025) and contain public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Nothing is saved or sent.
If the tool does not load, the six tables under “the GOV.UK examples in full” carry exactly the same lines.
Where Making effective decisions is assessed
GOV.UK lists six ways a behaviour can be assessed: an application form requiring written examples, the Civil Service judgement test, a personality test, an interview, an assessment centre and job related simulations. Your advert says which apply.
On the online test, GOV.UK says the Civil Service Judgement Test “measures your ability to demonstrate judgement and decision-making regarding specific Civil Service Behaviours, which have been selected as important for success in your chosen job.” It does not list which behaviours a given test covers, so we cannot tell you whether Making effective decisions will be in yours. For the test itself see CSJT pass mark and scoring, what a CSJT score means and CSJT tips from the behaviours. Our practice scenarios guide has scenarios that are our own teaching exercises, not official test items.
What we could not find
Not on any official page we read
- Any statement on whether an example in which you made a recommendation and someone else took the final decision counts for this behaviour. The HEO and SEO list includes presenting “strong recommendations”; the page does not say more.
- An official list of example interview questions for Making effective decisions, or for any behaviour.
- An official sample or model behaviour example at any grade.
- Whether the Civil Service Judgement Test for a given job includes Making effective decisions.
Read on 14 October 2026: the pages listed under Sources. Departmental candidate packs attached to individual adverts were not read; your own advert may say more.
The other eight behaviours, each with its own examples by band and its own six questions: Seeing the big picture, Changing and improving, Leadership, Communicating and influencing, Working together, Developing self and others, Managing a quality service, Delivering at pace.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
What does Making effective decisions mean in the Civil Service?
GOV.UK defines it as: Use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice. Carefully consider alternative options, implications and risks of decisions. The examples expected differ by grade band, and GOV.UK publishes a separate list for each of six bands.
What is Making effective decisions at EO level?
GOV.UK lists five examples at Executive Officer grade or equivalent. The first is to take responsibility for making effective and fair decisions, in a timely manner. Another is to explain how decisions have been reached in a clear and concise way, both verbally and in writing.
What is Making effective decisions at HEO and SEO level?
GOV.UK lists six examples at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and Senior Executive Officer (SEO) grades or equivalent. The first is to understand your own level of responsibility and empower others to make decisions where appropriate. The second is to analyse and use a range of relevant, credible information from internal and external sources to support decisions.
What is Making effective decisions at Grade 7 and Grade 6 level?
GOV.UK lists seven examples at Grade 7 and Grade 6 or equivalent. The first is to clarify your own understanding and stakeholder needs and expectations, before making decisions. The second is to ensure decision making happens at the right level, not allowing unnecessary bureaucracy to hinder delivery.
How long should a Making effective decisions behaviour example be?
GOV.UK’s guide to the Civil Service Jobs website says the online application form automatically deletes any words beyond the 250 allowed for each example. A Civil Service Careers page says short written examples are usually 250 words each. Follow the limit in your own advert.
Is Making effective decisions tested in the Civil Service Judgement Test?
GOV.UK says the test measures judgement and decision-making regarding specific Civil Service Behaviours selected as important for the job. It does not publish which behaviours a given test covers.
More in this series
- CSJT pass mark and scoring
- What a CSJT score means
- CSJT tips from the behaviours
- Seeing the Big Picture: examples by grade
- Changing and Improving: examples by grade
- Leadership: examples by grade
- Communicating and Influencing: examples by grade
- Working Together: examples by grade
- Developing Self and Others: examples by grade
- Managing a Quality Service: examples by grade
- Delivering at Pace: examples by grade
- Civil Service Judgement Test: 8 original practice scenarios
- Fast Stream online tests: a different test with a different scale
- Fast Stream vs direct entry and the other routes
Sources
- official — GOV.UK: Success Profiles, Civil Service behaviours (updated 29 January 2025)
- official — Civil Service Careers: Behaviours
- official — GOV.UK: Success Profiles (collection page, last updated 29 January 2025)
- official — GOV.UK: Success Profiles, candidate overview
- official — GOV.UK: Using the Civil Service Jobs website as a candidate (last updated 27 January 2026)
- official — GOV.UK: A brief guide to competencies (Civil Service Resourcing, published 12 April 2016; the STAR and CAR methods)
- official — Civil Service Careers: GOS, Tips and guidance for applying (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology pages; tips for external scientists, engineers and researchers)
- official — Defra Digital, Data and Technology blog on GOV.UK: How to improve Civil Service job applications and ace your interviews (a Defra recruiter, 14 April 2023)
- official — GOV.UK: Preparing for the Civil Service Judgement Test (last updated 24 May 2024)
- official — GOV.UK: Preparing for the Civil Service Styles Assessment (published 27 January 2026)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
Ready for more? 12 further scenarios, rated the way the real test asks
Original workplace scenarios at the level of the roles that use this test. Rate each action Counterproductive, Ineffective, Fairly Effective or Effective, then see the reason behind every rating. Start with the free one below.
- 12scenarios
- 48actions to rate
- 4behaviours
- 48ratings explained
Every rating comes with its reason, written against the scale definitions on GOV.UK and the Civil Service Code.
FreeTests: Managing a Quality Service
A mailbox nobody owns
Read the situation, then rate each of the 4 actions from Counterproductive to Effective. You then see the right rating and the reason for each. About 3 minutes · free · no sign-in.
A mailbox nobody owns
You are an administrative officer in a pensions enquiry team. Four of you answer a shared mailbox, and nobody has been given the job of sorting it. This morning it holds 140 unanswered emails. The oldest is 12 working days old, and the team's published standard is a reply within 10 working days. Your team leader, Asha, is on a training course until tomorrow but is reading her messages.
Opens when you unlock all
- The third transfer · Managing a Quality Service
- Two forms, one set of details · Managing a Quality Service
- Sixty applications by Friday · Delivering at Pace
- Two jobs, one afternoon · Delivering at Pace
- The system is down · Delivering at Pace
- Handed over at the last minute · Working Together
- One case in five arrives incomplete · Working Together
- The new starter who works from home · Working Together
- Explaining a refusal · Communicating and Influencing
- The guidance nobody absorbed · Communicating and Influencing
- An out-of-date figure in the room · Communicating and Influencing
- 11 more scenarios with 44 actions to rate on the test's own four-point scale
- 4 behaviours, three scenarios each, the way the real test is built
- The reason behind every rating, so you learn the scale and not the answers
- Your rating pattern: whether you mark too generously or too harshly, and what to fix
- Untimed, like the real test. Work through it in one sitting or several
Independent practice material. Not written or endorsed by the Civil Service. The real test shows only scenarios for your job level, may use video, and opens with a self-assessment section worth 15% of the score that has no right answers to practise. Results are a percentile against other applicants, and no answer key is published.
