Independent practice, not affiliated with publicjobs.ie, the Public Appointments Service, the Department of Foreign Affairs or any Civil Service department.
Irish Civil Service · AO, HEO and Third Secretary · practice for tests, interview, written exercise, application form
Graduate Grades Complete: practice for the online tests, the capability interview, the written exercise and the application form
The core online-test practice kit, plus practice for the interview, the written exercise and the application form: 40 capability interview questions on the 2024 Capability Framework, Third Secretary written-exercise practice and AO and HEO application-form practice. Type your answer and get feedback point by point: what you showed (your own words quoted), what you left out, the one thing to add next, and then a STAR frame, a model answer or a worked example.
- Online testsCore kitOur own timed practice sets with verbal, numerical and situational judgement questions, a full mock, and an explainer of the Order of Merit (publicjobs.ie says your test score sets your ranking). Practice, not the official tests.
- Capability interview8 × 30 min40 questions, 5 for each of the 8 capabilities that publicjobs.ie lists for AO and HEO (2 capabilities under each of its 4 headings): example questions, skills and strengths, values and motivation. 12 come with a full model answer and the other 28 with a STAR frame.
- Third Secretary written exercise2 × 50 minTwo invented information packs, each with a briefing note and a short summary, practising the briefing material the Department of Foreign Affairs lists among Third Secretaries' work.
- Application formAO and HEO4 questions for each grade, one per heading of the framework: write your example in about 250 words, then compare it with a worked example.
Free: one capability interview question, with full feedback
This free question asks for an example: type what you would say to the board, what you did and how it turned out. About 8 minutes. No sign-up.
Question 1 10 marks
Tell us about the best example you have of juggling several pieces of work whose deadlines clashed. How did you decide what came first, who else did you involve, how did you handle anything that changed along the way, and how did it turn out? What would you take from it into this role?
Capability interview sessions
Third Secretary written exercise
Application form practice
The online tests come with it: see the tests kit and try its free questions.
One payment unlocks the tests kit and the interview pack
- The full online-test practice kit (the core kit), opened by the same purchase
- 40 capability interview questions in 8 timed sessions: 12 with a full model answer, the other 28 with a STAR frame
- 2 Third Secretary written exercises, each with its own invented information pack, a briefing note and a short summary, with model answers
- AO and HEO application-form practice: 4 questions for each grade, one per framework heading, with worked examples
- Feedback on every typed answer, quoting your own words, and up to 3 marked attempts per session
The 2024 Capability Framework: 8 capabilities under 4 headings, as publicjobs.ie lists them for AO and HEO
- Building Future Readiness
- Digital Focus, Innovation & Upskilling for the Future; Strategic Awareness & Change
- Evidence Informed Delivery
- Delivering Excellence; Analysis, Judgement & Decision Making
- Leading and Empowering
- Leading, Motivating & Developing; Leading with Specialist Insight
- Communicating and Collaborating
- Communicating & Influencing; Engaging & Collaborating
Interview, application form, HEO 2026 and Third Secretary
- Capability or competency
- publicjobs.ie introduced a new Civil Service Capability Framework in 2024. Some roles may still use the Civil Service Competency Model; candidates are told in advance which one is used.
- What a capability interview explores
- Evidence and examples of past behaviour, and also your skills, strengths, knowledge, values, motivation and interests. For example answers, publicjobs.ie suggests the STAR model (Situation, Task, Action, Result) in its tips for competency-based interviews; our STAR frames use it to structure your examples.
- Interview formats
- An automated video interview (you record answers to questions on screen), a live video interview with a panel, or an in-person interview.
- Application form
- publicjobs.ie says the evidence on your form may be used for shortlisting and/or the interview stage, and to keep to any word limits.
- HEO 2026
- Online assessments were scheduled for 15 to 22 October 2026, and Stage 1 results will issue at the end of November. The published timeline: shortlisting December 2026, interview January 2027, panel and clearance checks February 2027. Starting salary €60,029.
- Third Secretary
- The recruitment level for the Irish diplomatic service. The Department of Foreign Affairs lists analysis and research papers and briefing material for Ministers and senior officials among the work. Salary scale €40,768 rising to €75,789. Check the Competition Information Booklet for your own competition.
Sources (read 1 November 2026): publicjobs.ie: Capability Framework; publicjobs.ie: Interview Advice; publicjobs.ie: Application Advice; publicjobs.ie: Higher Executive Officer 2026; Department of Foreign Affairs: Roles in the diplomatic service.
Questions
Is this official, or from publicjobs.ie?
No. ProSyllabus is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by publicjobs.ie, the Public Appointments Service, the Department of Foreign Affairs or any department. The questions, information packs, frames and answers are our own, written to the Capability Framework that publicjobs.ie publishes. Read the official pages too (linked below).
How is my answer judged?
Each question or task has its own list of practice points, and the points differ by question. Typically, for an example question they cover a specific example, your own actions, the capability behaviours it shows, the result and what you learned; for a briefing note, using the pack accurately and a clear recommendation. An automated marker checks your typed answer against our practice points, and any credit it gives quotes your own words. It can miss something valid or credit something it should not, so treat it as practice feedback and compare with the STAR frame or model answer. The practice points, the percentages and the bands (strong, solid, developing) are our own, not an official marking scheme, pass mark or prediction.
Does typing prepare me for a spoken interview?
It practises the hard part: choosing one specific example and setting out what you did and what came of it. Say your answer aloud as you type it, and practise with someone who can ask follow-up questions; each STAR frame lists probes to prepare for.
My competition uses the Competency Model, not the Capability Framework.
publicjobs.ie says some roles may still use the Competency Model and that you are told in advance. The STAR method and the example-based questions carry over, but check the model named in your own Competition Information Booklet.
Is the written exercise the same as the Third Secretary competition's?
No. We do not copy any competition's exercises; check the Competition Information Booklet for your own competition. Our invented exercises practise analysis and preparing briefing material for Ministers and senior officials, which the Department of Foreign Affairs lists among Third Secretaries' work.
I already bought the core tests kit.
Your tests kit stays yours. The complete kit is charged at its full price, which includes the tests again. The interview pack is only sold inside this complete kit, not on its own.
Do you also have Executive Officer practice?
Yes, a separate kit for the Executive Officer online tests. Executive Officer practice kit.
Can I try it first?
Yes. One interview question is free and gets the full feedback, with no sign-up.
Independent practice, not affiliated with publicjobs.ie, the Public Appointments Service, the Department of Foreign Affairs or any Civil Service department. Our practice questions, invented information packs and suggested answers are our own; they do not reproduce any competition's questions or exercises.