By the time the Assessment Centre came around, I'd already put months into the other stages. The cognitive tests, the PAT, the video interview — each one required varying levels of preparation and improvement.
So when I got to the group exercise, I was feeling confident. It's probably my strongest domain across all the recruitment stages.
Presentation, communication, thinking on my feet — that's always been my comfort zone. My prep was less about practising what to say, It was more about understanding exactly what the assessors were looking for, and building a game plan around demonstrating it under pressure — in the unique circumstance of a group activity where everyone in the room is competing for the same job.
If you walk in without knowing which competencies you're being scored on, you'll fill the time with answers that sound good but score nothing. The group exercise isn't a conversation — it's a structured evaluation, and every exchange is an opportunity to demonstrate something, waste it, or unintentionally work against yourself.
What actually happens when you arrive
You check in and wait. The people sitting around you — around 8–12 of them — are the same people you'll be collaborating with in less than an hour. Break the ice, have a yarn, get comfortable.
By this stage, everyone there has passed the cognitive tests and the PAT (Physical Aptitude Test), so reaching the Assessment Centre is a genuine achievement in itself.
Before the group exercise begins, you're given time to read the scenario and take notes. Use it. Plan your key points and think about when to enter the discussion naturally.
I didn't dominate the conversation, but I didn't shy away from it either. I waited for a natural opening and put my ideas forward clearly. I kept eye contact with whoever I was speaking to — it shows confidence in your ideas, which is a stark contrast to speaking while staring down at your notes.
My notes were bullet points only. I built the rest naturally in the moment, which was consistent with how I'd prepared. Memorising word-for-word scripts doesn't work well under pressure — it pulls you out of the present, and your tone of voice and eye contact suffer for it.
The panel isn't hidden. Up to five to eight senior FRNSW officials are in the room watching how you engage. But here's the thing — you quickly forget they're there. The scenario pulls you in and suddenly you're just problem-solving with the people next to you.
The thing most candidates get wrong
Most people walk in thinking the correct answer is what gets them through. They rehearse responses, prepare arguments, and want to sound like the smartest person in the room.
The answers matter far less than you think.
What the assessors are watching is how you get there. How you listen. Whether you bring people into the conversation or talk over them. Whether you stay composed when someone disagrees with you. Whether your communication under pressure looks like someone they'd want next to them on a fireground.
They're not looking for reasons to mark you down. They're looking for reasons to give you a tick.
That reframe changed everything for me. Going in looking for ticks — not trying to avoid crosses — shifts how you carry yourself in the room.
What they're actually assessing you on
FRNSW is building a picture of your character across every stage of recruitment. By the time you're in that room, they already have data on your cognitive ability, your emotional intelligence, and your work safety behaviours. The group exercise is their chance to see whether the person in front of them matches the profile on paper.
The core values they want to see are the same four FRNSW operates by — Respect, Integrity, Service, and Courage. RISC.
Every response you give, every moment you choose to listen instead of talk, every time you acknowledge someone else's point before building on it — that's RISC in action.
What happened straight after
Immediately after the group exercise, we moved into 1-on-1 interviews. I found this actually helped — the pressure was off after a solid group performance, and you don't have time to sit in your head and overthink it. You just go.
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