United Nations agency · Written recruitment test
Practical exercise · Assistant level
Coordination and Reporting Assistant
- Duty station
- Tripoli, North Lebanon governorate (Lebanon)
- Time allowed
- 60 min
- Marks
- 100 marks
- Pass mark
- 60 %
- Profile
- Assistant, 0 to 2 years of experience
Instructions
- The test lasts 60 minutes. It is marked out of 100; the pass mark is 60.
- You may use a calculator or a spreadsheet. Show your workings: a correct result without workings receives only half the marks.
- Any outside help (another person, artificial intelligence) is forbidden.
- The documents are fictional. Do not make unjustified assumptions; if you make one, state it.
- Your agency co-chairs the working group. The minutes will be circulated to all members, including local authorities.
Original practice test, built on the format of written tests used by United Nations agencies and international NGOs. The context and figures are fictitious.
Documents provided
Present: co-chair (our agency, Mr Haddad), NGO A, NGO B, NGO C, NGO D (online), representative of Minieh municipality. Apologies: NGO E.
1. Rehabilitation progress (quarterly target): NGO A 120 dwellings done out of 200 planned, delay due to landlords' authorisations. NGO B 85 out of 150, material prices + 18% since July. NGO C 40 out of 60. Co-chair announces in the meeting: "in total 255 out of 400, i.e. 64%".
2. Evictions: NGO D reports 14 households threatened with eviction in Beddawi, including the family of Mr [name], tel. 03 [number], "landlord known to be a crook". Proposal: refer to the protection working group and legal assistance partners.
3. Winter preparedness, insulation kits: estimated need 1,800 households. Stocks: NGO A 600, NGO B 450. NGO C could cover 200 households if its funding is confirmed at the end of October. Decision: the co-chair shares the gap at national level by 15/10.
4. Any other business: someone needs to send the list of landlords who refuse the works; "Karim says he will take care of it" (Karim from NGO A or from NGO C?). Next meeting on 12/11, same time. NGO B says on the side, "not to be put in the minutes", that NGO A inflates its figures.
| No. | Action | Responsible | Deadline | Information available on 08/10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Share the harmonised lease agreement template | Co-chair | 20/09 | Sent on 18/09 |
| A2 | Update the 4W matrix (who does what, where and when) | All partners | 30/09 | NGO A and B have submitted; NGO C and D have not |
| A3 | Organise a training on security of tenure | NGO D | 05/10 | Postponed to 22/10 (trainer unavailable) |
| A4 | Propose reference prices for materials | NGO B | 30/09 | Not discussed at the meeting |
Result
0 out of 100
Mark each answer honestly against the panel's grid: the total is calculated automatically.
Common mistakes that cost marks
- Repeating the figure of 255 out of 400 announced in the meeting without checking it.
- Copying the name and phone number of the family threatened with eviction.
- Mentioning the side remarks about NGO A.
- Assigning the landlord list action to a "Karim" without clarifying.
- Mixing discussions, decisions and actions in the same paragraph.
Useful references
- Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), Reference Module for Cluster Coordination at Country Level