Hibernation stocks, emergency contact list and alert…

United Nations agency · Written recruitment test

Practical exercise · Assistant level

Security Assistant

Duty station: Malakal, Upper Nile State (South Sudan)
Time allowed: 55 min
Marks: 100 marks
Pass mark: 60 %
Profile: Assistant, 0 to 2 years of experience

Instructions

The test lasts 55 minutes. It is marked out of 100; the pass mark is 60.
You may use a calculator. Show your workings: a correct result without workings receives only half the marks.
Any outside help (another person, shared document, artificial intelligence) is forbidden.
The documents are fictional. Apply only the rules provided; if you make an assumption, state it.

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

Document 1. Base internal hibernation standard (extract)

Stocks must cover 14 days for everyone who sleeps in the compound (staff and guards).
Water: 7 litres per person per day (drinking, cooking, minimum hygiene).
Food: 1 daily ration per person per day; only rations that have not expired count.
Generator diesel: 2.5 L/h, operation limited to 8 hours per day during hibernation.
First aid kits: 1 per 10 people (round up to the next whole number).
Satellite phone credit: at least 60 minutes.
The emergency contact list is checked and updated every month.

Document 2. People sleeping in the compound and inventory of 02/11

People sleeping in the compound: 10 staff members and 4 guards, i.e. 14 people.

Item	Quantity counted	Remark
Bottled water	85 packs of 6 bottles of 1.5 L
Water in sealed jerrycans	25 jerrycans of 20 L
Daily rations	150	of which 40 expired since August
Diesel	1 drum of 200 L + 60 L in the generator tank	Drum stored in the bedroom corridor
First aid kits	1
Satellite phone credit	45 minutes

Document 3. Emergency contact list (extract), last updated: 04/06

Name	Position	Phone	Emergency contact person	Blood group
Marc L.	Head of office	+211 912 000 101	not provided	O+
Rebecca A.	Programme assistant	+211 912 000 245	Mother, +211 912 000 377	A+
Peter L.	Driver	+211 912 000 318	Wife, +211 912 000 319	B+
Amina D.	Nurse	(blank)	Brother, +211 912 000 455	O-
James K.	Logistician	+211 912 000 245	Father, +211 912 000 512	(blank)

HR note: Peter L.'s contract ended on 30/09. Assembly point: not shown on the list.

Question 135 marks

For water, food and diesel, calculate: the need for 14 days, the usable stock, the gap, and the number of full days of autonomy with the current stock. Which item is the limiting factor? Also check the first aid kits and the satellite credit.

Your answer

0 words

Model answer

Item	14-day need	Usable stock	Gap	Autonomy
Water	14 x 7 x 14 = 1,372 L	85 x 6 x 1.5 = 765 L + 25 x 20 = 500 L; total 1,265 L	shortfall 107 L	1,265 / 98 L per day = 12.9, i.e. 12 days
Rations	14 x 14 = 196	150 - 40 expired = 110	shortfall 86	110 / 14 = 7.9, i.e. 7 days
Diesel	2.5 x 8 x 14 = 280 L	200 + 60 = 260 L	shortfall 20 L	260 / 20 L per day = 13 days

Limiting item: food, with only 7 full days instead of 14.

Kits: 14 / 10 = 1.4, rounded up to 2; 1 is missing. Satellite credit: 45 minutes instead of 60, a top-up of at least 15 minutes is needed.

Marking grid

Correct needs for the three items (9 marks)
Correct usable stocks, expired rations excluded (9 marks)
Correct gaps (6 marks)
Days of autonomy and limiting item (7 marks)
Kits and satellite credit (4 marks)

Your mark for this question / 35

Question 215 marks

Draw up the shopping list to replenish the stocks (quantities in purchase units) and state two storage rules to be corrected or applied.

Your answer

0 words

Question 325 marks

Check the emergency contact list (document 3). List each problem and the correction to be made.

Your answer

0 words

Question 425 marks

The head of office decides to move into hibernation at 18:00. Write the message sent to all staff by SMS and messaging app (6 lines maximum).

Your answer

0 words

Other tests for this profession

Panel interview question for this profession

Tell us about a situation where you had to make a colleague, a driver or a superior comply with a security rule (movements, communications, curfew).

Competency assessed : Vigilance and application of security procedures

What the panel expects : A concrete situation, the rule concerned, a quick and proportionate reaction, escalation to the right level, a written record, and follow-up that reduces the risk of it happening again.

Possible follow-up questions

When did you inform the security focal point, and how?
How did the person react, and how did you preserve the relationship?
What did you record in the log or the report?

Strong answer

I was a radio operator at a base that tracked up to eight vehicles a day. One afternoon, an experienced driver announced on the radio that he was carrying a partner's payroll and was taking the northern road. I politely interrupted him and asked him to switch to the phone, then informed the security focal point within five minutes. The focal point had the route and the return time changed. I recorded the incident in the log, without judgement, with the time and the content of the message. The next day, I proposed a two-page sheet on radio rules, displayed in each vehicle, and a 30-minute session with the 14 drivers. The driver thanked me afterwards. In the following three months, the log showed no further mention of funds or names on the radio.

Weak answer

"Security is the priority. If someone does not follow the rules, I tell the boss." This answer remains theoretical: no situation, no immediate action, no written record and no measure to prevent it from happening again.

← All tests

Hibernation stocks, emergency contact list and alert message to staff

Instructions

Documents provided

Question 135 marks

Model answer

Marking grid

Question 215 marks

Model answer

Marking grid

Question 325 marks

Model answer

Marking grid

Question 425 marks

Model answer

Marking grid

Result

Common mistakes that cost marks

Useful references