In-tray exercises
In-tray exercises assess your ability to handle administrative tasks by simulating either a typical paper ‘In-Tray’ or an electronic ‘e-Tray’ Inbox such as Microsoft Outlook. Often timed. Typical tasks include:
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Prioritising in order of importance a range of materials including memos, letters, phone messages and emails
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Providing written notes explaining your reasoning for the order in which you placed them
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Writing written responses to any emails or memos using appropriate business language
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Coping with additional emails or extra papers that arrive midway through the test
Tips for success
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Read everything before you start to prioritise and respond, as you may find something important towards the end that you might overlook if you don't read everything first
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When replying to emails look carefully at who it has come from – adapt your tone and language appropriately – eg friendly banter to the Chief Executive is probably not appropriate!
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There often isn’t a right or wrong answer – clarity of thought and clear explanation of your reasons are what the assessors are looking for
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Try to balance urgency with importance – try to assess what is immediate, what can wait and what can be delegated
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Look out for any deadlines within emails/memos and make sure you meet them
Further information
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Assessment Day A practice in-tray exercise to give an understanding of how they work and what you will be expected to do in an in-tray exercise
- Deloitte UK has a sample 'e-tray' exercise and psychometric test examples, together with brief information on competencies
- PricewaterhouseCoopers Tax, Financial Advisory and Assurance simplified in-tray challenges that give an overview of what you might encounter in a real test
- Careers Group University of London Leaflet giving information on written and e-tray exercises
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