5.1 Stage 3 Online Assessment Centre (OAC) Preparation
Key Takeaways
- The Online Assessment Centre (OAC) comes after you pass the Scenario-Based Test and Values-Based Assessment, not before them.
- The OAC lasts about 2 hours 30 minutes on a laptop with a webcam and includes an interview, a role play, and a written assessment.
- Interview behaviours include Communicating and Influencing and Managing a Quality Service, plus strengths-based questions.
- Role play and written assessments are scored against Caring, Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions, and Managing a Quality Service, plus English ability.
- Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behaviour examples, focusing most of your answer on the specific actions you took.
5.1 Online Assessment Centre (OAC) Preparation
The Online Assessment Centre (OAC) is the live selection stage after you pass the online Scenario-Based Test and Values-Based Assessment. Prison and Probation Jobs states it takes about 2 hours 30 minutes and requires a laptop with a webcam. Assessors test whether you have the abilities, behaviours, and strengths to be a prison officer. Exercises reflect real custodial situations and may include strong language or sensitive topics.
Do not confuse the OAC with the earlier online tests. The SBT and VBA are completed asynchronously. The OAC is a booked live session with assessors.
What Happens on the Day
- Introductory briefing and a chance to ask practical questions.
- Three assessments with short breaks between exercises, not during them:
- Interview
- Role play
- Written assessment
- Feedback opportunity and questions about next steps.
Women's-prison applicants who pass the OAC may receive an additional written assessment with three behaviour-based questions (about 250 words each) to complete within a stated deadline.
Assessment 1: Interview (up to about 30 minutes)
Official preparation guidance describes a blended interview covering strengths and behaviours.
Strengths questions
Strengths are things you do regularly, do well, and find energising. Example styles include:
- Do you think it is important to explain things so others understand? Why?
- Imagine you have several urgent tasks tomorrow. How would you plan your day?
Prepare by reflecting on why you want to be a prison officer and what genuinely motivates you. Strengths questions are designed to be taken at face value.
Behaviour questions
Official OAC interview behaviours include:
- Communicating and Influencing — Communicate clearly and respectfully, listen well, collaborate, and influence confidently.
- Managing a Quality Service — Show a strong work ethic, take personal responsibility, adapt to change, assess risk, and follow processes.
Use the STAR method:
- Situation — Brief context
- Task — Your responsibility
- Action — What you specifically did (largest portion of the answer)
- Result — Outcome and what you learned
Spoken English is assessed. Speak clearly and check that others can understand you.
Assessment 2: Role Play (about 10 minutes)
You take the role of a prison officer interacting with a role actor playing a prisoner. Official guidance says you are not expected to know every prison procedure; assessors want natural, appropriate responses.
Assessed behaviours:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
- Making Effective Decisions
- Caring
High-yield role-play habits
| Do | Avoid |
|---|---|
| Introduce yourself calmly and set a professional tone | Jumping straight to threats or punishment |
| Listen actively and acknowledge feelings | Talking over the person or dismissing distress |
| Keep clear boundaries and explain limits honestly | Making unauthorized promises to buy compliance |
| Prioritise safety and ask for help if risk rises | Trying to manage serious risk alone to look strong |
| Be yourself rather than acting like a TV officer | Over-scripted, robotic answers that ignore the actor |
Assessment 3: Written Assessment (about 25 minutes)
You consider an incident you might face with prisoners and complete an incident-style form with tick boxes, detail fields, and a response explaining the actions you would take. Official advice suggests about 2 minutes reading and about 23 minutes writing.
Assessed behaviours:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Caring
Also assessed:
- Writing in sentences with reasonable grammar
- Clear, easily understood English
Written-response checklist
- Identify immediate safety and welfare risks.
- State what you would do first and why.
- Note who you would inform (supervisor, healthcare, security).
- Record facts accurately; avoid speculation presented as fact.
- Show care and boundaries together, not one without the other.
Civil Service Success Profiles Link
The OAC uses Success Profiles elements:
- Behaviours — Caring, Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service
- Strengths — Natural preferences and energisers
- Ability — Spoken and written English
These align with HMPPS values (Purpose, Humanity, Openness, Together), but the live exercises score behaviours and strengths directly.
After the OAC
Results are typically issued within three working days. If you pass:
- Pass vacancies allocate you to the next available post and start pre-employment checks, or place you on a merit list if no post is open yet. An OAC pass is commonly valid for 12 months.
- Merit vacancies allocate posts in performance order.
If you do not pass, HMPPS guidance commonly requires waiting six months before reapplying. You may also be considered for operational support (OSG) roles if you opted into the Aspire pathway at application.
Worked STAR Interview Example
Behaviour prompt: Tell us about a time you had to communicate clearly with someone who was angry or distressed.
- Situation: A customer at a community advice desk became angry when a payment was delayed.
- Task: Keep the interaction safe, calm the person, and resolve the payment issue.
- Action: I lowered my voice, listened without interrupting, acknowledged the impact of the delay, explained the next step in plain language, and contacted the finance team while keeping the person updated.
- Result: The person calmed down, the payment was processed the same day, and I logged the interaction for continuity.
This pattern transfers well to custodial conversations: safety first, clear communication, accurate follow-through.
During an OAC role-play simulation, a candidate interacts with an agitated prisoner who is shouting about missing medication. Which action aligns best with HMPPS professional standards?
When responding to a behavioural interview question at the Online Assessment Centre using the STAR model, which element should form the largest portion of the response?
Which core principle of HMPPS dynamic security is best demonstrated during frontline custodial duties?
Under the HMPPS Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) framework, what is the primary obligation of a prison officer who notices a prisoner showing signs of severe distress or self-harm ideation?