Fast Stream Online Tests: Work-based Scenarios and Case Study Preparation

For 2027 entry, the official online test guidance names Work-based scenarios and Case study assessment. Start with the official examples and your invitation. The worksheet below is our own exercise for building reasoning habits; it is not a replica, answer key or scoring model.

What to pay attention to

Work-based scenarios use workplace situations presented through video. The case study supplies background information that develops as you work through situations. Both require attention to what is actually available when a decision is made.

Rather than memorising slogans such as “always escalate”, ask what the situation needs: a decision, a check, a conversation or immediate action. The same response can be appropriate in one context and poorly timed in another.

An original decision worksheet

Use five headings when discussing any practice situation:

Heading	Question to ask
Objective	What needs to happen, and by when?
Evidence	What do I know, and what am I assuming?
Responsibility	What can I decide, and who needs to be involved?
Consequence	What happens to users, colleagues or delivery if I take this action?
Next check	How will I know the action worked or needs changing?

Keep your notes short. The point is to make your reasoning visible, not to create a long answer for an assessment that has its own response format.

Try this independent practice situation

Your team is preparing a public information update due tomorrow. A colleague notices that a figure in the draft differs from the latest source file. The manager who usually approves changes is in meetings. Another team is already preparing the publication using your draft.

Consider these possible actions separately:

• Check which source is authoritative, then tell the publication team what is being checked and when you expect to confirm it.
• Quietly replace the figure and assume nobody needs to know.
• Stop all work indefinitely until the manager is available.
• Publish the draft unchanged because the deadline is close.

For each action, explain the benefit, risk and missing information. Which action preserves accuracy while allowing useful work to continue? What would change your judgement if the discrepancy concerned an insignificant rounding difference rather than a major factual error?

There is no official score for this exercise. A useful discussion notices the scale of the error, responsibility for approval and the need to coordinate with the people already using the draft.

Practise changing your view when evidence changes

Now add a new fact: the latest source file is a draft that has not been approved. Revisit your earlier reasoning. Does your preferred action still work? Which assumption changed?

Next, add another fact: the approved source will be available in thirty minutes. Plan what you can do while waiting and how you will communicate the decision. This builds the habit of updating a judgement without abandoning every part of the plan.

Use practice efficiently

Discuss a small number of situations carefully, then repeat with a different objective or constraint. Record one reasoning mistake after each exercise: assuming information, ignoring another team, escalating without a clear question or acting outside your authority.

Read the Fast Stream assessment sequence for the wider application plan and the 2027 campaign guide for checked dates. Use your official invitation for adjustments, access and completion instructions.