Stream 1 • Executive Assistant
The scenario-based executive assistant test for employers, across three levels from Operational EA through to Executive Business Partner. A realistic working day for each candidate, scored against the five pillars, and expert-reviewed inside 48 hours. Commissioning is self-serve: one payment, one candidate, one report. Built and reviewed in the UK by a specialist EA recruiter, and priced in pounds.
Assessing a whole team, not one hire? See Benchmark Your Team, priced per person from £225 +VAT, less per head the more you assess.
A realistic working day, scored against the dimensions that actually predict success in the seat, not how a candidate performs in an interview room. Every pillar is scored against a published, behaviourally anchored rubric. Read the full methodology →
Does the candidate recognise what matters most when everything is urgent, and hold the principal's agenda in mind when sequencing the day?
Do they spot the risk buried in the meeting request, the conflict in the diary, the tone shift in the email? The unflashy work of noticing.
Can they write with the voice of the principal? Concise, warm, appropriate to the audience. Poor writing costs relationships.
Do they close the loop? Confirm receipt, flag blockers, and leave the day tidier than they found it. The end-of-day discipline.
Do they work as a genuine partner, not just a pair of hands? Anticipating what the principal needs before it is asked, holding relationships and stakeholders on their behalf, and earning the trust to act in their name.
The five pillars are scored at every level. Because the test spans three levels of seniority, the higher levels layer on further dimensions matched to the demands of the seat.
The three levels
Level 1
"Ashworth Partners" scenario
Single-principal support. Inbox triage, diary management, travel logistics, expense reconciliation, and internal stakeholder comms.
Level 2
"Hartwell Group" scenario
Multi-principal or C-suite support. Sophisticated diary choreography, board logistics, international travel, discreet personal matters, and cross-functional facilitation.
Level 3 • Most commissioned
"Whitfield & Partners" scenario
Second-brain support to the principal. Strategic project oversight, board pack preparation, stakeholder arbitration, and direct decision delegation within defined scope.
Hiring more than one
Running a shortlist through the same level? The per-candidate price drops as the number goes up. Pick your level and band, then set the exact number of candidates at the secure Stripe checkout. Prices are +VAT, and reclaimable for VAT-registered businesses.
Level 1 · Operational EA
Single hire £495 per candidate
2–3 candidatesSave 10%£445 ea→ 4–5 candidatesSave 15%£420 ea→ 6+ candidatesSave 20%£395 ea→Level 2 · EA to Senior Leadership
Single hire £695 per candidate
2–3 candidatesSave 10%£625 ea→ 4–5 candidatesSave 15%£590 ea→ 6+ candidatesSave 20%£555 ea→Level 3 · Executive Business Partner
Single hire £995 per candidate
2–3 candidatesSave 10%£895 ea→ 4–5 candidatesSave 15%£845 ea→ 6+ candidatesSave 20%£795 ea→Discount applies per level, across candidates assessed in one commission. Mixing levels or need a larger volume? Talk to us and we will sort the right rate.
Not sure which level? Email us with the role spec and the team will recommend.
Every price on the site, including team benchmarking and what is coming next, is on the full pricing page.
Secure checkout via Stripe · UK VAT-registered via eavolve Ltd · Report guaranteed within 48 hours or fully refunded
Why it pays for itself
A wrong EA hire costs far more than the salary.
Add the recruitment fee to find them, the onboarding and training, the principal’s time spent re-recruiting, the disruption to the day, and the momentum lost while the seat sits wrong, then the cost of running the whole search again. An assessment is £495 to £995: a small fraction of that, and it turns a high-stakes judgement call into an evidenced one, on the shortlist you have already narrowed by interview.
For employers
An interview tells you how someone talks about their work. The Core Standard shows you how they do it. You receive a written report, scored against a published rubric, reviewed by a named expert, in 48 hours.
Sample report
Level 1: Operational EA: anonymised sample
"Strong triage instinct and very clean written voice. Handled the curveball without escalating prematurely. Recommend progressing to final stage with a conversation on stakeholder management depth."
Reviewer sign-off
Not sure how to read one? The anatomy of a TCS report walks through it page by page.
Commonly asked
Most employers commission assessments for their top three to five shortlisted candidates after first-round conversations. The Core Standard is a decision tool, not a screening tool. Use it where you need certainty, not volume.
We do not recommend it. Candidates should sit the level that matches the role you are hiring for. If you are unsure which level applies, email us with the role spec and we will recommend before you commission.
Standard turnaround is 48 hours from candidate submission. Rush turnaround of 24 hours is available for an additional £150 +VAT at checkout for offer-stage hires.
Yes, and for a shortlist of two or three it can be enough. Our guide to the executive assistant in-tray exercise gives you three tasks, time limits and a scoring sheet. The Core Standard is the same idea at full depth: a whole working day, identical for every candidate, scored by a reviewer against a published rubric, so the results are comparable across candidates and across hires.
Not yet. TCS Match is a personality and compatibility overlay in development, priced at an indicative £350 +VAT. It will be useful for long-tenure hires or senior placements where fit with the principal matters most. Register your interest and we will let you know when it opens.
More than one seat
If you want to benchmark the EAs you already employ against the same standard, Benchmark Your Team is priced per person, and the more of the team you assess in one commission, the less each one costs.
1–4 people
per person, +VAT
5–9 people
per person, +VAT
10–19 people
per person, +VAT
20+ people
per person, +VAT
Bespoke · for regular hirers
The three levels cover most hires. But if you recruit for the same kind of seat again and again, against a specific bar of your own, an off-the-shelf level is not always the closest fit.
We can scope a bespoke assessment built around your business: the exact competencies, scenarios, and standards you hire against, scored the same rigorous way. You tell us what a great EA looks like in your world; we build the day that tests for it.
Talk to us about bespoke →Send the role spec and the shortlist. Briefing form back the same working day. First report in 48 hours.
Been asked to sit a Core Standard assessment? What to expect and how to prepare →