For candidates · about to sit the assessment
You have booked your Certified assessment. This page is the short, practical guide to walking in calmly. Read it the night before, not two weeks ahead. Everything you need is here.
Pick a time when you will not be interrupted for the length of your session (60 to 90 minutes depending on your level, plus a buffer). Use a laptop or desktop, not a phone. Have a notepad, a glass of water, and somewhere you can close the door. You will do better rested than you will crammed. This assessment rewards what you already know.
Your session runs on a hard clock. Once you click Begin Assessment, the timer runs continuously and auto-submits when it hits zero. You cannot pause it. Check your confirmation email for your exact session length before you sit down.
Block the time. Treat it like an exam, not an evening task. Put it in your diary with a 15-minute buffer either side.
Re-read your own CV once. You are going to reference your own instincts. If you have not thought about how you actually sequence a day for a while, spend ten minutes writing down the three hardest calls you have made in your current seat. That is the muscle you are about to use.
Do not do a sample scenario first. There is no benefit. The rubric does not reward people who have seen similar prompts. It rewards the candidate who reads carefully and responds clearly.
Set up your space. Notepad. Glass of water. Door closed. Phone on silent and face-down. Clear desk apart from your laptop and your notepad.
Check your connection. A dropped connection resumes, but a laptop on 4% battery does not. Plug in.
Read every module twice. Once for signal, once for subtext. The rubric rewards candidates who notice the quiet risk, not just the loud problem.
Write how you would speak. Prose, not jargon. The reviewer is looking for judgement, not phrases from a job ad.
A minute lost to a noise is not a problem. The timer runs through. Do not panic. Come back to the module you were on and finish the decision.
If your laptop dies. The platform auto-saves. You have one re-entry window inside the 14-day link expiry. Email hello@thecorestandard.co.uk and we will re-issue the link.
Accommodations. If you need a +25% time accommodation for neurodivergence, disability, or a medical reason, you can self-certify at the pre-checkout step. No diagnosis required. If you have already paid and now need the accommodation, email us and we will apply it.
You will receive a confirmation the moment you submit. Your report arrives within 48 hours of submission (24 hours if you added Priority Turnaround at checkout). You get the full feedback report, the Recruiter Summary, the digital badge, and the signed certificate. All yours to keep and share.
If the reviewer thinks you sat the wrong level (too easy, too hard, or role-mismatched), we will re-issue at the right level within 14 days at no extra charge. You do not need to ask: the reviewer flags it and we email you.
This is not a trick. The rubric rewards the EA you already are on a good day. Walk in tired or walk in hungry and it shows. Walk in rested, with water and a clear half-morning, and what you get back is the evidence of what you already do well. That is the whole point.
Got a question?
If anything on this page is unclear or you want to talk through your accommodations, ask a question. We reply within one working day.