Competency Companion
NICS & UK Success Profiles

Your practice platform for
Civil Service recruitment.

Every stage: application sift, online tests, and interview, all scored against the exact criteria assessors use, not generic tips.

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Framework aligned
Every assessment scored against the exact NICS and Success Profiles indicators for your grade — not generic tips.
Full journey covered
Application checker, online test practice, and interview coaching — all three stages of Civil Service recruitment in one place.
Gap tracking
See which competencies need work with your personal readiness score and profile across all behaviours.
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Results in seconds
Try for free

Competency Companion is a preparation tool for Civil Service applicants. We help you structure your evidence for behaviours like Seeing the Big Picture, Making Effective Decisions, and Delivering at Pace.

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Features

Welcome to Competency Companion

Prepare smarter at every stage of your recruitment journey.

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Competency Name

Detailed Assessment for Grade Level on Framework

PRIMARY ANALYSIS (Best Match)

5/5

Coaching Advice

Indicator Breakdown (How you scored)

Portfolio Analysis Report

Best-match examples from your portfolio for each competency.

Competency Profile

Review your maximum readiness across all competencies.

Application Checker

AI-powered STAR refinement

Assessment History

Review your saved STAR examples and scores.

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Application Checker

Score your written evidence against the exact framework indicators.

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Online Test Practice

Practice Situational Judgement, Verbal Reasoning, and Numerical Reasoning.

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Interview Practice

Answer real competency questions and get scored against the framework.

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Help & Support

Answers, guidance, and a way to get in touch.

How does the Application Checker work?

Write or paste your written example into the Application Checker. The AI assesses it against the exact behavioural indicators for your selected competency framework and grade level.

If you also paste the eligibility criterion from your job advert, the AI goes further — it extracts every eligibility requirement from the wording (experience duration, qualifications, sector background, technical requirements) and assesses whether your example evidences each one. This is something keyword matching could never do accurately.

Results show an indicator breakdown (which behaviours are evidenced and which are missing), an eligibility assessment panel when a criterion is provided, and an AI coaching narrative explaining what to strengthen.

How do I get the best result from my written example?

Use STAR structure — Situation, Task, Action, Result. The Action section should carry the most weight (roughly 60–70% of the example) because that is where behavioural indicators are demonstrated. Be specific about what you did rather than the team, and use strong action verbs that reflect the competency.

Instead of "We improved the process," try "I led stakeholder engagement to redesign the approval workflow, reducing processing time by 40%."

Further reading: The STAR Method Guide  ·  5 Red Flags That Kill Application Examples

Can I reuse examples across multiple competencies?

Strong real-world examples often demonstrate several competencies simultaneously. When you check an example without a criterion, the AI ranks all competencies by relevance and shows your primary match with full indicator detail, plus two secondary matches you can expand. This helps you identify where else an example could work.

A good strategy is to check your strongest examples without a criterion first to see their natural competency alignment, then re-check with a specific criterion when you're preparing for a particular application.

What is the difference between the three frameworks?

NICS Competency Framework is used by the Northern Ireland Civil Service and assesses candidates across six competency levels (AO through Grade 7 equivalent). Competencies are grouped into Strategic, People, and Performance clusters.

UK Civil Service: Success Profiles (2019+) is the current UK government framework. It uses Behaviours, Strengths, Experience, Technical, and Ability elements. Most UK CS roles from 2019 onwards use this framework.

UK Civil Service: Legacy (2012–17) covers the earlier competency framework used before Success Profiles. Select this if your job advert references it explicitly.

Select the framework that matches your job advert. The indicators, language, and grade descriptors differ across all three — and the AI scores your examples against the exact indicators for whichever you select.

Why did my score change when I changed my grade?

Each grade level has different behavioural indicators. A Grade 7 candidate is expected to demonstrate strategic leadership and cross-departmental influence; an Administrative Officer is assessed on following process and supporting colleagues. The same example scores differently at each grade because the bar is different.

If you change your target grade, scores recalculate against that grade's indicators. This is expected behaviour — set your grade to the role you are applying for.

What does the Competency Profile show?

Your Competency Profile tracks coverage across all competencies in your selected framework. It shows your best AI-scored result per competency, your overall readiness percentage, and which clusters need more work. Competencies with no scored example drag the readiness percentage down.

The goal is to have a strong example for every competency. Readiness above 70% indicates broad coverage. The Profile is built from both Application Checker checks and Interview Practice sessions — every AI-scored session contributes.

Further reading: How Civil Service Competency Examples Are Scored

How does Interview Practice work?

Interview Practice presents competency-based questions drawn from a bank mapped to your framework and grade. You type your answer and the AI scores it against the exact behavioural indicators for that competency — the same assessment engine used in the Application Checker, but framed for verbal delivery.

Each result includes an indicator breakdown, an estimated verbal delivery time (so you know if your answer runs too long or too short for a real panel), an AI coaching narrative, and a list of probable follow-up probes a panel would likely ask based on gaps in your answer.

You can practise by individual competency or by cluster. Sessions are saved to your history and count towards your Competency Profile.

Further reading: Cluster-Based Civil Service Interviews  ·  48 Hours to Interview Ready

How do the Online Tests work?

The Online Tests section includes practice for Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, and Situational Judgement — the three most common pre-interview assessment types used in Civil Service recruitment.

Practice mode works through questions one at a time with immediate feedback, ideal for building understanding. Timed mode replicates the exam experience with a countdown, no feedback during the test, and a full results summary at the end.

Free users get a set number of practice attempts per module before being asked to upgrade. Premium users get unlimited access to all test types in both modes, with full worked answers throughout.

Having a licence key issue?

When you purchase, Payhip redirects you to a confirmation page where you simply enter the email address you used at checkout — Premium activates instantly, no key required on your first device.

To activate on a second device, your licence key is in your Payhip receipt email. Visit competencycompanion.co.uk/activate.html and paste the key to unlock Premium on that device. Check your spam folder if you cannot find the email.

If the key is not accepted, ensure you are copying it in full with no extra spaces. If you continue to have issues, use the Contact Us tab and include the email address used at purchase.

Reference guides

Further reading

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