Mastering the Teach First Assessment Centre 2024: Ultimate Prep Guide

This Teach First Assessment Centre guide will tell you what to expect and show you how to succeed, in clear detail, step-by-step.

A Useful Starting-point Resource

  1. Get hold of Teach First interview questions preparation tools here and practice tests here.

Download our Ultimate Assessment Day & Interview Guide 2022 here. (It's packed with tips, tricks and insider-secrets to help you succeed.)


Ok, let’s get stuck in!

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Teach First Assessment Centre – Core Competencies

In a moment we’ll drill into the detail of the Teach First Assessment Centre itself, but first we need to address something fundamental.

  • The Teach First Assessment Centre uses a “competency-based assessment process”, which is a fancy way of saying that there is a checklist that successful candidates must satisfy.
  • Your first step in preparing for the Teach First Assessment Centre should be to learn these competencies inside out.
  • Every part of your assessment will built around them, so it’s essential to have an in-depth understanding and to immerse yourself in this language.

(Sure, you will have covered these within your online application form but they’re even more important at the Teach First Assessment Centre itself!)

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The 8 Competencies

Here’s a reminder of the eight essential competencies that the Teach First Assessment Centre is designed to evaluate – seek to demonstrate these at every opportunity (an easy way to do this is to reflect this language back at the assessors):

  • Humility, Respect, and Empathy – Are you able to build relationships with a variety of people? Can you find common ground and build effective relationships quickly? Can you help people achieve and remain respectful?
  • Interaction – Can you work as part of a team? Are you able to communicate with clarity? Are you a good listener? Can you communicate effectively and appropriately, according to the situation?
  • Knowledge – Have you done your homework on Teach First? Do you know their ethos and mission? Do you have a good understanding of the Leadership Development Programme? Are you passionate and ready to make an impact?
  • Leadership -Are you able to take control of a situation? Do you use your initiative as well as your knowledge? Can you remain proactive under pressure, in order to achieve? Can you take the lead?
  • Planning and Organising – Can you manage and prioritize your workload? Can you work to a deadline? Are you able to keep your work to a high standard and stay efficient?
  • Problem Solving – Are you innovative? Can you handle fresh challenges? Can you deal with problems in an appropriate fashion and find solutions? Are you creative enough to find a new way to deal with a problem?
  • Resilience – Do you have tenacity? Can you stay positive under pressure? Are you patient? Can you persevere when things get tough?
  • Self-evaluation – Do you know your weaknesses as well as your strengths? Are your goals realistic and do you have an insight in how to achieve them? Do you understand the importance of self-evaluation?

Ok, let’s look at how you’ll spend your day at the Teach First Assessment Centre.

Teach First Assessment Centre Guide – Overview of the Day

The day will be mapped out in a way that assesses all of your skills and knowledge, using the eight competencies as an overarching framework.

This is what you should expect on the day:

Let’s take a look at each element in more detail.

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Teach First Assessment Centre – The Sample Teaching Lesson

Just like any part of an assessment, preparation is essential. For this part of the assessment, you will be emailed details of your lesson topic, a week before.

  • Your lesson must be prepared in this time, so iron out exactly what and how you are going to teach.
  • You can find ideas and templates for your sample lessons at the Teach First Assessment Centre here and here.
  • Your lesson will be 7 minutes in total and in this time you need to show that you can clearly communicate the topic to your pupils, in a creative, engaging way.

Be prepared to show that you are able to control your class. There could be unruly children (assessors) who want to see how you handle the disruption!

After your lesson, you will be asked to evaluate it. This will be a written evaluation and needs to be structured in such a way that honestly challenges your performance, but of course, this is also a great opportunity to highlight the depth of your teaching knowledge and -especially if the lesson didn’t go well- what could be improved upon.

Teach First Assessment Centre – Case Study and Self Evaluation

This is a group exercise and for many people it’s the least favourite part of the Teach First Assessment Centre. It will test your problem solving skills, your thought processes, your ability to express yourself and interact with the rest of the group.

  • We’ve written an extensive guide covering this, so go and check out our Group Exercise Success Guide.
  • Once the group work is completed, you will be invited to discuss and evaluate how the group worked together, along with your own role within that group.
  • This discussion will be one-to-one with an assessor. Remember that the evaluation of the group exercise is as important as the group work itself, so don’t let your guard down here.
  • This is a good chance to leave a favourable impression.

This article will give you some basic ideas of the questions you should pose.

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Teach First Assessment Centre – The Competency-based Interview

Ok, now the fun really starts!

Firstly, you should check out our the interview success area of the site – there’s TONS of resources there that will help you during this part of the Teach First Assessment Centre.

Secondly, you can get hold of Teach First interview questions preparation tools here and practice tests here.

This interview will be one-to-one with an assessor and will last for 30 minutes. This is where your knowledge of the competencies will become vital.

(We really cannot reiterate enough the importance of understanding and using them to your advantage.)

Take your interview by the horns and don’t let go!

  • Show the Assessor that you know all about Teach First. Talk about the vision and mission. Prove that you know all about the job you’re applying for.
  • Review your original application form to remind yourself of what you wrote and the examples you gave. (This is a great way to have something to fall back to during awkward moments when you’re not sure what to say next.)
  • Give examples from your experience that show the competencies outlined earlier. Do not just use the ones from your original application. Take a look at the competencies and think about your other experiences, in relation to them. This is hard, so practise it beforehand. Prepare 3 examples for each competency and rehearse explaining them aloud.
  • Convince the assessor that they want you! Tell them why you should be on the programme and what you can bring. You must sell yourself. The competition at the Teach First Assessment Centre is stiff, so don’t be modest!
  • If you are asked if you have any questions… Have some! It will highlight your enthusiasm and passion for the programme. Trust us, it reflects poorly on you if you have no questions. (This Guardian article has a good list of questions you can ask.)
  • If you don’t understand a particular question, ask the assessor to repeat it or explain it more fully. Don’t be shy in seeking clarification.
  • Practice the interview scenario with your partner, mum, dad, goldfish etc. Get someone to help you by asking the questions. Rehearse your key messages and sentences. Practice aloud. Practice aloud. We know you feel silly doing it but practice aloud.

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Teach First Sample Interview Questions

Here’s a few that are bound to show up during your Teach First Assessment Centre interview:

  • How have you responded to a situation in which your authority was challenged?
  • When have you come up with an innovative solution for a problem?
  • When have you had to show leadership qualities?
  • How have you dealt with failure?
  • How have you tackled a problem creatively?

A Useful Resource

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Teach First Assessment Centre – Offer Of Employment & Tests

After you ace the interview, you will be offered employment with Teach First. But this offer will be dependent on your completion of the Professional Skills Tests.

These tests are mandatory for any prospective teacher, who wishes to enrol on a teacher training course. They are provided by Learn Direct and you will sit the tests at one of their centres. These skills tests will include:

  • Teach First Numeracy Test – Numerical reasoning and mathematics questions will be used to measure your numeracy skills. This test is broken down into mental arithmetic and written, ‘on screen’ questions. The mental arithmetic questions will be supplied to you via headphones. Calculators will not be permitted but handwritten calculations are acceptable. The second part of the test is computer based and you will have an ‘on screen’ calculator to aid you. You will have 48 minutes to complete both sections.

We’ve written in-depth success guides for numerical tests. You can find our numerical reasoning success guide (including practice tests) here.

  • Teach First Literacy test – Your spelling, grammar, punctuation and comprehension will be tested, in order to assess your literacy skills. The spelling test must be completed first but you can then complete the other three areas in any order. You will need to wear the headphones provided for the spelling test. All other sections will be computer based. You will have 45 minutes to complete all sections.

We’ve written in-depth success guides for verbal reasoning tests. You can find our verbal reasoning success guide (including practice tests) here.

Preparing for Your Teach First Professional Skill Tests

The minimum pass requirement for both tests is 60%, so it is vital that you know what to expect. You can probably guess what we are going to advise here: Practice!

Thanks for Reading!

We hope you have found our guide useful? We hope you feel better prepared and have a clear understanding of what you can do to maximise your chances of success at the Teach First Assessment Centre. Preparation is the key to both confidence and success, so please avail yourself of the resources we’ve shared with you here. Good luck! 🙂

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