Assessment Centre Case Study Exercise: Examples and How to Approach It

Here's what surprises most graduates about the assessment centre case study: there is rarely one right answer. Two candidates can recommend opposite things and both score highly.

That's because assessors aren't marking your conclusion. They're watching how you think: whether you can pick out what matters from a pile of information, make a sensible decision and explain it clearly while the clock runs down.

It's still the exercise candidates worry about most, and it's where many run out of time. This guide covers the formats you'll meet, a five-step approach that works for all of them, and a worked example.

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The three formats

Format	What happens	What is being assessed
Written	You read a brief and write a report or email with a recommendation, often in 45 to 90 minutes.	Analysis, prioritisation, written communication
Presentation	You prepare, then present your recommendation to assessors and answer questions.	Structure, clarity, handling challenge
Group	A group discusses the case and agrees a recommendation together.	Teamwork, influence, listening, as well as analysis

Some centres combine them: individual preparation followed by a group discussion or a presentation. Virtual assessment centres use the same formats over video, with the brief sent by email or shared on screen.

You may also meet an in-tray or e-tray exercise, where emails and documents arrive over time and you prioritise and respond. The skills overlap heavily, so the approach below helps there too.

Key Takeaway: Whatever the format, assessors are looking for the same core skills: sorting information, deciding and communicating clearly.

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A five-step approach

1. Read the task before the information

Find the actual question first. "Should the company expand into Manchester or invest in its website?" tells you what to look for. Then read everything else with that question in mind.

2. Sort the information quickly

Case studies often include more information than you need, sometimes deliberately. As you read, mark each piece as relevant, not relevant, or a risk. Don't try to use everything.

3. Plan your time

A rough split that works for written exercises: about a third reading and analysing, a third deciding and planning, a third writing. Leave a few minutes to check.

Write the times down at the start. Running out of time before your recommendation is the most common way to lose marks, and a half-finished analysis scores worse than a shorter, complete answer.

4. Make a clear recommendation

Pick an option and commit. "It depends" is not a recommendation. You can acknowledge the trade-offs, but assessors want to see that you can decide with imperfect information, because that's what the job involves.

5. Structure your answer

1. Recommendation: one or two sentences, up front
2. Reasons: two or three, each backed by something from the brief
3. Risks: what could go wrong and how to reduce it
4. Next steps: what should happen first

Key Takeaway: Put your recommendation first. Assessors reading a stack of reports should know your answer within the first few lines.

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Handling the numbers

Most case studies include figures, and you rarely need anything harder than GCSE maths. What you do need is to pick the two or three calculations that actually help the decision.

• Percentage change: (new minus old) divided by old. Useful for spotting which shops, products or regions are declining fastest.
• Payback period: upfront cost divided by the extra profit per month. It shows how quickly an investment earns its money back.
• Cost per customer or per unit: total cost divided by the number served. Handy for comparing options of different sizes.

Show your working briefly, round sensibly and say what each number means for the decision. A calculator is usually allowed, but check the instructions on the day.

Key Takeaway: Use a few simple calculations to support your decision, and always explain what each number tells the reader.

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A worked example

The brief (shortened, and with made-up figures): You're a graduate analyst at a regional chain of 12 coffee shops. Profits fell last year. The board has budget for one of two options: open two new shops in a nearby city, or launch a mobile ordering app for existing customers. You have sales figures by shop, a customer survey, a competitor summary and cost estimates. Write a one-page recommendation to the operations director in 60 minutes.

Suppose the cost estimates say the app would cost £60,000 and is expected to add £5,000 of profit a month. That's a payback period of 12 months. The two new shops would cost far more up front and take longer to become profitable.

What a strong answer might look like, in outline:

• Recommendation: Launch the mobile ordering app first and revisit expansion in 12 months.
• Reason 1: The survey shows queue times are the most common complaint, and the app tackles that directly.
• Reason 2: Sales are falling in the existing shops, so expanding before fixing the core problem risks repeating it in new locations.
• Reason 3: The app costs less up front, pays back within a year on the estimates given, and can be measured within months.
• Risks: Low take-up among older customers; reduce this with in-store promotion and by keeping counter ordering. A competitor may expand into the city first; monitor this and review at six months.
• Next steps: Pilot in the three busiest shops, measure queue times and average spend, and report back in three months.

Here's how the opening of that email might read:

Dear Priya,

I recommend we launch the mobile ordering app first and revisit expansion in 12 months.

Queue times are the most common complaint in the customer survey, and sales are falling in our existing shops. The app tackles that problem directly, and on the cost estimates provided it would pay for itself within a year.

Another candidate could recommend expansion and score just as well, if their reasoning uses the evidence and deals with the risks. The decision matters less than the thinking behind it.

Key Takeaway: Lead with the decision, back it with evidence from the brief, and show you've thought about what could go wrong.

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If you have to present it

Use the same structure, but say your recommendation in the first 30 seconds. Assessors will then listen to your reasons knowing where you're heading.

Keep any slides or flipchart notes simple: a headline and a few words per point. Practise out loud if you get preparation time, even just under your breath, because running over is common.

The questions afterwards are part of the test. If an assessor challenges your choice, don't abandon it at the first push. Acknowledge the point, explain why you still think your option is stronger, or say what new information would change your mind.

Key Takeaway: Say your recommendation early, keep visuals simple and treat challenging questions as a chance to show your reasoning.

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If it's a group case study

• Suggest a quick plan for the time at the start. It shows leadership without dominating.
• Bring quieter people in: "We haven't heard what you think about the costs yet."
• Build on others' points by name rather than competing with them.
• Keep an eye on the clock and help the group reach a decision.
• Disagree politely, with evidence: "I see the point about growth, but the survey suggests..."

Assessors aren't counting who talks most. Someone who makes three good contributions and helps the group finish usually scores better than someone who talks throughout.

Key Takeaway: In a group, your influence on the outcome counts for more than the amount you say.

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Mistakes assessors see most

• Running out of time before reaching a recommendation
• Summarising the brief back instead of analysing it
• Sitting on the fence
• Ignoring the numbers, or getting lost in them
• Missing the audience: a note to a director should be short and decision-focused

Key Takeaway: Nearly every common mistake comes down to time or focus, so plan your minutes and keep asking what the reader needs to decide.

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How to practise

Take any business news story, give yourself 45 minutes, and write a one-page recommendation using the structure above. Many employers also publish practice case studies on their graduate careers pages, and university careers services often run mock assessment centres.

Look at the graduate scheme advert too. The competencies it lists are usually the ones you'll be assessed on. CVPilot's keyword extractor pulls them out of the job description so you know what to show on the day.

For the rest of the day, see our full guide to preparing for an assessment centre and our graduate schemes 2027 timeline. Still at the application stage? Check your CV gets through the automated sift with CVPilot's free ATS checker.

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