Intray Exercise

An in-tray exercise involves dealing with a large number of tasks including fax messages, emails, memos and telephone calls. You are required to prioritise these tasks. In-tray exercises are designed to represent the tasks in a typical day and allow employers to see the skills you process, for example decision making and working under pressure. Generally in-tray exercises are used during an assessment centre.

Are in-tray and e-tray exercises different?
An e-tray exercise is when the information is presented in electronic form on a PC, however the basic principles remain the same.

What do you do in an in-tray exercise?
You are required to take on the role of a member of staff. The reason for the build up of work is usually due to coming back off holiday. You are required to prioritise the tasks, often these tasks are inter-related. You will be asked to discuss the reasons for your decision. Make sure you read through all the tasks before you begin any of them because later tasks may alter your decision. Typical tasks may include a simple yes or no answer, although other tasks may include writing a long report or collating various emails.

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