Public Service Commission of Canada Tests: GCT-2A, GCT-1 and the Test of Judgement
The PSC tests changed in July 2025, and most prep material has not. Practise the four tests on the current list at their real lengths and clocks, with the same free navigation as the Candidate Assessment Tool, and feedback in the language the PSC reports in: a raw score against the pass mark, or a J-level.
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General Competency Test: Level 2 Abridged (GCT-2A)
The GCT-2A-324 that replaced the GCT2-314 in July 2025: number and letter series, office numerical problems and analytical reasoning sets, 50 questions in 120 minutes with a calculator. Free navigation, Mark for Review and a question list as on the Candidate Assessment Tool, scored against the real pass mark of 31 out of 50. Half paper option.
General Competency Test: Level 1 (GCT-1)
The GCT-1-207 used in place of a secondary school diploma: short memos, practical numerical problems and rules to apply, including the A only, B only, Both or Neither questions. 50 questions in 85 minutes with a calculator, scored against the real pass mark of 28 out of 50. Half paper option.
Supervised Test of Judgement (TOJ 377)
The in-person Test of Judgement, taken alone or as step 2 after the TOJ 376: 40 situations and responses to rate on the same six-point scale in 60 minutes, a little tighter per item than the unsupervised test. Feedback maps your result onto the J-01 to J-10 levels departments set their pass marks on.
Which PSC test have you been invited to?
The PSC's current list has four occupational tests. Two are the judgement screen used for officer-level jobs. The other two only come up when a job asks for a degree or a diploma you do not have and allows a test in its place.
TOJ 376
Unsupervised Test of Judgement
Step 1 of the judgement screen for most officer-level jobs
- Format:
- 52 questions in 90 minutes. Each is one work situation and one response to rate on a six-point scale.
- Where:
- Online at home, on a desktop or laptop, by a deadline in your invitation
- Result:
- A level from J-01 to J-10
TOJ 377
Supervised Test of Judgement
Step 2 after the TOJ 376, or the only judgement test in the process
- Format:
- 40 questions in 60 minutes, the same format as the TOJ 376 with less time per question.
- Where:
- In person at a federal government building
- Result:
- A level from J-01 to J-10
GCT-2A-324
General Competency Test: Level 2 Abridged
An alternative to a university degree, when the job allows one
- Format:
- 50 five-option questions in 120 minutes: number and letter series, numerical problems and analytical reasoning.
- Where:
- In person at a federal government building, calculator allowed
- Result:
- Pass or fail and your raw score. The pass mark is 31 out of 50.
GCT-1-207
General Competency Test: Level 1
An alternative to a secondary school diploma, when the job allows one
- Format:
- 50 four-option questions in 85 minutes: short memos, practical numerical problems and rules to apply.
- Where:
- In person at a federal government building, calculator allowed
- Result:
- Pass or fail and your raw score. The pass mark is 28 out of 50.
What changed, and why old prep material misleads
Much of what is online still teaches the GCT2-314, with its vocabulary and figure questions, or the Public Service Entrance Exam. Neither is on the list any more.
- 30 June 2023The Public Service Entrance Exam (PSEE) reasoning tests were withdrawn. The GCT2-314 and GCT1-207 were restricted to their use as education alternatives.
- 22 July 2025The GCT-2A-324 replaced the GCT2-314. Vocabulary and figure questions were dropped, the paper went from 90 questions to 50, and the time stayed at 120 minutes.
- 22 July 2025The TOJ 376 replaced the unsupervised TOJ 374: the same 52 questions, with 90 minutes instead of 75.
- 22 July 2025The TOJ 377 replaced the supervised TOJ 375: 40 questions in 60 minutes.
Old results still count where the PSC says so: a GCT2-314 score of 58 or more remains valid as the degree alternative. A TOJ 376 result cannot replace a TOJ 377 result, or the other way round.
Two ways the PSC reports a result
The GCTs: a raw score against a fixed pass mark. You get pass or fail and the number of questions you answered correctly, 31 out of 50 to pass the GCT-2A and 28 out of 50 to pass the GCT-1. There is no percentile, no bonus for finishing early and no deduction for a wrong answer, so every blank is a mark thrown away.
The Tests of Judgement: a level from J-01 to J-10. Each level is a band of percentiles against a large sample of earlier test takers. Each department sets its own pass mark, no lower than J-02 and no higher than J-07. So even the strictest bar lets through the top 65% of test takers. The scale stops at the median: J-10 is the best result there is, and a J-10 says nothing about how far above the median you were.
- J-019th percentile or lower
- J-0210th to 14th
- J-0315th to 19th
- J-0420th to 24th
- J-0525th to 29th
- J-0630th to 34th
- J-0735th to 39th
- J-0840th to 44th
- J-0945th to 49th
- J-1050th percentile or higher
Highlighted: the levels a department can choose as its pass mark.
How the tests work, and how our practice matches
One paper, one clock, free navigation. All four run on the PSC's Candidate Assessment Tool. A numbered list shows every question and its status, you can go to any question at any time, change answers and mark questions for review, and the test submits itself when time runs out. The system does not remind you about skipped questions before you submit. Our practice tests work the same way.
Judgement questions rate one response at a time. Each TOJ question is a situation and a single course of action, rated from Very ineffective to Very effective. There is no neutral middle. The same situation can come back later with a different response, and near misses earn partial marks. The PSC does not publish the formula, so our marking uses a stated linear rule: full marks for the keyed rating, and less the further you are from it.
The real tests are not taken on a phone. This practice can be. Three of the four are sat on a test-centre computer, and the PSC asks TOJ 376 candidates to use a desktop or laptop because the platform may not work on phones and tablets. Every practice test here works properly on a phone, but a phone result is not comparable to the real one. Sit your final practice runs on a computer.
English only here. The real tests are bilingual and you can switch between English and French at any time. Our questions are in English, written with Canadian spelling.
Our questions are our own. Every series, problem, passage, memo, rule and work situation is written from scratch to the patterns in the PSC's published instructions and sample tests. None is copied from the PSC.
Accommodation. The PSC offers extra time, pause time, reader services and alternative formats on request. Ask the hiring department before your test; our clocks are the standard ones.
Not simulated here
The Second Language Evaluation is the PSC's largest testing line, but it measures your second official language rather than aptitude, and we do not build language-proficiency tests. Here is what each part looks like and how it is levelled, so you know what to expect.
Unsupervised Reading Comprehension
25 questions in 45 minutes. A workplace text, often an email, and a question with several options.
A at 9 to 13 correct, B at 14 to 18, C at 19 to 25. Below 9 is an X.
Unsupervised Written Expression
30 questions in 45 minutes. Choose the missing word in a workplace text.
A at 11 to 16 correct, B at 17 to 23, C at 24 to 30. Below 11 is an X.
Supervised Reading Comprehension
60 questions in 90 minutes, of which 50 are scored and 10 are unmarked trial questions.
An exemption (E) at 45 to 50 correct.
Supervised Written Expression
65 questions in 90 minutes, of which 55 are scored.
An exemption (E) at 52 to 55 correct.
Oral Language Assessment
A conversation with an assessor by phone or video.
Marked by the assessor, so there is nothing to practise against a key.
Nor do we simulate the competency-based assessments for supervisors, managers and executives (the Manager Remote Assessment, LASA, LAEX and the other simulations and 360 instruments), which trained assessors mark. The Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) belongs to the Department of National Defence and is not a PSC test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which PSC tests are used in 2026?
Four occupational tests: the General Competency Test: Level 1 (GCT-1-207), the General Competency Test: Level 2 Abridged (GCT-2A-324), the Unsupervised Test of Judgement 376 and the Supervised Test of Judgement 377. The PSC also runs second language tests and simulations for managers and executives.
Is the GCT2-314 still used?
No. It was replaced by the GCT-2A-324 on 22 July 2025. A previous GCT2-314 score of 58 or more is still valid as an alternative to a university degree.
What is the pass mark for the GCT-2A?
31 out of 50. You receive a pass or fail and your raw score 48 hours after the test. The GCT-1 pass mark is 28 out of 50.
What is a good score on the Test of Judgement?
Results are levels from J-01 to J-10, each a band of percentiles against earlier test takers. Departments set their pass mark between J-02 and J-07; J-07 means the 35th percentile or better. J-10 means the 50th percentile or higher and is the top level.
Can I take the GCT-2A or TOJ 377 online at home?
No. Both are supervised in person at a federal government building, as is the GCT-1. Only the TOJ 376 is taken online, and the PSC asks you to use a desktop or laptop.
Can I use a calculator?
Yes on the GCT-1 and GCT-2A: the on-screen one, or your own if it cannot connect to the internet or store content. The Tests of Judgement have nothing to calculate.
Is there negative marking?
No. The PSC advises guessing when you are unsure, and some Test of Judgement answers earn partial marks.
How soon can I retake a PSC test?
After 180 days. A result from a retest inside that window is not valid.
Can I reuse my Test of Judgement result?
Yes. A TOJ 376 or 377 result is valid indefinitely and portable across the federal public service, unless a process asks for a new one, and the most recent valid score counts. A TOJ 376 result cannot stand in for a TOJ 377 result, or the other way round.
Companies That Use Public Service Commission of Canada tests
These are the Public Service Commission’s own standardised tests, ordered by federal departments and agencies for their hiring processes and taken by invitation. The Tests of Judgement screen for officer-level jobs; the two General Competency Tests are accepted in place of a secondary school diploma or a degree where a job advertisement names them.
Government of Canada
Government & Public SectorFederal departments and agencies order the PSC’s tests for their staffing processes: the Tests of Judgement 376 and 377 for officer-level jobs, and the General Competency Tests as alternatives to education requirements.
We name no individual departments here. The test is named in your invitation rather than the job poster, so check the invitation for the exact test code.
Guides and Tips
Read up before you practise: what the tests reward, what catches candidates out, and why shortcuts do not work.
Can You Cheat Canada's PSC Tests?
The TOJ 376 at home is step 1, and a supervised follow-up must confirm it before appointment. Why a shortcut buys you a seat in an exam room.
GCT2-314 Replaced: The New PSC Tests Explained
The PSC swapped three of its four occupational tests on one day in July 2025, and much of the prep material online still teaches the old ones. A dated list of what changed, and what the new tests reward.
Practice by Test Type
Compare the same format across every provider that uses it, and see what each one is really measuring.
Numerical Reasoning Test Practice
Tables, charts, percentages and ratios against the clock. The most common screening test on graduate schemes and analyst roles.
Logical Reasoning Test Practice
Shapes, sequences and flowcharts instead of words or numbers. Inductive, deductive, abstract, diagrammatic and spatial in one place.
Situational Judgement Test Practice
Realistic workplace scenarios scored against an employer competency framework. No maths, no time pressure, and a scoring key you can reason about.
About CogniPrep Public Service Commission Practice
CogniPrep provides practice for the occupational tests of the Public Service Commission of Canada, the federal agency that safeguards merit in public service hiring. Its Personnel Psychology Centre builds the tests and runs them on its own Candidate Assessment Tool; there is no commercial publisher behind them. Departments and agencies order the tests and invite candidates by email, and nobody can pay to sit one.
- 4 practice tests: the whole current PSC occupational list
- Real question counts and clocks: 52 in 90 minutes, 40 in 60, 50 in 120 and 50 in 85
- A numbered question list, Mark for Review and free navigation, as on the Candidate Assessment Tool
- No deduction for wrong answers; an on-screen calculator on both GCTs
- Half-length papers for the GCTs when you have less time
- GCT feedback against the real pass mark; TOJ feedback mapped onto the J-01 to J-10 levels
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