HEO 2026 Online Assessments: What Is Actually Confirmed?

The HEO 2026 booklet confirms an initial online assessment stage expected in October 2026. It does not name the test types or publish their format.

That distinction matters. Numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning, situational judgement and job simulation may be familiar publicjobs assessment categories, but none should currently be described as the confirmed HEO 2026 format.

The definitive instructions will be the familiarisation material sent to invited candidates.

Confirmed, expected and unknown

Dates are indicative and may change. Keep the application and publicjobs contact details current, and read each invitation in full.

Why guessing is a poor preparation strategy

Preparing deeply for the wrong format consumes the limited time between application and invitation. It can also create false confidence: a candidate becomes comfortable with one familiar practice style while the live assessment asks for a different response or timing pattern.

The right sequence is:

1. Complete the application evidence before 3pm on 10 September.
2. Keep a light baseline of reading accuracy, numerical confidence and timed concentration if those skills need attention.
3. Wait for the official familiarisation booklet.
4. Match practice to the confirmed instructions, interface and constraints.
5. Complete the required system checks early.

This is disciplined preparation, not delay. The high-value work before the close is the application, because it cannot be corrected after submission and may later be used in shortlisting.

What can be prepared before the format is released

Some work remains useful across assessment types:

• reading instructions exactly and separating facts from assumptions;
• working accurately under a visible time limit;
• checking percentages, ratios and basic numerical relationships;
• making decisions from stated evidence rather than invented context;
• setting up a quiet device, reliable connection and uninterrupted practice window.

Keep this proportionate. Do not spend the campaign’s application window trying to reverse-engineer a test that publicjobs has not yet specified.

What to inspect in the familiarisation material

When the official pack arrives, identify:

• the assessment name and provider;
• number and type of questions or exercises;
• total time and whether sections are timed separately;
• navigation rules, including whether answers can be revisited;
• scoring or ranking information that is actually disclosed;
• device, browser, identification and technical requirements;
• practice examples supplied by publicjobs;
• the completion window and exact deadline.

Those facts should determine the practice plan. Past campaigns can provide context, but they do not override the current instructions.

The nearest recent data point: the specialist HEO tests

While the HEO 2026 format is unpublished, one recent comparison exists. A specialist HEO competition (Communications) ran its online tests in June 2026, and candidates discussed the experience at length on the forums when results issued in August.

The consistent reports: the numerical section was found genuinely hard, including by serving EOs and HEOs, with one candidate rating it harder than the AP-level tests they had sat. Reported figures put the average score around 500, with qualification for the order of merit landing just above it, and feedback emails placed candidates into lettered bands. All of that is forum reporting from a different, specialist competition, so none of it defines HEO 2026.

What it is useful for is expectation-setting. Nobody sitting an HEO-level publicjobs assessment should assume it will be gentler than the EO version, and candidates who qualified in that competition described the margin as tight. If your baseline numerical work needs attention, the application window is the time to find that out, not the familiarisation week.

How PublicServicePathway will route HEO practice

The HEO 2026 campaign pathway currently holds the assessment stage in a neutral watch state. When official familiarisation material confirms the format, the route can point members to the relevant HEO practice instead of pretending that every test bank is equally useful.

Premium remains one €39 monthly journey: the exact application workspace now, confirmed assessment practice next, and interview preparation for candidates called forward. It is not a separate HEO product or another platform.

Do not neglect the submitted evidence

The initial assessment can set an order of merit, but the process may later include shortlisting based on the application. Candidates on recent HEO-level competitions consistently describe how that works in practice: everyone inside the qualifying order of merit has their original application form reviewed, the qualifying pool is re-ranked on that review, and a strong test position can move down or be shortlisted out entirely. Preserve the examples, dates and results you submitted in your Experience Bible. If called to interview, that record is more useful than trying to reconstruct the application months later.

FAQ

What tests are in the HEO 2026 online assessment?

The current booklet confirms online assessments but does not name the test types or format. The familiarisation material sent to invited candidates will be the authority.

Will HEO 2026 include numerical or verbal reasoning?

Those formats are not confirmed in the current HEO 2026 booklet. They should not be presented as definite until publicjobs issues the assessment instructions.

When are the HEO 2026 online assessments?

The indicative timeline says October 2026. Dates may change, so candidates should monitor official messages.

Should I practise before the format is announced?

Light work on reading accuracy, basic numerical confidence and timed concentration may be useful. Format-specific preparation should follow the official familiarisation material.