Global General Service Test (GGST)

Dear Colleagues,

With immediate effect UNSecretariat entities in Nairobi will start implementing the Global General Service Test (GGST) as a required exam to pass for all selected candidates for General Service (GS) Job Openings with duty stations Nairobi, Geneva, Vienna, New York and Bangkok. The GGST will achieve harmonization of the selection test used for GS staff across the Secretariat.

Who will take the test?

All short-listed candidates for GS positions, from levels 1 to 7 for all job openings, including temporary, will receive individual invitations to take the GGST. Therefore, all GS selections at the above mentioned duty stations, posted from this day forward, will require successful passing of the GGST. GGST arrangements at the Nairobi duty station Tests for those at the Nairobi duty station will be organized in the HRMS/SDTU room located in the Central area. Please note that only candidates who are shortlisted for interview can sit for the exam. Hiring Managers are requested to provide HRMS/SDTU (Jean-Luc Wasse and Fatma Gatabaki) with the list of shortlisted candidates along with the job reference number. Direct requests by staff members to sit for the test cannot be entertained. Intake of new requests will take place on a weekly basis. Upon sitting for the exam, results will be made available one week after sitting for the exam. Candidates who pass the test will be placed on the GGST roster. GGST rostered candidates who do not secure a GS position will remain on the roster for 24 months.

Can short-listed candidates"study" for the GGST?

The GGST consists of 3 sections: Section 1: Verbal reasoning 40 minutes Section 2: Numerical reasoning 40 minutes Section 3: Situational judgments 20 minutes There will not be any training for the GGST. As the GGST is a general skills test, there is no need to prepare in advance. For the Numerical Reasoning section, candidates can brush up on their basic arithmetic skills (e.g. calculating percentages) and, for the Verbal Reasoning section they can practice reading in the language in which they will take the test. For the Situational Judgment section, candidates can familiarize themselves with the UN's Core Values and Competencies. For more information on the GGST, please send your questions to ggst@un.org GGST at other duty stations GGST tests are only administered by authorized personnel and candidates are not permitted to take the test remotely. For a referral to the authorized test centres in UNOV Vienna, UNOG Geneva, UNHQ New York and ESCAP Bangkok, please contact HRMS/ SDTU Fatma Gatabaki and JeanÐLuc Wasse. At this point in time, no test centres are available at other duty stations. Office of the Director Division of Administrative Services United Nations Office at Nairobi