What is an assessment centre and how do you prepare for one? (2026)

Not every company uses all of these; the invitation email usually says which exercises there will be.

Examples from processes companies publish themselves:

• İş Bankası: in the Uzman Yardımcısı process, an assessment centre after the general ability and English exam, then an HR pre-interview and a panel interview.
• Turkcell GNÇYTNK Full Time: a group case study and a manager interview after the online assessment.
• Unilever UFLP: a Discovery Centre after the digital assessment and digital interview.
• Garanti BBVA Talent Camp: according to the bank's own page, participants work through real cases the bank is working on.

The common point: the assessment centre comes near the end of the process, which means your CV, your tests and often a video interview have already passed.

In a group exercise, it isn't the person who talks most who stands out but the one who contributes most to the group reaching a result.

1. Propose a structure early: "Let's agree the criteria first, then weigh the options; we have 30 minutes, let's keep the last 5 for a summary."
2. Keep time: volunteering to keep time is a concrete leadership behaviour observers write down.
3. Build on others' ideas: "I'd like to add to Ayşe's point on cost…"
4. Bring in the quiet ones: "Mehmet, what do you think?"
5. Go back to the data: use the numbers in the case; tie opinions to evidence.
6. Summarise: in the last minutes, sum up the group's decision in a sentence or two.

Avoid: interrupting, ignoring information in the case, and contesting the group's decision afterwards.

• Read the invitation carefully: which exercises, how long, online or in person?
• Know the company and the programme: cases are usually from the company's sector; know its recent news and products.
• Prepare five or six STAR stories: leadership, teamwork, failure, an analytical problem, initiative, conflict. We cover them with examples in the interview guide.
• Practise presenting: read a case for 10 minutes and prepare a 5-minute presentation against the clock.
• Practise tests: numerical and verbal reasoning tests need speed; get used to the timing with sample tests.
• Rehearse out loud: almost every exercise is done by talking. An answer prepared on paper comes out differently when spoken.
• Stay consistent through the day: observers look for the same competencies in every exercise; a bad moment in one can be made up in the next.

The road to the assessment centre runs through the CV, and once you're there, speaking practice makes the difference. Proyo helps with both:

• CV: for every posting you apply to, your CV is tailored to it in 15–20 seconds and made ATS-friendly, so the process doesn't end at the first cut.
• Tracking: applications move through Testing and Interview on your board, so you never mix up which company is at which stage.
• Interview Studio: a five-minute spoken interview in the posting's language with an AI recruiter who has read the posting and your CV, with feedback at the end. The easiest way to say your STAR stories out loud.