Victorian Government Graduate Program Assessment: Cognify, Video Interview & Work Sample
How the Victorian Government (VPS) Graduate Program selects its 2027 intake. The Criteria Cognify game-based test of verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning, a Criteria video interview, a stream-specific work sample and a virtual interview panel, with the dates of each stage and what you can practise.
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TL;DR: The Victorian Government Graduate Program uses Criteria for three of its stages. Once your application is accepted, you sit Cognify, a game-based test of verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning (allow at least 30 minutes). If you progress, you record a video interview (allow about an hour). Shortlisted candidates then do a stream-specific work sample (at least 30 minutes, no pausing or retakes) before a live virtual interview panel. To prepare, practise the Cognify skills (fast arithmetic, spatial puzzles, pattern spotting and careful proofreading) and rehearse spoken answers about why you want public service.
Source: the official Victorian Government Graduate Program page, checked 23 October 2026. Applications for the 2027 program have closed, but the page still describes the 2027 process, the best guide to the next round.
What is the process, and when does each stage happen?
These are the 2027 intake dates:
- Online application, 13 April – 17 May 2026. Choose a stream (Generalist, Accounting and Finance, Economic Consultancy, or Data Analytics), optionally opt into the First Peoples or Disability pathway, and upload your resume, proof of citizenship or residency, and transcript.
- Cognify assessment, 28 May – 1 June 2026 (closing at 10am on 1 June).
- Video interview, 10–15 June 2026 (closing at 10am on 15 June).
- Virtual Assessment Centre (VAC) information session, 24 June 2026. Departments present their work; your preference form afterwards feeds into which department's assessment centre you're allocated to.
- VAC stage 1, the work sample, 2–7 July 2026.
- VAC stage 2, the virtual interview panel, 16 July – 4 August 2026. Allow 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Outcome, mid to late August 2026. Reference checks, a verbal offer by phone, then pre-employment checks.
The program starts in February 2027 and runs for 12 months, with two roles in different departments. It pays a starting salary of $68,408 plus super, and you're guaranteed a job at the end: promotion to an ongoing VPS 3 position at $83,941 plus super. Eligibility: Australian or New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent resident, with a degree completed between 1 January 2024 and 1 January 2027.
When will the next round open? No 2028 intake dates are published; the page offers an email list. If the 2027 pattern repeats, expect applications around April 2027, an estimate only.
What is Cognify like?
The program describes Cognify as "a game-based assessment" in which "you'll do a test on verbal, numerical, and abstract reasoning". It asks you to allow at least 30 minutes.
Criteria's standard Cognify is three games in about 10 minutes plus tutorials: Grid Lock (problem solving), Numbubbles (numerical reasoning) and Proof It (verbal knowledge). Criteria's score-report guide also describes a six-game, roughly 20-minute version, which adds Short Cuts and Resemble (problem solving) and Tally Up (numerical). Because the program asks for at least 30 minutes and talks about "abstract" reasoning, it may be using the longer version, but it doesn't say. According to candidate and prep-site reports, not Criteria:
- Grid Lock: fit Tetris-like blocks into a grid, rotating pieces to fill it.
- Numbubbles: pop the bubble whose equation matches a target number.
- Proof It: find typos, grammar and punctuation errors in short texts against a countdown.
- Short Cuts: move a marble to targets along the shortest route.
- Resemble: rebuild a target pattern from blocks, sometimes after rotating it.
- Tally Up: compare the value of two sets of tokens quickly.
What is scored at each stage?
Cognify: Criteria reports an overall percentile against its global norm group, plus sub-scores for problem solving, numerical reasoning and verbal knowledge. The program publishes no cut-off.
Video interview: recorded, not live, done whenever suits you within the window. You answer "a small number of pre-recorded video questions" in a set time, sharing "your experiences, motivations and communication style". Criteria runs a system check first.
Work sample: this is a "stream specific work sample delivered by our assessment partner Criteria". It previews the kind of work you'd do in your stream and assesses "technical competencies, time management and communication skills". The program says you don't need prior experience with work samples, but "once you start the assessment you can't pause or retake" it.
Virtual interview panel: this is a live online interview with a small panel from the hiring team. It covers your motivation for the program, your skills and experiences, and how you'd approach scenarios in the Victorian public service. You must show identification.
How can I practise?
- Numbubbles and Tally Up: mental math for automatic arithmetic, and numerosity for fast "which is more" judgements.
- Grid Lock and Resemble: ShapeDance mental rotation trains you to picture a turned shape before you place it.
- Short Cuts: the pathfinder puzzle rewards planning the route before you move.
- Abstract reasoning in general: inductive reasoning trains you to spot the rule behind a pattern.
- Proof It: we have no proofreading game. Slow, sentence-by-sentence checking of your own writing is the best substitute.
Criteria's practice tests page has no Cognify simulation, so read every in-test tutorial in full. For the video interview and panel, prepare four or five specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), know why you want public service, and read up on the departments before the VAC session. More on each game: our Criteria Cognify guide. Also applying to KPMG? See our KPMG Australia guide, and the KPMG UK guide for how the UK process differs.
FAQ
Who runs the Victorian Government graduate assessments? Criteria. The program's page says Criteria delivers Cognify, the video interview and the work sample. The final panel interview is run by the hiring team.
How long is the Cognify test? Allow at least 30 minutes, the program says; Criteria's versions run about 10 or 20 minutes plus tutorials.
Is the video interview live? No. It's recorded, with pre-recorded questions and a set time to answer each one. Allow about an hour.
Can I get adjustments? Yes. The program lists examples such as extra time, larger-font materials, live captioning and interview questions in advance. If you opt into a pathway, you can request them in the application form.
Do grades matter? The program says it's "less interested in grade point averages" and more in who you are, but you still upload a transcript.
GamePrep is an independent practice platform and is not affiliated with the Victorian Government, the Victorian Public Sector Commission or Criteria Corp. We provide practice only — no leaked questions or answers. Hiring processes change — verify against your invitation.
