APS6 Interview Questions and Answers: Examples & Tips

Answer capsule: APS6 interviews test whether you can handle complex work with sound judgement, influence stakeholders, manage risk and competing priorities, and deliver outcomes under limited direction. Prepare by mapping the selection criteria to likely questions, choosing real examples, and making your decisions, trade-offs and accountability clear in the Action section.

This guide pairs common APS6 interview questions with worked answers and coaching notes, showing what panels assess and how to make the strength of your experience clear at this level. For general preparation and guidance across classifications, start with our APS Interview Guide.

What do APS6 interview panels assess?

The APS Work Level Standards and APS6 Integrated Leadership System profile together describe what working at APS6 looks like: handling complex work under limited direction, exercising judgement and taking responsibility for quality outcomes.

APS6 interview questions test the role’s selection criteria through the behaviours expected at this level. A policy officer might be asked about developing advice on a complex issue, while a program officer might face a question about adjusting delivery when priorities change. Both give the panel an opportunity to explore how the candidate assessed the situation, considered wider consequences and decided on a way forward.

While the questions vary between roles, APS6 panels generally look for evidence that you can:

Use evidence to resolve complex issues and explain their wider implications.

Compare information and different viewpoints, identify how issues connect and weigh options against risks, requirements and organisational goals.

Coordinate complex work and adjust plans to deliver quality outcomes.

Set priorities, agree responsibilities and timeframes, and monitor dependencies. Reorganise work when circumstances change and check that the final output meets the required standard.

Anticipate stakeholder needs and use different perspectives to improve the work.

Build productive relationships, involve people with relevant expertise and account for concerns that could affect delivery. Help colleagues and stakeholders adapt to change.

Make complex advice clear and negotiate a workable way forward.

Tailor your explanation to the audience, support recommendations with evidence and work through disagreements with a clear understanding of the outcome needed.

Give frank advice and take responsibility for decisions within your authority.

Raise concerns constructively, explain your reasoning and act within relevant requirements. Acknowledge mistakes and seek guidance or approval when an issue exceeds your responsibility.

What are common APS6 interview questions?

Common APS6 interview questions explore how you solve complex problems, influence stakeholders and manage delivery under limited direction. Your role’s selection criteria and APS6 expectations together inform what the panel asks; our APS Interview Guide explains how to work out interview questions from the job ad.

Panels can explore these capabilities through behavioural questions about your experience or hypothetical questions about how you would handle a scenario. The common APS6 interview questions below show what each question assesses and the evidence your answer needs to provide.

Common APS6 interview questions and what panels assess
Common APS6 interview question	What the panel is likely to assess
Tell us about a time you had to influence a resistant stakeholder while still delivering a required outcome. How did you approach the situation, and what was the outcome?	How you understand a stakeholder’s concerns, weigh them against the required outcome and negotiate a workable way forward.
Tell us about a complex problem where the available information was incomplete or conflicting. How did you make sense of it and decide on a way forward?	How you make sense of incomplete or conflicting information, involve the right people, weigh your options and recommend a clear way forward without needing detailed direction.
Tell us about a time when you had to manage several competing priorities with tight timeframes. How did you decide what to focus on and ensure the quality of your work was maintained?	How you set priorities under pressure, explain your decisions and maintain quality while meeting tight deadlines.
Tell us about a significant project or piece of work you led or coordinated. How did you plan it, manage risks and dependencies, and keep it on track?	How you take responsibility for the work you led or coordinated, plan and monitor progress, manage risks and dependencies, and intervene or escalate when needed.
Tell us about a time you identified an issue or opportunity and took the initiative to act. How did you decide what to do and when to involve others?	How you identify what needs attention, choose a practical response, act within your authority and know when to consult or escalate.
Tell us about a time you led an improvement that affected more than one team. How did you involve people and help the change stick?	How you use evidence and feedback, coordinate across teams, build support for change and make sure the improvement lasts.
Tell us about a time you turned a broad organisational priority or policy requirement into practical action. How did you decide what needed to happen?	How you connect day-to-day work to broader goals, anticipate the wider effects and turn high-level direction into a practical plan.
Tell us about a time you helped a colleague or team improve their capability or performance. What did you do, and how did you know it made a difference?	How you recognise development needs, provide guidance and useful feedback, and help others build the skills and confidence to improve their work.
Tell us about a time stakeholders disagreed about the best way forward. How did you help them work through it, and when did you decide to step in or escalate?	How you listen fairly, work through disagreement, maintain relationships and help people reach a clear decision, including when to intervene or escalate.
Tell us about a time when something you were responsible for did not go to plan. How did you respond, what did you change, and what did you learn?	How you take ownership without shifting blame, raise problems early, correct course and use what you learned to improve future work.
Tell us about a time you briefed a senior decision-maker on a complex issue or recommendation. How did you make the issue clear and tailor your advice?	How you make a complex issue clear, identify the decision needed, explain the options and risks, and respond confidently to questions.
Tell us about a time a project or priority changed unexpectedly. How did you adjust your approach and keep the work moving towards the right outcome?	How you reassess risks, resources and dependencies, explain what has changed and adjust your approach without losing sight of the outcome.
Tell us about a time you received constructive feedback that changed how you approached your work. What did you do differently, and what was the result?	How you respond to feedback, reflect honestly and make practical changes that improve how you work or lead others.
Tell us about a situation where your integrity was tested. How did you decide what to do, and what was the outcome?	How you recognise ethical concerns, exercise judgement, provide honest advice and take appropriate action when facing pressure.
Describe a significant outcome you achieved. Why did it matter, and what was your contribution?	How you connect your work to broader objectives, explain your personal contribution and demonstrate the value of the outcome.

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What makes a strong APS6 interview answer?

A strong APS6 interview answer shows that you have the capability the question is testing and can apply it at the level the role requires. Choose an experience that lets you explain how you assessed a complex situation, considered the wider consequences and decided on your approach. Our APS Level Guide explains how to match your experience to the classification.

For a question about managing competing priorities, saying you completed everything on time leaves much of your judgement unexplained. The panel needs to understand which deadlines and risks shaped your decisions, how the pieces of work depended on each other and what you changed to protect quality. Those details show how you managed the work under limited direction.

The STAR structure helps you organise that explanation. Situation and Task establish the challenge and your responsibility; Action explains your approach and reasoning; Result shows what your work achieved.

See how Interview Practice helps you strengthen an APS6 answer

Interview Practice helps you prepare for your role with questions based on its selection criteria and APS6 expectations. You practise answering aloud with an AI interviewer, then receive feedback showing where your response needs clearer structure, stronger evidence or more detail about your decisions.

The example below pairs a candidate response with feedback and a revised answer from Interview Practice. It shows how the coaching identifies what the panel still needs to hear, then demonstrates how that detail could strengthen the answer.

Tell us about a time when you had to manage several competing priorities with tight timeframes. How did you decide what to focus on and ensure the quality of your work was maintained?

Explore each part of STAR to compare the original response, the feedback and the revised passage.

An APS6 answer with Interview Practice feedback

Situation

Candidate answer

In my last role, there was a week where we had a lot happening at once. I was helping with governance reporting, and we had committee papers due, the project tracker needed updating, and another team asked for some information about where a few deliverables were up to.
Interview Practice feedback

You established the three competing demands, but the timing and consequences are still vague. To lift this to APS6, explain which deadline was fixed, who relied on each output and what could happen if the information was late or inconsistent. This would show how the competing tasks affected decisions and work beyond your own list.
With the feedback applied

In my last role, there was a week where we had a lot happening at once. I was helping with governance reporting, and we had committee papers due, the project tracker needed updating, and another team asked for some information about where a few deliverables were up to. The committee meeting date was fixed, so the papers had a hard deadline; the committee relied on them to make decisions, leadership relied on the tracker for a current view of milestones and risks, and the other team needed a status update they could act on. The main risk was that if the papers or tracker were late or inconsistent, the committee could make decisions on out-of-date information and the other team could act on a status update that did not match the governance reporting.

Highlighted details are inferred and should be confirmed or corrected before the answer is used.

Action

Candidate answer

I started by looking at what was due first and making a list so I could keep track of it. The committee papers were probably the main thing because the meeting was coming up, so I worked on getting those into the right format and checking the information we already had. I also checked in with my manager about what they wanted me to focus on first. After that I updated the tracker with the latest milestones and risks, and then used that to help answer the request from the other area. I tried to keep things moving by doing the most urgent things first and not leaving the spreadsheet until the end, because people were relying on it for the meeting. To keep the quality okay, I reread the papers before sending them through and checked the tracker against the information I had. If I was unsure about something, I asked my manager or checked with someone in the team.
Interview Practice feedback

You prioritised the committee papers, updated the tracker and checked information with others. To lift this to APS6, explain why that order protected the fixed deadline and how you managed the tracker’s contribution to both the papers and the other team’s response. Then show how you set cut-off times for missing information and checked that all three outputs were consistent. This would make the judgement behind your priorities and quality checks clear.
With the feedback applied

At the start of the week, I mapped the dependencies between the deliverables and proposed an order of priorities to my manager rather than waiting to be told. My view was that the committee papers had to come first, given the fixed deadline and the clearance time they needed, and that the other team’s request was better answered once the tracker was current so their update stayed consistent with the governance reporting. I then made a short task list so I could track what needed to be done, what information I already had, and what still needed checking. I worked on the committee papers first, getting them into the right format and checking the information we already had. I also made sure I did not leave the tracker until the end, because it was feeding both the meeting material and the response to the other team. I used the updated tracker as the single source of information: once the milestones and risks were current, I drew on it to answer the other team’s request. Where milestones or risks were unclear, I asked the relevant team members to confirm the details by a set cut-off time rather than guessing or leaving it until the final review. To maintain quality, I reread the papers before sending them through and checked the tracker against the information I had. If I was unsure, I asked my manager or checked with someone in the team so the final version was accurate.

Highlighted details are inferred and should be confirmed or corrected before the answer is used.

The candidate completed the work on time, but left parts of their responsibility, prioritisation and quality checks unexplained. The feedback identifies those gaps and gives specific prompts to draw out the missing detail. The revised answer shows how those additions can help the panel understand the judgement behind the outcome.

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More APS6 interview answer examples

APS6 example answer: managing a resistant stakeholder

Give an example of a time you had to manage a challenging or resistant stakeholder. How did you build trust while still delivering the required outcome?

Example answer

In a service delivery program, I was coordinating the introduction of a new referral process after an assurance review found inconsistent checks across regional teams. One regional manager resisted the change because they believed the extra quality step would delay urgent referrals and create more administration for staff.

My responsibility was to implement the required control across the program without weakening service standards. I needed to understand whether the stakeholder's concern reflected a genuine delivery risk, then find an approach that protected both timeliness and assurance.

I met with the manager and asked them to walk me through several recent referrals. That showed the proposed process treated every case the same, even though only higher-risk referrals required a second check. I separated the non-negotiable requirement, consistent assurance, from the part we could change, how the check operated. I reviewed four weeks of referral data with the assurance team and proposed a risk-based pathway: standard referrals would continue through the existing workflow, while higher-risk cases would receive the additional review. Because I expected the same workload concern to arise in other regions, I asked the other regional leads to test the proposed criteria during the four-week pilot and used their feedback to refine the guidance before the wider rollout. I set measures for timeliness, incomplete referrals and staff rework, and briefed the program lead on the revised approach and residual risk so the decision was transparent.

During the pilot, no urgent referral missed its service standard and incomplete referrals fell from eleven in the previous month to three. The regional manager supported the final process because their operational concern had been addressed, and the same risk-based approach was then adopted across the other regions.

Why this demonstrates APS6:

Anticipates stakeholder concerns: The candidate expects other regions to raise the same workload issue and involves them before the wider rollout, rather than waiting for resistance to emerge again.
Uses different perspectives to improve the outcome: The manager's operational knowledge and the other regional leads' feedback directly shape the risk-based process and guidance.
Adjusts delivery using specialist expertise: The candidate works with the assurance team, changes the original approach, sets measures for the pilot and makes the residual risk clear to the program lead.
Negotiates without losing the outcome: They separate the assurance requirement that must remain from the implementation details that can change, then build support for a workable solution.

APS6 example answer: solving a complex problem

Tell us about a complex problem you solved using analysis, judgement and consultation.

Example answer

After a program introduced a new case-management process, monthly reporting showed a sharp increase in unresolved complaints. Senior leaders needed to know whether service performance had deteriorated or whether the new reporting method was distorting the result.

I was asked to analyse the increase and recommend a response before the next executive performance meeting. The risk was that a broad intervention would divert resources from other priorities if the diagnosis was wrong.

I began by defining the decision the analysis needed to support, then reconciled complaint records across the case-management system, regional logs and the previous monthly report. I found that a new status code accounted for part of the increase because transferred cases were being counted as unresolved twice. However, the data also showed a genuine concentration of aged cases in two regions. I tested those findings with the reporting team and the regional operations leads, checked whether staffing changes or seasonal demand explained the pattern, and documented the limits in the available data. I considered three options: a program-wide backlog response, correcting the reporting rule only, or a targeted case review in the two affected regions alongside the reporting fix. I recommended the third option because it addressed the real service issue without treating every region as if it had the same problem. To prevent the reporting distortion from recurring, I also proposed a validation rule for transferred cases and a common definition of an unresolved case across regional reports.

The executive accepted the recommendation and the reporting control. The duplicate counting rule was corrected before the next report, the validation check became part of the monthly reporting process, and the targeted review reduced cases older than 30 days from 94 to 61 over six weeks. Leaders had a more reliable performance picture and could direct support to the areas that needed it.

Why this demonstrates APS6:

Recognises how issues connect: The candidate separates a reporting distortion from a genuine service backlog and explains how both affect the executive's decision.
Investigates diverse evidence and viewpoints: They reconcile several data sources, test the findings with reporting specialists and regional operations leads, and state the limits of the evidence.
Frames analysis around consequences: The candidate compares three options and recommends the response that addresses the real problem without diverting resources across the whole program.
Looks beyond the immediate fix: They introduce a validation rule and shared reporting definition so leaders can rely on future reports, not only the report in front of them.

APS6 example answer: leading a process improvement

Tell us about a recurring inefficiency you identified and the improvement you led. How did you bring others into the change?

Example answer

In my previous branch, executive briefs regularly reached the clearance team late. Authors were working from different templates, reviewers were repeating the same checks and no one had a clear view of where a brief was waiting. The delays created last-minute pressure and increased the risk of inconsistent advice reaching the executive.

I took responsibility for reviewing the workflow and introducing a more reliable process across the five teams that contributed to the briefs. I needed to improve timeliness without removing the specialist and quality checks the branch relied on.

I mapped the process from initial request to final clearance and reviewed three months of due dates, returns and rework. I then held short sessions with authors, subject-matter experts and the clearance team to test where the delays occurred. Two issues accounted for most of the lost time: teams were seeking specialist input too late, and reviewers were returning whole documents when only one section required correction. I proposed a single briefing template, named owners and cut-off times for each stage, and introduced a shared tracker that showed dependencies and decisions still required. We piloted the process with one reporting cycle. When authors said the first version of the tracker was too detailed, I removed fields that did not help a decision and added a simple escalation flag for risks that could affect the clearance date. I also ran a practical session with coordinators so they could use the process consistently rather than relying on me to manage every brief.

Over the next three reporting cycles, briefs cleared by the agreed date increased from 62 per cent to 91 per cent. The clearance team reported less repeated rework, and the branch adopted the template and tracker as its standard approach.

Why this demonstrates APS6:

Initiates the improvement: The candidate takes responsibility for reviewing a cross-team problem and develops the new workflow rather than only contributing to a change designed by someone else.
Uses other people's expertise: Authors, subject-matter experts, reviewers and coordinators help identify the causes of delay and shape the solution.
Adjusts the plan as evidence emerges: The candidate pilots the process, removes fields that do not support decisions and adds an escalation flag in response to user feedback.
Helps others adopt the change: They run a practical session so coordinators can apply the process consistently without depending on them to manage every brief.

APS6 example answer: integrity and confidential information

Tell us about a time your integrity or judgement was tested when handling sensitive information.

Example answer

I was preparing a briefing on a sensitive service issue for a cross-agency meeting. A senior colleague asked me to include several identifiable client examples because they believed the personal detail would make the case for action more persuasive. The draft was due to be circulated to a much wider group than the team that normally handled those records.

My responsibility was to give decision-makers enough evidence to understand the seriousness of the issue while ensuring personal information was only used and shared where it was necessary and authorised.

I paused circulation of the draft and checked the information-handling requirements and the purpose for which the examples had originally been collected. I then spoke with our privacy adviser to confirm the minimum information the meeting required. I explained to the colleague that the proposed version created an unnecessary disclosure risk and that urgency did not remove our obligation to handle the information properly. Rather than only rejecting the request, I prepared an alternative using aggregated data and de-identified case summaries that preserved the operational detail. For one issue where precise evidence might be needed later, I recommended a restricted annex that could be provided only to authorised decision-makers if requested. I recorded the handling decision and the source of the advice so there was a clear audit trail.

The briefing was cleared and circulated on time, and the meeting agreed to the proposed service review without identifiable client information being disclosed. The de-identified format was subsequently used for similar cross-agency briefs, giving the team a practical way to present sensitive evidence without creating avoidable privacy risk.

Why this demonstrates APS6:

Raises the concern proactively: The candidate pauses circulation before the information is disclosed rather than waiting for someone else to question the draft.
Provides forthright, impartial advice: They explain the disclosure risk to a senior colleague even though the identifiable examples would make the briefing more persuasive.
Takes responsibility for a workable outcome: The candidate does not simply reject the request or pass the problem upward. They prepare de-identified evidence, propose a restricted annex where necessary and document the decision.
Improves the wider practice: The resulting format becomes a repeatable way to present sensitive evidence in later cross-agency briefs.

What mistakes weaken APS6 interview answers?

An APS6 answer needs to make your judgement and responsibility clear in the context of the capability being assessed. These gaps can leave the panel unsure how you handled the complexity of the work.

Leaving your judgement unexplained

Explain how you assessed competing demands, weighed options and decided what to do. When you consulted your manager, make clear what assessment or recommendation you brought and why their guidance or approval was needed.

Describing contact without showing influence

For a question about influence, explain how you worked through differing views, responded to concerns and built support. The panel needs to see how your engagement helped shape the decision or outcome.

Identifying risks without explaining your response

Show how the risk affected your decisions, what you changed to manage it and how you monitored the result. Make clear when you acted within your responsibility and when you sought a decision from someone with greater authority.

Losing sight of the wider outcome

Connect your decisions to the people, work or objectives affected. Explain how you accounted for dependencies and consequences beyond your immediate task, and what your approach enabled or protected.

Our APS Interview Guide’s preparation checklist explains how to choose examples, organise your evidence and practise answering questions aloud.

Go into your APS6 interview better prepared

Practise answering aloud with an AI interviewer, using questions tailored to your role and APS6 expectations. Then use feedback on each response and a stronger example answer to improve how you explain your experience.

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FAQ

What questions are commonly asked in an APS6 interview?

Common APS6 questions explore complex problem-solving, stakeholder influence, competing priorities, managing delivery, integrity and communication. The role’s selection criteria and APS6 expectations together shape the questions, including the complexity, judgement and responsibility they ask you to demonstrate.

What makes an APS6 interview answer different from an APS5 answer?

Both APS5 and APS6 answers need to demonstrate judgement, initiative and responsibility. The difference lies in the scope and complexity of the work and how those capabilities are applied. APS5 examples may involve independently managing moderately complex to complex work within an area of responsibility. APS6 examples should demonstrate handling complex work under limited direction, with evidence such as weighing wider implications, coordinating connected work or providing considered advice on difficult issues. The advertised role determines which responsibilities your answer needs to demonstrate.

How many examples should I prepare for an APS6 interview?

Prepare four to six strong examples that collectively cover the main criteria in the job documents. A good example can answer more than one question, provided you change the emphasis and respond directly to the capability the panel is testing.

How long should an APS6 interview answer be?

Most behavioural answers should fit into roughly two to three minutes unless the panel gives different instructions. Keep Situation and Task concise, spend most of the time on your Action, then finish with a result that explains the outcome and why it mattered.

Should I mention the ILS in my interview answer?

You usually do not need to name the ILS. Use it during preparation to understand the behaviour expected at APS6, then demonstrate that behaviour through your real decisions, actions and results.

Can I use experience from outside the APS?

Yes. Private-sector, state government, community, defence and other experience can be relevant if it answers the criterion and shows comparable complexity, judgement and accountability. Translate the context clearly, but do not change or exaggerate what you did.