Government interviews often involve panels.
Two people is common. Three is common. Sometimes there are more people in the room or on the video call than the candidate expected.
For some candidates, especially autistic, ADHD, anxious or trauma-affected candidates, a large panel can create a real barrier.
Can you ask?
Yes, you can ask.
But it is likely to be considered case by case because panels are often part of the recruitment design. The agency still needs a consistent and defensible process.
That means a request for "no panel at all" may be harder than a request for "the smallest panel practical" or "no observers beyond the required panel".
Why it may help
A smaller panel can reduce:
- sensory load
- social processing demand
- anxiety
- pressure to manage eye contact with many people
- distraction
- difficulty tracking who asked what.
What to ask
> I am requesting a recruitment adjustment for the interview. A large panel creates disability-related barriers for me. If possible, I would like the smallest panel practical for the process, and no additional observers unless they are required.
That wording gives the recruiter room to preserve the process while reducing the barrier.
Useful next steps
If this topic is relevant to your application, these related Team 3Thirty guides are the best places to go next:
- autism recruitment adjustments
- anxiety and mental health interview adjustments
- reasonable adjustment examples
Useful resources
These official resources are worth checking if you need the source guidance behind the adjustment examples: