Civil Service Exam: Frequently Asked Questions
Discover the answers to frequently asked questions about the Civil Service Exam.
Q. What is the civil service exam?
A. The civil service exam is an aptitude test administered by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to ascertain an applicant’s preparedness and fitness to enter the government workforce.
Q. What are the two levels of the exam?
A. The two levels are the Professional and Subprofessional Levels.
Q. Which exam level are you qualified to take?
A. You may take either level regardless of your educational attainment.
If you want to play it safe, you may take the Subprofessional Level first. Passing it will give you the confidence to hurdle the more challenging Professional Level next time.
If you want to play it smart, you may take the Professional Level right away so you will not have to study some of the subjects again.
Q. What kind of eligibility will be conferred on you?
A. The exam level you pass will determine your eligibility to apply for government positions.
Subprofessional eligibility qualifies you for first-level positions requiring less than four years of college education, such as clerical, trade, and custodial service positions.
Professional eligibility qualifies you for first- and second-level positions requiring four years of college education, such as professional, technical, and scientific positions. You must graduate from a four-year course to be eligible for a second-level position.
For both levels, the positions must not involve the practice of any profession and must not be regulated by other laws.
Q. What is the exam coverage?
A. For both levels, there will be questions in English and Filipino on Numerical Ability, Verbal Ability, and General Information. The applicants will encounter Analytical Ability at the Professional Level. This subject is excluded and replaced with Clerical Ability at the Subprofessional Level.
Q. What subjects do you need to study?
A. For both levels, you must prepare for the following:
Numerical Ability
- basic operations
- word problems
Verbal Ability
- grammar and correct usage
- vocabulary
- paragraph organization
- reading comprehension
General Information
- Philippine Constitution
- Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (R.A. 6713)
- Peace and Human Rights Issues and Concepts
- Environment Management and Protection
For the Professional Level, you must also prepare for:
Analytical Ability
- word association
- assumptions and conclusions
- logic
- data interpretation
For the Subprofessional Level, you must also prepare for:
Clerical Ability
- filing
- spelling
Q. How much time is allotted for the exam?
A. For the Professional Level, the applicants are usually given 3 hours and 10 minutes to answer more or less 170 items (about 150 questions for the test proper and 20 questions for the EDQ).
For the Subprofessional Level, the applicants are usually given 2 hours and 40 minutes to answer more or less 165 items (about 145 questions for the test proper and 20 questions for the EDQ).
Note 1: EDQ stands for Examinee Descriptive Questionnaire, which refers to the first twenty (20) items in the test regarding the examinee’s age, civil status, educational attainment, work experience, and other personal details.
Note 2: The time and items cited are estimates based on previous CSC announcements.
Q. What is the passing rate for the exam?
A. For both levels, the passing rate is at least 80%.
Q. Who may take the exam?
A. An applicant:
- must be a Filipino citizen
- must be at least 18 years of age
- must be of good moral character
- must not have been convicted by final judgment of any offense or crime involving moral turpitude, disgraceful or immoral conduct, dishonesty, examination irregularity, drunkenness, or addiction to drugs
- must not have been dishonorably discharged from military service or dismissed for cause from any civilian position
- must not have taken the same level of civil service exam within three months from the last one taken
Q. What are the two modes for taking the exam?
A. The civil service exam has two modes: Paper-and-Pencil Test (PPT) and Computerized Examination (COMEX).
Q. Which mode should you take?
A. If you have good computer skills, you may opt to take the Computerized Exam. Computer familiarity is essential if you choose this mode.
If you are not tech-savvy, you may opt to take the traditional Paper-and-Pencil Test (PPT).
Q. How many times are you allowed to take the exam?
A. You may take the civil service examination as many times as needed. Note, however, that you can only take the same exam level once every three months. This means that if you fail a particular level, you must let three months pass before attempting it again.
Q. How can you check your exam rating?
A. You may check your rating through the Online Civil Service Examination Result Generation System (OCSERGS) on the CSC website. This is usually available fifteen (15) days after the release of the test results.
If you pass the exam, you will be given a certificate of eligibility. This is usually available thirty (30) days after the release of the results. The certificate must be personally claimed at the CSC Regional Office.
Q. Who are exempt from taking the exam?
A. The CSC grants exemptions to the following individuals:
- board passers and bar passers
- barangay health workers
- barangay nutrition scholars
- electronic data processing specialists
- foreign school honor graduates
- honor school graduates
- Sanggunian members
- scientific and technological specialist skills eligibility – category II
- veteran preference rating (not an exemption but a special rating)
Q. What else do you need to know about the exam?
A. Cheating is prohibited. Any person caught cheating by the CSC may be held administratively and criminally liable.
Studying daily and mastering the topics for the exam will eliminate any temptation to cheat, so start your CSE Prep as early as possible.
Sources
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