Civil Service Exam

The civil service exam is conducted in order to recruit civil servants. They are used to select applicants with appropriate knowledge and skills to perform government jobs. Most government jobs in the United States at local, federal and state levels require the candidates to pass this exam. Some government positions that require the civil service exam are military employees, law enforcement officers, teachers, postal workers and many other government professionals.

Each government job may require a different civil service exam. For example a teacher would be required to take a different civil service exam from a firefighter or a postal worker. Each civil service exam consists of questions on general knowledge and specific knowledge related to the job. General knowledge questions may usually include interpretation of graphs and statistics, word problems and arithmetic. The nature of the general knowledge questions may however differ based on the job.

Job related questions will test the candidate on the professional knowledge related to the job and the skills required. For example an accountant may be tested on accounting principles as well as customer service.

In addition to the general knowledge and job related questions, every civil service exam will also test the language skills of candidates such as grammar, spellings and ability to write a composition. Test format may include multiple choice, short answer and essay type questions and the exam duration may vary from two to three hours.

Civil service exam is usually conducted by the hiring agency and require the applicants to register ahead in time. When an applicant applies for a government position and submits the required material and identification he or she will receive the admission card. The hiring agency will advise the applicant on the date and time of the civil service exam and the name and the address of the exam centre. The admission card should be produced to enter the relevant exam centre.

Civil service exam can also be taken online in some states. Applicants should be honest when taking the exam online. In case of dishonesty such as making someone else take the test instead of the applicant may result in the applicant facing felony criminal charges.

Civil service exams are held months apart. Any applicant who fails an exam is allowed to take it again but will have to wait for the next available exam. Prior preparation is therefore necessary before taking a civil service exam. Books and test guides can be obtained online and at local bookstores when preparing for a civil service exam.

Passing the civil service exam does not guarantee a government position. Applicants who pass the relevant exam will be administered to the next level of the hiring process which includes interviews and other evaluations.