84,809 flunk civil service exam

MANILA, Philippines - A dismal 12.66 percent or only 12,290 examinees passed the nationwide civil service examination given last October, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) announced yesterday.

Out of the 97,099 who took the examination, a total of 84,809 flunked.

Data show that 9,868 passed the professional level examination, equivalent to Career Service Professional Eligibility (CSPE) for possible appointment to both first and second level positions.

The remaining 2,422 passed the sub-professional level test, equivalent to Sub-Professional Eligibility and possible appointment to first level government positions.

The first level positions, the CSC explained, include clerical trades, crafts, and custodial service positions, which require less than four years of college studies.

However, the second level positions, which cover everything from professional, technical and scientific positions up to division chief level, require at least four years of college.

Although the National Capital Region (NCR) usually has the highest passing rate in terms of regional performance, only 2,215 out of the 12,161 takers passed the test.

In the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), only 520 out of 3,472 examinees made it.

The statistics further revealed that a majority who passed both examination levels, which number just 6,199 or 50.44 percent, were unemployed.

Another notable statistic was that the other 2,830 and 2,064 passers were already employed prior to taking the exams. They were mostly working in private or public sectors, while the self-employed numbered 702.

Most of the examines told the CSC that they prefer to work in the areas of human resources; social sciences; and welfare services; financial service; and mathematics, physical and biological science services.

A few others also want jobs in the tourism and services industry; executive services; foreign relations services; art and information services; legal and judicial services; education, library, museum and archival services; and transportation, communication and utilities services.

The number of female passers easily outnumbered the male passers by 7,229 against 5,062.

The CSC added that the successful examinees were relatively young. Some 8,038 individuals that managed to pass, or 65.4 percent, were between 18 to 24 years old. The remaining 2,918 or 23.74 percent were between 25 to 31 years old.

First time takers who passed numbered 9,728, while successful second time examinees numbered 1,640. Some 548 successful examinees took the test thrice; 201 took it for the fourth time around; while 106 were at least on their fifth try.

In November 2009, more than 56,000 of the 62,389 hopefuls that showed up for the exam failed the test, which meant that only 6,334 or a mere 10.15 percent passed.

The CSC had earlier attributed the high failure rate to the inability to pass all parts of the test that mostly deal with analytical and mathematical skills.

At the Professional Level, takers found it most difficult to pass the ‘Thinking Ability’ part while for the Sub-Professional Level, examines found ‘general ability’ questions most difficult.

In the October 2010 examinations, Kathirin Rae Briones (NCR) topped the Professional Level examinations with a rating of 84.92 percent, while Gerald Sardua from Southern Tagalog topped the Sub-Professional Level with a grade of 86.65 percent.

The CSC noted that all the civil service examination passers are now eligible to work in the government but they must also meet other education, experience and training requirements of their desired career positions to be considered for permanent appointment.

In addition, all applicants to government posts must undergo an internal screening process composed of written tests, interview and other measures to determine the most qualified candidate for a vacant position.