What Is On The Civil Service Exam?

Civil Service Exams | Ceremonious Service Jobs | Federal Civil Service Tests

Civil service exams are required for certain groups including foreign service officers, customs, some secretarial and clerical, air traffic control, law enforcement, mail, and for some entry level government jobs. The majority — approximately eighty% — of federal government jobs are filled through a competitive examination of your background, work feel, and education; non through a written civil service exam. Information technology is of import to read the job declaration thoroughly to determine if a civil service exam, self certification, or a skill is necessary.

Mandatory civil service tests for administrative careers were eliminated years ago. OPM and individual agencies advertise professional and administrative chore vacancies and interested parties request and receive application material online. Now that most entrance written tests aren't used, applicants typically complete an occupational questionnaire and a federal resume or an optional awarding grade. Most agencies want applicants to apply online. Federal civil service jobs are posted online and individuals complete their awarding, federal resume, and questionnaire online. If a civil service test is required, you will be notified of the testing date and location.

Exams Menu

Introduction
- Occupational Questionnaires – Takes the place of written exams in many cases
Must all applicants laissez passer a civil service test?
Careers with Mandatory Testing – Occupations that require ceremonious service exams, job listings, and contacts with agency links
Clerical and Administrative Exams
- Sample Clerical Test
- Clerical Chore Announcements
Postal Exams – The 473 473 East Examination
Government Jobs – Chore listings past occupation (Thousands of job vacancies)
- Administrative & Clerical Chore listings
Clearance Jobs Career Heart – Matches job seekers that hold agile or current security clearances to hiring employers and recruiters looking for skilled candidates.

Introduction

Personnel offices rate applications and generate hiring lists inside two to vi weeks from the job announcement's closing date. The "Best Qualified" applicants are referred to a selection official for consideration. The occupational questionnaire is used often to evaluate an applicant'due south power to perform the duties of the position.

Notice that I mentioned federal style résumé several times. I emphasize "federal way" because a resume in the federal sector is cipher like most private sector one-folio résumés. A federal style résumé is highly structured and may comprise 43 specific blocks of information and the format is standardized. A typical federal style résumé is between three and six pages long and if Cognition, Skills, Abilities statements are required your résumé could hands reach seven to 10 pages or more. If you submit an improperly formatted résumé information technology may exist rejected or at the very to the lowest degree you may non rate "All-time Qualified" for the job.

Most people who first approach the federal sector are taken aback by the amount of fourth dimension, energy, and paperwork required to apply for federal civil service jobs. Applicants who put the extra try and fourth dimension into compiling their own unique federal style résumé and tailor it to the civil service job annunciation are more than probable to succeed.

Clerical Exams and Jobs

Clerical and administrative support written civil service exams are used to mensurate the clerical and verbal abilities needed to pattern, organize, and use a filing system, organize effectively the clerical process in an office, make travel, meeting and briefing arrangements, locate and gather data for reports and briefings, compose non-technical correspondence, be constructive in oral advice, and use role equipment.

Sample Clerical Exam

Almost federal agencies cull to apply the occupational questionnaire and cocky certification instead of the federal civil service test. Clerical civil service tests and other written exams were fabricated optional past OPM years ago. Applicants, for the well-nigh part today, complete an occupational questionnaire, submit a federal style resume, and cocky certify typing speed.

To detect a clerical chore announcement review the Administrative & Clerical GS-300 Job Series for clerical chore vacancy announcements. You first must identify a clerical task declaration in your area and then you apply online. Yous will be notified by the agency if a civil service exam is required or they volition direct you to complete an Occupational Questionnaire online.

Clerical Job Announcements:

Administrative & Clerical Chore listings

General Feel: High school graduation or the equivalent may exist substituted for experience at the GS-two level for all listed occupations except Clerk-Stenographer, where information technology mayhap substituted for experience at the GS-3 level. Equivalent combinations of successfully completed education and experience requirements may be used to meet total experience requirements at grades GS-5 and below.

Typing Proficiency

Typing proficiency is determined one of several ways. You tin can present a speed certification argument from a typing course, take a typing test with OPM, or personally certify that you blazon xl or more words per minute and later take a test upon reporting for duty.

Must all applicants laissez passer a civil service test?

Everyone who applies for a federal job is tested even so the vast majority of testing is conducted through a thorough evaluation of your awarding, occupational questionnaire, and federal resume, non through a written ceremonious service exam. Notice that I mentioned federal resume frequently. I emphasize "federal" because a resume in the federal sector is totally unlike from the typical one page private sector equivalent. A federal resume is highly structured and may incorporate 43 specific blocks of data, and the format is standardized. A typical federal fashion resume is between 3 and six pages long and if Knowledge, Skills, Abilities statements (KSAs) are required your resume could easily reach vii to 10 pages or more. If you submit an improperly formatted federal resume it may exist rejected or at the very least yous may non charge per unit "Best Qualified" for the chore

Some occupations require specialized testing and assessments and careers with mandatory testing are listed on this site. The tests are used to validate physical and mental ability and skills required for the position. The exams vary in length from several hours to one-half a day or more than.