Career Service Examination
What the Civil Service Exam covers, and what it takes to pass
You pass with a general rating of at least 80.00 — one rating for the whole examination, not a hurdle in each subtest. Both levels test verbal ability in English and Filipino, numerical ability, and general information. Professional adds analytical ability; Subprofessional has clerical ability in its place.
The rest of this page breaks that down, says plainly which parts come from the Commission and which are our own, and links every official claim to the announcement it came from. Nothing here supersedes the Commission’s own advisories.
Coverage at each level
The subject areas below are the published scope. What changes between the two levels is one subtest — and it is the one people most often prepare for by mistake, because a reviewer bought for the wrong level teaches the wrong third of the paper.
| Subject area | Professional | Subprofessional |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal ability (English and Filipino) | Yes | Yes |
| Numerical ability | Yes | Yes |
| General information | Yes | Yes |
| Analytical ability | Yes | Not tested |
| Clerical ability | Not tested | Yes |
General information covers
The 1987 Philippine Constitution; the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees (R.A. 6713); peace and human rights issues and concepts; and environment management and protection.
The one that decides your level
Analytical ability — word analogy, logic, assumptions and conclusions, data interpretation — is Professional only. Clerical ability — filing, alphabetising, spelling — is Subprofessional only. Preparing for the wrong one is wasted study on a paper you will not sit.
The passing grade
At least 80.00, as a general rating for the whole examination.
There is no separate hurdle to clear in each subtest, which sounds like relief and is mostly not. A general rating averages over everything, so a subtest you have written off does not disappear — it drags. Somebody strong everywhere except numerical is usually losing their margin in one place, and that is exactly the thing a diagnostic finds and a question dump does not.
Passing gives you Career Service eligibility — Professional eligibility applies to first- and second-level positions, Subprofessional to first-level. It is not itself an appointment.
How long, and how many questions
The Commission sets this for each examination and it has not been constant. Take the figures below as the shape of the thing rather than a promise, and confirm against the announcement for the examination you are actually sitting.
| Level | Items | Time allowed |
|---|---|---|
| Professional | 170 | 3 hours 10 minutes |
| Subprofessional | 165 | 2 hours 40 minutes |
Whatever the exact count, the arithmetic is the part worth internalising. Those figures give about 67 seconds a question at Professional level and about 58 at Subprofessional — under a minute each, with nothing spare for sitting and staring. Most people who run out of time knew the answers. That is a pace problem, not a knowledge problem, and it is trained separately — which is why our full-length simulations are timed and why drills exist at all.
What our own simulations use
Ours, not the Commission’s. We publish it because a reviewer that will not tell you how its practice paper is built is asking you to take its balance on faith.
| Section | Professional (150 items, 190 min) | Subprofessional (145 items, 160 min) |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal ability, English | 36 | 35 |
| Verbal ability, Filipino | 20 | 19 |
| Numerical ability | 36 | 35 |
| Analytical ability | 30 | Not tested |
| Clerical ability | Not tested | 29 |
| General information | 28 | 27 |
Note that these totals are a little under the 2023 figures above, and the proportions are our reading of the published scope rather than a weighting the Commission has released — it does not publish one. Every form is assembled from this blueprint at the moment you start it, so two people sitting on the same day get different papers of equivalent difficulty, and your own next form will not repeat a question from your last.
Where to start on each area
One page per skill, each with worked examples showing the reasoning and every wrong option explained.
Common questions
What is the passing grade for the Civil Service Exam?
A general rating of at least 80.00. It is a single rating across the whole test, not a score you must reach in each subtest separately.
What is the difference between Professional and Subprofessional?
Both cover verbal ability in English and Filipino, numerical ability, and general information. Professional additionally tests analytical ability; Subprofessional instead tests clerical ability. Professional eligibility applies to first- and second-level positions, Subprofessional to first-level positions.
How many questions are on the Civil Service Exam?
The Commission sets the count for each examination and it has changed between cycles. A CSC news release for the March 2023 examination described 170 items in 3 hours 10 minutes for Professional and 165 items in 2 hours 40 minutes for Subprofessional. Check the announcement for the examination you are sitting.
Is there a passing grade for each subtest?
No. The rating that determines eligibility is the general rating for the whole examination. That does not make a weak subtest harmless, because it still pulls the general rating down.
Does the exam include Filipino?
Yes. Verbal ability is tested in both English and Filipino, and vocabulary, grammar, correct usage and comprehension all appear in Filipino as well as English.