by The SUN Team
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| Applicants check their names against the list of those approved to take the Civil Service exam |
About 1 out of 10 who took the Civil Service sub-professional
examination given in Hong Kong last November passed, while the pass rate for
the professional-level grade was just 2.5%.
The results for Hong Kong, posted separately on the Civil
Service website, show that of the 277 who took the sub-professional exam, only
30 passed, for a pass rate of 10.8%. In the professional level, where the
examinees were more than twice as many, at 676, only 17 passed.
As disheartening as the results may be for the majority of
the examinees, they were not unexpected, given the lack of time for review and
their general difficulty in getting off work to brush up on current events and
other subjects for which they were tested.
The examination, the first ever to be held in Hong Kong, took place on Nov. 27 at Delia Memorial School in Kwun Tong, barely a month since the month-long registration ended. Up until a few weeks before it was held, Labatt de la Torre was scouring for a venue big enough to accommodate the nearly three thousand Filipinos in both Hong Kong and Macau who had originally expressed an interest in taking the exam.
"We can aim to improve this year by fixing the date of the exam months in advance so they have time to prepare," Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre said when asked for a reaction by The SUN.
"We will also encourage Filcom (members) to help them in the review".
The examination, the first ever to be held in Hong Kong, took place on Nov. 27 at Delia Memorial School in Kwun Tong, barely a month since the month-long registration ended. Up until a few weeks before it was held, Labatt de la Torre was scouring for a venue big enough to accommodate the nearly three thousand Filipinos in both Hong Kong and Macau who had originally expressed an interest in taking the exam.
"We can aim to improve this year by fixing the date of the exam months in advance so they have time to prepare," Labor Attache Jalilo de la Torre said when asked for a reaction by The SUN.
"We will also encourage Filcom (members) to help them in the review".
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| Blanche Abasa passed the sub-prof exam |
One of the successful examinees is Blanche Abasa, founder and president of Cebu Federation International, whose surname guaranteed her being put on top of the list for those who passed the sub-professional level.
Abasa said she was overjoyed on hearing from The SUN that she was among those who passed the exam.
She said she was confident for the most part about taking
the exam, but felt at the last minute that she needed to brush up on
mathematics.
“(It’s so) overwhelming, kasi I never reviewed, and only
reviewed for math two days before the exam since it’s my weakest subject”, she
said. “The last part was the most difficult, because I had to answer 50
questions in just 7 minutes”.
Without anyone to help her with the review, Abasa said she
checked out blog sites that gave tips on the exam questions. From there, she
found math formulas that she memorized in preparation for the test.
As a domestic helper who started working at age 17, barely a
year after graduating from high school, Abasa said she compensated for this by embracing
learning.
“I love learning, but I admit that I found the exam really
difficult,” she said.
Abasa said she is sure that many of her friends will be
encouraged to give the next civil service examination a try after learning
about her hurdling it.
She is also willing to help out those who will take it, as
she regards her success a blessing that must be shared.
The exam was conducted by the Civil Service Commission in
support of the Department of Labor and Employment’s reintegration program to
“encourage the vulnerable OFWs to return to the country and be with their
families again.”
Those who passed the exam are advised to personally claim
their Certification of Eligibility at the CSC office they indicated on the
online registration when they return home.
No representatives will be allowed to claim the certification for passers.
Passers of the professional level exam will earn a Career
Service Professional Eligibility appropriate for both first level (clerical)
and second level (technical up to division chief).
Those who pass the sub-professional test will be eligible only
for the first level positions.
The CSC also clarified that a professional or sub-professional eligibility is just one of the requirements for landing a job in government. Education, experience, and training are also required of those seeking permanent positions in government service.
The CSC also clarified that a professional or sub-professional eligibility is just one of the requirements for landing a job in government. Education, experience, and training are also required of those seeking permanent positions in government service.
The full list of successful examinees can be found here:
