Civil Service Exam (CSE) Practice Quiz
The Civil Service Exam (CSE), administered by the Civil Service Commission (CSC), is the standard eligibility exam for government office jobs in the Philippines. The Professional level runs 170 items across four categories — Verbal Ability, Numerical Ability, Analytical Ability, and General Information — all under one shared 3-hour-and-10-minute timer, with free navigation between items. Your final score is the average of the four category percentages, not simply total correct out of 170, and you need an 80.00% general rating to pass. Because scoring works this way, doing very well on one category can't fully cover for a weak one — balanced preparation across all four categories matters more than being excellent at just one.
This practice quiz page exists to help you build that balance. Below the study material on this page, a full practice quiz is available, pulling questions by category so you can drill your weakest areas specifically rather than working through everything at once. Explanations are shown after every answer, and each attempt draws a fresh set of questions, so you're not just memorizing answer positions. Whether you're just starting to prepare or doing a final review before exam day, working through categories individually here — then testing everything together in the full mock exam — is the most efficient way to close your gaps before the real test.
Pasa is an independent study aid, not affiliated with the CSC or AFP.
What's Tested
The Civil Service Exam (Professional level) is built around four categories, each worth an equal share of your final average.
Verbal Ability tests vocabulary, grammar and correct usage, paragraph organization, and reading comprehension — 65 items, the largest single category. Expect synonym/antonym items, sentence-correction questions, and passages followed by comprehension questions.
Numerical Ability (45 items) covers basic arithmetic operations, word problems, and data interpretation — reading and reasoning from tables, graphs, and percentages rather than just raw computation.
Analytical Ability (40 items) tests logical reasoning: word analogies, number series, logical inference, and arrangement/sequencing problems. This category rewards a clear method more than raw speed.
General Information (20 items) draws on the Philippine Constitution, Republic Act 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees), environmental management, and peace and human rights concepts. It's the smallest category but often the most under-studied, even though its content is finite and memorizable.
For test-takers aiming at the Sub-Professional level instead (165 items, 2 hours 40 minutes), the same four categories apply, but a fifth category — Clerical Ability — is added, testing filing, alphabetizing, and spelling/proofreading speed and accuracy. Clerical Ability only appears on the Sub-Professional exam, not the Professional level, and isn't part of this site's practice quiz categories.
All 170 items are multiple choice with four options each, scored by a machine-readable answer sheet — there's no partial credit and no penalty for a wrong answer, so leaving an item blank is strictly worse than an educated guess. Difficulty within each category is mixed rather than escalating in a fixed order, so a hard item can appear early and an easy one late; pacing yourself by category rather than assuming difficulty ramps up steadily tends to work better on exam day. Because navigation is free across the whole 170-item exam, you can also skip a hard item and return to it later without losing access to the rest of the test, which isn't true of the AFPSAT's locking sections.
| Category | Items (Professional) | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Verbal Ability | 65 | Vocabulary, grammar, paragraph organization, reading comprehension |
| Numerical Ability | 45 | Basic operations, word problems, data interpretation |
| Analytical Ability | 40 | Logic, word/number analogies, sequencing |
| General Information | 20 | Philippine Constitution, R.A. 6713, environmental management, peace/human rights |
| Clerical Ability (Sub-Professional only) | — | Filing, alphabetizing, spelling and proofreading |
Sample Questions
1. Choose the word that is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to "METICULOUS."
- A. Careless
- B. Thorough
- C. Precise
- D. Diligent
Correct answer: A — Careless
"Meticulous" means showing great care and attention to detail. "Careless" is its direct opposite. "Thorough," "Precise," and "Diligent" are all synonyms of meticulous rather than antonyms — a common trap on this item type is picking a word that's merely unrelated instead of truly opposite, but here all three wrong options actually mean nearly the same thing as the original word.
2. A store marks up an item by 25% above its cost price, then offers a 20% discount on the marked price during a sale. If the item's cost price is ₱400, what is the final sale price?
- A. ₱400
- B. ₱420
- C. ₱500
- D. ₱480
Correct answer: A — ₱400
Marking up ₱400 by 25% gives a marked price of ₱500 (400 × 1.25). Applying a 20% discount to that marked price gives 500 × 0.8 = ₱400 — the increase and decrease happen to exactly cancel out here (1.25 × 0.8 = 1.0). A common mistake is subtracting the percentages directly (25% − 20% = 5%) and computing 400 × 1.05 = ₱420, which ignores that percentage changes compound multiplicatively, not additively.
3. A budget is divided between two departments in the ratio 3:4. If the total budget is ₱1,400,000, how much does the department with the SMALLER share receive?
- A. ₱600,000
- B. ₱700,000
- C. ₱800,000
- D. ₱466,667
Correct answer: A — ₱600,000
The ratio 3:4 has 7 total parts. Each part equals ₱1,400,000 ÷ 7 = ₱200,000. The smaller share (3 parts) receives 3 × ₱200,000 = ₱600,000. A common mistake is computing the LARGER share (4 parts = ₱800,000) when the question asks for the smaller one.
4. Three workers can complete a task together in 4 hours. If they work together for 2 hours before one leaves, what fraction of the task was completed in those first 2 hours?
- A. 1/4
- B. 1/2
- C. 1/3
- D. 2/3
Correct answer: B — 1/2
Working together, the three workers complete 1/4 of the task per hour. In 2 hours, they complete 2 × 1/4 = 1/2 of the task. A common mistake is confusing this with the fraction of TIME elapsed rather than computing the fraction of WORK actually completed, which only coincide here because the rate stays constant during those first 2 hours.
5. PILOT is to AIRPLANE as CAPTAIN is to ____.
- A. Ocean
- B. Ship
- C. Navigation
- D. Crew
Correct answer: B — Ship
The relationship is operator-to-vehicle: a pilot operates an airplane, and a captain operates a ship. "Ocean" is where a ship travels, not the vehicle itself, and "Navigation"/"Crew" describe activities or people associated with a ship, not the vehicle.
6. What number should come next in the series? 100, 90, 81, 73, ____
- A. 65
- B. 66
- C. 64
- D. 67
Correct answer: B — 66
The differences between consecutive terms decrease by one each time: −10, −9, −8, so the next difference should be −7, giving 73 − 7 = 66. A common mistake is assuming a constant difference (like the most recent −8, giving 65) instead of noticing the SIZE of the difference is itself decreasing.
7. All members of the committee attended the meeting. No one who attended the meeting voted against the proposal. Which conclusion necessarily follows?
- A. No member of the committee voted against the proposal.
- B. Everyone who voted against the proposal is not a committee member.
- C. The proposal was approved unanimously.
- D. All committee members support the proposal.
Correct answer: A — No member of the committee voted against the proposal.
Since all committee members attended, and no attendee voted against the proposal, it necessarily follows that no committee member voted against it. Option D overreaches — not voting against something isn't the same as actively supporting it, since members could have abstained. Option C introduces an outcome not stated in the premises.
8. Under the 1987 Constitution, sovereignty resides in the people, and all government authority —
- A. is inherited through hereditary succession.
- B. emanates from the people.
- C. belongs exclusively to the President.
- D. is granted directly by international bodies.
Correct answer: B — emanates from the people.
Article II, Section 1 states that "sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them" — directly matching this. The other options each describe a form of authority the Constitution's democratic framework explicitly rejects.
9. Which of the following best describes the concept of "simple living" as a norm of conduct under R.A. 6713?
- A. Public officials must live in government-provided housing.
- B. Public officials should lead modest lives appropriate to their position and income.
- C. Public officials must donate a portion of their salary to charity.
- D. Public officials are prohibited from owning private property.
Correct answer: B — Public officials should lead modest lives appropriate to their position and income.
"Simple living" under R.A. 6713 calls for public officials to lead modest lives appropriate to their position and income, avoiding ostentatious display of wealth. The other options each describe a much more specific, and incorrect, obligation than what the norm actually requires.
10. Which of the following best describes "sustainable development"?
- A. Development that maximizes short-term economic growth regardless of future impact.
- B. Development that meets present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs.
- C. Development that avoids any use of natural resources.
- D. Development that is funded entirely by foreign aid.
Correct answer: B — Development that meets present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs.
This is the standard definition of sustainable development — balancing present needs against future generations' ability to meet theirs. The first option describes the OPPOSITE approach, and the others describe unrelated or overly extreme conditions not part of the actual concept.
11. Choose the word that is most nearly SIMILAR in meaning to "DILIGENT."
- A. Lazy
- B. Hardworking
- C. Careless
- D. Talented
Correct answer: B — Hardworking
"Diligent" means showing careful and persistent effort. "Hardworking" is a close synonym. "Lazy" and "Careless" are opposites, and "Talented" describes ability rather than effort — a diligent person isn't necessarily talented, and vice versa.
12. Choose the sentence that is grammatically CORRECT.
- A. Neither the manager nor the employees was informed of the change.
- B. Neither the manager nor the employees were informed of the change.
- C. Neither the manager or the employees were informed of the change.
- D. Neither the manager nor employees was informed of the change.
Correct answer: B — Neither the manager nor the employees were informed of the change.
With "neither...nor" joining a singular subject (manager) and a plural subject (employees), the verb agrees with the subject CLOSEST to it — here "employees" (plural), so "were" is correct. Option C incorrectly pairs "neither" with "or" instead of "nor," a frequently tested pairing error.
13. Passage: "The Civil Service Commission periodically updates its examination format to reflect current competency standards, though the core structure of testing verbal, numerical, analytical, and general knowledge abilities has remained consistent for decades." According to the passage —
- A. the CSE's core structure has changed significantly over the decades.
- B. the CSE's core structure has remained largely the same, even as details are updated.
- C. the CSC no longer updates the exam format.
- D. verbal and numerical abilities are no longer tested.
Correct answer: B — the CSE's core structure has remained largely the same, even as details are updated.
The passage explicitly states the core structure "has remained consistent for decades," even while formats are "periodically updated" — both facts together support this. A common trap is an option that captures only the "updates happen" detail while ignoring the passage's explicit statement about the core structure's consistency.
14. In a class of 40 examinees, 30% failed the practice exam. How many examinees passed?
- A. 12
- B. 28
- C. 30
- D. 24
Correct answer: B — 28
30% of 40 is 12 examinees who failed. The number who passed is 40 − 12 = 28. A common mistake is answering with the failed count itself instead of the passed count the question asks for.
Common Mistakes & Traps
Across all four categories, the single biggest scoring mistake isn't getting individual items wrong — it's mismanaging the shared 3-hour-10-minute timer so that an entire category gets rushed or left incomplete near the end. Because your final score averages all four category percentages equally, running out of time on General Information can cost you as much in the average as running out of time on Verbal Ability — budget time by category, not just by total items remaining.
Within categories, the traps are usually about READING carefully rather than knowledge gaps: verbal analogies and vocabulary items are frequently missed by picking a RELATED word instead of the precisely correct synonym/antonym; numerical word problems are frequently missed by setting up the wrong equation from a rushed read; analytical items are frequently missed by choosing a conclusion that's PLAUSIBLE rather than one that's STRICTLY guaranteed; and General Information items are frequently missed by choosing an option that sounds generally true rather than the SPECIFIC fact the question is actually asking about.
Because there's no penalty for a wrong answer and free navigation across all 170 items, never leave an item blank — an educated guess costs nothing and occasionally gains a point, while a blank item is guaranteed to score zero.
Study Routine
With four categories to balance under one shared average, allocate your practice time roughly in proportion to each category's item count AND your own weakest areas — Verbal Ability (65 items) generally deserves the most total practice time simply due to its size, but a category where you're scoring poorly deserves extra attention regardless of item count. Rotate between categories within a single study session rather than mastering one and moving to the next, since the real exam mixes them. In your final two weeks, take full 170-item timed mock exams under real conditions to build the stamina and pacing the actual 3-hour-10-minute sitting requires.
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