Civil Service Exam Day: Prohibited Items, Anti-Cheating Rules and Smart Habits

Your preparation can be undone in a few seconds on exam day if you break a testing rule. The Civil Service Commission takes exam integrity seriously: an examination can be cancelled on the spot, and some acts are crimes. This guide explains the prohibited acts listed in the CSC’s examination announcement, and offers practical habits that help you perform well within the rules.

Items you must not bring to your seat

According to the CSC announcement, examinees may not bring to their seat, keep in their pockets, wear or use:

• a calculator of any kind, including a watch calculator;
• digital or wearable devices, whether turned on or off. This includes mobile phones, smartphones, smart watches, pens or eyeglasses with a built-in camera or speaker, and timepieces with cellular, audio, video or calculator features;
• books, dictionaries or any other printed material;
• any other aid, gadget or device.

Note the phrase “whether turned on or off”. A switched-off phone in your pocket is still a violation. Follow the instructions of the room examiners on where to leave your belongings.

Paper and scratch work

You may not use any piece of paper for scratch work, including your application receipt or official receipt. You also may not write on any part of your body or clothing. Follow the room examiner’s instructions on where scratch work is allowed.

This is one more reason to practise mental and written arithmetic in a tidy, compact way during your review.

Other prohibited acts

The announcement also prohibits:

• taking photos, videos or audio recordings of the test booklet, answer sheet or other exam materials, of other examinees or of the room, before, during or after the exam, including selfies inside the testing room;
• sharing or posting test questions or suggested answers online or on any platform, whether public, private or limited view;
• tearing pages from the test booklet, copying questions, comparing answers with other examinees and using crib sheets;
• bringing the test booklet or answer sheet out of the testing room.

If you are caught doing any of these, your examination is cancelled, which means your answer sheet will not be processed and you will get no rating.

The Anti-Cheating Law (RA 9416)

Beyond cancellation, cheating can be a crime. Republic Act No. 9416 declares any form of cheating in civil service examinations unlawful and gives the CSC jurisdiction over such cases, including those committed by private individuals. The CSC’s warning lists examples such as:

• crib sheets or “codigo”, written or digital;
• impersonation, where someone else takes the exam for you;
• a “poste”, a person inside or outside the room who supplies answers;
• collusion with examination personnel;
• switching examinee numbers;
• using or possessing fake eligibility.

The CSC also states that it uses a reliable system to detect cheats. Apart from the legal risk, an eligibility obtained through cheating can be cancelled later, ending a career built on it.

Smart habits for exam day

Within the rules, small habits make a real difference.

The night before

• Prepare everything your CSC office told you to bring, and set aside anything prohibited so you do not carry it by mistake.
• Check the location of your testing centre and plan to arrive early. Traffic and long lines at the gate are common.
• Sleep. A rested brain recalls facts and reads carefully far better than a tired one.

During the exam

• Read every question completely. Many wrong answers come from missing a word such as “NOT”, “except” or “least”.
• Do not get stuck. If a question takes too long, mark it lightly as instructed, move on, and come back if time allows.
• Answer every item you can. If there is no deduction for wrong answers, an unanswered item can only cost you, so make your best choice. Check the instructions given in the room.
• Shade carefully. Make sure the number on the answer sheet matches the number of the question, especially after you skip one.
• Watch the time in sections. Without a watch with smart features, rely on the room clock or the examiner’s announcements.

For numerical items

• Estimate first. If the options are far apart, a rough estimate can identify the answer without full calculation.
• Use shortcuts you practised: 10% then halve for 5%, and simplify fractions before multiplying.

Practise under the same conditions

The best way to feel calm on exam day is to have done it before. Take our timed mock exam with your phone away and no calculator, and use the practice quiz for short daily sessions. If numbers worry you, start with basic operations and our guide to mental math without a calculator.

Always follow the instructions of your room examiners and your CSC office on exam day. They take precedence over any general advice, including this guide.