The evening times., 1900-03-15
THE civil SERVICE TEST
Many Applicants for Admission to
the Classified List
The Commissioners Conduct the
First Contest for the Present Year
Number Seeking Scientific APP
pOintments--Some of the Questions

The Civil Service Commission yesterday
held its first examination this year for
appointments and promotions in the reg
ular departmental service. Early in the
morning anxious applicants assembled in
the hall of the Commissions building, at
the corner of Eighth and E Sstreets, and
nervously fingered their cards of admis-
sion. a talisman that had cost them long
preliminary labor to obtain, and which was
to open for them the doors of success or
failure.
The doors Of the examination roam open
ed at O'Clock. The large room in the
basement of the building was completely
filled in a few moments. and the examina-
tion commenced at about $50 o'clock.
The applicants included persons of va
rying ages and appearance, from the school
girl not yet out Of her teens TO the man
Of three score and ten. veteran IN tne
service of the Government.
The first feature of the examination was
the distribution among the applicants OF
their Identification sheets. This sheet is
filled in by the competitor, with his name,
residence. date of application, etc, and
is placed in a sealed envelope. upon which
is stamped the number denoting the ap-
plcant. Every individual who takes a
civil service examination loses his identity
for the time being, signing his papers with
the number furnished him for that pur-
pose, and is only recognized after his pa
pers have been marked by means of his
Identification sheet
Thus when the examination papers are
marked and the average of each competi-
tor determined, the clerks selected for this
purpose are totally unacquainted with the
name of the applicant, as the envelopes
containing the identification sheets ale not
opened until the percentage of each has
been determined.
The first feature of the examination
proper was the spelling of twenty words
which were read by the examiner with
their definitions. the competitors being in
structed to write the word alone without
the definition. Ii was remarkable to note
the uniformity with which every head in
the room bent over the desks at the in
slant each word was read. The words
given in this spelling test were ones in
common use, except in some cases when
the name OF a town in this country was
given.
The arithmetic problems which followed
the spelling exercise were all more or less
simple and practical in their nature and
embraced nothing more difficult than per-
centage- The-fetter writing and copying
from plain and rough draft, were specially
adapted to the requirements of clerical
work and %eild seem TO need, on the part
OF the competitor little more than the
knowledge Possessed by the ordinary man
Of business.
The examiner announced at the begin
ming of the examination that five hours
were allowed for its completion and that
any paper not in before that time would
not be accepted. The announcement was
also made that any copying on the part OF
an oF har Iraf do
bar such person from consideration in the
particular subject copied and would de-
tract immensely from his general per-
centage. Any such copying" the eXamn-
er explained to a reporter is immediate
~ detected in marking the papers. II the
same mistake is noted in two or more
sheets ii may be at once reasonably in
ferred that something is wrong. II il is
found by the numbers that the sheets
were written by persons who sat close to
one another. each desk being marked with
the competitors number. it may be said
that the chain of circumstancial evidence
is very strong indeed. and as the person
copying and the one copied from cannot
be distinguished. both come in for a dis
count in their percentage. as every COM
petitor is distinctly warned at the com
mencement OF the examination TO keep
his sheet carefully covered"
The envelope containing the identified
tion sheet besides bearing upon it the
number denoting the applicant is further
required 10 be marked with the sex of the
competitor and this is frequently found
described as lady or gentleman" as the
case may be.
Immediately adjoining the examination
room is the Office where the series of ques-
tions. with their answers for each exam-
nation. are Stored. The entrance to this
room Is Guarded by wooden rail which
is always skspt locked and admission TO il
is forbidden to all except two clerks. Mr.
Serven the Chisf Examiner, said yester-
day that "all the available space for appli-
cants is completely filled until Marcn IS.
Examinations viii be held in this city dali
~ from the present date until April 21
1t is calculated that 5000 people will be
examined in that period. The greatest
number Of applicants are those for posi-
tions in the Government Printing Office
and Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Next in point Of number are applicants for
positions as stenographers and typewrit-
ers. and for clerical positions in the gen.
eral service and following these applicants
for the position of railway mail clerk. The
applicants for scientific and technical po-
sitions are not so large this year as at
some previous periods. We once had ex-
aminations for twenty-eight different kinds
Of scientific positions held in the building
at the same time on which occasion it was
found necessary to use every particle of
space in the offices, halls etc. where a
table and chair could be placed