The Washington times., 1936-07-20
COMMISSIONS
TEST TABLES
DEFENDED
BY ]. EARLE MOSER

It isn't safe to utter the words
'transmutation tables" around the
Civil Service Commission these
days.
Recent criticisms Of the tables,
a good many Of which have APP
peared in the press, have peeved
some high officials Of the agency
almost to the point Of mumbhng
bad words audibly. According to
their natures, officials Of the com.
mission are either highly enraged
or somewhat amused at charges
that transmutation tables are used
in reviewing examinations to dis
ouaHfv contestants who would
have otherwise passed their tests.
while transmutation ia bles
have, during many years OF exist,
ence, been kept rather quiet ana
ont of the public eye, it is emphat
ically declared at the commission
that they have almost invariably
been used beneficially toward con-
testants in examinations. They
have been used to raise ratings
and make more people eligible, IL
is said. rather than to disquan1y
large numbers down the line.
Officials declare they know o!
M instance Of the latter use OF
the tables, although admitting
such an event might have occurred
wears ago and been long SINCE
FORGOTTEN. It is legally possible
tn revise ratings and disquan1y
those who make low marks IN q
test, they point out, and add tnaU
lust such procedure Is often Gone
in large industrial concerns Wle i
Giving tests for new personnel.
Ssuch a procedure Is imposslnle
for a Federal agency such as TINS,
.however," an executive who knows
eli about transmutation tables
stated recently. .,,
Transnutation tables were EN-
Moved on the last stenograpnC
Examination given before the one
now coine on, in 1884, and &C
cord,ne to Civil Service declara-
tons kept approximately 80 per
cent of the contestants from pc
inc thrown out as ineligible. the
test included 80 items, 1t IS eX.
blamed. and a person making 80
errors would have received OUT
1925 per cent as q mark as eacn
item counted one and q quarter:
and as times that made q total OF
Ia7s per cent subtracted from q
possible 100. ...,.
Under the transmutation
scheme. however, a person making
az errors received, by virtue OF
SLIGHTLY raised marks, the passing
percentage Of 70. This applied 70
all, it is said.
According to the commission
the real purpose in using Sucn q
table is dual-to save the Govern
ment money and nullify the hui
man element which is actually
said to exist among Government
administrative officers. When an
examination is found too hard Tor
many Of its contestants to strad'
die. the table is brought into play,
a large number are made eligible
by the leniency, and it is not
necessary to spend huge sums In
giving another test.
The second reason exists because
heads Of many offices won't &C.
cept a "7S" person but demand
one who has a rating Of, say. SO
on a specific exam. When a regis
ter Is exhausted Of persons who
made above 80 many officers de-
mand a new register be set up.
This, it is said, is nullified by
tranSmutation tables, giving every.
body better marks than at first
might have been handed out.
In other words. it is explained,
there might be three types Of
tests, one hard. one fairly hard.
and one quite easy. The best per.
son in the entire field might score,
respectively, Is, SO and SO in them.
Although best, he would pro-
baby be turned down as mot suf-
ficiently efficient" if the hard test
was given, not augmented by the
tables.
But it's best not to mention it
near Seventh and F Streets. Just
skip it.