Evening star., 1940-12-23
Practical Tests
Promised Under
Ramspeck Act
Civil Service Group
Also Will Allow
Experience Rating

The on-competitive examinations
by which Government employees will
qualify for civil service status under
the new Ramspeck Act will be "prac-
tical' and related to the duties of
the position or positions involved"
the Civil Service Commission an
nounced today in outlining the pro-
cedure that will bring some 100000
workers into the competitive service.
Incumbents who take the test
after their positions are designated
for inclusion in the civil service
system by executive order will get
a rating for experience, and physical
requirements will be fixed in the
light of the applicants ability to
perform the duties assigned, rather
than on some arbitrary basis.
The commission, it was amplifed,
"does not prescribe examinations,
whether competitive or non-com-
petitive, for the purpose of excluding
any person or group of persons from
eligibility" The passing grade will
be 70, as usual.
The experience rating, in effect, is
calculated on sliding scale.
25 Per Cent for Experience.
Illustrating with clerical positions
-typist, stenographer, statistical
clerk, editorial clerk and post Office
clerk-the commission explains that
it has been the practice for
number of years to include in the
non-competitive examination given
for classification a credit of Is per
cent for the experience acquired on
the job.
This means that the non-com-
petitive examination for this class
of positions has been composed OF
four parts, three of the parts being
the written test or tests and one
part being the rating on experience.
Translated into a simple illustra-
ton, it may be stated that II the
employe attainS a rating of 70 In
the written test and 80 in experience,
the 70 is multiplied by three and
the 80 is multiplied by one, giving
combined result of 290, which, dl-
vided by four three plus one), gives
the general average of 72.5O in the
non competitive examination, >,
This would pass an applicant
by $50 points. 1t is obvious that
the same method of calculation
would not permit an applicant to
pass who fell much below 70 on the
written test, even with the 8O Tor
experience.
Usual Veterans Preference.
Continuing, the commission says:
For many different kinds OF
positions, the competitive tests Tor
entrance have either included a
credit of more than 25 per cent Tor
training and experience, or the
entire test has been rating on
training and experience. There Will
be no reduction in this credit Tor
experience in any non-competltlve
examination which may be pre-
scribed for the classification OF
similar positions under the Ram
speck Act
Veterans will receive their usual
5 to 10 points preference-the latter
being the disability rating-and
those employees already having civil
service status who happen to be
occupving non-civil service positions,
will not be required to take new
tests when the positions are orougnt
under civil service, if the exam
nations they have undergone are
appropriate for these positions.
On the subject of physical ex-
aminations, concerning which the
commission explains, many nave
sought information, this explana-
ton is given:
Necessarily, these standards vary
with the type of position, as II is
obvious that a guard in a penlten-
tiarv or neuro-psychiatric hospital
must meet a higher physical stand
ard than a clerk or typlst.
Liberal Physical Standards.
"1n the light of this distinction,
the commissions physical stand
ards for classification purposes are
liberal. Regard, of course, must
be given to the ability OF the en-
ploye actually to perform the du-
ties of his position, and whether
or not his physical condition would
result in a serious hazard to him
self and to others by whom ne
might be employed. BY specla!
executive order, even these liberal
physical standards may be waived
by the commission in the case OF
any employe who has had long
and faithful service with the Gov
ernment, which has been defined
as covering a continuous period OF
IL years"
While it was estimated in the
course of congressional debate on
the Ramspeck Act that approx
mately 25 per cent of the person.
mel taking the non-competitive eX-
aminations would fail to pass, the
commission says that between July
l. 1898, and December IL, last, the
percentage of failures in 81 $50 cases
was ia per cent. However, tnls
figure, it is pointed out, was held
down to some extent because ap-
plications for classified status were
able to take more than one examl-
nation, if necessary, while the Ram
speck Act limits them to single
test.
Clearing up another point, the
commission says that the six months
satisfactory service required for
eligibility for civil service status
under the new law, need not have
been rendered in a single agency.
1t is estimated that many months
will be required to make the act
fully effective.