Civil Service Exam Information

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Exam Information:

To access City of Columbus (City) jobs, the first step is apply while the job is open. Then, there are two main selection methods; exams and vacancies.

When the job posting has EXAM after the job title, that means, to get that job you must first take a test. 

Test Resources

When a City of Columbus job is posted and it says EXAM after the title, you must take an exam to get that job. Taking these tests are great opportunities to show your job skills and get your name to City staff who make hiring decisions. 

Sample of Job Postings with the workd Exam circled

Columbus Civil Service (CSC) exams are different for every job class. Our exams are designed for each job. To prepare for our exams, first know what will be tested for that job. 

  • Look for the subtests on the job posting (see image below)
  • Look for the subtests in your test admission email
  • Learn more about the subtests
  • This list offers descriptions about the Most Common Subtests(PDF, 32KB) on our exams
  • Some jobs have exam study for prep materials (see the +Study Guides section on this webpage)

This Testing Clinic Video offers tips about understanding and preparing for our exams.  

Sample Job Posting

Sample of an exam job posting with test information circled

 

Situational Judgement Tests

One type of subtest that may be new to you is a Situational Judgement Test (SJT). Our SJTs are video-based assessments of the judgement required for problem solving in work-related situations. We show you a video of a work-related situation and responses to that situation. We ask you to rate the effectiveness of each response. Below is a sample SJT video. This link offers Situation-Judgment-Test-SJT the ratings you will mark to rate each response. 

 

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