Your final review should not be a frantic search for your testing room. Use this checklist the week before your Civil Service Exam, and follow the CSC advisory for your exam date whenever it differs from an older guide.
Before leaving home
- Confirm your school and room through the CSC's notice of school assignment. Check your examinee number and travel time.
- Bring the accepted original ID specified in your CSC advisory. The 2026 CSC exam advisory applied “No ID, no exam.” Our valid ID guide explains what to verify.
- Bring the other items the current exam advisory requires, such as your application receipt if requested and black ballpoint pens. Do not substitute a pencil for the required pen.
- Leave calculators and other prohibited devices behind or follow the testing site's storage instructions; CSC has prohibited calculator use in recent CSE advisories.
At the testing center
Arrive before the reporting and gate-closing times in your current CSC notice. Those times are not universal across all exam dates. Find your room early, listen to the proctor, and shade all required personal details and answers exactly as instructed. If your ID or assignment details do not match, ask authorized exam personnel rather than guessing.
During and after the test
Read each question, move past items that would consume too much time, and return if time remains. Keep an eye on the clock without letting one difficult question control your pace. Our mixed practice test helps you rehearse switching subjects, while the study plan helps you prepare before the final week.
After the exam, keep your records and use our results and next-steps guide. For official instructions, always consult the CSC advisories page.