asked the Minister for the Public Service the cost of the various written examinations for applicants for many public service jobs; and the reason such examinations are necessary when most private employers accept Department of Education examinations as indicators of intellectual ability.
Written Answers. - Public Service Examinations.
398.
The answer to the first part of the question is in the form of a tabular statement which I propose to circulate in the Official Report.
In answer to the second part of the question: the Commissioners use the results of Department of Education examinations as far as possible; for example, for purposes such as eligibility for entry to competitions for various grades. However, the Commissioners are, at present, obliged by statute to hold competitions consisting of at least one competitive test. Department of Education examination results are expressed in the form of grades rather than marks and are not suited to placing large numbers of candidates in an order of merit. The Department of Education describe the leaving certificate examination as mainly a test of achievement and they advise employers wishing to use it for selection purposes to institute their own supplementary tests. This is what the commissioners do in recruiting school-leavers as executive officers when they have an examination of their own (and an interview) in addition to using the leaving certificate results.
Following is the statement:
Civil Service Commission:
The Major Examinations held in 1982.
|
Examination |
Total Cost |
|
£ |
|
|
Executive Officer (Adult Candidates) |
40,700 |
|
Technician Trainee |
169,000 |
|
Shorthand Typist |
43,300 |
|
Post Office Clerk |
173,500 |
|
Executive Officer (School Leavers) |
131,800 |
|
Clerical Assistant |
201,500 |
|
Key Punch Operator |
18,900 |
|
Clerical Officer |
127,200 |
|
Typist |
34,100 |
|
Junior Postman |
31,100 |