07/10/2026
YOUR 70 MAY STILL COUNT📘
Not getting an 80 in the Civil Service Exam does not automatically mean the end of the road for some qualified government workers.
Under the Civil Service Commission’s Career Service Eligibility–Preference Rating or CSE-PR, qualified government workers who received a failed CSE rating of at least 70.00 may be granted additional points to reach the passing rating of 80.00.
The additional points can be up to 10, but CSC only gives the amount needed to bring the applicant’s rating to 80.00.
For example, a rating of 70.00 may receive 10 additional points, while a rating of 75.50 may receive 4.50 points. A rating of 79.10 would only need an additional 0.90 point.
However, scoring at least 70 does not automatically qualify someone for CSE-PR.
Under the current rules, an applicant must generally have at least five aggregate years of government service and at least a Very Satisfactory or equivalent performance rating for the latest two available rating periods before applying.
The program covers specific groups of government workers, including Job Order and Contract of Service workers, casual, contractual and coterminous employees, certain Category III and IV workers, career employees with first-level eligibility, qualified military and uniformed personnel, temporary employees, and government interns.
The CSE-PR applies to both Professional and Subprofessional examinations. If approved, the resulting eligibility corresponds to the level of CSE taken.
For those who took the August 9, 2026 CSE, this is especially worth checking. Under the updated guidelines, this examination is also the starting qualifying CSE for Temporary Appointees and Government Interns, while other covered worker groups were already included beginning with earlier qualifying examinations.
Applicants must submit the CSE-PR application and complete requirements within six months from the release of their CSE results.
The benefit may also be availed of only once. A person who already obtained an eligibility through CSE-PR cannot use the program again to obtain another level of eligibility.
If you did not make the August 2026 list of passers, check your individual rating once it becomes available through CSC’s OCSERGS. A rating of 70.00 to 79.99 may still matter if you meet the other CSE-PR requirements.
Source: Civil Service Commission, CSC Resolution No. 2600729 and Omnibus Guidelines on the Grant of Career Service Eligibility–Preference Rating
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