PUBLIC SERVICE EXAMINATION BOARD
Examination Guide
GENERAL GUIDELINES:
Candidates have the responsibility to ascertain the date, time and venue of the
examination for which they are registered.
Candidates wishing to absent themselves from the Main Examination should
inform the Board through the Examinations and Assessment Unit at least two
weeks before the examination of their intention to absent themselves from such
examination.
Candidates wishing to absent themselves for religious reasons should submit an
official letter from the respective Church to the Board no later than two weeks
before the Main Examination.
Failure to submit timely letters with respect to the preceding two items would
result in the candidate being deemed absent. The candidate would also not be
allowed to sit any Supplemental Examination.
It is the responsibility of the candidate to inform the Examinations and
Assessment Unit of any change of his/her mailing address.
The name, date, time and venue of the examination would be published in the
media. Consequently requests from candidates to sit any Supplemental
Examination because they did not receive mail or did not know of the
examination would not be entertained.
The Board shall establish cut off scores for Pass/Fail/Referral boundaries (where
appropriate), for its examinations.
Where a candidate is credited with a pass in any of the components in the
promotional examinations, such a pass shall be retained by that candidate and he
will not be required to re-sit those components for the following two consecutive
examinations.
A candidate is deemed to be successful in an examination when he/she passes all
the components relevant to that examination.
SUPPLEMENTALS
Special examinations may become necessary for the following reasons:1)
a) Bona fide candidates may for reasons deemed acceptable by the Board
miss the regular sitting of a promotion or entrance Examination set and
conducted by the Board; and
b) Where a system of referrals exists and allows for a re-sitting of a
component or components of an examination and there are referred
candidates.
2)
Where candidates are unable to sit a supplemental examination set in
accordance with (a) and (b). Such candidates will have to await the next
regular sitting of that examination.
3)
The Board reserves the right to review the existing system of referrals
from time to time to determine its appropriateness for the support and
furtherance of Sound Human Development Practice and therefore to
modify or relinquish such a system in accordance with sound principles of
testing and assessment.
Notwithstanding any of the above, a candidate may make representations to the
Board and all decisions taken on issues raised shall be final.
IDENTIFICATION
Candidates must provide identification bearing a photograph. Failure to do so may
result in the refusal of entry to candidate.
Acceptable forms of Identification are Drivers Permit, Passport or Identification
Card.
Persons whose change of name does not appear on their Identification documents
must produce valid supporting evidence of the name change.
Candidates must write their examination numbers and not their names on their
examination answer booklets.
Examination answer booklets bearing candidates names will not be marked.
ITEMS PROHIBITED IN EXAMINATIONS ROOM
Cell Phones
Pagers
Calculators (unless stated otherwise)
Pencil cases
Bags
Books
Paper (writing material)
Any other item, article or any prohibited materials or devices related to the
subject.
DISHONESTY
Talking in the examination room is prohibited.
Candidates should be warned that cheating, copying or engaging in any other
form of dishonesty is also prohibited.
A candidate found engaging in any act of dishonesty will be disqualified from the
examination room by the Board unless otherwise stated.
REVIEWS, RE-MARKS AND RESULTS:
It is the Policy of the Public Service Examination Board not to entertain requests
for review/re-mark of examination scripts of candidates participating in entry
level examinations.
Where a candidate is dissatisfied with his examination result he can request a
review or re-mark of the results providing he scores thirty-five marks or more.
Such a request must be made in writing to the Board through the
Examinations and Assessment Unit within six weeks of the date of release of
the results by the Service Commissions Department unless otherwise stated.
Review means looking at the examination answer booklet again to ascertain the
correctness of the total marks assigned.
Re-mark means an independent examiner is appointed to mark the examination
answer booklet again employing the marking scheme that was used by the
previous examiner.
Candidates will be required to pay a sum of $200.00 for the re-marking of a
answer booklet. Where a re-mark has been requested an independent examiner
will be appointed to re-mark the answer booklet and the result will be final.
A Pass List will be publicized simultaneously with its submission to the relevant
Ministry/Department.
Letters sent to individuals will include their marks.
All examination answer booklets are the property of the Examinations Board and
will not be returned to candidates under any circumstances. In accordance with
established convention, candidates and other interested parties will not be
permitted to view examination answer booklets.
Detailed marking schemes are the sole property of the Examinations Board and
should not be copied or removed.
The Board keeps examination answer booklets for twelve months following the
release of the results after which the Board disposes of them.
LOST EXAMINATION SCRIPTS
i)
Where it is verified that a candidate has taken an examination and the
candidates examination answer booklet for that examination is deemed to
have been lost prior to the declaration of results, that candidate shall be
permitted one of the following options:a) complete a substitute examination, the form to be authorized by the
Examination Board;
or
b) write the next scheduled examination in that paper and abide by the grade
obtained;
ii)
In cases where a review or re-mark has been requested and the relevant
examination answer booklet cannot be retrieved, but the mark has been
recorded, the candidate shall be permitted one of the following options:a) Be allowed to re-sit, without penalty;
or
b) Be awarded the minimum pass mark if the original mark fell within five
marks;
In the options at (i) and (ii) above the entrance fee will be waived.
SYLLABI
Over time, the syllabi of all of the Boards examinations will be reviewed in the light of
changing circumstances.
In the meantime detailed syllabi as they presently exist would be made available to
candidates or brief description of the topics to be examined will be circulated.
The Board reserves the right to amend or vary any Statement/action
stated in the handbook as needs be.
