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Pennsylvania State Civil Service Commission

Pennsylvania civil service test guides

The Pennsylvania State Civil Service Commission administers competitive examinations for state civil service positions, maintaining eligible lists for hundreds of classified titles.

Pennsylvania maintains a robust state civil service system administered by the State Civil Service Commission (SCSC). Written competitive examinations are used for most classified positions, and candidates are ranked on eligible lists based on their exam scores.

Exam announcements, study materials, and application information are available through the SCSC website. The PA Employment website (careers.pa.gov) lists current state job openings.

Official test guides index (all titles)Pennsylvania State Civil Service…

General

PDFs open in a new tab on the government website.

  • Pennsylvania State Civil Service Commission — Test Seekers

    Exam announcements, application filing, and study resources for Pennsylvania civil service positions.

    Visit SCSC →
  • Pennsylvania Employment — Careers Portal

    Official Pennsylvania state government job board for classified and non-classified position openings.

    Visit portal →

State examination booklets

PDFs open in a new tab on the government website.

  • Pennsylvania State Police — Trooper Recruiting

    Pennsylvania State Police trooper application process including civil service exam, physical fitness, and background investigation.

    Visit PSP →

Local government booklets

PDFs open in a new tab on the government website.

  • Philadelphia — Civil Service Commission

    Philadelphia Civil Service Commission exam announcements for police, fire, and city government positions.

    Visit CSC →

Good to know

  • Pennsylvania's civil service system covers most state agency positions. Agencies must hire from eligible lists certified by the SCSC in rank order.
  • Veterans preference adds 10 points to the passing exam score of eligible veterans and 15 points for disabled veterans in Pennsylvania civil service hiring.
  • Pittsburgh and Philadelphia each operate their own municipal civil service systems independent of the state SCSC. Contact those cities' civil service commissions for local exam information.

Supplemental prep on this site

Our title-based guides explain merit-system hiring, what many exams emphasize, and study checklists. They do not replace your announcement or official state booklets.

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