For years, the Civil Service Commission (CSC) has typically held two CSE-PPT schedules each year—often around March/April and again around August/September. With hundreds of thousands of examinees, passing rates remain low. In recent years, the passing rate has often been around 13–16%, meaning most takers do not pass on their first attempt. In simple terms: out of every 100 examinees, only about 13 to 16 succeed, while the majority face disappointment.
Reality for most takers:
- Work comes first - review becomes second priority.
- Family responsibilities - review becomes second or third priority.
- Time pressure - people re-read notes, but do not practice enough to build recall under time.
From years of observation and feedback from takers, the main issue is rarely intelligence or capability. The bigger problem is time. Many examinees are working, have families, and carry daily responsibilities that limit consistent study. Because of this, preparation is often delayed until the last week—or even just a few days before the exam. When time is short, people tend to rely on re-reading notes or skimming materials, which feels productive but is far less effective than active practice and repetition.
Chart 1: Passing Rate per Exam Session
Each point is an exam session (e.g., 2019 Exam 2). Years 2020 to 2021 have no nationwide session data listed due to COVID disruptions.
Chart 1 shows the passing rates for various CSE-PPT sessions over recent years. While there are fluctuations, the overall trend indicates that passing rates remain relatively low, often hovering around 10-18%. This suggests that many examinees struggle to pass on their first attempt. The data highlights a critical insight: consistent practice and repetition are essential to improve these odds.
The dashed trend line indicates a slight upward trend in passing rates over time, suggesting that while some improvements have been made, there is still a room for growth. This reinforces the idea that without effective preparation strategies, many examinees will continue to face challenges in passing the exam.
Repeating high-quality practice questions is not optional.
It is the core strategy that builds speed, accuracy, and confidence, especially when your time is limited.