Majority fail police exams

Majority fail police exams

First posted 00:55am (Mla time) June 27, 2005
By Tarra V. Quismundo
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on Page A21 of the June 27, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


TOUGHER exams or more unfit applicants?

The National Police Commission (Napolcom) has announced that 15,416, or 85.44 percent, of the 18,044 applicants for the police force this year have failed the test.

Similarly, 11,332, or 60.67 percent, of 18,678 policemen who took qualification exams this year for their promotion were also unsuccessful.

In all, out of the 36,722 who took Napolcom exams in the first half of 2005, only 9,974, or 27 percent, passed. The majority of 26,748, or 73 percent, failed.

Harder

Napolcom said the high failing rate was a result of the harder exams they were giving.

"The exams aim to accomplish two things: to determine if a civilian is eligible to enter the police service, and to see if those already in the service deserve to be promoted," said Napolcom Information Office chief Josephmar Gil.

This year's passing rate is the lowest since 1999, when only 10.7 percent of examinees passed the eligibility


and promotions exams given that year.

But instead of lamenting the poor results, Napolcom saw the low passing rate as an improvement of PNP standards, as the commission and the PNP work towards implementing the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act.

Cleansing

This law ratified in 1998 is aimed at cleansing the PNP of unworthy members to improve police service.

"The relatively low passing rate in both exams may be attributed to the Commission's continuous upgrading of standards on its police examinations, in line with its sustained effort to professionalize the PNP," Napolcom Chair Angelo Reyes said in a statement.

Out of 18,044 test takers for the Police Officer 1 rank, 2,628 or 14.56 percent made the cut. A total of 7,346 officers, or 39.33 percent, passed the promotional tests out of the 18,678 examinees.

Of those qualified for promotion, 31 passed the test to move up to the rank of Superintendent, 134 for inspectors, 2,964 for Senior Police Officer, and 4,217 for Police Officers.

The tests were administered on April 24 in Metro Manila and some provinces.

The Napolcom entrance examination qualifies a civilian for application to the PNP.

Passers would next pursue their application before regional or district police offices, where they would be subjected to another round of testing, including a physical agility test, neuropsychiatric and medical examinations, and another written examination, said Gil.

Each examinee would get their individual rating report through mail. Napolcom's Makati headquarters and regional offices would be answering exam result queries starting July 1.

So, it's running similar to the bar exams, with only 10% maximum passing percentage of the total examinees.

The Police qualification exams are taken for granted by most examinees, as some of them were already in the service with temporary appointments. They took the exams without deligent preparation. This trend has been like this in the past.

In reality, the questions are really tough that those who passed really know what law enforcement is all about.

The mixture of unpreparedness and complexity of the questionaires highly contributed to the low density of passing results.

Hhmm...for the record, what type of questions would one encounter in the exams?

I took the exam in 2003 and passed although I have already decided not to become a cop. The exam was almost similar to the Career Civil Service Profesional Exam in content (Current Events, english, Science, Psychology, IQ, abstract reasoning etc) although shorter and somewhat easier.

I don't know, maybe they made the questions more difficult now.

Well, hopefully not really too hard. But I think I can pass it, by the description of it.

Worst in PNP history: 35,231 flunk exams

By Michael Punongbayan
The Philippine Star 02/04/2006

Attributing it to upgraded standards and the high passing rate requirements, the National Police Commission (Napolcom) announced yesterday one of the most disappointing entrance and promotional examination result in the history of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Of the total 39,046 examinees, only 3,815, or 9.77 percent, passed the tests conducted last October at testing centers nationwide.

Napolcom Chairman Angelo Reyes said that for the PNP entrance test, which is a requirement for initial appointment to the rank of Police Officer 1 (PO1), only 1,059, or 4.80 percent of the 22,042 examinees passed.

Of the 17,004 examinees who took the promotional tests, only 2,756, or 16.20 percent, passed. A total 1,923 passed the Police Officer exam while 833 passed the Senior Police Officer exam.

Reyes admitted that the passing percentage rate in this particular batch of PNP entrance and promotional examinees was the lowest recorded by the Commission since the implementation of Republic Act 6975, more popularly known as the PNP Law.

"The low passing rate in both exams may be attributed to the Commission’s continuous upgrading of standards for its police examinations in line with its sustained effort to professionalize the PNP," he said.

Napolcom vice chair and executive officer Imelda Roces said the list of successful examinees has been posted at the Napolcom central office in Makati City and on the website at www.napolcom.gov.ph.

She announced that individual rating reports are set to be mailed to all examinees. Verification of test results will be entertained starting Feb. 20 at the central office and regional offices.

Those seeking instant results can text NAPOLCOM <space> EXAMRSLT <space> application number or examinee’s full name (last/first/middle), including slashes, and send it to 2333 for Globe and Touch Mobile, 356 for Smart and Talk ‘n Text, and 2269 for Sun Cellular subscribers.

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200602046304.htm

Good or bad?

Bad because it limits the number of recruits. Good because it is reserved for the chosen few, the qualified.

It is not the toughness of the examination that made the poor ratings of the successful examinees, it is on the quality of education of those who took the examination. The questions were not as tough as the "bar" questions, they are pretty basic and only a sort of review from what they have learned or achieved from the medium of learning the examinees hold, and some easy practical questions that only need common sense.

If every now & then the PNP is upgrading or streamlining the outfit, then it should normally be in tandem with the police exam to achieve it's goals.

and their solution is...

Napolcom eases exam for PNP hopefuls

By Michael Punongbayan
The Philippine Star 04/08/2006

Because of the disappointing result of last year’s entrance and promotional examination, the National Police Commission (Napolcom) has decided to give police hopefuls and those seeking promotions a glimpse of what next month’s test will be about.

The idea is to give those who want to be policemen and those who want to be elevated to the next higher rank a bigger chance of passing the tests considering that less than 10 percent of those who took the last one in October 2005 passed the same.

Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno said the Napolcom’s Test Development Committee (NTDC) had requested the publication of the test coverage for both the entrance and promotional examination.

Puno said Napolcom saw the need for the examinees to be informed of the test coverage to determine whether they possess the competencies needed for the position, considering that one who passes the police exam is granted Napolcom eligibility — a basic requirement in the selection of police recruits and in the regular promotion of police officers.

"Napolcom is releasing the Philippine National Police (PNP) test coverage in detail to help prepare and equip the examinees to increase their chances of passing the exams," Puno said.

Napolcom vice chairperson and executive officer Imelda Roces said the PNP entrance examination will cover general information, verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and logical reasoning.

On the other hand, the test coverage of the promotional examination will include questions on general information, police administration and operations, and values and ethical standards.

Earlier, Napolcom attributed the poor results to "upgraded standards."

Of the total 39,046 examinees, only 3,815, or 9.77 percent passed the test conducted in October 2005 at designated schools in Metro Manila and 19 other testing centers nationwide.

In the PNP entrance test, a requirement for initial appointment to the rank of Police Officer 1 (PO1), only 1,059, or 4.80 percent, of the 22,042 examinees made it.

Of the 17,004 examinees who took the promotional tests, only 2,756, or 16.20 percent, passed with 1,923 in the Police Officer and 833 in the Senior Police Officer exams.

Then Napolcom chairman Angelo Reyes admitted that the passing percentage rate in that particular batch of examinees was the lowest ever recorded by the commission since the implementation of Republic Act 6975, or the PNP Law.

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200604086308.htm

It is not really necessary for the NAPOLCOM to issue hints on what will be the next exam is all about.

The only relevant thing for them is to issue guidelines and scope of the examination with it's respective subject to dealt with in connection or in accordance wiith the nature of examination ( entrance qualification or promotional ) in relation to police work like Criminal Law, Crime scene Investigation, Traffic Management, Administrative and Personnel Management, and other relevant subjects.

The NAPOLCOM should publish books dealing with the relevant subjects and should be available in bookstores in an affordable prices for police applicants or for those already on the job for future use as quick on the job referrence and future police exams.

I have still a book which I kept for souvenir authored by the first POLCOM (now NAPOLCOM) Commissioner Congressman Teodulo F. Natividad who was trained in Scotland Yard in England. Although it's already outdated, but the basics and ethics of police work is still the basis and foundation of today's modern policing.

And some people resorted to...

Cheating in October 2008 police exams uncovered
04/28/2009 | 03:58 PM

MANILA, Philippines - The National Police Commission (Napolcom) has nullified the results of its October 2008 police entrance and promotional examinations after it uncovered irregularities that included massive cheating.

Napolcom vice chairman Eduardo Escueta said he has ordered the investigation of 130 police officers who took the promotional tests at their testing center in Calamba, Laguna.

“Appropriate administrative charges shall be filed against these police officers and shall be meted with administrative sanctions if evidence so warrants," he said.

The Commission en banc also barred the 495 examinees from Calamba, Laguna, Koronadal City, Cotobato City, Zamboanga City, National Capital Region, Davao City, Butuan City, and San Fernando, La Union from re-taking the Philippine National Police (PNP) entrance and promotional examinations, which are given twice year.

Escueta said extensive analysis of the exam results showed the existence of “common answer pattern" in the answer sheets of 53 examinees for senior police officer exam from Room 88 and 45, and for police officer exam from Room 69.

This is “indicative of widespread cheating," the Napolcom official said, adding that such occurrence was “statistically improbable."

In similar findings, Napolcom also nullified the exam results of 365 civilian examinees at the Laguna Testing Center, and at Koronadal City, Cotobato City, Zamboanga City, National Capital Region (NCR), Davao City, Butuan City, and San Fernando, La Union.

Escueta bared that during the conduct of the examinations, an examinee was caught using a cellular phone that contained text messages of purported answers to the examination questions.

A deeper investigation would be conducted by the Napolcom to trace the source of the cheating and the possible involvement of police and Napolcom insiders, Escueta said.

To avoid the recurrence of the irregularities, Escueta said cellular phones would be banned in all testing centers starting on May 31. - GMANews.TV

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/158912/Cheatin...exams-uncovered

Man, that's just trying to enter the police force pa lang

The possible involvement of Napolcom insiders is 9 out of 10. They are the ones who prepare, print, and disseminate the questionaires and quite a few policemen are detailed there who might have some families and close relatives who took the exams. Or other motive might be unscrupulously monetary gain.

To locate the source of the anomaly in this case is a peace of cake except if the game of cover up come into play.