No person now serving in the army or navy shall be examined for admission to the classified service until the written consent of the head of the department under which he is enlisted shall have been communicated to the commission.

The commission may refuse to examine an applicant who would be physically unable to perform the duties of the place to which he desires appointment.

No question in any examination shall be so framed as to elicit information concerning the political or religious opinions or affiliations of competitors; and no discrimination in examination, certification or appointment shall be made by the commission, the examiners, or the appointing or nominating officer in favor of or against any applicant, competitor, or eligible because of his political or religious opinions or affiliations. Any appointing or nominating officer who shall make inquiries concerning, or in any other way attempt to ascertain, the political or religious opinions or affiliations of any eligible, or who shall discriminate in favor of or against any eligible because of the eligible’s political or religious opinions or affiliations, shall be dismissed from office.

Every applicant for examination for the classified departmental service must support the statements of his application paper by certificates of persons acquainted with him, residents of the state, territory, or district in which he claims bona fide residence; and the commission shall prescribe the form and number of such certificates.

A false statement made by an applicant, or connivance by him with any person to make on his behalf a false statement in any certificate required by the commission and deception of fraud practiced by an applicant, or by any person on his behalf with his consent, to influence an examination, shall be good cause for refusal to examine such applicant, or for refusing to mark his papers after examination.

All examinations shall be prepared and conducted under the supervision of the commission; and examination papers shall be marked under rules made by the commission, which shall take care that the marking-examiners do not know the name of any competitor in an examination for admission whose papers are entrusted to them.

Any person not under twenty years of age may make application for admission to the classified departmental service, blank forms for which purpose shall be furnished by the commission.