Tests for the 2010 census takers will be held at 10 a.m. on Nov. 5 and 19 at the Economic Development office on U.S. Highway 231 south of Troy.

Johnny Gibson, Census 2010 recruiter for Pike County, said those who would like to take the test must register by calling the toll-free jobs line at 1-866-861-2010.

“Those who call will be given step-by-step instructions as to how to register for the upcoming tests,” Gibson said. “We won’t know how many census takers will be needed until after the census forms have been mailed. But these will be good temporary jobs and mileage will be 55 cents a mile so that’s a plus, too.”

Each applicant must take a 30-minute basic skills test consisting of 28 multiple-choice questions measuring knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform a variety of census jobs.

There are five parts to the test – clerical, reading, number and organizational skills and interpreting information and evaluating alternatives.

“To qualify as a census taker, you must be a United States citizen and must be a legal permanent resident or a non-citizen with an appropriate work visa and possess a bilingual skill for which there are no available qualified U.S. citizens,” Gibson said. “An applicant must be at least 18 years old and have a valid Social Security number, a valid driver’s license and pass a background check. Males born after Dec. 31, 1959 must be registered with Selective Service.”

Applicants must also be willing to commit to four days of training, which may be held during daytime hours, evenings and weekend hours.

“Certain forms of identification will be required when reporting to a testing session,” Gibson said. “Those who have a United States passport need only to bring that. Other accepted forms of identification include a driver’s license, military card or draft record, voter’s registration card, ID card issued by federal, state or local government agencies or entities, Social Security card, certified birth certificate or U.S. Citizen Identification Card. These requirements will be explained in detail when calling the toll-free number.”

The census takers will work in their communities locating households, explaining the purpose of the census, conducting personal interviews with respondents who failed to return their 2010 Census questionnaires and recording their responses on paper forms.