Frequently Asked Questions Assessment Policy

Yes.  Some tips for assessing minimum qualifications within the occupational questionnaire include: • Using Yes/No or multiple choice questions • Using clear, unambiguous language any candidate can understand • Include response options for both qualified and unqualified applicants • Describe experience requirements at each grade level, ensuring distinctions between/among grade levels are very clear • Describe education requirements, including references as appropriate If you have additional questions regarding minimum qualifications, please contact us at Assessment_Information@opm.gov.

Please check with your human resources office concerning agency-specific guidelines for assessment documentation, such as what information should be recorded, how long it should be stored, who should hold the information, etc.  Be sure to store all documentation in a safe, secure area. In addition, please refer to the Delegated Examining Operations Handbook, Appendix C - Records Retention and Disposition Schedule, regarding the length of time records are to be retained: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/competitive-hiring/deo_handbook.pdf    Also, the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (http://www.uniformguidelines.com/uniformguidelines.html) has a section dedicated to documentation, with Section 15, subpart C(4) specifically addressing documenting selection procedures and related content. If you have further questions, please contact us at Assessment_Information@opm.gov.

To develop customized ratings scales, you will need to determine how many proficiency levels you want for each item, create response alternatives for each grade level, and determine how each item will be scored.  Developing customized rating scales will require extensive subject matter expert involvement. For more information on developing a customized rating scale, please refer to the Occupational Questionnaires PowerPoint at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/occupational-questionnaires/developing-occupational-questionaires.pdf.  If you have further questions regarding occupational questionnaires, please contact us at Assessment_Information@opm.gov.

Refer to the job analysis data for that position and select those competencies that are 1) critical (review the Need at Entry, Distinguishing Value and Importance ratings), and 2) measurable.   Also, check that the selected competencies (or content areas) measure only one competency and relate to the position.  A general rule of thumb is to select 4 – 8 competencies or content areas. For more information about job analysis, please visit the Job Analysis page of the OPM's Assessment and Selection website:  http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/job-analysis/

How you score your occupational questionnaire is up to your discretion, but it’s important to have subject matter experts (SMEs) provide input on the proficiency levels for each question (item) and the weighting for each competency (content area).   In general, each candidate will receive a score for each item based on their response to the question.   For example, if a question asks a candidate to rate their level of proficiency in processing documents, the ‘higher’ the level of proficiency they select, the higher the score (e.g., 1 = lowest level of proficiency level chosen, 5 = highest level of proficiency level chosen).   Once a candidate has completed the occupational questionnaire, their total score will then be used to place them in a category or may be used as part of a larger assessment process.  For more information regarding occupational questionnaires, please visit the Occupational Questionnaire page of the Assessment and Selection website:  http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/occupational-questionnaires/ If you have further questions regarding occupational questionnaires, please contact us at Assessment_Information@opm.gov.  

There are many resources and websites you can use to gather tasks and competencies.  While none listed here are necessarily endorsed by OPM (except for OPM’s Selection and Assessment website), they can provide a good starting point for your job analysis.   Some of these resources include: 

• OPM's Assessment and Selection website-  http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/
• Occupational Information Network (O*Net) – http://online.onetcenter.org/ 
• Department of Labor's Competency Model Clearinghouse (CareerOneStop) - http://www.careeronestop.org/CompetencyModel/Tutorials/SiteTutorial.htm
• National Institutes of Health's Competencies Dictionary - http://hr.od.nih.gov/workingatnih/competencies/core/default.htm

If you know of other resources we have not listed, please send your comments or suggestions to Assessment_Information@opm.gov.

Conducting a job analysis requires the identification of critical tasks and competencies for a given position – along with the linkage between the critical tasks and competencies – which can then be used to develop valid and reliable assessment tools such as occupational questionnaires, structured interviews, and job knowledge tests.  The information (tasks and competencies) gathered during a job analysis can also be applied to other employment practices such as performance appraisals, promotions, and employee development. For more information regarding job analysis, please visit OPM’s Assessment and Selection website, http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/, or contact us at Assessment_Information@opm.gov.

It's not the ideal situation, but we do realize that is the reality at times (e.g., when a position is new and has therefore never been filled, or a job is being modified and only a few people are aware of the expected changes).  While the number of SMEs needed to represent a job will depend on the nature of the work and characteristics of the workforce, it's always advisable to gather as many SMEs as possible.  Anyone (first-level supervisor, superior incumbents, former supervisors or incumbents with recent experience, etc.) with bona fide expert knowledge about a particular job can serve as an SME.  If – and when – possible, reach out to as many resources as you can to increase the number of SMEs.  A larger number of SMEs not only ensures you are capturing all of the key requirements of the job, but it also provides multiple points of view regarding the criticality of the tasks and competencies. For more information regarding job analysis, please visit OPM’s Assessment and Selection website, http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/assessment-and-selection/, or contact us at Assessment_Information@opm.gov.