OPM provides Federal agencies with assessment solutions and assistance to maximize their return on investment in human capital. Assessments, or systematic approaches for identifying a person's talents and capabilities, can be used to make a wide variety of decisions about applicants and employees. OPM's Competency Assessment Branch develops and validates innovative, efficient, and cost-effective assessments that measure general and technical competencies for employee selection, promotion, and career development purposes. The Competency Assessment Branch offers a wide variety of assessment products and services that can be purchased off-the-shelf or tailored to meet an agency's specific assessment needs, including:

• Assessment Strategy Design
• Accomplishment Records
• Leadership Assessment Center
• OPM Leadership 360
• Structured Interviews
• Skills Gap Analysis
• Tests
• Customized Assessments
• Validation Research & Technical Consulting

If you want to take advantage of our expertise contact:

Brian O’Leary
U.S. Office of Personnel Management      OR           Our OPM Office Network
1900 E Street, NW, Room 6500
Washington , DC 20415
Phone: (202) 606-3745
Fax: (202) 606-1399
or Email Brian.O'Leary@OPM.GOV

OPM psychologists are available to design and conduct personnel and human resource research studies for agencies using the latest statistical tools and techniques. In addition, OPM psychologists can assist agencies in evaluating and validating commercially available tools for agency use. They can provide the measurement expertise and experience needed to guide agencies in the selection of valid, fair, and practical assessment tools. OPM psychologists also can provide a wide range of consulting services as needed to evaluate and ensure adherence to legal guidelines and professional standards surrounding the use of assessments.

Sources of Guidance

The resources described below provide additional information and guidance. Adherence to the guidelines described will ensure consistency with current legal and professional standards.

Testing and Assessment: An Employer's Guide to Good Practices. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) developed this document to assist managers and human resource professionals in making assessment-related decisions. This resource is available in hard copy from the Government Printing Office (GPO Order Desk 202/512-1800, Stock Number 029-014-00259-3) or by searching the Department of Labor web site http://www.doleta.gov/ .

Delegated Examining Operations Handbook: A Guide for Federal Agency Examining Offices. OPM's Delegated Examining Operations Handbook is a comprehensive document by which OPM delegates competitive examining authority to agencies under the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 1104, as amended by Public Law 104-52 of 1995. Chapter 2, in particular, provides further guidance for selecting assessment instruments. This Handbook is located at www.opm.gov/deu.

Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection. The Guidelines provide a set of principles for determining proper test use and selection procedures, covering topics such as test fairness and adverse impact. You can find the Guidelines at www.uniformguidelines.com.

Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. The Standards provide information on test development, use, and evaluation in employment and other assessment settings. More information can be found by searching the American Psychological Association's website at www.apa.org/ .

Principles for the Validation and Use of Personnel Selection Procedures. The Principles discuss procedures for conducting validation research and personnel selection, specifying principles of good practice in the choice, development, evaluation, and use of personnel selection procedures. This resource is available through www.siop.org.