I. DETERMINATION OF ANNOUNCEMENT SCHEDULE CATEGORY
Each job with an established selection procedure has been assigned to an announcement schedule category. The announcement schedule categories either open the jobs to application on a regular basis or require specific announcement of vacancies as they occur.

OPEN System users may see the announcement schedule category for any job by viewing the List of Exams. Personnel offices without access to the OPEN System should consult the Examining Division for this information.

II. JOBS OPEN TO PUBLIC APPLICATION ON A REGULAR BASIS (schedules CTS, PBS, PET, GCE, etc.)
For jobs in these categories, when the agency submits an SF-2 "Request for a Certificate", we will issue a certificate immediately. Permanent state employees should apply for these jobs at the first opportunity since specific promotional vacancies will not be individually announced.

III. JOBS OPEN CONTINUOUSLY ONLY TO STATE EMPLOYEES (schedule STE)
When we receive an SF-2 to fill one of these jobs by promotion, we will issue a certificate immediately, with no announcement. Therefore, permanent state employees should apply for these jobs at the first opportunity.

When we receive an SF-2 to fill one of these jobs by probational appointment, the job will be placed on a Special Announcement as described in the next section.

IV. JOBS REQUIRING SPECIFIC ANNOUNCEMENT (schedule ANN)

A. PROBATIONAL APPOINTMENTS
When the SF-2 indicates the position will be filled by probational appointment, we will usually announce the job on a Special Announcement. However, if we have an adequate list and the job has been announced recently for the same location, we will issue a certificate immediately without announcement.

B. PROMOTIONS AT OR ABOVE GS-15
Jobs at or above pay grade GS-15 require competition for promotions. When we receive an SF-2 to fill one of these jobs by promotion, we will usually issue a promotional announcement.

However, if the job has been announced on either a promotional or a Special announcement within the last sixty days for the same location and promotional zone, we will not announce the job but will issue a certificate from the existing list even if it is inadequate.

C. ANNOUNCEMENT AT AGENCY REQUEST
If our policy indicates that we would issue a certificate immediately, we will consider announcing a job if the agency specifically requests it.

D. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS AND STATE EMPLOYEES
Permanent state employees who are interested in jobs that appear on Special Announcements should apply in response to those announcements. Lists established from Special announcements may be used to fill both probational and promotional vacancies.

V. CONSIDERING PROBATIONAL AND PROMOTIONAL CANDIDATES FOR ONE VACANCY
When an agency wants to consider both probational and promotional candidates for a vacancy, separate SF-2's must be submitted to receive both probational and promotional certificates.

VI. DELEGATED PROMOTIONAL POSTING AUTHORITY
To expedite the competitive promotional announcement process, the Department of Civil Service has signed contractual agreements with several agencies allowing them to post their own competitive promotional vacancies. Any agency interested in entering such an agreement should have their Personnel Officer contact the Chief of Examining.

Employees should check with their Personnel Officer to learn if their agency has a contract. Employees of agencies with contracts should become familiar with the contract requirements since they stipulate steps beyond applying and having a current grade with Civil Service.
VII. INADEQUATE CERTIFICATES
A certificate with five or more available names is considered adequate. Certificates containing fewer than five available names are "inadequate".

From an inadequate PROBATIONAL certificate, the appointee may either be someone listed on the certificate or someone appointed provisionally under Rule 8.11. From an inadequate PROMOTIONAL certificate, an employee who does not appear on the certificate may be promoted, provided he meets the qualification requirements, is in the correct promotional zone and has passed any required test.

I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES USED TO SET TESTING REQUIREMENTS
In establishing testing requirements, the Department of Civil Service follows a number of guiding principles intended to ensure that the state maintains a competent workforce by hiring and promoting the best qualified applicants. At the same time, we wish to minimize the administrative burden on agencies in filling vacancies by avoiding unnecessary testing and other delays. All Civil Service testing policies are intended to adhere to these principles.

Whenever the Department of Civil Service makes a decision, interpretation, or exception to a policy that seems to contradict its literal wording, it does so to remain faithful to these principles. Any individual hiring or promotional decision may involve special conditions or factors not anticipated or explicitly covered by a written policy statement. For this reason, these policy statements on determining testing requirements are intended as general guides, not absolute rules. The Department of Civil Service always reserves the right to make an individual determination of testing requirements in each case.

The general principles the Department follows to establish test requirements are outlined below.

A. PURPOSE OF TESTING
To rank applicants: In competitive situations, candidates are ranked in numerical order by test grade.

As a pass/fail criterion: In some cases, employees are required to pass tests rather than to compete. In general, this is done as a substitute for competitive testing for promotion to jobs below GS-15.

B. PROFESSIONAL LEVEL JOBS
Classified jobs which have a baccalaureate degree as the primary qualification requirement are considered professional level. The Department of Civil Service intends to limit movement into these professional level jobs to candidates who have at least demonstrated a minimally acceptable level of cognitive ability by passing the Professional Entry Test (PET) or other appropriate professional level test. For this reason, a requirement to pass an appropriate test is sometimes imposed even for personnel actions which normally do not require testing.

C. JOBS REQUIRING TYPING SKILLS
Candidates who are moving into jobs which include typing skills as part of the minimum qualification requirements must demonstrate that they possess these skills. This is to: 1) ensure that employees being non-competitively promoted to jobs requiring typing skills do indeed possess those skills, and 2) prevent the displacement by bumping of employees in layoff situations by others who have not proven that they possess those skills.

Acceptable evidence of typing skill normally consists of having passed a Civil Service typing test. The test need not be the same test currently in use, but the effective date of the grade must be within five years of the effective date of the appointment. Currently occupying with permanent status a position which requires typing skills or having occupied such a job for at least six months within five years of the appointment is also acceptable evidence.

II. TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPETITIVE PROMOTIONS
Competition is required for promotion to all jobs at pay grade GS-15 or above, except those jobs covered under Rule 7.20. Jobs at or above GS-15 must be announced in accordance with Civil Service announcement policies. The announcements must be available to all agency employees.

Normally, employees must take and pass all selection procedures used for jobs in this category. Promotions normally must be made from a Civil Service certificate from within the top five grade groups. (Agencies which have signed a contract delegating promotional posting authority must abide by their contract's specific provisions.)

When a promotional certificate has been issued but is inadequate, the agency may choose to noncompetitively promote someone not on the certificate. The noncompetitively promoted employee must be in the promotional zone, meet the minimum qualification requirements and pass the test. If there are exactly five available applicants, promotion must be made from the certificate.

III. TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR NONCOMPETITIVE PROMOTIONS
Noncompetitive promotions are allowed to any job that is below pay grade GS- 15. When an employee is to be noncompetitively promoted to a job below GS-15 for which a written test is used, the employee is required to at least pass a Civil Service test although he need not compete. The specific testing requirements are outlined below.

A. MOVEMENT WITHIN A TEST SERIES
When an employee currently occupies any job within a particular test series, he may be noncompetitively promoted to any other job in the SAME TEST SERIES without retesting. (Of course, the employee must meet the minimum qualification requirements for the job.)

B. MOVEMENT FROM THE TYPING CAREERS TEST SERIES 4002 TO THE GENERAL CLERICAL EXAM SERIES 4000
An employee who currently occupies any job within the Typing Career Test Series 4002, may be non-competitively promoted to any job in the General Clerical Test Series 4000 without retesting. However, this "substitution" of the 4002 test for the 4000 test MAY NOT BE MADE IN REVERSE. An employee occupying a job in the General Clerical Test Series 4000 MUST TAKE AND PASS the Typing Careers Test Series 4002 to be noncompetitively promoted to a job in the 4002 series.

For example, a Typist Clerk 1 (GS-5, test series 4002) may be noncompetitively promoted to a Clerk 2 (GS-6, test series 4000) WITHOUT taking the 4000 test series. However, to be noncompetitively promoted to a Typist Clerk 2 (GS-6, test series 4002), a Clerk 1 (GS-5, test series 4000) MUST TAKE AND PASS THE 4002 TEST SERIES.

C. MOVEMENT BETWEEN TEST SERIES OTHER THAN 4000 & 4002
For an employee occupying a job in one test series to be noncompetitively promoted to a job in another test series, he must pass the current test used for the job to which he is being promoted.

D. IDENTIFICATION OF TEST SERIES
OPEN system users may determine the test series for a job by consulting the "Work with Exam List" option. If the job you seek is not listed, or you don't have access to the OPEN system, contact the Examining Division for assistance.

IV. TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR DEMOTIONS
The only case in which testing is required on demotion is when an employee is being demoted to a job with a specified words per minute typing skill in the minimum qualification from a job which does not require such skill. The employee must either pass the current typing exam, or have passed a Civil Service typing test in the prior five years or have occupied a classified job requiring such skills for a period of at least six months during the prior five years.

V. TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR LATERAL TRANSFERS, RE-ASSIGNMENTS, NON- COMPETITIVE RE-EMPLOYMENTS, PREFERRED RE-EMPLOYMENTS AND REALLOCATIONS
No testing will be required with the following exceptions:

A. MOVEMENT INTO JOBS REQUIRING TYPING SKILL
If the employee is moving into a job which requires typing from a job which does not require typing, he will be required to demonstrate his typing skill. An employee may satisfy the requirement by passing the current 4002 exam, by having passed a Civil Service typing test in the prior five years or by having occupied a classified job requiring such skills for at least six months during the prior five years.

B. NON-PROFESSIONAL TO PROFESSIONAL
To move from a nonprofessional job to a professional level job, an employee must pass the test currently used for the job to which he is being moved.

C. MOVEMENT WHILE ON PROBATION
An employee cannot be moved while on probation unless he is within reach on a probational certificate or have a certifiable score for the position and location to which he is moving.

I. GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR CREDITING EXPERIENCE
In general, an applicant performing a duty 30% or more of his time will be credited with full-time experience for purposes of meeting the Minimum Qualifications of a job for which he is applying. Duties performed for less than that amount of time are not considered major duties and will not be credited at all. For some jobs, the 30% rule will not be applied. In these cases, the major focus of the job or majority of duties must be qualifying. We make these exceptions in cases where we judge that performing qualifying duties in less than full-time capacity does not give the incumbent sufficient knowledges, skills, and abilities. Jobs in the personnel and law enforcement fields are ones to which the 30% rule does not apply and the percentage of qualifying duties must exceed 50%.

II. CREDITING MILITARY EXPERIENCE
It is our policy to credit any experience gained in senior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) ranks, i.e. E-7, E-8 and E-9 enlisted grades as professional level experience. All experience in Warrant Officer or Commissioned Officer grades is also considered professional level. Our general policy is to evaluate as professional level only those jobs requiring a baccalaureate degree.

III. CREDITING EXPERIENCE IN CLASSIFIED STATE JOBS
When crediting experience gained in classified state jobs for the purposes of qualifying for other classified jobs, the following principles are followed:

A. DUTIES WITHIN THE JOB SPECIFICATION
The employee is routinely credited with the duties contained in the job specifications of the jobs he has occupied. In the absence of other information, he is assumed to have performed only these duties. However, if he is in a supervisory job and needs direct-line supervision to qualify for the job for which he is applying, he must also claim subordinates on his application to be credited.

B. DUTIES ON THE SF-3 POSITION DESCRIPTION
When duties are claimed that are not contained within the scope of the class specification, they must normally be substantiated by an official SF-3 (position description) contemporary to the time the duties are claimed. The SF-3 must be an official document filed as an update or reallocation appeal and signed by our Classification Division. THE DUTIES ARE CREDITED FROM THE DATE THE UPDATED SF-3 IS STAMPED "RECEIVED" BY CIVIL SERVICE. There is no retroactive credit given for time the duties may have been performed prior to receipt of the SF-3.

C. CREDITING DUTIES AS FULL-TIME
Duties performed 30% of the time or more are credited as full-time experience. Experience is not pro-rated.

D. CREDITING EXPERIENCE IN THE ABSENCE OF AN SF-3
In the absence of an SF-3 other evidence will be weighed and considered. When evidence is contradictory, greater weight will generally be given to official documents over unofficial ones and to detailed and specific information over more general information. Although there is no definitive list of the types of evidence that may be accepted from an applicant to credit experience outside the job specification, the evidence must normally satisfy these criteria.

1. Document must be contemporary to the time duties are claimed. Testimonials written today claiming duties were performed in the past are not acceptable.

2. The dates that the duties were performed must be clear from the documents presented. Credit will only be given for dates indentifiable from the documents or which can reasonably be inferred from them. Thus, a person could be credited for one year of supervisory experience for each performance appraisal he signed on an employee. But if he claims five years of supervisory experience and can only produce two years' appraisals, he would normally be given only two years of experience.

3. The document must clearly identify the applicant as the one who performed the duties and where relevant, the percent of time spent on specific duties claimed.

Some examples of documents that have been accepted in lieu of an SF-3 are:

A. ACCREDITATION
Earned college hours used to qualify for a job must have been earned from a college or university accredited by one of the following regional accrediting bodies: the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools; the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Incorporated; the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools; the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools; the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools; the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. To ascertain the accreditation of a particular college or university, you may contact the Examining Division of Civil Service.

B. VERIFICATION OF TRANSCRIPTS
The Examining Division will accept only original, official transcripts or legible copies of official transcripts. By "official", we mean transcripts issued by the institution and marked "OFFICIAL" or with the institution's seal. The Registrar's signature should be written across the seal and should be legible on a copy even if the seal itself does not show up. Copies will be accepted only if they are legible and contain all necessary identifying information - at a minimum: the name of the institution, the name of the stu- dent, and the Registrar's signature. Transcripts marked "issued to student" but otherwise official as defined here, will be accepted. Other helpful (but not absolutely required) identifying information may include the student's date of birth and social security number.

Some documents which will NOT be accepted as verification of educational qualifications include grade notices, Student Records, diplomas, teaching certificates or any transcripts marked "UNOFFICIAL". If the information on the transcripts is questionable for any reason (e.g. handwritten changes have been made to the transcript), the Examining Division reserves the right to request an original transcript or a better copy whichever seems necessary to us.

C. CLAIMS THAT TRANSCRIPTS CANNOT BE OBTAINED
Sometimes when transcripts are required to verify college, applicants will claim they are unable to obtain a transcript. When dealing with such claims it is our policy to determine the reason why the applicant cannot obtain a transcript by contacting the institution granting the degree or hours.

If the reason the applicant cannot obtain his transcript is that he has defaulted on student loans, failed to pay fees or parking tickets, or to meet other financial obligations due to the University, we will not accept any other document as proof of obtaining required degrees or hours.

D. ADMITTING PRIOR TO GRADUATION
In cases where college graduates have completed all requirements for the degree but will not have the actual degree conferred until a later date, we will credit the person as having the degree if he can provide a transcript or letter from the registrar's office or other documentation verifying that all requirements have been met. We will admit the person or approve an appointment based on a consideration that he is qualified as of the date he completed all requirements as verified by the letter or transcript.

This does not mean that we will credit persons who have completed all but the thesis requirement on a master's degree. If the thesis is part of the degree requirement a person will not be credited with the degree until the thesis is completed.

V. ADMITTING AN APPLICANT BEFORE HE QUALIFIES
Our policy is to admit an applicant two weeks before the date he would actually be qualified based on continuing work experience or obtaining required education. When a special or promotional announcement is involved, we will admit someone who qualifies within two weeks of the closing date.

I. RESTORATION OF GRADES
Restoration refers to placing a name back on a register after it has been removed for some reason such as a failure to reply to an inquiry of eligibility. A person's name may only be restored if a current active register exists and the grade has not expired. To be restored to a register, the candidate must either send a written request to Civil Service or return the C.S.168 (notification of removal) originally sent to him. Restorations may be requested at any time; the register does not have to be open to application.

II. REGRADES
When a test series is used for several jobs and an applicant has received a grade for one job in that series, he may be regraded for other jobs in the series without retesting. To be regraded, an applicant must submit a new application, meet the minimum qualifications for the job requested, and have an unexpired grade for at least one active register in the test series.

Sincerely,

Herbert L. Sumrall
Director