Once minimum qualifications are met, applicants must complete necessary examinations. Depending on the job classification, examinations may consist of one or more of the following components:

Written Examination – Normally covers a variety of subject matter. Written tests usually consist of multiple choice questions and are often used when large numbers of applicants must be tested.

Oral Examination – Applicant verbally answers questions posed by a panel of subject matter experts. This examination component evaluates verbal skills, problem solving, and decision-making abilities. Structured interviews at the agency level fall into this category.

Training and Experience Evaluation - An evaluation of an applicant's education and experience, based strictly on the information provided in the application materials, compared to the established examination criteria for a classification or position. Evaluations of competency-based applications are included in this component.

Performance Testing - Evaluates an applicant's ability to perform specific functions of a job. (eg., a keyboarding test.) This is normally scored as pass/fail.

Physical Aptitude Test (PAT) - A pass/fail series of physical events that test an individual's ability to perform certain aspects of a job. PATs are typically associated with law enforcement classifications.

Service Rating - Use limited to Department of Transportation. Supervisor rates an applicant's actual performance and future potential.

Each examination component (except PATs and performance tests) is given a numeric score which, in turn, is allocated to a certain portion of the total score, as determined by the requirements of the classification. The minimum passing score is 70 points. [Note: veterans' preference points are added to the examination score after the examination process is completed. For further information on veterans' preference, please refer to Section 5.1, Veterans' Preference, of this manual.]

When a final score is determined, the applicant is placed on the classification register by score, including veterans’ preference points. As vacancies occur, names are generally certified to the employing agency by civil service status (agency promotional, statewide promotional, or open competitive), examination score, and geographic preference. For additional information on registers, please refer to Section 5.6, Certification Types and Uses, of this manual.

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