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Important A cut score is the minimum score that must be obtained on an assessment to be eligible to proceed in the hiring process. |
What if the announcement applies a cut score?
If your assessment has a cut score, you may get a notification that you are ineligible because you did not meet the minimum proficiency level required.
The hiring agency usually notifies you with an application status notification stating:
"You are ineligible to proceed in the hiring process because you did not attain the overall minimum score on the required assessments for this position."
Impact to future applications
Your assessment responses are automatically reused for 12 months unless stated otherwise. Failing once doesn't mean you'll always be ineligible. You may have different outcomes for different applications, so keep applying.
- You can apply to other announcements using the same assessments that doesn't have a cut score.
- You can apply to a different job series or grade level where you might pass the cut score for that different job series or grade.
After the reuse period has passed, your previous assessment results will no longer be used, and you can take the assessment again.
What if the announcement does not use an assessment cut score?
If there is no cut score, you don't need to meet a minimum proficiency level, but your proficiency level will still be measured and used by the hiring agency to determine if you go to the next stage of the recruitment process.
Was I not referred because I didn't meet the cut score?
Not being referred does not mean you failed the assessment or that you are not qualified for the position. Federal hiring has many rules and regulations that affect who gets referred.
If I fail an assessment, can I retake it?
Assessment results are reused for 12 months, so you cannot retake the assessment during this time. However, you can still apply to other job announcements. Different applications might have different results based on hiring authority (e.g., merit promotion, direct hire authority, etc.), grade level, or job series.
If I fail an assessment, can you tell me how close I was to passing?
In accordance with 5 C.F.R. § 300.201(a), the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) doesn't share cut scores or individual assessment results (e.g., scores) to keep the process fair and objective. The OPM USA Hire Help Desk cannot provide your scores.
The hiring agency might share scoring details based on their agency policies.
How to Contact the Hiring Agency
- From your USAJOBS home page, after signing into your account, locate the job announcement.
- Select the (+) sign next to the position title to expand the information regarding that announcement.
- Select the Full job announcement link which will appear in the expanded information
- Within the job announcement, scroll down to the Agency contact information section within the How to Apply section to locate the agency point of contact information.
- Call or email the agency contact.