Education Requirements and Skills-Based Assessments in Federal Hiring

Education Requirements and Skills-Based Assessments in Federal Hiring

INSIGHTi

Education Requirements and Skills-Based
Assessments in Federal Hiring
March 6, 2023
Background
College degrees are required as a minimum qualification for some federal jobs. Recently, Congress, the
Biden Administration, and the Trump Administration have demonstrated an interest in removing
unnecessary education requirements from some jobs and replacing them with skills-based assessments
during the hiring process.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prepares position classification standards and qualification
standards for federal white-collar occupations. OPM’s General Schedule Operating Manual provides
information to federal agencies on the “policies, instructions, and standards used to help determine the
qualifications of applicants for federal employment.” The position classification standards and
accompanying guides define the occupations, establish official position titles, and describe the various
levels of work. The qualification standards describe minimum requirements, including education, for each
occupational series and are broad so as to apply government-wide. According to OPM, “Minimum
qualifications are used as a first step in identifying applicants who will perform satisfactorily on the job,
and to screen out those who are less likely to do so.”
An education requirement is a commonly used example of a minimum qualification. Some federal white-
collar positions require attainment of a specific college degree or completion of specific academic courses
at the baccalaureate or graduate level. OPM’s USAJOBS.gov website explains that jobs that require a
college degree in a specific field of study “tend to involve research, scientific, or professional work (such
as a specialist in contracts, medicine, engineering, biology, psychology, or accounting).” These college
degrees must be obtained from a college with an accreditation that is recognized by the Secretary of
Education. Some jobs require a baccalaureate degree but do not specify a particular field. These jobs are
typically entry-level. Other jobs do not require a college degree at all. In some cases, general and
specialized work experience may qualify an applicant for some federal white-collar jobs.
Agencies use a variety of tools to evaluate applicants’ qualifications. Assessment tools measure the extent
to which candidates can perform some or all of the critical competencies for a position identified through
the job analysis. Agencies may select the type of assessment tool to use, which can include written tests,
work samples, and structured interviews, among others. OPM guidance states that an agency should select
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an assessment tool based on several factors related to the position and operational issues, such as the
competencies identified during the job analysis, expected number of applicants, and grade level of the
position to be filled. OPM’s Guide to Better Occupational Questionnaires provides information to federal
human resources professionals on developing self-reported occupational questionnaires, which may be
used as part of the assessment process.
Executive Order (E.O.) 13932
On June 26, 2020, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order (E.O.) 13932, which seeks to alter the
federal hiring process by replacing potentially unnecessary education qualifications with skills- and
competency-based hiring assessments for some positions. The E.O. defines assessment as “any valid and
reliable method of collecting information on an individual for the purposes of making a decision about
qualification, hiring, placement, promotion, referral, or entry into programs leading to advancement.”
The E.O. requires the OPM director, in collaboration with other officials, to review all job classifications
and qualification requirements within the competitive service. All agencies are to work with the OPM
director to develop practices to assess candidates on their relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs)
independent of educational attainment or lack thereof. It also specifies that candidates’ self-evaluations of
their qualifications are not sufficient and that agencies must require the candidates to prove their
qualifications via skills- or competency-based assessments. In addition, it mandates that agencies
continually evaluate the quality, integrity, and effectiveness of these assessment techniques.
The E.O. initially gave agencies 120 days from June 26, 2020, to make any changes to job classifications
and qualification requirements public and an additional 60 days for these changes to go into effect. On
May 7, 2021, the acting director of OPM issued interim guidance pertaining to E.O. 13932 that authorized
an extension for the implementation of the E.O.’s requirements until December 31, 2021. On December
29, 2021, the OPM director issued guidance, which authorized an additional extension for the full
implementation of the E.O. until December 31, 2022. On May 19, 2022, the OPM director issued new
guidance, which emphasized the Biden Administration’s continued interest in implementing the E.O.
OPM has also issued “Qualifications, Assessment, and Hiring Policy Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs),” which provides additional information related to E.O. 13932.
Issues for Congress
Congress has considered legislation to provide statutory authorization for the provisions of E.O.13932 or
otherwise alter the federal hiring process as it relates to education requirements. For example, on January
24, 2023, the Chance to Compete Act of 2023 (H.R. 159) passed the House and was later referred to the
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Congress may wish to monitor the implementation of E.O. 13932 and any related legislative proposals.
OPM has issued two deadline extensions to give agencies time to complete the requirements of the E.O.
The most recent deadline has passed, and the results of agencies implementing the E.O. remain to be seen.
The process established by the E.O. appears to be time consuming, and Congress may wish to consider
whether agencies have the necessary resources to implement the E.O.’s stated provisions.
Congress may also wish to consider the effects of any related legislative proposals and of the E.O. on
statutory merit system principles. For example, removing minimum education requirements may allow
for more subjectivity in the assessment of candidates, which could lead to favoritism in the hiring process.

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Author Information

Taylor N. Riccard

Analyst in Government Organization and Management

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