fredcdobbs
Member
If you know what's good for you, you won't monkey around with Fred C. Dobbs.
Posts: 23
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Post by fredcdobbs on Oct 8, 2013 22:11:28 GMT -5
I spoke by phone today with an ALJ in a distant city who was scheduled to be on a structured interview panel this week, but his trip was canceled by OPM. According to the ALJ, OPM is not shut down and has funds and staff to continue the testing process. They cancelled his trip because most of the applicants who were scheduled for testing cancelled (or perhaps rescheduled) their trips. Since there were not enough applicants to justify the travel expense for interview panelists, they cancelled testing for this week altogether.
I have no reason to question this guy's credibility. Has this phenomenon been discussed in another thread? If so, give me a link and delete this post. If OPM is offering the test, I cannot imagine a large number of candidates (~120) suddenly cancelling their trips en masse this far into the process. Would the issue perhaps be the prohibition on leave-taking by essential employees during the shutdown?
If anyone can confirm or deny this event and explain what happened, I'd love to hear about it. If anyone on this board cancelled their own trip, why did you do it?
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Post by 71stretch on Oct 9, 2013 0:07:19 GMT -5
My group last week was scheduled to have 12 or 13, had many no shows. If they had advised OPM ahead of time they were not coming, the same thing might have happened.
My group was supposedly to be the last group of any size. So, there were likely not four groups, and groups less than 10 each. If the remaining groups were all smaller than 10 to start with, it wouldn't take many cancellations to make it too small to hold.
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Post by BagLady on Oct 9, 2013 7:58:29 GMT -5
It'll be interesting to hear from davef, who should be interviewing today.
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Post by Ace Midnight on Oct 9, 2013 8:01:21 GMT -5
My analysis would be - they developed an excess capacity here at the back end in case there were a large number of reschedules, and, as we are at the end of the process, they do not need so much. It is possible a bunch of people cancelled their travel plans because of the shutdown, but I find that going through the process, only to cancel near the finish line to be a fairly uncommon outcome.
I can't dismiss it out of hand, but Occam's Razor suggests they do not need as many SI panels for these final few days of testing/interviews.
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Post by ncatty007 on Oct 9, 2013 13:31:43 GMT -5
[*** SNIP ***] I can't dismiss it out of hand, but Occam's Razor suggests they do not need as many SI panels for these final few days of testing/interviews. When do things wrap up with the WD/SI? I seem to recall some speculation about late October, but didn't know if there was anything more definitive than that. Thanks.
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Post by hopefalj on Oct 9, 2013 13:45:40 GMT -5
[*** SNIP ***] I can't dismiss it out of hand, but Occam's Razor suggests they do not need as many SI panels for these final few days of testing/interviews. When do things wrap up with the WD/SI? I seem to recall some speculation about late October, but didn't know if there was anything more definitive than that. Thanks. I believe the speculation was next week is the final week. Perhaps 10/25, but I don't remember seeing a whole lot of 10/20-something dates.
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Benny
Full Member
Posts: 56
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Post by Benny on Oct 9, 2013 13:50:47 GMT -5
I don't think we had confirmation that testing went through October 25. There was mention of October 20th, but I think the most recent post said someone who needed to be accommodated was scheduled for October 16th. So, I think October 16th seems to be nearing the end of this "cycle". Seems like there are some rescheduled folks and stragglers this week. Feel free to correct me.......
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Post by 71stretch on Oct 9, 2013 13:58:51 GMT -5
Well, 10/20 is a Sunday. So, that's out. Someone who knows him said the blind applicant is testing around 10/16. He may well be testing alone, and I'd think would be one of the last ones. I never saw a date posted as late as 10/25. If they were "winding down" as the proctor described it, beginning Tuesday of last week, I think the end of next week is it. I'd assume they moved the ones they cancelled to next week.
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Benny
Full Member
Posts: 56
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Post by Benny on Oct 9, 2013 15:10:22 GMT -5
Observer53, sounds right....at any rate I think the initial calculations of 1,000 to 1,200 test takers seems reasonable.
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Post by lurker/dibs on Oct 9, 2013 19:26:15 GMT -5
I heard today of someone who is testing next week due to having emergency surgery on his scheduled day. They supposedly told him he was getting in on the last scheduled day. An ALJ told me this of an applicant that he knows personally.
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Post by Ace Midnight on Oct 10, 2013 0:20:40 GMT -5
When the "October 20" date was floated, some of us discussed that must mean either October 18th (the Friday before), or possibly the week of October 21. As nobody reported any dates in the 20s, I have been assuming that next week (October 14-18) is the last week. Purely through RUMINT, a blind applicant is reputedly testing alone on October 16 (and I assume, therefore, his/her SI will be on Thursday, October 17), and that may very well be it.
The final reschedules may also be getting in next week. Again, those cancelled panels may be because OPM planned for more reschedules, for flexibility, and now that they have hard numbers of who they're expecting next week - are cancelling this excess capacity.
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Post by moopigsdad on Oct 10, 2013 5:35:57 GMT -5
I heard today of someone who is testing next week due to having emergency surgery on his scheduled day. They supposedly told him he was getting in on the last scheduled day. An ALJ told me this of an applicant that he knows personally. Lurker I love the story, and if the applicant had emergency surgery on his scheduled testing date that means he had to be in DC at the time of the surgery. It makes it that much more of a bizarre story. You have to feel for someone who goes to Dc for testing, but has to have surgery instead.
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Post by lurker/dibs on Oct 10, 2013 6:15:09 GMT -5
As I understand it, he is from my state and was originally scheduled for my dates. I tried to look for him because the ALJ told me he would be there ( I had no idea what he looked like so I asked every older gentleman I saw if he was him). His name was on the sign in sheet on my testing date and he never signed in. Yesterday was the first day I could ask. I don't know what day next week, but he's going next week. That is a bizarre situation and terrible luck. I'm glad a local was bald to get rescheduled, though. And ironically it allowed us to find out his date is supposedly the last date he could get. I'm not sure of the surgery, but he's not getting any accommodation, from what I understand.
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Post by moopigsdad on Oct 10, 2013 7:06:02 GMT -5
As I understand it, he is from my state and was originally scheduled for my dates. I tried to look for him because the ALJ told me he would be there ( I had no idea what he looked like so I asked every older gentleman I saw if he was him). His name was on the sign in sheet on my testing date and he never signed in. Yesterday was the first day I could ask. I don't know what day next week, but he's going next week. That is a bizarre situation and terrible luck. I'm glad a local was bald to get rescheduled, though. And ironically it allowed us to find out his date is supposedly the last date he could get. I'm not sure of the surgery, but he's not getting any accommodation, from what I understand. Lurker do you have to be "bald" local in order to be rescheduled? LOL! I know it was a typo for "able", but I couldn't resist.
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Post by lurker/dibs on Oct 10, 2013 22:13:16 GMT -5
Omg autocorrect! "Able" mistyped is "bald"! My bad!
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Post by trekker on Oct 11, 2013 15:14:31 GMT -5
Actually it is not unusual for you to have "emergency" surgery a day or two (sometimes later) than when the person had the acute episode. Most surgeries are not really emergencies as physicians use the term. I once waited a week (in a Navy hospital) waiting to stabilize before my operation. My daughter had a broken shunt (a plastic tube that drains the cerebral fluid from her brain) and she was listed as an add on to the OR schedule. It took about a week. These are just two examples but you really have to in really bad shape to bump someone from the OR to take you. I could say more but hospital OR schedules are really pretty tight. And thanks Lurker for sharing this.
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davef
Full Member
Posts: 87
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Post by davef on Oct 11, 2013 22:51:48 GMT -5
Testing did go on this week, but there were only a handful of applicants. I believe the afternoon of my SI there were only two of us scheduled. I was scheduled Tuesday/Wednesday, but from others I spoke to I don't think there were many more on Monday. I know of at least one person scheduled Thursday/Friday, but haven't heard from them regarding numbers.
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Post by gottabeme on Oct 14, 2013 20:21:48 GMT -5
I just returned from testing and the SI. I got the impression I was the tail end of the testing. I was the only one that was testing that I know of. There were no people in the "holding" area and I know I was the only one interviewing on Fri. I was told that this week (Oct 15-18) was for the 10 point veterans and then they were wrapping up.
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Post by BagLady on Oct 14, 2013 20:25:59 GMT -5
Congrats on finishing and welcome to the other side!
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Post by yarddog on Oct 15, 2013 6:47:39 GMT -5
I just returned from testing and the SI. I got the impression I was the tail end of the testing. I was the only one that was testing that I know of. There were no people in the "holding" area and I know I was the only one interviewing on Fri. I was told that this week (Oct 15-18) was for the 10 point veterans and then they were wrapping up. Big congrats! Thanks for the info. Maybe we'll get a NOR for Thanksgiving !
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