NORs Are Being Sent

[fanning]

I got the invite per an email sent at 11:43 p.m. Now I have something new to obsess about.

[carjack]

I too got notice that I am deemed minimally qualified. I'm trying to raise my score.

I think there is merit in the argument that you have to respond with very specific examples and use their qualifying words in your response. They want specifics rather than generalizations. Those on this board who got high scores said that it was a key.

[mle06]

Got my invitation to participate in the WD and SI on Friday 02/26/2010 at 11:43 p.m.

[backtoeden]

I will be moving on to the WD/SI.

I have been sick this week and only occasionally checking in. I actually saw the email first on my phone then went to the computer to open it and read it. I did not even know the results were out until 20 minutes ago!

Good luck to everyone, including those who appeal.

[lostinspace]

Wow - not paying attention and just saw it on my e-mail. Congrats to the others and best of luck to those appealing.

[notajudgeyet]

Feb 27, 2010 15:44:41 GMT -5 carjack said:

I too got notice that I am deemed minimally qualified. I'm trying to raise my score.

I think there is merit in the argument that you have to respond with very specific examples and use their qualifying words in your response. They want specifics rather than generalizations. Those on this board who got high scores said that it was a key.

Answering the questions precisely, and modeling the question in your answer, are key. There's no doubt that some people with loads of relevant experience have failed to do this. For example, if the question was about your written skills and the answer was a generic "I've been a litigator for 20 years", you just threw away a lot of points. You have to answer the question very precisely, showing exactly the nature and extent of your written skills.

[privateatty]

Feb 28, 2010 11:50:58 GMT -5 notajudgeyet said:

Feb 27, 2010 15:44:41 GMT -5 carjack said:

I too got notice that I am deemed minimally qualified. I'm trying to raise my score.

I think there is merit in the argument that you have to respond with very specific examples and use their qualifying words in your response. They want specifics rather than generalizations. Those on this board who got high scores said that it was a key.

Answering the questions precisely, and modeling the question in your answer, are key. There's no doubt that some people with loads of relevant experience have failed to do this. For example, if the question was about your written skills and the answer was a generic "I've been a litigator for 20 years", you just threw away a lot of points. You have to answer the question very precisely, showing exactly the nature and extent of your written skills.

What they said.

[masondixon]

I also got the invitation to the party OPM is throwing in March and April. To those that got knocked out just keep on plugging away. The entire OPM testing and rating process for ALJ candidates is beyond bizarre. I think OPM just relishes torturing me a little longer. Good luck to everyone.

[elmerfuddgantry]

Heed the advice of others on this board and appeal, appeal, appeal OPM's denial until you get what you want. I know of others who did and it worked.

My NOR said "Your Accomplishment Record (AR) score was not among the higher AR scores from all eligible applicants. Accordingly, your application will no longer be considered for the current ALJ examination."

If indeed I should appeal, what are my grounds? I'm personally satisfied I wrote the best AR of which I am capable. With hindsight and the knowledge gleaned from this board, I would not change a word.

Other professional examinations I've taken release model answers after the exam together with the point values assigned to each question, allowing you to determine where you fell short. The AR grading process is completely opaque. For example, how many points of an unknown total are assigned to "Competency 1: Decision Making"? What differentiates an answer entitled to full credit from one entitled to half credit? Is the answer graded seat-of-the-pants by an anonymous reviewer, or is there a scoring template?

Without detailed information on the grading process and my ranking among the other applicants, I see no way to mount a credible appeal. I suspect that is what OPM intended. I'm no FOIA expert, but I'll bet OPM would claim exemption under personnel rules and practices and they would be upheld.

My inclination is to forget about it until the next announcement comes out.

[footballer]

I, too, am through to the next round.

I'm honestly and truly sorry for the those who didn't progress.

[lawmaker]

Feb 28, 2010 18:26:45 GMT -5 elmerfuddgantry said:

Heed the advice of others on this board and appeal, appeal, appeal OPM's denial until you get what you want. I know of others who did and it worked.

My NOR said "Your Accomplishment Record (AR) score was not among the higher AR scores from all eligible applicants. Accordingly, your application will no longer be considered for the current ALJ examination."

If indeed I should appeal, what are my grounds? I'm personally satisfied I wrote the best AR of which I am capable. With hindsight and the knowledge gleaned from this board, I would not change a word.

Other professional examinations I've taken release model answers after the exam together with the point values assigned to each question, allowing you to determine where you fell short. The AR grading process is completely opaque. For example, how many points of an unknown total are assigned to "Competency 1: Decision Making"? What differentiates an answer entitled to full credit from one entitled to half credit? Is the answer graded seat-of-the-pants by an anonymous reviewer, or is there a scoring template?

Without detailed information on the grading process and my ranking among the other applicants, I see no way to mount a credible appeal. I suspect that is what OPM intended. I'm no FOIA expert, but I'll bet OPM would claim exemption under personnel rules and practices and they would be upheld.

My inclination is to forget about it until the next announcement comes out.

I didn't personally inspect the announcement this time, but didn't they as in the past, provide 2 model example answers within the body of the announcement?

[elmerfuddgantry]

didn't they as in the past, provide 2 model example answers within the body of the announcement?

Yes, they were example answers to made-up questions that did not appear in the AR itself.

ETA: Withdraw remainder of this post. All my appeal questions answered in another thread.

[crazybroad]

I have yet to receive an email and my application manager app says Awaiting Results. Anyone else in this situation?

[belgrade]

Same here - still no email.

[Well]

Opened my notice on Sunday.

I was mildly surprised just because of my prior experience dealing with Federal hiring. I was in a group of nine lawyers hired two years ago this summer and if you rated us 1-9 on experience, the four most experienced were hired at GS-11, and the 5th and 7th most experienced at GS-12, with the two least experienced at GS-9.

I don't think the initial screening is done with any serious depth. Seems to me they are looking for any tiny screw-up they can use to boot someone and after that it is a crapshoot whether the person reviewing the documents understands what relevant experience is. If you don't write it to match the template the reviewer is looking at with the right magic words, you can get flushed.

[Propmaster]

Feb 28, 2010 11:50:58 GMT -5 notajudgeyet said:

Feb 27, 2010 15:44:41 GMT -5 carjack said:

I too got notice that I am deemed minimally qualified. I'm trying to raise my score.

I think there is merit in the argument that you have to respond with very specific examples and use their qualifying words in your response. They want specifics rather than generalizations. Those on this board who got high scores said that it was a key.

Answering the questions precisely, and modeling the question in your answer, are key. There's no doubt that some people with loads of relevant experience have failed to do this. For example, if the question was about your written skills and the answer was a generic "I've been a litigator for 20 years", you just threw away a lot of points. You have to answer the question very precisely, showing exactly the nature and extent of your written skills.

This is especially true because the peole "grading" the AR are not lawyers and have no idea what a "litigator" does. I know of more than one person in the 2007 round who said things like "I've represented hundreds of claimants at SSA hearins," which means less than nothing to people who don't know the difference between an ALJ hearing from what happens when the groundhog looks for his shadow.

[maxlaw]

Mar 1, 2010 10:21:06 GMT -5 @patriotsfan said:

Congrats to all who made the first cut. Just a quick correction. The NOR is what you get when OPM sends your final numerical score after the WD/SI. Its semantics, but I thought some might get confused later when we discuss the real NOR. This notice is not the NOR (even though I do think I also referred to it somewhere as the NOR).

To refine the point a bit, I think that the Notice of Results (NOR) is what you get when OPM takes what it deems final action on your application. So, for those going forward with the process, what was received was not an NOR; instead that will be when those folk receive the numerical score PF described.

For those who were disqualified on technical grounds, or received the dreaded "not among the most highly qualified candidates" letter, that is indeed the NOR. Bottom line, if they explain about appeal rights, it's an NOR.

[maxlaw]

Mar 1, 2010 9:16:21 GMT -5 crazybroad said:

I have yet to receive an email and my application manager app says Awaiting Results. Anyone else in this situation?

Check your spam/trash folder. That's where I found mine.

[kilgore]

I have yet to receive an e-mail one way or the other as of this typing. Is there some contact at OPM we can poke to find out if they intend to finish sending them today, this week, at all?

[kilgore]

I have checked my spam/trash folder. No dice.