Alert: USA Hire Assessment

by John Paré

Dear Federation Family:

We are gathering feedback on the Federal government’s use of an assessment tool called USA Hire. This tool consists of a series of timed assessments that are administered as part of the Federal government’s employment application process in an attempt to measure reasoning and analytical skills. It is similar to the civil service exam that was used but discontinued due to discrimination in 1981. USA Hire assessments are applied to some but not all job applications posted on USAJobs. The purpose of the assessments is to evaluate an applicant’s “general competencies and soft skills.”
 
We are seeking information from those who have experienced challenges with USA Hire in the following areas:

1. Accessibility of the platform using assistive technology
2. Insufficient amount of time for the timed assessments
3. Difficulty with logic games and vision-centered questions
4. Difficulty requesting and receiving reasonable accommodations
5. Requirement to produce medical documentation for a reasonable accommodation within OPM prescribed deadline (three calendar days)
6. Requirement to produce medical documentation from only OPM approved sources (ophthalmologist, etc.); and
7. Other areas of difficulty

If you experienced any of the challenges referenced, please contact our advocacy and legal group at [email protected] or by calling 410-659-9314, ext. 2440.