USA Hire Assessments

The below help content contains information regarding the USA Hire Online Assessments.

General Information

• Online Assessment Information
• Reasonable Accommodation Information

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the USA Hire assessments and why am I being asked to take them?

USA Hire is an online assessment platform that provides Federal agencies with powerful assessment tools enabling them to find top talent and make better hiring decisions. Industrial Organizational Psychologists developed and validated these assessments to be better predictors of job performance than assessments which allow applicants to self-report on their level of expertise. Agencies incorporate USA Hire into the application process so that applicants are automatically progressed to the assessments when required.

How and when will I receive my link to complete online assessments?

While processing your application, the system will determine if you have previously completed the USA Hire assessments required for the position. Traditionally, this process occurs automatically in seconds after submitting your application. However, for certain positions, the hiring agency has decided to have their human resources staff review all applications first before progressing applicants through the USA Hire assessments. For this reason, timing to receive your assessment completion status may vary by job announcement and agency process. The same assessments may be used across Federal agencies, position titles, occupational series, grades and/or competencies assessed. If you have previously completed the assessments required for the position on another application for Federal employment and are within the period of time your answers are reused, then your answers will be reused for your application and you will receive a notice that all assessments are complete. If you did not previously complete the required assessments, or you previously completed some but not all assessments, you will receive a notice that your application requires the completion of additional assessments. Once you are notified assessments are required, you will receive a unique access link to complete the required USA Hire assessments and a deadline by which you will need to complete these assessments. This notice to complete assessments and the access link are provided: On-screen as part of your application submission confirmation (if the agency has not opted to first review applications). In the form of an email invitation sent from [mailto: usastaffingoffice@opm.gov]. By clicking “Track this application” within you USAJOBS application dashboard. This will redirect you to an application status page containing your USA Hire assessment status and electronic copies of any assessment-related notification emails. If it has been determined that you previously completed your assessments, you will be similarly notified in the above three methods that all assessments are complete, and no further action is required at this time.

Why am I being directed to USAJOBS and Login.gov after clicking my assessment access link?

The USA Hire assessments are a part of your application process for the announcement to which you applied on USAJOBS. Therefore, to complete the assessments, you must first sign in to your USAJOBS account using the login.gov credentials you used to apply for that position. If you’re unsure which email address you used, check the email address to which your invitation notifying you of the requirement to complete additional assessments was sent. If you cannot locate this email invitation, contact the hiring agency point of contact for your announcement and request further assistance. The hiring agency will be able to provide you the email address you used to apply to the job announcement. See the “How do I contact the agency human resources for assistance” section below for information on how to find your hiring agency point of contact.

How can I update my Login.gov and USAJOBS email associated with my application?

The email address listed in your USAJOBS profile is the same email address you use for Login.gov. For more information regarding changing the email address or authentication information related to USAJOBS profile and/or login.gov account, go to USAJOBS Help

I am receiving an error trying to complete my assessments, how should I proceed? You may receive these errors when attempting to access your unique testing link:

Error Message	Resolutions Steps
“You have logged in with an incorrect email. Please try logging in with a different one”	Each assessment link is personal to your application. You authenticate your identity using the email address you used with your Login.gov and USAJOBS account to apply to the job announcement. The email address you provided as part of your application is the same email address expected to access and complete the assessments for that application. Take the following steps to resolve this issue: Verify the email address you’re using matches the email address associated with your USAJOBS account used to submit the application. If you changed your USAJOBS or Login.gov email after you applied to the position, you will need to contact the hiring agency to update the email associated in their application system to match your new USAJOBS or Login.gov email. The change in their system will automatically update the email expected in the assessment system. See the “How do I contact the agency human resources for assistance” section below for how to contact the hiring agency. Clear any conflicting login credentials stored by your internet browser. To clear these, login with the correct email credentials and perform the following steps based on your browser: Google Chrome: Press Ctrl+Shift+Del on your keyboard. In the Time Range drop down menu, select All Time and click Clear Data Mozilla Firefox: Press Ctrl+Shift+Del on your keyboard. In the Time Range drop down menu, select Everything and then click OK Microsoft Edge: Press Ctrl+Shift+Del on your keyboard. In the Time Range drop down menu, select All Time and then click Clear Now Apple Safari Clear browsing history We recommend closing all your open browsers completely and then attempting to access your assessment access link again using the USAJOBS account and Login.gov credentials you used to submit your application. If you continue to experience issues accessing the assessments after performing the above steps, Submit a Help Ticket to OPM. As part of the help desk ticket, make sure to provide them: The error message text you’re receiving Were you able to successfully clear cache and cookies per the instructions? What is your authentication method (e.g., call, text, authenticator app, etc.) for your USAJOBS AND Login.gov account? What browsers have you tried? What device are you using? Is it a personal device or government-issued?
“This workflow is not yet available”	This message displays when the assessment testing window has not yet started for the announcement to which you applied. You will continue to receive this message until you reach the testing window start date the hiring agency established for this announcement. Take the following steps to resolve this issue: See the How do I contact the agency human resources for assistance section below and request the start date the hiring agency identified for you to begin your assessment. Login using the assessment access link on or after the testing window start date the hiring agency provides. If you continue to experience issues accessing the assessments after performing the above steps, Submit a Help Ticket to OPM.
“The opportunity to complete the assessments for the Job Opportunity Announcement (JOA) to which you applied has ended. The timeframe for completing the assessments was outlined in the JOA to which you applied and the email invitation. Thank you for your interest in employment with the Federal Government.”	This message displays when the testing window has ended for the announcement to which you applied. This deadline for completing the assessments can be found in your on-screen and email invitations. See the What happens if I fail to complete all the assessments by the deadline I was provided? section for more information.
“You are attempting to take an assessment from a mobile device. Mobile devices are currently not supported. Please re-enter with a supported device (desktop or laptop) and browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge).”	This message displays when you are attempting to complete the assessments from a mobile device. The USA Hire assessments are not optimized for delivery on a mobile device and cannot be completed on a smart phone or tablet at this time. To resolve this issue, complete assessments on a desktop or laptop computer. If you are on a desktop or laptop computer and encountering this message, there may be an issue with your screen resolution or size. To resolve this issue: Check if Screen Resolution is Too Small: If your screen resolution is less than 442 pixels high by 442 pixels wide, this error will be displayed as your screen resolution is too small to display the assessments. To resolve this issue: On a Windows operating system: Type “Display Settings” in your search on your task bar and hit [Enter]. In the window which appears, update the “Display resolution” to a higher resolution. On a Mac operating system: Click the apple icon in the top-left of the screen, then click 'System Preferences'. Navigate to 'Displays', then, under 'Resolution', change the setting to "Default for display" (if available) or change Scaling to 'Default' Check if Assessment Window Not Maximized: If your screen resolution is greater than 442 pixels wide by 442 pixels high, verify your USA Hire assessment internet browser window is maximized to utilize your full screen. When your internet browser window height or width is less than 442 pixels the mobile device error will be shown. To resolve this issue, maximize your USA Hire assessment window to ensure the browser window width and height are larger than 442 pixels. Check if Display or Browser Zoom Settings Too High: If the above requirements are met, and you’re still encountering this issue, your internet browser window zoom settings may be causing the mobile device error to be shown. To resolve this issue: Check to see if your internet browser window zoom is set to be larger than 100%. If it is, decrease the zoom setting incrementally until the mobile device error message no longer appears. Once the message disappears, your screen resolution will be greater than 442 pixels wide and high. Check your settings related to the size of text, apps, and other items. On a Windows operating system: Type “Display Settings” in your search on your task bar and hit [Enter]. In the window which appears, update the setting related to size of text, apps, and other items to the recommended 100%. If this fixes the issue, then slowly increase the increment to determine the maximum setting you can use to ensure your display browser window is at least 442 pixels wide and high. On a Mac operating system: Click the apple icon in the top-left of the screen, then click 'System Preferences'. Navigate to 'Displays', then, under 'Resolution', change the setting to "Default for display" (if available) or change Scaling to 'Default' If you continue to experience issues accessing the assessments after performing the above steps, Submit a Help Ticket to OPM.
“An error has occurred. Please refresh the page and try again.”	This message displays while taking assessments if there appear to be network connectivity issues impacting the delivery and display of the assessments. To resolve this issue: Ensure you’re on a stable internet connection. Connect to a more reliable connection, refresh the browser page, and continue the assessment. Ensure you’re not using a virtual private network (VPN). Disconnect from your VPN, refresh the browser page and continue the assessment. If you continue to experience issues accessing the assessments after performing the above steps, Submit a Help Ticket to OPM.
Other technical error messages while completing assessments	If you experience a technical or system issue not covered above, Submit a Help Desk Ticket to OPM. Please be detailed in the description of your issue, provide the exact wording of any error message you’re receiving, at what point you encountered it (e.g. after clicking the link, at USAJOBS login, while in the assessments, etc.) and make sure to provide the name of the assessment or page that you’re on when you’re encountering the technical issue.

I completed my assessments. Can I request my score?

In accordance with 5 CFR 300.201(a), the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) does not provide information on the cut score (e.g., pass/fail) or information on individual assessment results (e.g., scores). This could compromise the objectivity and/or integrity of the testing process. Therefore, the OPM USA Hire Help Desk cannot provide individual score results to any applicants. However, the hiring agency to which an application was submitted may share scoring or rating information with applicants according to their Agency policies. See the How do I contact the agency human resources for assistance section below to contact the hiring agency.

I completed my assessments. How long will my score be reused for other announcements?

For the vast majority of USA Hire assessments developed by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, an applicant’s assessment responses will be reused for a period of one year from the date they completed the assessment. However, certain agencies may independently develop position specific assessments and establish reuse periods longer or shorter than a year. Prior to starting their assessments for an announcement, applicants are instructed how long responses will be reused. Applicants are required to confirm they have read and understand this information before being able to take the assessment. Keep in mind there are many varieties of the USA Hire assessments, and some are purpose-built for agency or position specific competencies. Therefore, while the assessments may look and feel similar to those you previously completed within your reuse window, rest assured that if they are presented to you, they are different assessments from what you previously completed and required for you to complete your application.

Why are my assessment responses reused?

Reuse of responses enhances test security, streamlines content management, and reduces the applicant burden by applying responses across vacancy announcements, rather than requiring you to repeat test sessions for each announcement to which you apply. Additionally, unlike technical skills which may show changes over a year, psychometric research supports that general competencies such as those measured by USA Hire assessments are less malleable to changes which could impact results within a year timeframe.

How do I contact the agency human resources for assistance?

To locate the hiring agency for the job announcement: From your USAJOBS home page, after signing into your account, locate the job announcement. Click the (+) sign next to the position title to expand the information regarding that announcement. Click 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 provided for assistance.

Issues Not Covered Above

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) USA Hire Help Desk is available for individuals seeking technical USA Hire assistance with accessing or completing USA Hire online assessments. Technical assistance is available Monday through Friday 7 AM to 7 PM EST. The help desk is closed on weekends, Federal holidays, as well as the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

A USA Hire help desk ticket can be submitted here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/HelpTicket