Washington, DC – The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has announced that it will open a new Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Examination in the near future for interested applicants. They will make the announcement by posting a job opportunity announcement on USAJobs (www.USAJobs.gov). ALJs serve as impartial arbiters at regulatory and benefits-granting agencies.
As long as the applications are received within the specified filing period, all applications will be accepted. They will not limit the number of applications that are accepted as they have done so in previous years. We urge individuals who are interested in applying to monitor the USAJobs website.
The updated ALJ Examination involves a full review of the applicants’ qualifications, including specific legal experience and bar status, and a multi-part assessment of relevant competencies, including online and in-person assessments. Applicants who pass the preliminary qualification screening and proceed past an online assessment process will then be scheduled to participate in an in-person assessment process in the Washington, DC, area. Those who successfully complete the examination in its entirety will receive a final numerical score (which includes points for Veterans’ preference, as applicable). The names of eligible candidates will be used by OPM to establish a new ALJ register, which, in turn, will be used to issue certificates to agencies as their hiring needs for ALJs arise.
The current register, based on administrations of the existing ALJ examination since 2007, will expire when the new register is established. Candidates on the current register must reapply during the open period for the new job opportunity announcement, and successfully compete under the new examination if they wish to continue to be considered for employment as an ALJ without interruption.