Free DE Certification Practice Test | 20 Questions, Scored and Explained

Vacancy Announcement (Anonymized)

Chemist, GS-1320-09/11

Agency: [Federal Agency] | Service: Competitive | Appointment: Permanent, Career or Career-Conditional

Examining method: Category rating with three quality categories: Best Qualified 90–100, Well Qualified 80–89, Qualified 70–79. Separate certificates are issued for each grade.

Basic Requirement (GS-1320 Individual Occupational Requirements)

1. Degree: physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering that included 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by course work in mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics.

2. Combination of education and experience: course work equivalent to a major as shown in 1 above, including at least 30 semester hours in chemistry, supplemented by mathematics through differential and integral calculus, and at least 6 semester hours of physics, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Grade Requirements (after the basic requirement)

GS-09: master’s degree or 2 full years of progressively higher graduate education in a related field, or 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-07, or a qualifying combination of education and experience.

GS-11: doctorate or 3 years of progressively higher graduate education, or 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-09, or a qualifying combination of education and experience.

The Applicant Group

Ratings shown are the results of the occupational questionnaire at each grade the applicant was found eligible for.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column. Applicant names stay in view.

Applicant	Claim and documents	Education and experience	GS-09	GS-11
Alvarez	No preference claimed	PhD in chemistry; applied both grades	88	85
Brooks	5-pt claim; retired Sergeant First Class (E-7), 20 years, honorable; DD-214 shows qualifying campaign medal	BS in chemistry (32 SH chemistry, calculus I and II, 8 SH physics); 1 year specialized experience equivalent to GS-07; applied both grades	91	—
Chen	10-pt claim; DD-214 honorable; current VA letter, 40 percent compensable	BS in chemical engineering (30 SH chemistry, calculus sequence, 6 SH physics); 1 year specialized experience equivalent to GS-09; applied both grades	92	84
Dawson	5-pt claim; DD-214 shows 6 months active duty for training only (Reserve)	BS in biology (30 SH chemistry, calculus sequence, 7 SH physics); applied GS-09 only	88	—
Ellis	10-pt claim; retired Lieutenant Colonel (O-5), 22 years, honorable, no disability	PhD; applied GS-11 only	—	93
Foster	10-pt claim; DD-214, honorable, Purple Heart; no VA letter	BS in chemistry (31 SH chemistry, calculus I and II, 6 SH physics) plus MS in chemistry; applied both grades	84	81
Hayes	No preference claimed	BS in chemistry (30 SH chemistry, calculus sequence, 6 SH physics); 27 semester hours of graduate chemistry; 6 months specialized experience equivalent to GS-07; applied GS-09 only	82	—
Iyer	10-pt derived claim as father of a veteran son rated permanent and total; son unemployed; honorable discharge; Iyer married, wife not disabled	BS in physics (30 SH chemistry, calculus sequence, 10 SH physics); applied GS-09 only	86	—
Marsh	10-pt claim; retired Commander (O-5), 24 years, honorable; current VA letter, 20 percent compensable	BS in chemistry (33 SH chemistry, calculus I and II, 6 SH physics); 1 year specialized experience equivalent to GS-07; applied GS-09 only	85	—
Nakamura	No preference claimed	BS in chemistry (30 SH chemistry, calculus sequence, 6 SH physics); 1 year specialized experience equivalent to GS-09; applied GS-11 only	—	91

A dash means the applicant was not rated at that grade. Work the file to determine why.

Assessment Questions

Work from the announcement and the applicant table above. The questions build on each other the way a real examining file does. Select one answer per question.

Choose how you want to take it.

Practice Mode shows all 20 questions with no clock. Hard Mode runs faster than exam pace on purpose. 30 minutes, one question at a time, and once you answer there is no going back. Beat this clock and the real one will feel roomy.

Question 1

Brooks applied for both grades but appears only on the GS-09 list. Why?

A. Time-in-grade rules require him to serve a year at GS-09 before appointment at GS-11
B. GS-11 needs a year equivalent to GS-09, or qualifying graduate education, and he has neither
C. His campaign service must be re-verified before a second-grade determination
D. On a multi-grade announcement, an applicant is referred only at the highest grade for which rated

Question 2

Hayes holds a qualifying bachelor's degree, 27 semester hours of graduate chemistry coursework, and 6 months of specialized experience equivalent to GS-07. Is she qualified at the GS-09 level?

A. No, because she has neither a full master's degree nor a full year of specialized experience
B. No, because combinations are not permitted for professional positions
C. Yes, because her combination of excess graduate education and experience totals 100 percent
D. Yes, because 27 graduate hours alone satisfy the education requirement at GS-09

Question 3

Chen meets the basic education requirement and documents 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-09. Which statement about her GS-11 eligibility is correct?

A. She is qualified at GS-11 on the experience path
B. She is not qualified, because the GS-09-equivalent year must have been under a federal appointment to count
C. She is not qualified, because professional positions require the education path at every grade
D. She is qualified only if she also shows graduate coursework beyond the bachelor's degree

Question 4

Dawson's DD-214 shows 6 months of active duty for training as a Reservist, with no other active service. He claims 5-point preference. How do you adjudicate the claim?

A. Grant TP, because any period documented on a DD-214 counts as active duty
B. Grant TP, because six months of continuous duty satisfies the minimum service period
C. Deny the claim, because active duty for training alone does not confer eligibility
D. Deny the claim unless he provides a campaign or expeditionary medal citation

Question 5

Ellis retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel after 22 years, with an honorable discharge and no service-connected disability. He claims 10-point preference based on length of service. How do you adjudicate?

A. Grant XP, because 22 years of honorable commissioned service earns the 10-point category
B. Deny the claim as filed, but advise that any qualifying campaign service on the DD-214 could support a TP claim
C. Grant CP, because a career of honorable commissioned service is a compensable-equivalent basis
D. Deny preference, because nondisabled retirees at or above the rank of major are excluded

Question 6

Marsh retired from the Navy as a Commander after 24 years, honorable discharge, and submits a current VA letter documenting a 20 percent compensable service-connected disability. He claims 10-point preference. How do you adjudicate?

A. Grant the claim, because the retiree rank exclusion does not apply to disabled veterans
B. Deny the claim, because a Commander retired at or above lieutenant commander is excluded
C. Deny the claim, because the exclusion is overcome only when the retirement itself was disability-based
D. Deny the claim, because a rating of 30 percent or more is required to overcome the rank exclusion

Question 7

Brooks retired from the Army as a Sergeant First Class after 20 years, honorable discharge, and his DD-214 documents a qualifying campaign medal. He claims 5-point preference. How do you adjudicate?

A. Deny the claim, because military retirees cannot receive preference regardless of rank
B. Grant TP conditionally, pending verification of the campaign medal with the service branch
C. Grant XP, because twenty years of service combined with a campaign medal earns the 10-point category
D. Grant TP, because the retiree exclusion applies at or above major, not to enlisted retirees

Question 8

Chen submits her DD-214 showing honorable service and a current VA letter documenting a combined service-connected disability rating of 40 percent, compensable. How is her preference adjudicated?

A. CP, 10 points, as a veteran with a compensable service-connected disability
B. XP, 10 points, as a disabled veteran without regard to the rating level
C. CPS, 10 points, as a veteran with a compensable disability of 30 percent or more
D. TP, 5 points, until the VA letter is independently verified with the VA

Question 9

Foster's DD-214 shows an honorable discharge and award of the Purple Heart. He claims 10-point preference but submits no VA disability letter. How do you adjudicate?

A. XP, 10 points, on the DD-214 showing award of the Purple Heart
B. CP, 10 points, because the Purple Heart implies a compensable disability
C. TP, 5 points, because a disability rating requires current VA documentation
D. Return the claim as incomplete until a VA letter is provided

Question 10

Iyer claims 10-point derived preference as the father of a veteran son whose service-connected disability is rated permanent and total; the son is unemployed and the discharge was honorable. Iyer is married, and his wife is not disabled. How do you adjudicate?

A. Grant XP, because a parent of a permanently disabled veteran derives preference
B. Deny the claim, because a father is not an eligible derived-preference relative
C. Grant CPS, because the son's rating passes through to the derived claimant
D. Deny the claim, because a parent derives preference only if unmarried, legally separated, or married to a totally and permanently disabled spouse, and Iyer is none of these

Question 11

Chen is rated 92 at GS-09 and 84 at GS-11. After preference adjudication, in which quality category does she appear on each grade's certificate?

A. GS-09 Best Qualified; GS-11 Best Qualified
B. GS-09 Well Qualified; GS-11 Best Qualified
C. GS-09 Best Qualified; GS-11 Well Qualified
D. GS-09 Well Qualified; GS-11 Well Qualified

Question 12

Rating at GS-11: Ellis (no preference after adjudication) 93, Nakamura (no preference) 91, Alvarez (no preference) 85, Chen (CPS) 84, Foster (XP) 81. Before any merging, who is in the GS-11 Best Qualified category?

A. Ellis, Nakamura, and Chen
B. Ellis and Nakamura
C. Ellis, Nakamura, Chen, and Foster
D. Nakamura

Question 13

A colleague reviewing the GS-09 certificate insists Marsh must be moved to Best Qualified because CP eligibles always go to the top category. What is the correct response?

A. Agree, because placement of compensable eligibles in the highest quality category is mandatory under 5 CFR part 337, subpart C
B. Agree, because the scientific and professional exception applies only at grades above GS-11
C. Disagree, because Marsh's adjudication as CP rather than CPS means he never floats
D. Disagree, because the float excludes professional positions at GS-09 and above

Question 14

At both grades, the certificate would yield only two candidates. The selecting official wants more. Under what condition may the agency expand the pool by merging Best Qualified with Well Qualified?

A. Whenever the selecting official requests additional candidates in writing
B. When fewer than three eligible and available candidates result per vacancy, and the method of expansion was decided before the vacancy was announced
C. When fewer than three candidates remain in the highest quality category, with the method of expansion selected at the point of referral to the official
D. When the selecting official documents that the highest category lacks the needed specialty qualifications

Question 15

The agency merges the GS-09 categories. The merged category holds Brooks (91, TP), Chen (92, CPS), Foster (84, XP), Marsh (85, CP), plus Alvarez (88), Dawson (88), Hayes (82), and Iyer (86), the last four non-preference after adjudication. In what order are the candidates entered on the merged certificate?

A. Chen, Brooks, Marsh, Foster, Alvarez, Dawson, Iyer, Hayes
B. Chen, Brooks, Alvarez, Dawson, Iyer, Marsh, Foster, Hayes
C. Chen, Brooks, Marsh, Alvarez, Dawson, Iyer, Foster, Hayes
D. Chen, Brooks, Dawson, Iyer, Marsh, Foster, Alvarez, Hayes

Question 16

The agency also merges the GS-11 categories. The merged category holds Ellis (93), Nakamura (91), and Alvarez (85), all non-preference after adjudication, plus Chen (84, CPS) and Foster (81, XP). In what order are the candidates entered on the merged certificate?

A. Ellis, Nakamura, Alvarez, Chen, Foster
B. Chen, Foster, Ellis, Nakamura, Alvarez
C. Chen, Ellis, Nakamura, Alvarez, Foster
D. Ellis, Chen, Foster, Nakamura, Alvarez

Question 17

After the GS-11 merge, a reviewer objects that Chen and Foster sitting at the top of the merged category is an improper float for a professional position. Is the reviewer right?

A. Yes, and both must be relisted by score within the merged category
B. Yes, because within-category preference ordering applies to administrative positions, not professional ones
C. No, their placement comes from within-category preference order, not floating
D. No, but only because preference-first ordering is limited to the category that was merged upward

Question 18

A later audit reconstructs a certificate from this unit and finds that an eligible was misranked. Under what conditions has the misranked eligible lost consideration in violation of law?

A. A selection was made from the erroneous certificate; upon correction the misranked eligible is or moves within reach of selection; upon correction the selectee moves out of selection range; and the misranked eligible meets all qualification requirements for the job.
B. A selection was made from the erroneous certificate; upon correction the misranked eligible is or moves within reach of selection; and the eligible meets all qualification requirements, whether or not the selectee remains within reach after the correction.
C. The misranking is confirmed on the corrected certificate and the eligible moves within reach of selection; qualification is presumed from the original rating, and no selection need have occurred for the violation to attach.
D. A selection was made from the erroneous certificate and the selectee moves out of selection range upon correction; the misranked eligible's own position and qualifications do not alter the violation analysis.

Question 19

From the merged GS-11 category, the selecting official wants to select Alvarez while Chen (CPS) and Foster (XP) remain available and unremoved. What must happen first?

A. A sustained pass-over of Chen only, since XP eligibles may be bypassed when a higher preference is being adjudicated
B. A pass-over memorandum approved by the agency HR director, documented and retained in the case file
C. A pass-over of Foster through the agency process first, after which Alvarez becomes reachable
D. Sustained pass-overs of both preference eligibles, Chen's through OPM

Question 20

Before any pass-over is filed, Chen emails the HR office declining further consideration at GS-11. What is the effect regarding Chen?

A. The declination is effective only if recorded on the face of the certificate at the time it is made
B. She may be annotated as declining and removed, and no pass-over of her is needed
C. The pass-over must still be filed with OPM to complete the audit record even after she declines
D. The certificate must be reissued without her name before any selection

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