• 4A:4-2.1. Announcements and applications
• 4A:4-2.15. Rating of examinations
• 4A:4-2.2. Types of examinations
• 4A:4-2.3. Open competitive examinations
• 4A:4-2.4. Promotional title scope: local service
• 4A:4-2.5. Promotional title scope: State service
• 4A:4-2.6. Eligibility for promotional examination
• 4A:4-2.7. Promotion upon waiver of competitive examination
• 4A:4-2.8. Scheduling of examinations
• 4A:4-2.9. Make-up examinations
• 4A:4-2.10. Conduct and security of examinations
• 4A:4-2.11. Residence standards
• 4A:4-2.12. Professional qualifications substitution program
• 4A:4-2.13. College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
• 4A:4-2.14. Accommodation and waiver of examinations for persons with disabilities
• 4A:4-2.15. Rating of examinations
• 4A:4-2.16. Retention and inspection of examination records
• 4A:4-2.17. Application processing fees

(a) Notice of open competitive examinations shall be posted on a daily basis on the Department of Personnel web site (http://www.state.nj.us/personnel/) or announced by other appropriate means as approved by the Commissioner to secure sufficient qualified candidates.

(b) In order to notify all employees of promotional opportunities, notices of promotional examinations and applications shall be provided to eligible employees by the Department of Personnel or as directed by the Department of Personnel through the appointing authority. The appointing authority shall conspicuously post notices at all geographic locations within the unit scope to which the examination is open. Appointing authorities shall maintain a record of such posting.

(c) Examination announcements shall include at least the following information:

1. Title of the examination;

2. Salary information;

3. Minimum qualifications for admission to the examination;

4. Filing information; and

5. In open competitive examinations, a reference to duties and responsibilities.

(d) A promotional examination shall be reannounced if, within one year of the closing date, the examination has not been developed and scheduled.

(e) Unless otherwise provided for by the Commissioner, applications for open competitive and local service promotional examinations shall be filed with the Department of Personnel and applications for State service promotional examinations shall be filed with the appointing authority no later than the announced filing date, as established by the Department of Personnel. When mailed, the postmark date will be considered the date on which the application is filed.

(f) Prior to the filing date, an applicant may amend a previously submitted

application.

(g) The Department of Personnel may request clarifying information from an applicant.

(h) All examination applications shall remain confidential, except as the Commissioner may determine to be in the public interest.

(i) See N.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.17 for application processing fee procedures.

(a) Ratings may be computed by a valid statistical method based on the use of scoring formulas and/or conversion tables.

1. When education and experience are to be rated as part of an examination, they shall be graded through the use of scales prepared by the Department of Personnel.

(b) Examinations consisting of more than one part may be rated independently.

1. Candidates failing to meet minimum standards on one part of the examination shall be ineligible for the remaining parts.

2. Candidates who do not receive a passing score on one part of an examination shall be deemed to have failed the entire examination.

3. Candidates who fail an entire examination shall not receive Performance Assessment Review (PAR) credit or credit for seniority. See (c) and (d) below.

(c) Candidates for State service promotional examination shall receive credit for the final PAR rating on file in the candidate's personnel office as of the announced closing date for the rating period immediately preceding the announced closing date.

1. Credit shall be awarded as follows:

i. Three points for Exceptional; or

ii. One point for Commendable.

2. When there is no final rating on file for a candidate as of the announced closing date, the rating for that period shall be deemed Commendable and credit shall be given for that rating.

3. Performance ratings shall not be used as a scoring factor in promotions when the supervisor who completes a performance rating for a subordinate or acts as a reviewer for a subordinate's rating competes in the same promotional examination as the subordinate.

(d) In calculating seniority for promotional examinations, continuous permanent service accumulated prior to an intergovernmental transfer pursuant to N.J.A.C. 4A:4-7.1A (except as provided in (e) below), voluntary furloughs and the following types of leaves shall not be deducted from seniority.

1. All leaves with pay including sick leave injury (SLI);

2. Military, educational, gubernatorial appointment, personal sick, disability, family, furlough extension and voluntary alternative to layoff leaves of absence without pay; and

3. In local service, leave without pay to fill elective office.

(e) In calculating seniority for promotional examinations, continuous permanent service accumulated prior to an intergovernmental transfer pursuant to N.J.A.C. 4A:4-7.1A shall be deducted from seniority for all firefighters, and for those law enforcement officers, including sheriff’s officers and county correction officers, who have waived all accumulated seniority rights in agreeing to an intergovernmental transfer.

(f) Suspensions, other leaves of absence without pay not identified in (d) above, and any period an employee is laid off shall be deducted when calculating seniority.

1. In local service police and fire examinations, credit for record of service will be reduced by disciplinary suspensions received during the five year period immediately preceding the announced closing date.

(g) Employees reappointed from a special reemployment list shall be considered as having continuous service for seniority purposes. However, the elapsed time between the layoff or demotion in lieu of layoff and reappointment shall be deducted from the employee's seniority.

(h) When a municipality has a volunteer fire company and paid positions are created, any volunteer firefighter who has actively served for at least two years as of the announced closing date is entitled to service credits in addition to his or her earned examination score. The highest possible score for examination performance shall be 100 percent, to which the service credit shall be added. Service credits shall be not less than three nor more than 10, and shall be added only to a passing score. The service credit shall be calculated by adding one point to the number of years of service: for example, add three points for two years of service, four points for three years of service, and so on. Any service time in excess of nine years shall be awarded the 10 point maximum.

(i) The score earned by a candidate on an examination announced for more than one title area at a time shall be used for all examinations in those title areas for which the candidate files and is found eligible.

(j) A candidate for an examination may be permitted to use an examination score for a period of time, or for more than one title or more than one test, as determined by the Department of Personnel.

(k) Ties in final earned ratings shall not be broken.

(a) The Commissioner of the Department of Personnel shall administer examinations for appointment in the competitive division of the career service which may include any one or more of the following:

1. Written tests;

2. Oral tests;

3. Performance tests;

4. Physical performance tests;

5. Evaluation of education, training or experience;

6. Assessment exercises; and

7. Other appropriate measures of knowledge, skills and abilities.

(b) The Department of Personnel may select special examiners to act as subject matter specialists or to provide other assistance. Employees of the State or local jurisdictions may be so engaged as part of their official duties during normal working hours with the approval of their appointing authority. Extra compensation may be provided by the Department of Personnel for such service outside normal working hours.

(c) See N.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.14 for rules regarding the accommodation and waiver of examinations for persons with disabilities.

(a) Vacancies shall be filled by promotional examination unless the Commissioner determines that it is in the best interest of the career service to hold an open competitive examination. The determination to announce an open competitive examination shall be based on at least one of the following conditions:

1. The vacancy is in an entrance level title;

2. There are fewer than three qualified permanent employees in appropriate lower titles in the unit scope (See N.J.A.C. 4A:1-1.3 for definition of unit scope);

3. If more than one vacancy, the total number of qualified permanent employees in appropriate lower titles in the unit scope exceed by fewer than three the total number of vacancies;

4. A list resulting from a promotional examination will be exhausted before all present or anticipated vacancies are filled; or

5. The title requires special, technical or professional training or qualifications which are not required in lower titles.

(b) Unless otherwise specified, an applicant shall meet the following criteria by the announced closing date:

1. Be a resident of the State or specified local jurisdiction (see N.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.11), except when:

i. A different residency requirement is specified by law or provided by the Commissioner; or

ii. It appears that there is an inadequate number of qualified residents available for the title.

2. Meet all requirements specified in the examination announcement:

i. Applicants for the titles of Municipal Firefighter and Municipal Police Officer must be under the age of 35 on the announced closing date for an open competitive examination to be eligible to take the examination. Former State troopers, sheriff's officers, sheriff's deputies, County or Municipal Police Officers, New Jersey Transit police officers, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) police officers, Amtrak police officers, or any persons who were previously employed by any State or Federal law enforcement agency or other public entity, and who performed duties comparable to the law enforcement duties performed in the positions specifically listed in N.J.S.A. 40A:14- 127.1, 45 years of age or under who resigned in good standing may adjust their age by subtracting previous years of service from their actual age on the closing date. Former law enforcement officers as defined above who were involuntarily separated from service due to layoff, regardless of age, may adjust their age by subtracting previous years of service from their actual age on the closing date.

ii. For good cause, the Commissioner may deem an individual a former law enforcement officer as defined in (b)2i above, even though the individual's separation from service shall not occur except upon a new appointment.

iii. Veterans who are above a maximum age requirement, may recalculate their age for recording purposes pursuant to N.J.S.A. 38:23A-2; and

3. File an application with all supporting documents or proofs by the announced filing date.

(c) In announcing open competitive examinations, the Department of Personnel may provide a single application for several announcements and/or title areas (such as police, sheriff, corrections and bilingual). The applicant's eligibility for particular announcements and/or title areas may depend upon the applicant's residency as indicated on the application.

(d) When a promotional examination is announced, an open competitive examination may also be announced.

(a) If a title which is the subject of a promotional examination is part of a title series, then the examination shall be open to one of the following:

1. The next lower in-series title used in the local jurisdiction;

2. The next two lower in-series titles used in the local jurisdiction; or

3. All applicants in the unit scope who meet the open competitive requirements and all applicants in the next lower or next two lower in-series titles used in the local jurisdiction.

(b) When the title which is the subject of the promotional examination is not part of a title series, the examination shall be open to all applicants having a total of one-year permanent service who meet the open competitive requirements.

(c) When a promotion is to be made from the noncompetitive division of the career service to a related entry level title in the competitive division of the career service, the examination shall be open to all applicants who meet the complete open competitive requirements and who are either serving in:

1. The next lower in-series noncompetitive title used in the local jurisdiction;

2. The next two lower in-series noncompetitive titles used in the local jurisdiction;

3. All related noncompetitive titles; or

4. Any competitive title.

(d) The title scopes described in (a)2, 3 and (c)2 through 4 above or any combination of such scopes may be used when a wider title scope is appropriate or the appointing authority provisionally promotes an employee who does not have permanent status in the next lower in-series title of the title series established by the Department of Personnel.

(e) In extraordinary circumstances, the Commissioner may set another appropriate title scope.

(f) The local jurisdiction may be required to provide the Department of Personnel with copies of ordinances, tables of organization or other evidence of the jurisdiction's use of titles.

(a) For the purpose of announcing promotional examinations, all titles will be divided into one of the following categories:

1. Professional, which requires a Bachelor's or higher level degree, with or without a clause to substitute experience for education;

2. Para-professional, which requires at least 60 general college credits or 12 or more specific college credits (but less than a full degree), with or without a clause to substitute experience for education; or

3. Non-professional, which requires less than 60 general college credits or less than 12 specific college credits.

(b) When a promotion is within the same category as listed in (a) above, the examination, with or without all or part of the open competitive requirements, as appropriate, shall be open to permanent competitive division employees serving in one of the following:

1. The next lower or next two lower in-series titles. See N.J.A.C. 4A:1-1.3 for definition of title series.

2. The next lower in-series title, if one exists, and all other competitive division titles at specified class code levels below the promotional title. See N.J.A.C. 4A:1-1.3 for definition of class code.

3. The next lower in-series title, if one exists, and all other permanent competitive division employees who meet the complete open competitive requirements.

4. To related titles, pursuant to an established plan approved by the Commissioner.

5. In extraordinary circumstances, the Commissioner may set another appropriate title scope.

(c) When a promotion is between categories as listed in (a) above, the examination shall be open to permanent competitive division employees currently serving in the announced unit scope and who meet one of the following criteria:

1. All applicants who meet the complete open competitive requirements;

2. All applicants who are permanent in a bridge title or titles approved by the Commissioner and who meet the complete open competitive requirements. A bridge title is one which is recognized by the Department of Personnel as related to a higher category title in terms of work performed and knowledge, skills and abilities required;

3. All titles that are in the same category as the announced title and that are in specified class codes below the announced title, including the next lower in-series title if one exists, with or without all or part of the open competitive requirements, as appropriate, and all applicants as described in (c)2 above; or

4. In extraordinary circumstances, the Commissioner may set another appropriate title scope.

(d) When a promotion is to be made from the noncompetitive division to a related title in the competitive division, the examination shall be open to all permanent employees who meet one of the following:

1. Serving in the next lower or next two lower in-series noncompetitive titles and possessing the complete open competitive requirements;

2. Serving in all related noncompetitive titles and possessing the complete open competitive requirements;

3. All competitive division titles at specified class code levels below the announced title, with or without all or part of the open competitive requirements, and all titles as described in (d)1 or 2 above;

4. Competitive division employees who meet complete open competitive requirements and all titles as described in (d)1 or 2 above; or

5. In extraordinary circumstances, the Commissioner may set another appropriate title scope.

(e) The movement of a permanent employee in the noncompetitive division to a related title in the same category and with the same class code in the competitive division shall be considered a promotion for purposes of this subchapter. The title scope of the examination shall be established as set forth in (d) above.

(a) Applicants for promotional examinations shall meet all of the following criteria by the announced closing date:

1. Have one year of continuous permanent service for an aggregate of one year immediately preceding the closing date in a title or titles to which the examination is open. Aggregate service shall be calculated in the same manner as seniority as set forth in N.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.15;

2. Be currently serving in the announced unit scope in a title to which the examination is open and meet all other requirements contained in the announcement. If an examination announcement is amended, all requirements must be met by the announced closing date whether or not the application filing date is changed;

3. Have not received a Performance Assessment Review (PAR) final rating below the Commendable level (or equivalent in an approved local service evaluation program) in each of the two rating periods immediately preceding the announced closing date; and

4. File an application on or before the application filing date.

(b) In local service, applicants for promotion from entry level law enforcement or firefighter titles shall have three years of continuous permanent service in a title to which the examination is open, except as otherwise provided by law.

(c) Except when permitted by the Merit System Board for good cause, such as a documented affirmative action basis, applicants for promotional examinations with open competitive requirements may not use experience gained as a result of out-of-title work to satisfy the requirements for admittance to the examination or for credit in the examination process. The Department of Personnel may recommend to the Board good cause situations where out-of-title work should be accepted.

(d) Employees, with the exception of those serving in an entry level law enforcement or firefighter title, who have accepted a voluntary demotion to or are appointed from a special reemployment list to a title to which the examination is open, may, in order to satisfy the requirement of (a)1 above, include continuous permanent service in any higher related or comparable title. Employees serving in an entry level law enforcement or firefighter title who have accepted a voluntary demotion to or are appointed from a special reemployment list to a title to which the examination is open, may, in order to satisfy the requirement of (b) above, include continuous permanent service in any higher related or comparable uniformed title.

(e) An employee who has established eligibility for a promotional examination with a closing date earlier than the effective date of a layoff shall be permitted to take such examination.

(f) Employees who are separated or displaced as a result of layoff and who subsequently return to a title and unit scope to which a promotional examination is open between the filing deadline and the examination date, shall be allowed to file for the examination.

(g) The time requirements specified in (a) and (b) above may be reduced to completion of the working test period if:

1. There is currently an incomplete promotional list and/or the number of employees eligible for examination will result in an incomplete list;

2. It appears that vacancies to be filled within the duration of the promotional list will exceed the maximum number of eligibles that could result from examination; or

3. Other valid reasons as determined by the Commissioner.

(a) Following the announcement of a promotional examination, the Commissioner may authorize the promotion of a qualified permanent employee in the career service by regular appointment without competitive examination and without the establishment of an eligible list if:

1. The employee has been successfully tested in the basic skills required for the promotional title;

2. The employee has not failed, within one year prior to the announced closing date, a promotional examination for that title. However, an employee who subsequently passed an examination for that title shall be eligible for promotion;

3. The number of interested eligibles for the promotional examination referred to in (a) above does not exceed the number of promotional appointments by more than two; and

4. Veterans preference rights are not a factor.

(a) Examinations may be scheduled for one or more sessions on a Statewide, regional or local basis.

(b) Candidates will be notified in an appropriate manner of the time and place of the examination, and of any postponement or cancellation.

(c) Candidates shall be at the examination site at the designated time. Candidates arriving late shall only be admitted as follows:

1. Unless the examination notice states otherwise, candidates for written examinations or examinations containing written and performance parts shall be admitted to the examination if they arrive at the test room within 15 minutes after the designated time.

2. Candidates for oral examinations or examinations containing oral and performance parts shall be admitted to the examination if they arrive at the test room within 30 minutes after the designated time, provided the last scheduled candidate has not started the examination.

(d) A candidate who arrives late and is admitted to the examination shall receive the full allotted time to complete the examination.

(e) Jurisdictions operating under Title 11A, New Jersey Statutes, shall furnish sufficient facilities for the conduct of examinations when requested by the Department of Personnel.

(a) Make-up examinations, except for professional level engineering promotional examinations under (b) below and public safety open competitive and promotional examinations under (c) below, may be authorized for the following reasons:

1. Error by the Department of Personnel or appointing authority;

2. Serious illness or disability of the candidate on the test date, provided the candidate submits a doctor's certificate specifying that the candidate was not able to take the test on that day for medical reasons;

3. Documented serious illness or death in the candidate's immediate family;

4. Natural disaster;

5. Prior vacation or travel plans outside of New Jersey or any contiguous state, which cannot be reasonably changed, as evidenced by a sworn statement and relevant documentation; and

6. Other valid reasons.

(b) For professional level engineering promotional examinations, make-up examinations may be authorized only in cases of:

1. Debilitating injury or illness requiring an extended convalescent period, provided the candidate submits a doctor's certification containing a diagnosis and a statement clearly showing that the candidate's physical condition precluded his or her participation in the examination;

2. Death in the candidate's immediate family as evidenced by a copy of the death certificate;

3. A candidate's wedding which cannot be reasonably changed as evidenced by relevant documentation; or

4. Error by the Department of Personnel or appointing authority.

(c) For police, fire, correction officer, sheriff's officer, juvenile detention officer and other public safety open competitive and promotional examinations, make-ups may be authorized only in cases of:

1. Death in the candidate's immediate family;

2. Error by the Department of Personnel or the appointing authority; or

3. A catastrophic health condition or injury, which shall be defined as either:

i. A life-threatening condition or combination of conditions; or

ii. A period of disability required by the candidate's mental or physical health or the health of the candidate's fetus which requires the care of a physician who provides a medical verification of the need for the candidate's absence from work for 60 or more work days.

(d) Employees returning from military leave shall have an opportunity to take promotional examinations that have not yet been administered, or make-up examinations for active promotional lists for which they were eligible while on military leave. If the eligible passes the examination, his or her name will be placed on the eligible list, for prospective appointment only, based upon the score obtained, as if the examination had been taken when originally held.

(e) Employees who have been removed for disciplinary reasons or indefinitely suspended pending criminal charges, and are thereafter exonerated, shall have an opportunity to take promotional examinations that have not yet been administered, or make-up examinations for active promotional lists, if the suspension or removal resulted in the employee's non-participation in the promotional examination.

(f) A candidate must request, in writing, a make-up examination, within five days after the examination date due to one of the valid reasons set forth in (a), (b) or (c) above, as applicable. However, a candidate must submit a written request for a make-up examination within five days of receipt of the examination notice in case of one of the valid reasons set forth in (a), (b) or (c) above, as applicable, of which a candidate is aware upon receipt of the examination notice.

(g) Make-up examinations will be administered to the extent possible under the same conditions as the original examination but, in the case of public safety examinations under (c) above, shall be different in content from the original examination.

(h) The name of any candidate passing a make-up examination will be added to the eligible list. Except for error by the Department of Personnel or appointing authority, prior appointments from the eligible list will not be affected by the addition of a name to the list.

(i) All candidates taking make-up examinations, except physical performance examination, shall, as a precondition to taking the make-up examination, be required to sign a statement that they have no knowledge of the content of the examination as a result of information gained from or furnished by other candidates who participated in the original examination, or third parties, provided that:

1. In the case of open competitive and promotional public safety examinations referred to in (c) above, candidates shall sign an additional statement accepting the make-up examination as a substitute for the original examination, provided, however, that signing this statement shall not preclude the candidate from challenging the validity of the make-up examination's items, the scoring of the make-up or the make-up test conditions. See N.J.A.C. 4A:4-6.3 and 6.4.

(a) The Department shall insure that all applicants for an examination are given equal opportunity to demonstrate their relative merit and fitness.

(b) In the conduct or administration of an examination, the following shall be considered prohibited actions:

1. Securing, by unauthorized persons, of questions or materials, unless the same are available to all applicants;

2. Securing, by unauthorized persons, of information concerning the number or identity of applicants until all parts of the examination have been held and a resulting eligible list issued;

3. Identification of an applicant's examination papers or work before all examinations have been rated, where anonymity is required;

4. Impersonation of an applicant, either in person or by the improper exchange of applicant numbers or in any other manner;

5. Use or attempted use of any unauthorized aids, information or assistance, including copying or attempting to copy from, or helping or attempting to help another applicant in any part of an examination or performance of work assigned;

6. A candidate's participation in an examination if it would likely result in physical injury to the candidate or others, or damage to property; or

7. Copying, recording or transcribing any examination question or answer, and/or the removal from any examination room of any question sheet, answer sheet, scrap paper, notes or other papers or materials related to the content of an examination.

(c) Anyone participating in a prohibited action under (b) above shall be disqualified from the examination and may be rejected from future examinations and subject to punishment as provided by law.

(d) See N.J.A.C. 4A:4-2.6 on confidentiality of examination records.

(a) In local service, an appointing authority shall provide the Department of Personnel with its residency ordinance or resolution, if any, on an annual basis as determined by the Department, and shall provide any subsequent modifications within 20 days after adoption.

1. If the appointing authority provides the Department with such a subsequent modification following promulgation of an eligible list, the Department may charge it for the cost of reordering the list.

(b) Where residence requirements have been established, residence means a single legal residence. The following standards shall be used in determining legal residence:

1. Whether the locations in question are owned or rented;

2. Whether time actually spent in the claimed residence exceeds that of other locations;

3. Whether the relationship among those persons living in the claimed residence is closer than those with whom the individual lives elsewhere. If an individual claims a parent's residence because of separation from his or her spouse, a court order or other evidence of separation may be requested;

4. Whether, if the residence requirement of the anticipated or actual appointment was eliminated, the individual would be likely to remain in the claimed residence;

5. Whether the residence recorded on a driver's license, motor vehicle registration, or voter registration card and other documents is the same as the claimed legal residence. Post office box numbers shall not be acceptable; and

6. Whether the school district attended by child(ren) living with the individual is the same as the claimed residence.

(c) Unless otherwise specified, residency requirements shall be met by the announced closing date for the examination.

1. When an appointing authority requires residency as of the date of appointment, residency must be continuously maintained from the closing date up to and including the date of appointment. See N.J.A.C. 4A:4-4.7(a)7.

(d) The Department of Personnel will review residence requirements for examination candidates. It is the responsibility of the appointing authority to review and enforce residence requirements relating to appointment and continued employment.

(e) When there is a requirement that an employee reside within a specific distance of the work site, a written request must be submitted by the appointing authority to the Department for approval of such a restriction.

1. A request must be received and approved prior to the announcement of the examination.

2. However, the Department may, in appropriate circumstances, add special residency limitations after an eligible list is promulgated.

(f) An applicant seeking to appeal a residency determination shall utilize the procedures contained in N.J.A.C. 4A:4-6.6. The applicant shall have the burden of proving his or her residence.

(a) Applicants for designated open competitive or promotional examinations for professional titles may be permitted to substitute appropriate work experience, on a year-for-year basis, for specified higher educational requirements.

1. For titles requiring specific coursework or major fields of study, the successful completion of the coursework or fields of study shall be required.

2. Examination announcements shall contain, when appropriate, general information on the eligibility requirements and use of this program.

3. Appointing authorities shall conspicuously post information about this program.

(b) The Department shall make the determination whether prior work experience may be substituted for specified education requirements.

(a) College Level Examination Program (CLEP) scores are acceptable as a substitution for college credits required for open competitive or promotional examinations. Acceptable scores are those consistent with scores accepted for credit by Thomas A. Edison College as published annually in its catalog.

(b) The following standards shall be considered:

1. Applicants may be considered eligible to take open competitive and promotional examinations by substituting a combination of education, appropriate work experience and acceptable CLEP scores;

2. Acceptable scores on the CLEP General Examination and Subject Examinations will be considered the same as college undergraduate credits;

3. Acceptable scores on the five-part CLEP General Examination may be substituted for up to 30 undergraduate college credits;

4. Where specific course work and/or a major field of study are required in the job specification or examination announcement:

i. An acceptable score on an appropriate CLEP Subject Examination may be substituted for college credit hours;

ii. An acceptable subscore on an appropriate subsection of the CLEP General Examination may be substituted for undergraduate college credit hours for the course work requirement;

5. Acceptable scores achieved on any of the CLEP Subject Examinations shall be viewed to correspond to those credits normally earned during the final two years of a four-year college curriculum;

6. Acceptable scaled scores or subscores on the CLEP General Examination shall be viewed to correspond to those credits normally earned during the first two years of a four-year college curriculum.

(c) Information about testing site locations and application procedures may be obtained from the CLEP Educational Testing Service (ETS), Princeton, New Jersey and Thomas A. Edison College, Trenton, New Jersey.

(d) Examination announcements shall contain general information on eligibility requirements and utilization of CLEP.

(e) Appointing authorities shall conspicuously post information about CLEP.

(a) Otherwise qualified applicants with disabilities may request an accommodation in taking an examination by indicating their request for accommodation on the examination application.

1. Upon receipt of the request for accommodation, the Department shall make reasonable accommodation where appropriate and notify the candidate of the arrangements.

(b) The Commissioner may waive an examination for an otherwise qualified candidate or provisional with a physical, mental or emotional affliction, injury, dysfunction, impairment or disability which makes it physically or psychologically not practicable to undergo the testing procedure for a particular title, but does not prevent satisfactory performance of the title's responsibilities under conditions of actual service.

1. A request for waiver shall be in writing, filed with the Department and contain:

i. The examination's title and symbol number, or in the case of a provisional, his or her title and employer;

ii. A statement from an appointing authority utilizing the title that the individual can satisfactorily perform the duties of that title under actual conditions of service;

iii. A physician's statement with supporting medical documentation;

iv. Whether the individual has previously filed for or taken an examination for that title, the results, if any, and whether an accommodation has previously been made; and

v. Agreement to undergo any additional physical or psychological examinations that the Department deems appropriate.

(c) If reasonable accommodation can be made, the waiver request will be denied and arrangements made for such accommodation.

(d) If reasonable accommodation is not possible, the Commissioner will decide whether to grant a waiver, and if granted, whether the candidate will be employed or placed on an eligible list and in appropriate cases, granted seniority.

(a) Ratings may be computed by a valid statistical method based on the use of scoring formulas and/or conversion tables.

1. When education and experience are to be rated as part of an examination, they shall be graded through the use of scales prepared by the Department of Personnel.

(b) Examinations consisting of more than one part may be rated independently.

1. Candidates failing to meet minimum standards on one part of the examination shall be ineligible for the remaining parts.

2. Candidates who do not receive a passing score on one part of an examination shall be deemed to have failed the entire examination.

3. Candidates who fail an entire examination shall not receive Performance Assessment Review (PAR) credit or credit for seniority. See (c) and (d) below.

(c) Candidates for State service promotional examination shall receive credit for the final PAR rating on file in the candidate's personnel office as of the announced closing date for the rating period immediately preceding the announced closing date.

1. Credit shall be awarded as follows:

i. Three points for Exceptional; or

ii. One point for Commendable.

2. When there is no final rating on file for a candidate as of the announced closing date, the rating for that period shall be deemed Commendable and credit shall be given for that rating.

3. Performance ratings shall not be used as a scoring factor in promotions when the supervisor who completes a performance rating for a subordinate or acts as a reviewer for a subordinate's rating competes in the same promotional examination as the subordinate.

(d) In calculating seniority for promotional examinations, continuous permanent service accumulated prior to an intergovernmental transfer pursuant to N.J.A.C. 4A:4-7.1A (except in the case of an intergovernmental transfer of a police officer or a firefighter), voluntary furloughs and the following types of leaves shall not be deducted from seniority.

1. All leaves with pay including sick leave injury (SLI);

2. Military, educational, gubernatorial appointment, personal sick, disability, family, furlough extension and voluntary alternative to layoff leaves of absence without pay; and

3. In local service, leave without pay to fill elective office.

(e) Suspensions, other leaves of absence without pay not identified in (d) above, and any period an employee is laid off shall be deducted when calculating seniority.

1. In local service police and fire examinations, credit for record of service will be reduced by disciplinary suspensions received during the five year period immediately preceding the announced closing date.

(f) Employees reappointed from a special reemployment list shall be considered as having continuous service for seniority purposes. However, the elapsed time between the layoff or demotion in lieu of layoff and reappointment shall be deducted from the employee's seniority.

(g) When a municipality has a volunteer fire company and paid positions are created, any volunteer firefighter who has actively served for at least two years as of the announced closing date is entitled to service credits in addition to his or her earned examination score. The highest possible score for examination performance shall be 100 percent, to which the service credit shall be added. Service credits shall be not less than three nor more than 10, and shall be added only to a passing score. The service credit shall be calculated by adding one point to the number of years of service: for example, add three points for two years of service, four points for three years of service, and so on. Any service time in excess of nine years shall be awarded the 10 point maximum.

(h) The score earned by a candidate on an examination announced for more than one title area at a time shall be used for all examinations in those title areas for which the candidate files and is found eligible.

(i) A candidate for an examination may be permitted to use an examination score for a period of time, or for more than one title or more than one test, as determined by the Department of Personnel.

(a) The following examination records shall be retained until the expiration of the eligible list:

1. The public announcement;

2. All applications;

3. The examination papers and scoring keys;

4. A description of the examination, including the date held, rating system and minimum score required, if any;

5. The list of eligibles;

6. The failure roster; and

7. Any other portinent information.

(b) All examination records listed in (a)1, 4 and 5 above shall be open to public inspection.

1. Examination records listed in (a)2 above shall not be open to public inspection but may be open to inspection by an appointing authority, on condition that the appointing authority not disclose the records to outside persons, where:

i. An application was completed by an eligible;

ii. The eligible's name has been certified to the appointing authority for appointment; and

iii. The appointing authority requests inspection of the application due to a reasonable suspicion that the eligible has submitted inconsistent information regarding his or her qualifications for employment.

2. Examination records listed in (a)6 above shall not be open to public inspection but shall be open to inspection by the appointing authority to which the eligible list has been certified, upon request by the appointing authority and on condition that the appointing authority not disclose the records to outside persons.

3. Should an appointing authority, in violation of (b)1 or 2 above, disclose examination records with which it has been provided to outside persons, the appointing authority may be subject to sanctions in accordance with N.J.A.C. 4A:10-2.1.

4. The Commissioner shall determine which other records may be open to public inspection and the conditions for such inspection.

(a) A $15.00 processing fee shall be charged for each open competitive and promotional examination application, except as provided as follows:

1. The Commissioner shall establish a fee for each application for an open competitive or promotional examination for a law enforcement officer or firefighter title. The fee shall not exceed the cost of developing, procuring and administering the examination, including the processing of any appeals or reviews associated with the examination. Receipts derived from this application

fee shall be appropriated to the Department for use in developing, procuring and administering law enforcement officer and firefighter examinations, including the processing of any appeals or reviews associated with those examinations.

2. When announcements for an examination list more than one title area (such as police, sheriff, and corrections), a processing fee shall be charged for each title area selected by the applicant.

(b) The fee shall be paid by check or money order, made payable to NJDOP, which shall be submitted with the application.

(c) Applications received without a fee shall not be processed unless the applicant submits, within the time required by written notice from the Department of Personnel, the required fee or, for open competitive applications, proof of exemption as described in (d) below.

(d) An applicant for an open competitive examination will be granted a waiver of the fee if the applicant provides documentation showing that, as of the closing date, he or she is receiving General Assistance benefits, benefits under the Work First New Jersey Act, or Supplemental Security Income. Proof must consist of one of the following:

1. General Assistance--a copy of the applicant's benefits identification card (if one was issued) or a letter from the applicant's local municipal welfare director.

2. Work First New Jersey Act--a copy of the applicant's Families First card.

3. Supplemental Security Income--a copy of the applicant's latest annual award letter or proof of the applicant's Medicaid identification number for S.S.I. benefits.

(e) The fee is for processing purposes only and does not guarantee admittance to an examination or appointment to a position. The fee shall not be refunded for any reason except untimely filing of the application or cancellation of the examination.

1. The fee shall not be refunded when the cancellation is due to the lack of eligible applicants ("no admits") or when no eligible applicant appears for testing ("no show").