Academic Degree Degree Level PSC 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An applicant for a GS-12 position substitutes education for experience. Which is the highest academic level OPM generally allows as a full substitute for specialized experience at GS-12?
- Bachelor's degree
- Master's degree
- Ph.D. or equivalent
- No education substitution is allowed at GS-12 (Correct answer)
Correct answer: No education substitution is allowed at GS-12
OPM generally does not permit education to substitute for specialized experience at grades above GS-11.
Question 2: Which accrediting body's recognition is most critical for a U.S. engineering degree to count in a Degree Level PSC qualification?
- Middle States Commission
- ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) (Correct answer)
- SACSCOC (Southern Association of Colleges)
- HLC (Higher Learning Commission)
Correct answer: ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology)
ABET accreditation is the standard for engineering and technology programs, and OPM engineering qualifications require ABET-accredited degrees.
Question 3: A candidate has 120 semester hours of college credit but no degree conferred. How does OPM typically treat this for PSC purposes?
- It counts as a full bachelor's degree automatically
- It is treated the same as a high school diploma
- Credit hours may partially substitute for experience depending on the grade level (Correct answer)
- It qualifies only if the candidate is currently enrolled
Correct answer: Credit hours may partially substitute for experience depending on the grade level
Completed college credit hours can substitute for experience on a prorated basis (e.g., 30 hours = 1 year of study) even without a conferred degree.
Question 4: When a PSC announcement requires a 'degree with a major in accounting,' which course minimum must the program typically include per OPM standards?
- 6 semester hours in accounting
- 15 semester hours in accounting
- 24 semester hours in accounting (Correct answer)
- No minimum—any accounting course counts
Correct answer: 24 semester hours in accounting
OPM accounting qualification standards require at least 24 semester hours of accounting coursework as part of the degree.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes 'combination of education and experience' as used in Degree Level PSC qualification?
- Having both a degree and a job at the same time
- Prorating partial education and partial experience to together meet 100% of the requirement (Correct answer)
- Using a graduate degree to replace all experience
- Listing both GPA and years worked on a résumé
Correct answer: Prorating partial education and partial experience to together meet 100% of the requirement
Combination qualifying means computing percentages—e.g., 50% of required education plus 50% of required experience equals 100% qualification.
Question 6: In a PSC exam for a biological science position at GS-9, which of the following substitutions is valid?
- One year of general lab technician work
- A master's degree in biology (Correct answer)
- A bachelor's in chemistry with no biology courses
- An online certificate in microbiology
Correct answer: A master's degree in biology
A master's degree or two years of graduate study in a directly related field satisfies the GS-9 one-year specialized experience requirement.
Question 7: For Degree Level PSC purposes, which institution type is considered regionally accredited and therefore most credible for degree recognition?
- An unaccredited online-only school
- A nationally accredited trade school
- A regionally accredited four-year college or university (Correct answer)
- A foreign institution listed on the OPM unrecognized list
Correct answer: A regionally accredited four-year college or university
Regional accreditation (e.g., HLC, SACSCOC) is the standard OPM uses to determine whether a U.S. degree meets federal qualification requirements.
Academic Degree Degree Level PSC 4
An applicant for a GS-12 position substitutes education for experience.
Which is the highest academic level OPM generally allows as a full substitute for specialized experience at GS-12?