U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

Why Category Rating?

Provides an Alternative to the Rule of Three: Category rating is an alternative to the traditional numerical rating, ranking, and selection procedure. Under category rating, applicants are placed in categories based on their qualifications and veterans' preference. Managers may select any candidate from among the top group. The "Rule of Three" does not apply. In other words, managers are not limited to choosing from among the top three ranked candidates as they are under the traditional process.

Allows You To Draw From a Wide Pool of Candidates: When you want the flexibility to select from a wide pool of candidates, category rating is the best method.