 Dear Agency Heads, Chiefs of Staff, CHCOs, Deputy CHCOs, and Human Resources Directors,
On May 29, 2025, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the White House Domestic Policy Council issued the Merit Hiring Plan (MHP), which directs agencies to include short essay questions in competitive service job announcements graded GS-05 and above. OPM issued additional guidance on the use of those questions on June 23, 2025, September 2, 2025, and April 30, 2026 (hyperlinked below in the Resources section).
On September 11, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts stayed agency implementation and use of the third essay question (Executive Orders) in American Federation of Government Employees v. Kupor, No. 25-cv-13305 (D. Mass.). This notice is sent to agencies, in part, to inform you of this legal development.
As a result, OPM is issuing the following changes effective as of the dates indicated below:
Agency Treatment of Candidate Responses to Prior Question Three
Effective as of this notice, agencies cannot consider candidate responses to the prior Question 3 in their evaluation of candidates for any open vacancy. Agencies do not need to reopen previous hiring actions or repost current job announcements that close on or before September 25, 2026. OPM will work with agencies regarding current job announcements that close after that date.
Revised Essay Questions for Future Job Announcements (as of September 19, 2026)
For job announcements that open on Saturday, September 19, 2026, or thereafter, OPM will replace the prior Question 3 with the following in USA Staffing:
Question 1. (Commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the U.S.) (This question remains unchanged.)
Question 2. (Improve government efficiency and effectiveness.) (This question remains unchanged.)
Question 3. In this role, you will be expected to professionally and efficiently implement executive direction. Provide an example where you implemented leadership direction on a strategy or policy decision that differed from your own recommendation. (This is a new question.)
Question 4. (Work Ethic). (This question remains unchanged.)
Additional Question 5 to Be Added to Job Announcements in the Near Future
In the near future, agencies will add a new Question 5:
“This position supports [agency]’s mission and current priorities, including [insert 1 to 3 current agency-wide priorities]. Describe how your skills and experience would help the agency advance those priorities in this role.”
(Note: Agencies should populate the bracketed text with important priorities drawn from the agency’s current strategic plan, annual performance plan, or other current agency priorities. The text must be the same for all job announcements within the agency.)
Each agency, and each Office of Inspector General (OIG), must use a single version of Question 5 for all job announcements. Agencies and OIGs must send their Question 5 wording to HX@opm.gov no later than Wednesday, September 30, 2026. (Note that this submission requirement applies to all agencies regardless of Talent Acquisition Systems.) OPM will review and support agencies’ customization of Question 5. For agencies that utilize USA Staffing, OPM will insert the approved Question 5 into future job announcements as soon as possible after approval. For agencies utilizing other Talent Acquisition Systems, after OPM’s approval of their Question 5, those agencies must work with their account manager for support in implementing the new question as soon as possible and no later than Monday, November 2, 2026.
For shared certificates and OPM-led pooled hiring actions, OPM and participating agencies may create a version of Question 5 specific to the shared or pooled hiring action. For any assistance needed, please contact CrossGovHiring@opm.gov.
All other provisions of the MHP and related guidance remain in effect. For general questions about this guidance, please contact HX@opm.gov.
Resources
Workforce Policy and Innovation
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
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