(50 ILCS 742/35)
Sec. 35. Written examinations.
(a) The appointing authority may not condition eligibility to take the
written examination on the candidate's score on any of the previous components
of the examination. The written examination for a particular rank shall consist
of matters relating to the duties regularly performed by persons holding that
rank within the department. The examination shall be based only on the contents
of written materials that the appointing authority has identified and made
readily available to potential examinees at least 90 days before the
examination is administered. The test questions and material must be pertinent
to the particular rank for which the examination is being given. The written
examination shall be administered after the determination and posting of the
seniority list, ascertained merit points, and subjective evaluation scores. The
written examination shall be administered, the test materials opened, and the
results scored and tabulated.
(b) Written examinations shall be graded at the examination site on the day
of the examination immediately upon completion of the test in front of the
observers if such observers are appointed under Section 25, or if the tests
are graded offsite by a bona fide testing agency, the observers shall witness
the sealing and the shipping of the tests for grading and the subsequent
opening of the scores upon the return from the testing agency. Every
examinee shall have the right (i) to obtain his or her score on the
examination on the day of the examination or upon the day of its return from
the testing agency (or the appointing authority shall require the testing
agency to mail the individual scores to any address submitted by the
candidates on the day of the examination); and (ii) to review the answers to
the examination that the examiners consider correct. The appointing
authority may hold a review session after the examination for the purpose
of gathering feedback on the examination from the candidates. The review sessions shall be at no cost to the candidates.
(c) Sample written examinations may be examined by the appointing authority
and members of the department, but no person in the department or the
appointing authority (including the Chief, Civil Service Commissioners,
Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, Board of Fire Commissioners, or
Fire Protection District Board of Trustees and other appointed or elected
officials) may see or examine the specific questions on the actual written
examination before the examination is administered. If a sample
examination is used, actual test questions shall not be included. It is a
violation of this Act for any member of the department or the appointing
authority to obtain or divulge foreknowledge of the contents of the written
examination before it is administered.
(d) Each department shall maintain reading and study materials for its
current written examination and the reading list for the last 2 written
examinations or for a period of 5 years, whichever is less, for each rank and
shall make these materials available and accessible at each duty station.
(e) The provisions of this Section do not apply to the extent that they are
in conflict with provisions otherwise agreed to in a collective bargaining
agreement.
(Source: P.A. 97-352, eff. 8-12-11.)
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