The Eligible List
You will be competing with other individuals on the examination and if you pass, your name will be placed on an eligible list according to your score. The eligible list contains the names of all those who have passed the examination and may be contacted by a state agency with a vacancy for that position. Your rank on the eligible list is based on your final score, including any applicable veterans’ credits.
The candidate with the highest score or ranking is at the top of the list. Appointments must be made from the top three ranking individuals on the list who are also willing to accept the job at a specific location. Individuals with the same scores are given the same rank and are equally eligible for appointment. If there are a lot of candidates with the same score, there must be less than three of them willing to accept an offer of employment before a candidate with the next lower score can be considered.
With each successive appointment from an eligible list, lower-ranking individuals move up a step and are more likely to become reachable for appointment. Names of individuals who are not selected remain on the eligible list until they are hired, their eligibility expires or when the list is terminated. Eligible lists have a life of usually one to four years.