Examinations

San Diego Municipal Code ch. 2, art. 3, div. 4

in effect

San Diego Municipal Code § 23.0401 Examination Announcements

§23.0401 Examination Announcements (Rule III, Section I of the Rules of the Civil Service Commission) Subject to the approval of the Commission, the Personnel Director shall announce examinations to fill vacancies in the Classified Service. Public notice of all examinations shall be given in advance of the last date for filing applications. Examination announcements posted on the official bulletin board of the Commission shall constitute public notice. (“Examination Announcements” added 6–19–1978 by O–12373 N.S.)

San Diego Municipal Code § 23.0402 Kinds of Examinations

§23.0402 Kinds of Examinations (Rule III, Section 2 of the Rules of the Civil Service Commission) Examinations shall be announced and administered as one or more of the following kinds: (a) Open examinations, in which all qualified applicants may compete; (b) Promotional examinations, in which only qualified current or prior City employees, as specified in Civil Service Rule VIII, may compete; (c) Assembled examinations, which shall require applicants to report to a designated place to participate in prescribed tests; (d) Unassembled examinations, which shall be conducted as prescribed by the Personnel Director; (e) Competitive examinations, which may be conducted when one or more persons are qualified; (f) Noncompetitive examinations, which may be conducted when, due to the general nature of required job skills, competition is determined by the Personnel Director to be impracticable; (g) Series examinations, which may be administered from time to time, as applicants are available or as appointments are necessary. (Amended 8–13–1979 by O–15000 N.S.)

San Diego Municipal Code § 23.0403 Character and Conduct of Examinations

§23.0403 Character and Conduct of Examinations (Rule III, Section 3 of the Rules of the Civil Service Commission) Examinations shall be conducted under the direction of the Personnel Director. Examination content shall be based on job– related criteria and the methods used to assess requisite job skills shall be determined by the Personnel Director. (a) The Personnel Director may appoint qualified persons to examining boards to prepare and/or conduct any or all portions of an examination. The appointment of City employees to such examining boards shall be subject to the approval of the Civil Service Commission. No member of the Council nor their immediate family, nor any partner of a Council member shall be appointed to serve on an examining board. (b) The Personnel Director may establish minimum time intervals for reexamination or reapplication of an applicant for a class or examination. (c) The Personnel Director may establish and enforce standards for applicant conduct during examinations. (d) The Personnel Director may establish minimum performance levels for each part of an examination. (e) The Personnel Director may determine by physical testing, medical examinations, or other evaluations, whether employees or applicants for any position possess the required physical and medical fitness for present or prospective duties. Anyone disqualified in the medical examination may, within five (5) calendar days of notice of such disqualification, appeal in writing to the Commission. The Commission shall afford such appellants an opportunity to be heard on their own behalf. The decision of the Commission shall be final. (“Character and Conduct of Examinations” added 6–19–1978 by O–12373 N.S.)

San Diego Municipal Code § 23.0404 Postponement and Cancellation of Examinations

§23.0404 Postponement and Cancellation of Examinations (Rule III, Section 4 of the Rules of the Civil Service Commission) The Commission may postpone or cancel examinations at any time for any reasons considered good and sufficient, and such postponement or cancellation shall be recorded, with the reasons therefor, in the minutes of the Commission. All qualified applicants shall be notified of the Commission’s action. (“Postponement and Cancellation of Examinations” added 6–19–1978 by O–12373 N.S.)

San Diego Municipal Code § 23.0405 Examination Review

§23.0405 Examination Review (Rule III, Section 5 of the Rules of the Civil Service Commission) When deemed appropriate by the Personnel Director, candidates may review the answer key of examinations. Objections to questions may be submitted to the Personnel Director, who may make such alterations as deemed justified. (“Examination Review” added 6–19–1978 by O–12373 N.S.)

San Diego Municipal Code § 23.0406 Notice of Results of Examinations

§23.0406 Notice of Results of Examinations (Rule III, Section 6 of the Rules of the Civil Service Commission) All competitors shall be notified of the results of their examinations and of their final standing. (“Notice of Results of Examinations” added 6–19–1978 by O–12373 N.S.)

San Diego Municipal Code § 23.0407 Examination Ranking System

§23.0407 Examination Ranking System (Rule III, Section 7 of the Rules of the Civil Service Commission) Candidates shall be placed on eligible lists according to scores attained from successful completion of all parts of an examination and, if applicable, veterans’ preference credit. (a) Scores shall be grouped into categories, with each category encompassing a range of scores. The number of categories and the range of scores included in each shall be determined by the Personnel Director on an examination–by–examination basis and shall be published in the examination announcement. (b) For series examinations, separate supplementary lists shall be created for each test of the series in which there are successful candidates. The names on supplementary lists shall be ranked on the master eligible list for the examination according to examination scores attained. (“Examination Ranking System” added 6–19–1978 by O–12373 N.S.) (Amended 1-28-2011 by O-20018 N.S.; effective 2-27-2011.)

San Diego Municipal Code § 23.0408 Inspection and Preservation of Examination Papers

§23.0408 Inspection and Preservation of Examination Papers (Rule III, Section 8 of the Rules of the Civil Service Commission) All applications and examination papers are the property of the Commission and shall be treated as confidential record. (a) Subject to time limits specified by the Personnel Director, candidates may review their examination papers after receiving notice of the result of the examination. (b) The scoring by the examiners shall be deemed prima facie correct. No examination paper or any part of thereof, or any statement rated as part of the examination, shall be subject to alteration, addition, or emendation by the applicant, or to re–marking, except that the Commission may correct any manifest error in scoring. (c) All examination materials shall be preserved as necessary for examination processing and in accordance with State and Federal record retention requirements. (“Inspection and Preservation of Examination Papers” added 6–19–1978 by O–12373 N.S.)

Source: City of San Diego Office of the City Clerk, San Diego Municipal Code and City Charter (docs.sandiego.gov PDFs)URL: https://docs.sandiego.gov/municode/MuniCodeChapter02/Ch02Art03Division04.pdf#page=1Fetched: 10/28/2026