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The Complete Intelligence Package.
Classification Depth
That Changes Everything.
The CIG-ACE is the most comprehensive federal career intelligence resource FEDS Group produces. It carries forward the full Career Intelligence Guide and adds the classification layer, factor evaluation criteria, position grading benchmarks, and the intelligence federal HR classifiers use to evaluate positions in the [Series Name] Series.
The Complete Intelligence Package, 12-Section CIG Plus 8-Section Classification Layer
The CIG-ACE carries the full 12-section Career Intelligence Guide and adds an eight-section Advanced Classification Layer, including the complete Factor Evaluation System breakdown with exact point values per grade, a Grade Escalation Framework, a Policy Authority Scale, an Operational vs. Strategic Work analysis, and Misclassification Signals. This is the most technically comprehensive federal career intelligence resource FEDS Group produces.
Carries forward in full: All 12 sections of the Career Intelligence Guide, Series Snapshot, plain-language series definition, agency and geographic intelligence, functional domains, education alignment, degree + experience crosswalk, qualifying experience by grade, resume and assessment signals, GS-level resume bullets, competitive landscape analysis, Federal Career Mobility Map, and Federal Career Skill Stack.
How Federal Jobs Are Actually Graded, The Factor Evaluation System
A plain-language explanation of the Factor Evaluation System (FES), the structured, point-based framework OPM uses to grade every General Schedule position. Covers how the nine factors work, how point totals convert to GS grades, and the complete grade conversion table (GS-1 through GS-15). Understand the grading system before you try to use it to your advantage.
| FES Point Total | GS Grade | In This Series |
|---|---|---|
| 855-1100 | GS-5 | Pre-developmental trainee |
| 1105-1350 | GS-6 | Developmental officer |
| 1355-1600 | GS-7 | Full-performance officer |
| 1605-1850 | GS-8 | Senior officer (very difficult) |
| 1855-2100 | GS-9 | Treatment / counseling specialist |
How the Series Is Structured, Classification Boundaries
The classification boundaries that define this series, what makes a position classifiable to this series versus adjacent ones, the functional scope OPM recognizes, the distinction between supervisory and non-supervisory positions, and how modernization trends in the field have shifted what the work actually looks like at each grade without changing the classification criteria. Know exactly which series your position belongs to, and why.
The 9-Factor FES Breakdown, Exact Point Values Per Grade
The complete Factor Evaluation System breakdown for this series, all nine factors, with exact point values at each level, plain-language descriptions of what each level means in practice for this specific occupation, and the typical factor profile at each GS grade. This is the actual scoring framework federal classifiers apply when grading positions in this series.
| Level | Points | What It Means in Practice |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | 550 | Foundational correctional methods under close supervision, GS-6 developmental |
| 1-5 | 750 | Working proficiency across posts with independent judgment, GS-7 full performance |
| 1-6 | 950 | Superior correctional skill on very difficult assignments, GS-8 senior officer |
| 1-7 | 1250 | Formally trained counseling and treatment techniques, GS-9 treatment specialist |
Grade Escalation Framework, How to Actually Move Up
A grade-by-grade roadmap showing exactly what must change in your work, not just your effort, to cross each grade threshold. Includes the complete factor profile at each grade level, identifies the two biggest qualitative jumps in the series, and explains why doing more of the same work cannot produce grade advancement. The most actionable advancement intelligence in the entire CIG-ACE.
Scope and Impact, How Factor 5 Actually Works
A detailed breakdown of Factor 5, the most commonly misunderstood factor in the classification system. Explains what scope and effect mean in this series, why both must be present and paired at the same level, and how officers can demonstrate higher Factor 5 scores through the breadth of their post pattern and the downstream consequence of their work. Big effect on a narrow assignment does not score the same as big effect on a broad one.
Policy Authority Scale, Procedure Follower to Trained Judgment
A four-level policy authority framework showing how the degree of individualized judgment embedded in a position affects its grade, from procedure follower at GS-5/6, through skilled correctional judgment at GS-8, to trained counseling application at GS-9. Includes the three conditions that must be present in actual work to support a higher authority claim in classification. Know whether your position description reflects the authority level your work actually carries.
Operational vs. Strategic Work, The Classification Difference
A direct comparison of custody-and-supervision officer work versus treatment-and-counseling officer work, showing how each maps to the FES factor levels, what the classification difference means for grade, and how to document the shift from custody-emphasis to treatment-emphasis work when your position description needs to reflect that transition. The further your post pattern shifts toward treatment, the higher your grade can go.
Misclassification Signals, Is Your Position Undergraded?
The specific indicators that a position in this series may be misclassified, where position descriptions fail to reflect the actual work being performed, where factor levels are understated, and the patterns that typically support a classification appeal or reclassification request. If your work has grown beyond your grade, this section tells you what the evidence looks like and what to do about it.
[Series Name] Series
- Series snapshot + Opportunity Score
- Plain-language series definition
- Agency + geographic intelligence
- Functional domains breakdown
- Education alignment
- Degree + experience crosswalk
- Qualifying experience by grade
- Resume + assessment signals
- GS-level resume bullets
- Competitive landscape analysis
- Federal Career Mobility Map
- Federal Career Skill Stack
- How federal jobs are graded (FES)
- Series classification boundaries
- 9-Factor FES breakdown + point values
- Grade escalation framework
- Scope and impact (Factor 5 deep-dive)
- Policy authority scale
- Operational vs. strategic work
- Misclassification signals
Instant delivery
OPM-aligned · Digital PDF
20 total intelligence sections
The CIG-ACE Is for Applicants Who Need the Complete Picture
The Advanced Classification Edition serves a specific type of federal applicant or employee - one who needs to understand not just what a federal position requires, but how it is formally evaluated, graded, and classified under OPM standards. Here is exactly who benefits most.
The Senior-Grade Applicant Competing at GS-12 and Above
At senior GS grades, competition is significantly more intense and the gap between qualified and best-qualified candidates narrows to classification-level details most applicants never understand. You need to know how your experience maps to factor evaluation criteria - not just qualification standards.
- Understand how factor levels are evaluated at GS-12 through GS-15
- Know the benchmark criteria that define senior-grade positions
- Frame experience against classification factors, not just duties
- Compete at the level of applicants with insider knowledge
The Federal Employee Preparing a Classification Appeal
If you believe your position is graded lower than the work you perform warrants, you have the right to appeal through OPM's classification appeal process. But appeals succeed or fail on technical grounds - factor levels, benchmark comparisons, and classification standards language that most employees have never been taught to navigate.
- Understand the OPM classification appeal process end to end
- Know which factors and levels to argue in your specific series
- Build your case using the same standards classifiers apply
- Avoid the documentation failures that sink most appeals
The Employee Seeking a Grade-Level Upgrade or Reclassification
Your duties have grown significantly beyond your current grade, but your position description hasn't been updated to reflect it. Understanding how your work maps to higher-grade factor levels and classification benchmarks is the foundation of any successful reclassification request or PD update conversation.
- Map current duties to higher-grade factor evaluation criteria
- Understand what a reclassification request requires
- Build the documentation that supports a grade-level upgrade
- Know the classification distinction between your grade and the next
The Serious Applicant Who Wants Every Possible Advantage
You're not preparing for an appeal or a reclassification. You simply want the most comprehensive federal career intelligence available for your target series - the kind that gives you a genuine edge over applicants who stopped at the surface level. The CIG-ACE is the complete package, and you want the complete package.
- Understand the series at every level - duties through classification
- Know how positions are formally graded and what that means for you
- Apply with the institutional knowledge most applicants never access
- Build a federal career on the strongest possible intelligence foundation
The Grade of a Federal Position Is Not Arbitrary - It Is Determined by a Formal Evaluation Process
OPM's position classification standards evaluate positions against specific factors - knowledge required, complexity, scope and effect, supervisory controls, and others. Each factor is scored at a defined level. The total point value determines the grade. Understanding how this works for your specific series gives you intelligence that most federal applicants and employees never have access to. The CIG-ACE makes that intelligence available.
Step 1 of 2
CIG, Advanced Classification Edition
Select your target series and get the complete intelligence package with classification insights.
The Intelligence That Takes You
From Applicant to Authority
On Your Own Series.
The CIG-ACE gives you everything, career intelligence, qualification depth, resume alignment, agency targeting, career progression, and the classification layer that most federal applicants and employees never access.
Select your series to see what's included, then continue to checkout.
Instant PDF delivery
FEDS Group LLC is an independent educational resource company. Not affiliated with or endorsed by OPM or any federal agency. All sales final on digital products.