Chip Jones wrote:

For example, I scored a 98 on the
civil service controller entrance exam. To this was added an extra 5% for
military service, which gave me a 103 on a test where 100 was the top score.
This put me in the top percent of the huge pool of applicants. However, it
didn't appear to do anything to speed up getting hired. I sat around for
months.

I scored an 89 on my test sometime in 1986. First day on the job was
11/8/88, hired by the Great Lakes Region. Lots of sittin' around waiting.