Disqualified on Your Psych Evaluation? What a Second Opinion Can and Cannot Do

First, find out what your options are

Being found psychologically unsuitable is discouraging, especially after months in a hiring process. Before you do anything else, find out what your agency allows. Policies vary widely by agency, city, county, and civil service rules.

• Ask for the decision in writing if you have not received it.
• Ask whether an appeal, reconsideration, or independent evaluation is allowed, and in what form.
• Get the deadlines. Some processes have short windows, and missing one can close the door.
• Ask whether the agency has requirements for who can conduct the second evaluation or what it must include.

What a second opinion actually is

A second opinion is a complete, independent psychological evaluation. It includes its own testing, its own interview, and its own written report. It is not a review of whether the first evaluator made a mistake, and a good second opinion evaluator will not write it that way.

The goal is a fresh, thorough answer to the same question the first evaluation asked: are you psychologically suitable for this position?

What it can do

• Give the agency or review board additional, independent information to consider.
• Reflect where you are now, especially if time has passed or circumstances have changed.
• Address specific concerns in a clear, well-supported report written for the people making the decision.

What it cannot do

• It cannot guarantee a different conclusion. The evaluation may reach the same finding as the first one.
• It does not overturn a decision on its own. The agency or review board decides what weight to give it.
• It cannot fix a missed deadline or substitute for following the agency's process.

Any evaluator who promises you a favorable outcome before meeting you is telling you something about the quality of the report you will get. The value of a second opinion comes from its independence.

How to make it count

• Bring the disqualification letter and any materials from the agency that explain the decision.
• Share your background documents so the evaluation has the full picture.
• Be completely honest, just as you would in any evaluation.
• Be ready to talk about what may have changed since your first evaluation.

What happens next

You receive a written report that you can submit through your agency's process. From there, the decision belongs to the agency or review board. If you are weighing whether a second opinion makes sense for you, a short conversation about your situation and your agency's rules is a good place to start.

About the author

Jonathan Arditti, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist in California and Texas who conducts pre-employment, second opinion, and fitness-for-duty evaluations for public safety agencies. He has worked alongside LAPD as a field clinician since 2015.