How to Fill Out and Submit the Illinois CMS 100 Application

To fill out the Illinois CMS 100 application correctly, copy the position title and option code straight from the job posting into Section 1, complete every field in the work history and education sections (including hours per week and exact dates), sign and date the form, attach a certified DD-214 or equivalent if you are claiming veteran preference, and submit through Work.Illinois.Gov. The Department of Central Management Services uses the CMS100 to decide whether you meet the minimum qualifications for the title you picked and to place you on an eligible hiring list. Missing or vague answers in the wrong places will cost you credit, or disqualify the application outright.¹

Gather These Before You Start

Pull everything together first. Guessing at dates or hours later is how applications get downgraded.

Your Social Security number. Applications submitted without one are not reviewed.¹
Employment records for every job you plan to list: exact start and end dates (month and year), average hours per week, supervisor names, and detailed duties.²
Education records: names and addresses of every college or university attended, actual semester or quarter hours earned, major and minor spelled out, and the date and level of any degree.
License or certification numbers, issuing states, and issuance and expiration dates.¹
A certified copy of your DD-214, NGB-22, or other proof of honorable discharge if you are claiming veteran preference.³
The exact position title and option code from the job posting. Abbreviated or partial titles may not be processed.¹

Personal Information, Section 10, and the Signature

The first sections ask for your full legal name, address, county of residence, and Social Security number. CMS uses your SSN throughout the application and employment process to distinguish between candidates, and its confidentiality is protected under 5 ILCS 179.¹ Make sure the phone number and address are current, because agencies use them for interview invitations.

Section 10 asks whether you have ever been fired from a job or defaulted on a state educational loan. If you answer yes to either, write a detailed explanation in the space provided. A yes answer without the explanation produces an “incomplete” grade and effectively ends the application.¹

Sign and date the certification at the bottom of the first page. An unsigned form will not be processed and will not be returned to you.¹

You will not be asked about criminal history at this stage. Illinois law bars state agencies from asking about criminal records until you have been found qualified and selected for an interview, or until a conditional offer if there is no interview.⁴

Position Title, Option Code, and Counties

Section 1 is where applications most often fail processing. Every Illinois civil service job has an official title and a code number in the state’s classification plan, searchable at careers.illinois.gov.⁵⁶ Copy the full title from the posting word for word. Shortened, misspelled, or one-word titles may not be processed.¹

Some titles require an option code. For Administrative Assistant I, Administrative Assistant II, Executive I, and Executive II, an agency option code is mandatory, and leaving it blank can stall the application in processing.¹ Other option codes indicate a specialized skill such as bilingual ability or a technical certification. The job posting tells you which code applies. File a separate application for each title-and-option combination you want.

Section 7 asks for up to two counties where you are willing to work for each title.¹ Your choices decide which eligible lists you land on, so one county narrows your prospects and two broadens them. Do not list a county you would decline. For certain entry-level titles — Highway Maintainer, Office Assistant, Security Officer, and others — Cook County is divided into five geographic zones based on city limits and major streets. Pick the specific zone number instead of just “Cook County.” The zone map comes with the printable CMS100 and is also posted on the CMS site.

Education History Without Losing Credit

Section 12 covers trade, business, and correspondence schools. Enter the school name, dates of attendance, subjects studied, course length, and whether you completed the program. A blank field in this section can mean no credit for that coursework at grading.¹

Section 14 is for colleges and universities. List every undergraduate and graduate institution separately — never combined — with city and state. For each one, report the actual semester or quarter hours earned, major and minor spelled out, dates of attendance, and the level and date of any degree.⁷ A breakdown table asks you to categorize your credit hours by field of study, split between undergraduate and graduate totals. Do not list the same hours in more than one category.

Incomplete or inaccurate education information means zero credit for your educational background, not partial credit.¹ That alone can drop you below a title’s minimum qualifications. If you earned a degree outside the United States, you may need a credential evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) comparing your degree to its U.S. equivalent.⁸ Official transcripts may be requested later.

Work History Without Losing Credit

Section 15 is where most CMS100s succeed or fail. Start with your most recent job and work backward. For each position, give the employer’s name and address, your title, average hours worked per week, start and end dates (month and year), supervisory responsibilities broken into categories, a detailed duty description, and your reason for leaving.²

The hours-per-week field drives your experience credit. Leave it blank or write “hours vary” and you get no credit for that job at all.¹ Part-time work is prorated, so 20 hours a week counts for roughly half of a full-time week over the same stretch. If you held two jobs at the same time, list each one separately with its own hours and dates.

Be specific about duties. “Managed office operations” tells graders almost nothing. “Supervised three clerks, maintained budget spreadsheets, and processed an average of 40 purchase orders per week” gives them something concrete to match against the title’s class specification. The grading process compares your described duties directly to the technical requirements of the title, so vague wording costs you credit even when the underlying experience is a strong fit.

Claiming Veteran Preference

Illinois adds points to your examination score if you qualify as a veteran, current National Guard or reserve member, or in some cases a qualifying family member. The tiers are set by statute:⁹

10 points for veterans with a service-connected disability certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Purple Heart recipients, or one parent of an unmarried veteran who died from or was permanently disabled by a service-connected condition.
5 points for veterans who served during a time of hostilities with a foreign country for at least six months (or for the duration of hostilities regardless of length), were discharged for hardship, or were released due to a service-connected disability with an honorable discharge.
3 points for anyone who served in the U.S. armed forces, Illinois National Guard, or a reserve component for at least six months with an honorable discharge, or who completed at least four years of National Guard or reserve service.

CMS verifies status before granting any preference. Submit a certified copy of your most recent DD-214, NGB-22, or another official record of honorable discharge that CMS finds acceptable. Without documentation, the points will not be added no matter what the form says.³

Submitting Through Work.Illinois.Gov

Most CMS100 applications are now filed online. Postings for agencies under the Governor’s jurisdiction are at Work.Illinois.Gov. Create an account by clicking “View Profile” and then “Create an Account,” and build out a candidate profile that mirrors the CMS100 sections: personal information, work history, education, licenses, and geographic preferences.¹⁰ Upload a detailed resume as well; CMS encourages thorough resumes regardless of length.

Save often by clicking “Save” each time you add new information. List specialized skills such as project management or coding languages under the Skills section, and put every license and certification under the Certifications/Licenses section.¹⁰ When you find a posting you want, submit the application to the hiring agency contact listed on it.² Each agency makes its own hiring decisions even though CMS administers the testing process.¹¹

No internet at home? Public terminals are available at Illinois workNet centers and other state facilities around Illinois.¹² A printable PDF of the CMS100 remains available on the CMS website for positions that still accept paper submissions.

What Happens After You Submit

CMS staff review your application against the minimum qualifications for the title. If the title requires an exam at a CMS testing center, CMS will contact you to schedule it, and most of those exams are scored immediately — you leave the center with your grade notice in hand.¹³ For titles with no separate exam, CMS grades the application itself using your reported education and experience. Grade notices are only issued for positions that require an exam.¹⁴

A passing grade places your name on an eligible list for that title for one year from the exam date.¹⁵ Agencies draw from that list when vacancies open. If the year passes without an appointment, you have to reapply and be regraded to get back on.

Already a State Employee? Use the CMS100B Instead

The CMS100 is for applicants coming in from outside. If you already work for the state under the Illinois Personnel Code and want to apply for a higher-level position, use the CMS100B, the Promotional Employment Application. It cannot be used for trainee titles, and only Personnel Code employees may file it.¹⁶ Since September 2019, CMS will only grade a new CMS100B that is tied to a specific posted vacancy; you cannot submit one speculatively to sit on a general promotional list. As with the CMS100, each title and option needs its own application, and promotional appointments can only go to employees currently serving in a lesser title.

1
Illinois Department of Central Management Services. CMS100 Help
2
State of Illinois Department of Central Management Services. CMS100 Illinois Employment Application Form
3
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 20 ILCS 415/8b.7
4
Illinois Department of Labor. Job Opportunities for Qualified Applicants Act (Ban the Box)
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Illinois Department of Central Management Services. Job Titles and Class Specifications
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Careers.Illinois.gov. Class Search
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Illinois Department of Central Management Services. CMS100 Examining/Employment Application
8
NACES. National Association of Credential Evaluation Services
9
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 20 ILCS 415/8b.7
10
State of Illinois. Application Procedures
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Illinois Department of Central Management Services. CMS100 Examining/Employment Application
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Work.Illinois.Gov. Contact Us
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State of Illinois. Frequently Asked Questions
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Illinois Department of Human Services. Frequently Asked Questions – English, Spanish, and Mandarin
15
State of Illinois. Overview of State Hiring Process and Successful Disability Opportunities Program
16
State of Illinois Department of Central Management Services. Promotional Employment Application (CMS100B)