7(1)(q)
FOIALicensing/employment exam questions and scoring keys
Licensing/employment exam questions and scoring keys
Read the full statute text on /statutes →
Jump to the 3 issues decided under this provision, with a drafting brief ↓
2 upheld (no violation found) · 0 rejected (violation found) · 1 partial violation · 2 closed / insufficient info / other, out of 5 documents.
Not legal advice, and not a per-exemption ruling — this reflects each document's overall disposition. See the FAQ disclaimer.
How the Public Access Counselor has treated 7(1)(q)
Section 7(1)(q) covers examination data, including test questions, scoring keys and other materials used to assess qualifications for employment or licensing. In the decisions, this has included written qualification test questions and structured interview questions used to evaluate job candidates.
The PAC has generally upheld withholding or redacting this material when release could compromise the examination process. It agreed that a sheriff's office could redact qualification test questions from emails to prevent cheating, that a school district could withhold teacher interview questions about diversity, equity and inclusion, and that a city could withhold examination-related portions of business licensing and enforcement records along with other exempt material. Non-exempt portions were still to be provided where possible.
At a glance: 5 documents(0 binding opinions, 5 determination letters). Most often cited alongside: 7(1)(b) (Private information) (2); 7.5(q) (Made confidential by the Personnel Record Review Act) (1); 7(1)(c) (Personal privacy) (1); 7(1)(j)(iv) (Faculty course/research materials) (1); 7(1)(m) (Attorney/auditor communications and litigation-preparation materials) (1).
Recurring issues
- Whether actual qualification test questions contained in emails may be redacted to prevent cheating or compromising the test. (Redacted qualification test questions from emails)
- Whether structured interview questions used to evaluate teacher candidates count as examination data. (Interview questions for teacher candidates)
- Whether examination data exemption applies alongside other exemptions to portions of business licensing and enforcement records. (Records on business transfer verification and tobacco licensing)
Practical points
- A requester seeking employment qualification materials should expect test questions to be redacted even when surrounding emails are provided.
- A public body using set interview questions to score candidates may withhold those questions under section 7(1)(q).
Summary drafted from the linked decisions and checked against them; read the decisions themselves before relying on it. Not legal advice.
All 5 documents citing 7(1)(q)
- Training materials for the Illinois Health Insurance MarketplaceDetermination letter · Closed no further action
Closed due to commercial purpose
- Redacted qualification test questions from emailsDetermination letter · No violation
No violation found
- Seasonal performance evaluations and interview scoring recordsDetermination letter · Closed no further action
Closed, no further action
- Interview questions for teacher candidatesDetermination letter · No violation
No violation found
- Records on business transfer verification and tobacco licensingDetermination letter · Partial violation
Improperly withheld records
Issues decided under 7(1)(q)
Individual questions the Public Access Bureau decided under this provision, with the rule it applied, grouped by outcome. Extracted automatically from the letters; check each source letter.
3 issues across 3 determination letters:1 violation found · 2 no violation.
Counts are per issue, not per letter, and come from automated extraction checked against sampled letters. Determination letters are not binding precedent.
Authorities the Bureau cites most on this issue
- Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 26217 cited 2 times
- Ill. Att'y Gen. PAC Req. Rev. Ltr. 71541 cited 2 times
- Lieber v. Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University, 176 Ill. 2d 401, 407 (1997) cited 1 times
- Kopchar v. City of Chicago, 395 Ill. App. 3d 762, 768 (2009) cited 1 times
Drafting brief for an AI assistant
Copy this into your assistant to help draft a request, appeal, or challenge to a denial that turns on this issue. It carries the rules and decisions, not your facts: add those yourself. Machine-readable version: foia-7-1-q.json.
Violation found (1)
Withholding license application records under section 7(1)(q)
Rule: Routine factual background documents about an applicant are not examination data and do not fall within the section 7(1)(q) exemption.
Violation found Records on business transfer verification and tobacco licensing · April 22, 2025
No violation (2)
Withholding interview questions under section 7(1)(q)
Rule: Interview questions are 'other examination data' exempt from disclosure because future applicants could exploit them to gain an advantage.
No violation Interview questions for teacher candidates · April 3, 2025
Redaction of examination data under section 7(1)(q)
Rule: Section 7(1)(q) exempts test questions, questionnaires, and other records relied upon to formulate promotional examination results, so redaction was proper.
No violation Redacted qualification test questions from emails · May 3, 2024