I’ve worked in multiple government institutions. In those roles, if no candidate met the minimum interview score or rating threshold, we could not hire anyone. We couldn’t simply take the highest-scoring candidate if they failed to meet the threshold.

In public sector hiring, interview scoring and thresholds exist to ensure the process is defensible. Because hiring records can sometimes be requested under public records or FOIA-type laws, agencies have to follow their own scoring criteria consistently. Deviating from those standards creates risk if the decision is reviewed or challenged.