Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 31 § 10
An appointing authority may make a promotional appointment within a departmental unit on the basis of an alternate departmental promotional examination pursuant to this section. Eligibility to take such examination shall extend only to persons who have been employed in the departmental unit as civil service employees for at least one year immediately preceding the date of examination and who have no permanent status in such unit in a title higher than that of the position to which the promotional appointment is to be made. In addition, eligibility to take such examination shall extend only to: (1) persons who have been employed in the departmental unit as civil service employees for one year or longer at any time preceding the date of the examination in a position which the administrator determines to be directly qualifying for the position for which the examination is to be held or (2) employees who satisfy such experience or education and training requirements as the administrator determines shall be qualifying for the position for which the examination is to be held. Such experience, education or training may have been acquired within or without the departmental unit and shall be credited by the administrator only upon the presentation of evidence satisfactory to the administrator that such experience, education or training is of the length, type and quality determined by the administrator to be qualifying for the position for which the examination is to be held.
The provisions of this section may be applied, upon approval of the administrator, to competitive promotional examinations held pursuant to section eleven. The provisions of this section may also be utilized to hold promotional examinations which shall be open to eligible employees of an entire executive office, with the approval of the secretary thereof.
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 31, § 10