How To Pass The Civil Service Exam NYC & Get The Job?
NYC has some of the highest civil service work positions and continuously hires more applicants. If you want to start your career in civil service, an NYC Civil Service Exam is required. The applicants or people who took the test are then listed based on the score they got on the Civil Service Exam.
This article will provide you with all the info you need about the Civil Service Exam. You don’t have to search through the internet to familiarize yourself with the exam. Go through our article and start practicing and getting ready to pass the exam with the highest score possible.
Table of Contents
What is the NYC civil service exam?
The NYC civil service exam that applicants must pass with high results to apply for different civil service positions.
In the state of New York, a Civil Service Exam is a way to check the proficiency and the competency applicants have in regards to a position they apply for. The exam ensures a competitive environment where only the most suitable applicants are hired. This is a great regulatory method to both give everyone a fair chance and only hire competent individuals.
The timeframe for completion of the NYC civil service exam depends on the type of test you’re taking. Depending on the service you’re looking to join and the position you want to apply for, you need to pass the corresponding civil service exam.
The exam is usually taken online, and the person needs to pay an entry fee. Due to Covid-19 uncertainty, entries are no longer walk-in but need to be scheduled online. Furthermore, all applicants need to have the minimum requirements to qualify for taking the test.
Also Read- How Can You Prepare for DCAS Civil Service Exam?
Types of NYC Civil Service Exam
The NYC Civil Service Exam can fall into one of the three categories:
- Open-competitive exams: The open competitive exams are available for applicants that have the minimum (educational and experience) requirements needed.
- Promotion exams: Promotion exams are open only for permanent or 55-a city employees who want to apply for a promotion in their existing career path.
- Qualified-incumbent exams: They are available to provisional city employees that have two or more years of experience.
Is the NYC Civil Service Exam difficult?
The difficulty and complexity of the civil service exam depends on the position you’re applying for. Some positions will naturally have more complex questions and will require more capabilities, work experience, and higher test scores.
Other entry-level jobs might only measure some basic math, reading, and writing capabilities.
What jobs can you get with a civil service exam?
Before applying for taking the civil service exam for NYC, you need to take a look at the open positions they have, the minimum requirements, and submit an online application.
The job opportunities that require a civil service exam can be in the following sectors:
- Administration and Human Resources
- Communications and Intergovernmental Affairs
- Community Programs
- Engineering, Architecture, and Planning
- Finance and Accounting
- Health
- Technology and Innovation
- Legal Affairs
- Building Maintainance
- Public Safety, Inspection, and Enforcement
- Social Services
To search for the current open civil service positions they have, visit the New York State Civil Service Commission website.
What does a civil service test consist of?
What the civil service test will measure, depends on the position for which you want to apply for.
So, a Law Enforcement civil service test will measure your ability to follow orders, your ability to stay calm in stressful situations, or your interpersonal negotiation skills.
The New York Sanitation civil test, on the other hand, will measure your abilities in writing and comprehension of written text, the ability for spatial orientation and visualization, as well as your ability to understand and remember information.
Common testing methods
- Oral and Essay exams: They will measure your proficiency in English, both speaking and writing. They will also measure your ability to think critically, to understand and summarize content, your ability to remember and recall information, and your abilities to express your thoughts, among other things.
- Performance and Job Simulation Tests: In these kinds of exams, you will be tested by simulating the job position and evaluating your capabilities to find your way around work requirements. For example, if you apply for a job position where key responsibility includes working on a computer, the performance test might measure your understanding and work with computers and software, or your typing speed.
- Personality Tests: For some of the positions, you might be required to be a good fit based on your personality. On personality tests, there aren’t right or wrong answers, but answers that are or aren’t fit for the position.
- Training and Experience Evaluation: In addition to the test, these evaluations will give you extra credits for having extensive previous experience in a similar work field or position.
- Computer or written exams: A big portion of the civil service tests are in the form of written exams with multiple-choice answers.
Overall, the civil service test consists of basic Math and English reading and writing questions, by default. The other capabilities it will measure depend on the specific position that the test is made for. For some, there will be personality tests, deductive and inductive reasoning, spatial orientation, problem-solving, memory, visualization, memorizing, or some other kinds of tests.
The most important thing you need to do is to familiarize yourself with the minimum requirements a position needs, and then take the test.
The score you get at the civil service test will be added to the points you get by having a suitable academic degree and practical, previous experience in the field. The final list displays all test participants, starting with the highest score. Then, candidates are drawn from that pool based on the score.
Can you prepare for the Civil Service Exam NYC?
Even though it is not possible to know the questions on the Civil Service Exam beforehand, you can get yourself ready for the questions’ format and the testing material.
Job Test Prep is one of the best resources for practice materials for all kinds of tests, NYC Civil Service Exam included.
Aside from getting hundreds of testing questions, Job Test Prep also provide you with guides and tutorials that can help you in your practicing process. Their Civil Service Exams are divided into sections based on the position you want to apply for. That way, you know you’re practicing only what you need, in the format you need.
Job Test Prep prep materials for the NYC Civil Service Exam
Job Test Prep offers their preparation materials for the following exams:
- NYS Police Test Practice – Over 700 practice questions
- NYS Correction Office Exam – Over 100 practice questions in different categories
- NYS Firefighter Test – 6 full-length practicing tests
- New York State Court Exams – Over 40 different tests
- NYPD School Safety Agent Exam – 58 practicing tests
- NYC Sanitation Test – Over 60 different practice tests in different categories
- NYPD Police Officer Exam – Over 1000 practicing questions
- Suffolk County Police Exam – 42 practicing tests
- Traffic Reinforcement Agent – 68 practice tests
- MTA Bus Operator and Train Conductor Exam – 6 MTA BOSS Personality tests and over 60 MTA Multiple
- Choice exams
- DCAS Special Officer – 53 practice tests
- FDNY Firefighter Test – 3 FDNY video simulating tests, full personality test, study guides, and detailed answer explanation and solving tips
Tips for Passing the Civil Service Exam
If you plan on taking the civil service exam, it’s important to make sure that you do everything you can beforehand to get ready for it. After all, most of the tests have a non-refundable entry fee. Furthermore, some exams are not given regularly, so your next chance to get in the top applicants might happen only after several years.
Follow these tips and make sure that you get on top of that list:
- Familiarize yourself with the requirements: If you don’t have the right academic degree or the minimum practical experience, your time, effort, and money will be lost for nothing
- Keep yourself updated: Subscribe to the New York State Civil Service Commission and regularly check when they have open applications
- Practice: Get the help of Job Test Prep and practice the right material
- Leave enough prep time: Start practicing on time and familiarize yourself with the testing material and the format of the questions
- Research the position: Acquire and practice the personal qualities they value and need for certain positions. For example, if you want to join Law Enforcement and they need a person who knows how to manage stressful situations, you won’t be a good fit until you really know how to manage those kinds of situations
Conclusion
The NYC Civil Service Exam is a set of different kinds of tests that are used in the hiring process for civil service jobs in the state of New York. What they consist of depends on the job position itself.
Apart from the test, usually there will be additional minimum requirements about academic level and past experience. Only after these two sections are covered, a person should take the appropriate Civil Service Exam. To do so, the person needs to apply for the test and pay a non-refundable fee.
The results are ordered from the highest score to the lowest. That list is then used for the interviewing process.
If you want to pass the civil service exam with the best result possible – use the help of Job Test Prep. They have the most in-depth, organized practice materials you need. Plus, they provide you with useful video tutorials or helpful tips to help you prepare.
We also offer civil service study guides for the following states:
Written by Victoria Todorovska
Victoria (or Viki) is a Freelance Writer, Psychologist, and Gestalt Therapy Consultant. With years of experience in higher education as well as counselling others, she is well-placed to offer expert advice on guiding others up the career ladder.
Sarah is an accomplished educator, researcher and author in the field of testing and assessment. She has worked with various educational institutions and organisations to develop innovative evaluation methods and enhance student learning. Sarah has published numerous articles and books on assessment and learning. Her passion for promoting equity and fairness in the education system fuels her commitment to sharing insights and best practices with educators and policymakers around the world.
