New York City Examinations FAQ

Originally published here on 01/19/11

Many jobs within the City of New York government are filled through competitive, citywide examinations, which are administered by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services or DCAS. Positions like Police Officer, School Safety Agent and Correction Officer are all filled on a yearly civil service exam schedule. Take a look at the exams for jobs booklet or this informational website if you have additional questions. Also available through DCAS, scheduled licensing exams for skilled tradespeople. Check here for general licensing examination requirements.

You can apply to take an exam with the City of New York Online Application System or OAS or by printing out a copy of this form and sending it in. Or request a copy of the application be sent to you along with a self-addressed stamped envelope to DCAS Application Unit, 1 Centre Street, 14th floor, New York, NY 10007, postmarked no later than the application deadline. Be sure to check the requirements before applying.

There are two testing locations, 210 Joralemon Street in Brooklyn, or 2 Lafayette Street in Lower Manhattan, 2 blocks south of City Hall.

Test Preparation
Civil service exam books are available at the branch libraries, be sure to leave plenty of time before the test though, they tend to circulate frequently as the date come up. Please note that not all exams have published companion books.

You can buy copies at many bookstores including : Civil Service Book Shop, 89 Worth Street, New York, NY 10013-3411, (212) 226-9506.

Test guides and resource booklets are made available 60 days before the exam through the New York Department of Civil Service. Online test preparation for the some of the exams is also available through LearningExpress, a database freely available at the branch libraries. If you are registering from your library, please create a Username and Password, enter your e-mail address, and click the "Register" button. Your Username and Password must be at least 6 characters and should not include spaces.

If you have any questions regarding the exams and positions, you should contact DCAS at 311 or OASys@dcas.nyc.gov