Author: Sarah Lauser

In-Person Training / Study Groups Announced!

Sarah Lauser

PEF Study Groups:
With the assistance of Bill Moonan, PEF Statewide IT Committee Chairman, PEF has arranged two IT study workgroups for our members that have recently applied to take the exam (s). The study groups will take place at the PEF office in Latham, NY and will be limited to “first come-first serve”, due to the venue size. In collaboration with CSEA, PEF has purchased a limited number of examination preparation books, which will be available during these study groups. These sessions will be two-hours in length and you will be able to utilize these manuals with co-workers amongst yourselves. PEF staff will be available to help with basic test-taking tips. There is one (1) Sunday option for those that need time to travel from other areas of the State.

  • Friday September 22, 2017 (6-8 pm) PEF HQ RSVP here
  • Sunday September 24, 2017 (9-11 am) PEF HQ RSVP here

Sarah Lauser IT Exam Training Classes:
This is a larger venue, but space is still limited. There is one (1) Sunday option for those that need time to travel from other areas of the State.

  • Monday September 18, 2017 (6-9 pm) Zaloga Post RSVP here
  • Tuesday September 26, 2017 (6-9 pm) Zaloga Post RSVP here
  • Sunday October 1, 2017 (1-4 pm) Zaloga Post RSVP here

PEF is currently working to provide additional resources and you will be notified as soon as that becomes possible as long as you are signed up for “PEF on the Move” emails. You can sign up for those emails here.

In-Person Training / Study Groups

Sarah Lauser

PEF Region 8 (Capital Region) is planning three training sessions. The plan right now is to have the same material at all three sessions so more people will be able to attend. If you would like to be notified when registration is available, email Andrea Coton at the PEF Region 8 field office: acoton@pef.org

Calculator Policy

Sarah Lauser

In 2014, Civil Service sent me the following clarification about the calculator policy:

  • Candidates will be advised on their admission notice whether or not calculators are permitted.
  • If calculators are permitted, they must be quiet, hand-held, solar or battery powered.
  • Devices with typewriter keyboards such as computers, spell-checkers, personal digital assistants, address books, language translators, dictionaries, and any similar devices are prohibited.

I have been advised that the TI-83 Plus graphing calculator will likely not be allowed by proctors as it contains user-programmable memory.

I personally am going to bring both a TI-30XIIS scientific calculator and a simple four-function calculator.

Tabular Reasoning

Sarah Lauser

This topic is also known as Understanding and Interpreting Tabular Material.

Sorry, but I don’t know where the supporting materials are at the moment.  If someone has them, please post them as a comment!  I’ll be able to look more for them after 9/8.

Official Sample Questions

Sarah Lauser

NYS Department of Civil Service provides a very limited set of sample questions on their website at https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/statetestguides.cfm

You will have to poke around to find the appropriate topics, as the documents are prepared to assist with specific title series.

At some point I made a comprehensive document, but there may be more available at this point and I won’t have time to update it.  Here is what I do have:
ALL_CS_SAMPLES [PDF]

 

2017 IT Exam Announcements

Sarah Lauser

The New York State Department of Civil Service has announced the following IT Series examinations.  Employees in the CIO Division are strongly encouraged to apply for all exams for which they qualify.  Your placement on Civil Service eligible lists increases your employment and promotional opportunities.

When filing your online application, be aware there is no technical assistance on weekends, or after 5 PM on weekdays.

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