Category: Civil Service

Exam admission notices are out!

Sarah Lauser

Exam admission notices are out!
Exam admission notices were mailed at the end of last week.
If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, call 518-474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627.
Remember to bring your admission notice and ID with you to the exam.

Note for those taking the exam at Albany High:
I have received a reminder that parking is expected to be tight at Albany High, so if you are assigned to that location make sure to get there early or park somewhere else and ride the bus in.

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.

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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