N.Y. Civil Service Law § 50 – Examinations generally

1. Positions subject to competitive examinations. The merit and fitness of applicants for positions which are classified in the competitive class shall be ascertained by such examinations as may be prescribed by the state civil service department or the municipal commission having jurisdiction.
2. Announcement of examination. (a) The state civil service department and municipal commissions shall issue an announcement of each competitive examination, setting forth the minimum qualifications required, the subjects of the examination, and such other information as they may deem necessary, and shall advertise and promote such examination in such manner as the nature of the examination may require. Such announcement and advertisement shall each inform prospective applicants of the options for religious observance provided in subdivision eight of this section.
(b) In addition to any announcement required by paragraph (a) of this subdivision, the department and municipal commissions shall provide notice of each competitive examination to the following entities if the entity is located within the same geographic area as the department or commission: board of cooperative educational services (BOCES), school districts, public colleges, public universities, local social services districts, and, to the extent practicable, job training programs. In addition, the department and each municipal commission shall allow any such entity to sign up to be notified electronically when an announcement is issued.
3. Application for examination. The civil service department and municipal commissions shall require prospective applicants to file, during a prescribed time, a formal application in which the applicant shall state such information as may reasonably be required touching upon his background, experience and qualifications for the position sought, and his merit and fitness for the public service. The application shall be subscribed by the applicant and shall contain an affirmation by him that the statements therein are true under the penalties of perjury. Blank forms for such application shall be furnished by said department and such municipal commissions without charge to all persons requesting the same. The department and such municipal commissions may require in connection with such application such certificates of citizens, physicians, public officers or others having knowledge of the applicant, as the good of the service may require.
4. Disqualification of applicants or eligibles. The state civil service department and municipal commissions may refuse to examine an applicant, or after examination to certify an eligible
1. (a) who is found to lack any of the established requirements for admission to the examination or for appointment to the position for which he applies; or
2. (b) who is found to have a disability which renders him or her unfit to perform in a reasonable manner the duties of the position in which he or she seeks employment, or which may reasonably be expected to render him or her unfit to continue to perform in a reasonable manner the duties of such position; or
3. (d) who has been guilty of a crime; or
4. (e) who has been dismissed from a permanent position in the public service upon stated written charges of incompetency or misconduct, after an opportunity to answer such charges in writing, or who has resigned from, or whose service has otherwise been terminated in, a permanent or temporary position in the public service, where it is found after appropriate investigation or inquiry that such resignation or termination resulted from his incompetency or misconduct, provided, that in cases of dismissal, resignation or termination after written charges of incompetency, the examination or certification in question be for a position that requires the performance of a duty or duties which are the same as or similar to the duty or duties of the position from which the applicant has been dismissed, resigned or terminated on account of incompetency; or
5. (f) who has intentionally made a false statement of any material fact in his application; or
6. (g) who has practiced, or attempted to practice, any deception or fraud in his application, in his examination, or in securing his eligibility or appointment; or
7. (h) who has been dismissed from private employments because of habitually poor performance. No person shall be disqualified pursuant to this subdivision unless he has been given a written statement of the reasons therefor and afforded an opportunity to make an explanation and to submit facts in opposition to such disqualification. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subdivision or any other law, the state civil service department or appropriate municipal commission may investigate the qualifications and background of an eligible after he has been appointed from the list, and upon finding facts which if known prior to appointment, would have warranted his disqualification, or upon a finding of illegality, irregularity or fraud of a substantial nature in his application, examination or appointment, may revoke such eligible's certification and appointment and direct that his employment be terminated, provided, however, that no such certification shall be revoked or appointment terminated more than three years after it is made, except in the case of fraud. In connection with their lawful responsibilities or functions under paragraph (d) of this subdivision, the department and appropriate municipal commissions may require applicants to undergo a state and a national criminal history record check. When required, the fingerprints of such an applicant shall be submitted to the division of criminal justice services and the division of criminal justice services is authorized to submit such fingerprints to the federal bureau of investigation, in accordance with applicable rules or regulations promulgated by such entities, in order to obtain relevant state criminal history record information, if any, concerning such applicant and for a national criminal history record check. The department and municipal commissions shall ensure that adequate notice be provided to applicants regarding the fact that state and national criminal history record checks may be conducted, and the procedures therefor. Provided, however, that the provisions of this section shall not apply to (1) any current employee; or (2) a person who is considered an applicant by reason of (a) a transfer pursuant to section seventy of this chapter; or (b) a person who is on a preferred list subject to section eighty-one of this chapter; or (c) a person whose name is on an eligible list as defined in section fifty-six of this article and who has successfully completed a promotion exam subject to section fifty-two of this article.
5. Application fees. (a) Every applicant for examination for a position in the competitive or non-competitive class, or in the labor class when examination for appointment is required, shall pay a fee to the civil service department or appropriate municipal commission at a time determined by it. Such fees shall be dependent on the minimum annual salary announced for the position, as follows: (1) on salaries of less than three thousand dollars per annum, a fee of two dollars; (2) on salaries of more than three thousand dollars and not more than four thousand dollars per annum, a fee of three dollars; (3) on salaries of more than four thousand dollars and not more than five thousand dollars per annum, a fee of four dollars; and (4) on salaries of more than five thousand dollars per annum, a fee of five dollars. If the compensation of a position is fixed on any basis other than an annual salary rate, the applicant shall pay a fee based on the annual compensation which would otherwise be payable in such position if the services were required on a full time annual basis for the number of hours per day and days per week established by law or administrative rule or order. Fees paid hereunder by an applicant whose application is not approved may be refunded in the discretion of the state civil service department or of the appropriate municipal commission. * (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subdivision, the state civil service department, subject to the approval of the director of the budget, a municipal commission, subject to the approval of the governing board or body of the city or county, as the case may be, or a regional commission or personnel officer, pursuant to governmental agreement, may elect to waive application fees, or to abolish fees for specific classes of positions or types of examinations or candidates, or to establish a uniform schedule of reasonable fees different from those prescribed in paragraph (a) of this subdivision, specifying in such schedule the classes of positions or types of examinations or candidates to which such fees shall apply; provided, however, that fees shall be waived for candidates who certify to the state civil service department, a municipal commission or a regional commission that they are unemployed and primarily responsible for the support of a household, or are receiving public assistance. Provided further, the state civil service department shall waive the state application fee for examinations for original appointment for all veterans. Provided further, the state civil service department shall, and a municipal commission may, subject to the approval of the governing board or body of the city or county, as the case may be, or a regional commission or personnel officer, pursuant to governmental agreement, waive application fees for all examinations held between July first, two thousand twenty-three and December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-seven. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes of this section, the term "veteran" shall mean a person who has served in the armed forces of the United States or the reserves thereof, or in the army national guard, air national guard, New York guard, or the New York naval militia, and who (1) has been honorably discharged or released from such service under honorable conditions, or (2) has a qualifying condition, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service, or (3) is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service. The term "armed forces" shall mean the army, navy, air force, space force, marine corps, and coast guard. * NB Effective until December 31, 2027 * (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this subdivision, the state civil service department, subject to the approval of the director of the budget, a municipal commission, subject to the approval of the governing board or body of the city or county, as the case may be, or a regional commission or personnel officer, pursuant to governmental agreement, may elect to waive application fees, or to abolish fees for specific classes of positions or types of examinations or candidates, or to establish a uniform schedule of reasonable fees different from those prescribed in paragraph (a) of this subdivision, specifying in such schedule the classes of positions or types of examinations or candidates to which such fees shall apply; provided, however, that fees shall be waived for candidates who certify to the state civil service department, a municipal commission or a regional commission that they are unemployed and primarily responsible for the support of a household, or are receiving public assistance. Provided further, the state civil service department shall waive the state application fee for examinations for original appointment for all veterans. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes of this section, the term "veteran" shall mean a person who has served in the armed forces of the United States or the reserves thereof, or in the army national guard, air national guard, New York guard, or the New York naval militia, and who (1) has been honorably discharged or released from such service under honorable conditions, or (2) has a qualifying condition, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service, or (3) is a discharged LGBT veteran, as defined in section one of the veterans' services law, and has received a discharge other than bad conduct or dishonorable from such service. The term "armed forces" shall mean the army, navy, air force, space force, marine corps, and coast guard. * NB Effective December 31, 2027
(c) All fees collected hereunder by the state civil service department, except as hereinafter provided, shall be paid into the state treasury in the manner prescribed by the state finance law. Fees collected from applicants for examinations given exclusively for positions in the division of employment in the department of labor shall be held in trust until such time as the costs of such examinations have been ascertained and thereupon shall be disbursed as follows: (1) to the extent that such fees are sufficient therefor, there shall be paid into the unemployment administration fund maintained under the unemployment insurance law, an amount equal to the costs of such examinations. Such payments shall be made on the fifth day of the month following the month in which such costs were ascertained and shall be accompanied by a detailed, verified statement and a duplicate of such statement shall be filed on the same day with the state comptroller; (2) the balance, if any, of such fees shall be paid into the state treasury pursuant to the state finance law.
(d) All fees collected hereunder by any municipal civil service commission shall be paid into the general fund of the municipality for which such commission has been appointed.
5-a. Location of examinations. (a) The state civil service department shall offer examinations at any location or locations that it deems suitable.
(b) The state civil service department shall make efforts to utilize state university of New York educational opportunity centers when selecting testing sites.
6. Scope of examinations. Examinations shall be practical in their character and shall relate to those matters which will fairly test the relative capacity and fitness of the persons examined to discharge the duties of that service into which they seek to be appointed. The state civil service department or appropriate municipal commission, as the case may be, may establish an eligible list on the basis of ratings received by the candidates in the competitive portions of the examination and thereafter conduct medical, physical and other appropriate non-competitive qualifying tests from time to time as the need for certifications from the eligible list may require. Beginning in two thousand twenty-five, the state civil service department shall review and update the questions contained within the examination, as deemed appropriate by the department, no less than every five years. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the state civil service department from reviewing or updating the examinations prior to the scheduled update, as the department deems appropriate.
7. Court review of examination questions and answers. Where the state civil service commission or appropriate municipal civil service commission has, following its duly established review procedures, which in the case of the city of New York are set forth in section fifty-a of this chapter, made a final determination as to the answers that are acceptable on a particular examination, such determination shall not be subject to further review in any court. Court review shall be limited to be a determination of whether such duly established review procedures were followed, and the court shall have no authority to determine whether the commission's determination was correct.
8. Limitation of eligibility to one sex. The state civil service department or the municipal commission having jurisdiction may limit eligibility for examination to one sex when the duties of the position involved relate to the institutional or other custody or care of persons of the same sex, or visitation, inspection or work of any kind the nature of which requires sex selection.
9. Examination of candidates unable to attend tests because of religious observance. A person who, because of his religious beliefs, is unable to attend and take an examination scheduled to be held by the state department of civil service or a municipal commission on a Saturday or on a day which is a religious holiday observed by him, shall be permitted to take such examination on some other day designated by the state department of civil service or appropriate municipal commission, at a reasonably comparable time and place without any additional fee or penalty.
10. The term "disability" as used in this section, shall be defined as such term is defined in section two hundred ninety-two of the executive law. Determination of disability shall be made by a medical officer employed or selected by the civil service department or the municipal commission having jurisdiction.
11. Unlawful acts in respect to examinations administered pursuant to this chapter. A person who shall:
1. (a) Impersonate, or attempt to or offer to impersonate, another person in taking an examination held pursuant to this chapter; or
2. (b) Take, or attempt to take or offer to take such an examination in the name of any other person; or
3. (c) Procure or attempt to procure any other person to falsely impersonate him or her or to take, or attempt to take or offer to take, any such examination in his or her name; or
4. (d) Have in his or her possession any questions or answers relating to any such examination, or copies of such questions or answers, unless such possession is duly authorized by the appropriate authorities; or
5. (e) Sell or offer to sell questions or answers prepared for use in any such examination; or
6. (f) Use in any such examination any questions or answers secured prior to the administration of the examination or secure the questions or secure or prepare the answers to the examination questions prior to the administration of the examination, unless duly authorized to do so by the appropriate authorities; or
7. (g) Disclose or transmit to any person the questions or answers to such examination prior to its administration, or destroy, falsify or conceal the records or results of such examination from the appropriate authorities to whom such records are required to be transmitted in accordance with this chapter, unless duly authorized to do so by the appropriate authorities; shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor punishable by a sentence of imprisonment of six months or a fine of one thousand dollars, or both. Additionally, a person who is found by the state civil service department or municipal commission to have violated this section shall be disqualified from appointment to the position for which the examination is being held and may be disqualified from being a candidate for any civil service examination for a period of five years.