Covers the current Correction Officer exam, Notice of Examination No. 7302.
If you want an NYC correction officer exam practice test, start with the only official outline there is. Notice of Examination No. 7302 says the multiple-choice test "may include questions requiring the use of" 11 abilities and defines each one.
Filing for Exam No. 7302 runs from September 2 to October 27, 2026, the fee is $0, and testing is expected to begin on Tuesday, December 15, 2026 (the notice). The test is given at a computer terminal, you need 70% to pass, and your score sets your rank on the eligible list. See how the exam works for the full process.
What the notice says, and what it does not
The notice lists the abilities with a short job example for each. It does not publish the number of questions, the time limit or how many questions test each ability. Because it says the test "may include" these abilities, not every one may appear on your test.
Three more facts from the notice matter for practice:
- Calculators: basic hand-held calculators "for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division" are allowed.
- Test-day materials: some questions may be answered "on the basis of documents or other information supplied to the candidates on the date of the multiple-choice exam." The notice does not describe those documents.
- Pictures and maps: our Memorization, Spatial Orientation and Visualization examples are text versions. The real test may use pictures or maps. For memory questions that hide the notice, map questions with drawn floor plans and visualization questions with drawn rooms, try our 33 free sample questions.
The NYC Department of Correction's About the Test sheet repeats the same 11 abilities. Every practice question below is original. The names, numbers and rules in them are made up, and they are not real test questions. Try each one before you open "Show answer."
1. Deductive Reasoning
Official definition: "applying general rules to specific problems and coming up with logical answers." (the notice)
What it means: You apply a stated rule to one case. The answer comes from the rule, not from what seems fair. The notice's job example is assigning tasks to inmates by following rules about which tasks may go to which inmate.
Practice example
Made-up rule: an inmate may work in the kitchen only if he has had no disciplinary infraction in the past 60 days and has a current medical clearance for food handling. Inmates in protective custody may not work in the kitchen.
Which inmate may be assigned to kitchen work?
- A. Inmate Ortiz: no infractions in the past 90 days, medical clearance expired last week
- B. Inmate Bell: medical clearance is current, one infraction 45 days ago
- C. Inmate Nguyen: last infraction 75 days ago, medical clearance is current
- D. Inmate Harris: no infractions ever, current medical clearance, in protective custody
Show answer
Answer: C. Nguyen meets both conditions. Ortiz's clearance has expired, Bell's infraction is inside the 60 days, and protective custody rules out Harris despite his clean record.
Tip: Check every condition against every option, and do not stop at the first option that meets one rule.
2. Inductive Reasoning
Official definition: "combining separate pieces of information, or specific answers to problems, to form general rules or conclusions." (the notice)
What it means: You look at several facts and decide what they point to. The notice's job example is judging whether inmate complaints are valid, based on what you observe and what inmates say.
Practice example
For a week, inmates in Housing Area 3 complain that their dinner trays arrive cold. Areas 1 and 2 are served from the same cart and have not complained. At dinner, Area 3 is served last, about 25 minutes after the cart leaves the kitchen. At breakfast and lunch, Area 3 is served first, and nobody complains.
Which conclusion do these facts best support?
- A. The complaints are likely valid, and the dinner serving order is the likely cause.
- B. The complaints are likely not valid, because the other housing areas have not complained.
- C. The kitchen is likely preparing the Housing Area 3 dinners differently from the others.
- D. The complaints are likely valid, and the food is already cold when it leaves the kitchen.
Show answer
Answer: A. The problem appears only when Area 3 is served last, about 25 minutes after the cart leaves. Food that left the kitchen cold would reach Areas 1 and 2 cold too, and nothing points to a different meal for Area 3. Those areas are served earlier, so their silence does not make Area 3's complaints false.
Tip: Find the fact that changes when the problem appears, then test each option against all the facts.
3. Information Ordering
Official definition: "correctly following a rule or set of rules of actions in a certain order. The rule or set of rules used must be given." (the notice)
What it means: You follow given steps in the stated order, including any exceptions. The notice's job example is reporting to roll call and carrying out instructions in a set order.
Practice example
A made-up intake procedure: (1) Check the commitment papers against the ID band. (2) Search the inmate and his property for contraband. (3) Record each property item on the property form. (4) Have the inmate sign the form. (5) Enter the intake time in the logbook. If contraband is found in Step 2, notify the area supervisor before going on to Step 3. Officer Diaz has checked the papers, and during the search she finds a lighter, which is contraband.
What should Officer Diaz do next?
- A. Record the lighter on the property form
- B. Enter the intake time in the intake logbook
- C. Have the inmate sign the property form
- D. Notify the area supervisor
Show answer
Answer: D. The exception applies, so the supervisor is notified before Step 3. Recording the lighter is a reasonable instinct, but it is Step 3. The other options skip ahead.
Tip: Read the exceptions before the steps. Many of these questions turn on one condition that changes the normal order.
4. Mathematical Reasoning
Official definition: "understanding and organizing a problem and then selecting a mathematical method or formula to solve the problem." (the notice)
What it means: The hard part is setting up the problem: which numbers matter and which operation to use. The notice's job example is calculating the average number of miles driven per tour.
Practice example
A transport van's odometer read 18,436 at the start of Monday's tour and 18,656 at the end of Friday's tour. It was used on one tour each on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and not at all on Wednesday.
What was the average number of miles driven per tour?
- A. 44 miles
- B. 55 miles
- C. 73.3 miles
- D. 220 miles
Show answer
Answer: B. 18,656 minus 18,436 is 220 miles, over 4 tours, so 220 divided by 4 is 55. Dividing by 5 gives 44, but Wednesday had no tour. 220 is the total, and 73.3 divides by 3.
Tip: Before you calculate, write down what you are dividing by and why.
5. Memorization
Official definition: "remembering information, such as words, numbers, pictures and procedures." (the notice)
What it means: You study information, then answer from memory. The notice's job example is memorizing numbers or pictures, or the people or items in a room.
Practice example
This is a text version. The real test may use pictures, and the notice does not say how these questions are run. Read this list for about 30 seconds (our choice, not a known test timing), cover it, then answer. Escort list, 9:40 AM: Marcus Webb, ID 441-26-0187, to the clinic on the 2nd floor. Luis Ortega, ID 441-26-0213, to the law library. Andre Kim, ID 441-26-0159, to a visit on Visit Floor B.
Where was the inmate whose ID number ends in 0159 going?
- A. To the clinic on the 2nd floor
- B. To the law library
- C. To a visit on Visit Floor B
- D. To a visit on Visit Floor 2
Show answer
Answer: C. 0159 is Andre Kim, going to Visit Floor B. The clinic was Webb (0187), and the law library was Ortega (0213). Visit Floor 2 mixes the clinic's floor with Kim's destination.
Tip: Link each person to a number and a place (Kim, 0159, Floor B), and always practice with the material hidden.
6. Number Facility
Official definition: "adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing quickly and correctly." (the notice)
What it means: Fast, accurate arithmetic where the method is obvious. The notice's job example is compiling and checking data, such as special meal distribution to different facilities.
Practice example
North Facility ordered 38 diabetic, 24 low-sodium and 17 vegetarian meals. East Facility ordered 29 diabetic, 31 low-sodium and 22 vegetarian meals. Later, 6 of North's diabetic meals were canceled.
How many special meals are still on order in total?
- A. 155
- B. 161
- C. 149
- D. 167
Show answer
Answer: A. North: 38 + 24 + 17 = 79. East: 29 + 31 + 22 = 82. Together that is 161, minus the 6 canceled meals, which leaves 155. 161 skips the cancellation, 167 adds the 6 and 149 subtracts it twice.
Tip: The notice allows a basic four-function calculator, so practice with one, but estimate first so that you catch a typing slip.
7. Problem Sensitivity
Official definition: "being able to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong." (the notice)
What it means: You notice the detail that does not fit. The notice's job example is watching inmate behavior to check compliance, and its listed duties include recommending medical or psychiatric referrals.
Practice example
While walking through a dormitory housing area one evening, Officer Brooks notices four things.
Which one most clearly suggests that something is wrong or is likely to go wrong?
- A. A group of inmates is shouting at a sports game on the dayroom TV.
- B. An inmate is filling out a grievance form at a table.
- C. An inmate asks for an extra blanket because the dorm is cold.
- D. An inmate is giving away his family photos to other inmates.
Show answer
Answer: D. Giving away valued items is out of the ordinary. It can mean he is thinking of harming himself or is under pressure from others, so it calls for a closer look and a report. Loud fans at a game, a grievance form and a blanket request are ordinary.
Tip: Look for a change from normal behavior, not the loudest scene. The answer is often the quiet detail.
8. Spatial Orientation
Official definition: "determining where you are in relation to the location of some object or where the object is in relation to you." (the notice)
What it means: You work out directions and routes. The notice's job example is finding the most direct route on a given map to criminal court.
Practice example
This is a text version. The real test may show a map. In a made-up grid, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Avenues run north-south (1st is farthest west), and 10th, 11th and 12th Streets run east-west (10th is farthest south). One-way rules: 1st Avenue southbound, 2nd Avenue northbound, 3rd Avenue southbound and 11th Street westbound. 10th and 12th Streets are two-way. A van leaves the gate at 1st Avenue and 10th Street for the courthouse at 3rd Avenue and 12th Street.
Which route avoids going the wrong way on a one-way street?
- A. East on 10th St to 2nd Ave, north on 2nd Ave to 11th St, east on 11th St to 3rd Ave, then north to 12th St
- B. East on 10th St to 2nd Ave, north on 2nd Ave to 12th St, then east on 12th St to 3rd Ave
- C. East on 10th St to 3rd Ave, then north on 3rd Ave to 12th St
- D. North on 1st Ave to 12th St, then east on 12th St to 3rd Ave
Show answer
Answer: B. Every leg of B is legal. A goes east on westbound 11th Street and north on southbound 3rd Avenue. C also goes north on 3rd Avenue, and D goes north on southbound 1st Avenue.
Tip: Sketch the grid with north at the top, then check each leg of each route.
9. Visualization
Official definition: "imagining how something would look when it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged." (the notice)
What it means: You picture a room or object from a new angle. The notice's job example is locating items after entering a room through a different entrance.
Practice example
This is a text version. The real test may show pictures or floor plans. A square supply room has a door in the middle of the south wall and another in the middle of the north wall. When you enter through the south door, facing into the room, you see the supply shelf in the far right corner. Today you enter through the north door, facing into the room.
Where is the supply shelf now?
- A. In the far corner on your right
- B. In the near corner on your right
- C. In the far corner on your left
- D. In the near corner on your left
Show answer
Answer: D. From the south door you face north, so far right is the northeast corner. From the north door you face south: north is now near, and east is on your left. A is the old view, and B and C each flip only one direction.
Tip: Name walls by compass direction, which stays the same when you turn, instead of left and right.
10. Written Comprehension
Official definition: "understanding written sentences and paragraphs." (the notice)
What it means: You answer only from what the passage says. The notice's job example is interpreting facility policies and carrying out procedures from written materials.
Practice example
Made-up visit procedure: Each visitor must show one photo ID. Visitors under 18 must be with a parent or legal guardian. A visitor may bring in only a locker key, coins in one clear plastic bag and prescribed medicine needed during the visit. All other items go in a locker before the search. If a visitor refuses the search, the visit is canceled for that day, but the visitor may return on another visit day.
According to the procedure, which statement is correct?
- A. A visitor who refuses the search may return on another visit day.
- B. A visitor under 18 may visit alone after showing a photo ID.
- C. A visitor may bring coins for the vending machine in any kind of bag.
- D. Prescribed medicine must go in a locker with other items before the search.
Show answer
Answer: A. The last sentence says exactly this. Visitors under 18 need a parent or guardian, coins must be in a clear plastic bag and needed medicine may be brought in.
Tip: For each option, find the sentence that proves or disproves it. If you cannot point to one, the option is probably wrong.
11. Written Expression
Official definition: "using English words or sentences in writing so that others will understand." (the notice)
What it means: You pick the sentence that states the facts clearly and correctly, adding nothing you did not see. The notice's job example is writing reports with correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Practice example
Officer Grant's facts: at 3:15 PM, she found a sharpened toothbrush under the mattress in Cell 9, which is assigned to inmate Victor Lane. She gave it to Captain Rivera.
Which logbook entry is the clearest and most accurate?
- A. At 3:15 PM, I found a sharpened toothbrush under the mattress in Cell 9, this cell is assigned to inmate Victor Lane, I gave it to Captain Rivera.
- B. At 3:15 PM, I found a sharpened toothbrush under the mattress in Cell 9, which is assigned to inmate Victor Lane. I gave it to Captain Rivera.
- C. At 3:15 PM, inmate Victor Lane hid a sharpened toothbrush under the mattress in Cell 9, which I found and gave to Captain Rivera.
- D. Under the mattress in Cell 9, Captain Rivera was given a sharpened toothbrush that I found at 3:15 PM, assigned to inmate Victor Lane.
Show answer
Answer: B. B is complete and states only what she saw. A joins sentences with commas. C says Lane hid the item, which she did not see. D reads as if the captain was under the mattress.
Tip: Check that all the facts are there, nothing is added and the sentences are correct.
How to practice by ability
The notice publishes no weights, so give every ability some time and extra time to your weak ones.
- Find your weak abilities. Work a mixed set, then sort your misses by ability.
- Practice one ability at a time, then mix. Single-ability sets teach the patterns, and mixed sets train you to switch between them.
- Read every explanation, even for questions you got right.
- Use only a basic four-function calculator for math, because that is what the notice allows.
Common questions
How many questions are on the exam, and how long is it?
Neither is published. Notice No. 7302 gives no question count and no time limit, so treat any exact numbers you see elsewhere as unofficial.
Can I use a calculator on the correction officer written exam?
Yes, a basic four-function hand-held calculator. Phones, smartwatches and other electronic devices are sealed in a pouch at the test site (the notice).
Will all 11 abilities be on my test?
Not necessarily. The notice says the test "may include" questions on these abilities and publishes no weights, so prepare for all 11.
When do I get my score?
DCAS gives immediate, tentative results at the end of the test (DCAS results page). Proposed answer keys can be protested (protest procedures).
Does the City publish official practice questions?
We found no official practice test or sample questions from DCAS for this exam. The examples in this guide are our own.
What score do I need?
At least 70% to pass. Passing candidates are placed on the eligible list in final score order (the notice), so a higher score means a better list number. See list numbers explained.
When is the next Correction Officer exam?
Filing for Exam No. 7302 closes October 27, 2026 (the notice). The DCAS FY2027 exam schedule also lists Exam Nos. 7303 and 7304, with planned filing starts in January and April 2027. Check each new notice when it posts.
PrepRaven is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of New York, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services or any City agency. The practice questions on this page are original and are not taken from any real exam.
Last updated October 2026