Covers the current Special Officer exams, Notice of Examination No. 7329 (NYC Health + Hospitals) and No. 7327 (City agencies).
If you want NYC Special Officer exam practice, start with the only official outline there is. Both notices say the multiple-choice test "may include questions requiring the use of" six abilities, and both define each one with a short job example. The two lists are the same, word for word, apart from the job title.
Filing for Exam 7329 runs from September 2, 2026, to October 27, 2026. Filing for Exam 7327 closed on September 22, 2026. Testing for both is expected to begin on Monday, December 7, 2026. 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 notices say, and what they do not
The notices list the abilities with a job example for each. They do not publish the number of questions, the time limit or how many questions test each ability. Because they say the test "may include" these abilities, not every one may appear on your test.
Two more facts from the notices matter for practice:
- No calculators: both notices say calculators are not permitted. No ability on the list is a math ability.
- 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 notices do not describe those documents.
Every practice question below is original. The names, places and rules in them are made up, and they are not real test questions. Try each one before you open "Show answer." For 30 more, try our free practice test.
1. Deductive Reasoning
Official definition: "applying general rules to specific problems and coming up with logical answers. It involves deciding if an answer makes sense." (Notice 7329)
What it means: You apply a stated rule to one case. The notices' job example is deciding whether a person caught vandalizing property should be arrested, which means applying the rules for an arrest to what you saw.
Practice example
Made-up rule at a hospital: A person may stay in a waiting room overnight only if he or she is a patient waiting for care or is with a patient. Anyone else found sleeping in a waiting room is asked to leave.
At 2:00 AM, which person should the officer ask to leave?
- A. A woman asleep in the emergency waiting room whose son is being treated
- B. A man asleep in the clinic waiting room who says he is not a patient and is not with anyone
- C. A man asleep in the emergency waiting room who is waiting to be called for care
- D. A teenager dozing next to her grandfather, who is waiting to be seen
Show answer
Answer: B. Only the man in B is neither a patient waiting for care nor with a patient. The woman in A is with her son, the man in C is a patient waiting for care and the teenager in D is with her grandfather, who is a patient.
Tip: Check each person against every condition in the rule. The rule decides, not who seems most deserving.
2. Information Ordering
Official definition: "correctly following a rule or set of rules or actions in a certain order. The rule or set of rules used must be given. The things or actions to be put in order can include numbers, letters, words, pictures, procedures, sentences, and mathematical or logical operations." (Notice 7329)
What it means: You follow given steps in the stated order, including any exceptions. The notices' job example is deciding the next action to take when giving medical help to a person who is injured.
Practice example
Made-up procedure for a visitor with a bleeding cut on the hand: (1) Put on gloves. (2) Press a clean cloth on the cut. (3) If blood soaks through, add another cloth on top without removing the first. (4) If the bleeding has not slowed after 5 minutes, radio for the medical team. (5) Write an incident report. Officer Lin has put on gloves and is pressing a cloth on the cut. After 2 minutes, blood soaks through the cloth.
What should Officer Lin do next?
- A. Remove the soaked cloth and press a fresh one on the cut
- B. Radio for the medical team right away
- C. Add another cloth on top of the first one
- D. Start writing the incident report
Show answer
Answer: C. Step 3 covers exactly this: add a cloth on top and leave the first one in place. Removing the soaked cloth breaks that step. Only 2 minutes have passed, and Step 4 calls for the radio call after 5 minutes without slowing. The report comes last.
Tip: Find where you are in the steps first. Then check for a condition, such as a time limit, that changes the next step.
3. Problem Sensitivity
Official definition: "being able to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It includes being able to identify the whole problem as well as elements of the problem." (Notice 7329)
What it means: You notice the detail that does not fit. The notices' job example is keeping the peace or helping people who are sick, injured or disabled.
Practice example
At 1:00 AM, Officer Ruiz makes her second round of a clinic building that closed at 9:00 PM. On the first round, every office was dark and locked.
Which of these should she look into first?
- A. The exit signs in the stairwells are lit.
- B. A cleaner is mopping the first-floor hallway, as the night schedule says.
- C. A vending machine in the lobby is lit and humming.
- D. Lights are now on in a third-floor office that was dark on her first round.
Show answer
Answer: D. A light that came on in a closed office since the last round means someone may be inside who should not be. Exit signs and vending machines stay lit, and the cleaner is working on schedule.
Tip: Ask what has changed since the last time you looked, and what would be normal at this hour.
4. Time Sharing
Official definition: "shifting back and forth between two or more sources of information." (Notice 7329)
What we know: the notices give one job example: a Special Officer "may use this ability when responding to emergencies." That is all. Neither notice, and no other official source we found, describes what a Time Sharing question looks like on the test, how it is timed or how it is scored.
Why we do not practice it: any practice format we made up would be a guess, and calling a guess "the real format" would mislead you. So our practice questions cover the other five abilities, and we say so on every page. If DCAS publishes more about Time Sharing, we will update this guide.
5. Written Comprehension
Official definition: "understanding written sentences and paragraphs." (Notice 7329)
What it means: You read a memo, policy or report and answer from what it says. The notices' job example is reviewing a report.
Practice example
Made-up memo: Visitors may bring flowers to patient rooms on all floors except the intensive care unit and the cancer treatment floor. Balloons are allowed only if they are made of foil, because latex can cause allergic reactions. Food from outside may be brought only after the patient's nurse says it is all right.
According to the memo, which item may a visitor bring to a patient on the cancer treatment floor?
- A. A bunch of fresh flowers
- B. A foil balloon
- C. A latex balloon
- D. A sandwich, without asking the nurse
Show answer
Answer: B. Foil balloons are allowed on any floor. Flowers are not allowed on the cancer treatment floor, latex balloons are not allowed anywhere and outside food needs the nurse's approval first.
Tip: Answer only from the memo. Watch for words like "only," "except" and "after," which change who or what a rule covers.
6. Written Expression
Official definition: "using English words or sentences in writing so that others will understand." (Notice 7329)
What it means: You choose the clearest, most accurate way to write something down. The notices' job example is writing an incident report and recording daily logs.
Practice example
Officer Harris's facts: At 4:50 PM, visitor Tanya Moore reported that a man in a blue cap took her phone from a table in the cafeteria. Officer Harris did not see it happen.
Which sentence is best for the incident report?
- A. At 4:50 PM, a man in a blue cap stole visitor Tanya Moore's phone from a cafeteria table.
- B. At 4:50 PM, visitor Tanya Moore reported that a man in a blue cap took her phone from a table in the cafeteria.
- C. At 4:50 PM, visitor Tanya Moore reported that a man took her phone from a table in the cafeteria.
- D. Visitor Tanya Moore reported that a man in a blue cap took her phone, from a table in the cafeteria at 4:50 PM.
Show answer
Answer: B. B gives every fact and credits the account to Ms. Moore. A states the theft as a fact the officer saw, C leaves out the blue cap and D is awkward and makes the time unclear.
Tip: Check that all the facts are there, that nothing is added and that the sentence says who reported what.
How to practice by ability
The notices publish 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.
- Write short reports. Take a few facts and write two or three clear sentences that say who, what, when and where.
Common questions
Are the City and hospital Special Officer tests the same?
Their notices list the same six abilities with the same definitions and examples, and both say testing is expected to begin on December 7, 2026. The notices do not say whether the test forms are the same, so we do not claim that they are.
How many questions are on the exam, and how long is it?
Neither is published. The notices give no question count and no time limit, so treat any exact numbers you see elsewhere as unofficial.
Will all six abilities be on my test?
Not necessarily. The notices say the test "may include" questions on these abilities and publish no weights.
Can I use a calculator?
No. Both notices say calculators are not permitted, and no ability on the list needs one.
Does the City publish official practice questions?
We found no official practice test or sample questions from DCAS for these exams. 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, so a higher score means a better list number. See what happens after the exam.
PrepRaven is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of New York, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, NYC Health + Hospitals or any City agency. The practice questions on this page are original and are not taken from any real exam.
Last updated October 2026