NYC Special Officer Exam 2026: What Notices 7327 and 7329 Say

Checked against the official Notices of Examination for Exam No. 7329 and Exam No. 7327.

New York City hires Special Officers through civil service exams run by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). Right now there are two: Exam No. 7327 for Special Officer jobs in City agencies and Exam No. 7329 for Special Officer jobs at NYC Health + Hospitals, the City's public hospital system. Both list the same six abilities, and both say testing is expected to begin on Monday, December 7, 2026. This guide sums up the two notices, with sources, and says plainly what the City does not publish.

The two exams at a glance

• Exam 7329, Special Officer (NYC H+H): "For NYC Health + Hospitals only." Filing period September 2, 2026, to October 27, 2026. Fee $61.00. Title code 708100. Notice 7329 (PDF).
• Exam 7327, Special Officer: for City agencies, and "not for NYC Health + Hospitals." Filing period September 2, 2026, to September 22, 2026, now closed. Fee $61.00. Title code 70810. Notice 7327 (PDF).
• Testing for both: "expected to begin on Monday, December 7, 2026." No end date is given.
• Format: multiple-choice, on a computer at a DCAS testing center. No calculators.
• Content: six abilities listed in each notice.
• Pass mark: 70%. Your score sets your rank on the eligible list.

Two exams, one job title

The two notices describe the same kind of work, but they lead to different employers and different lists. Each notice tells you to file separately for the other one, with "a separate application and fee." If you want to be considered for both City agencies and the public hospitals, you need both exams. For the next round, that means watching for both new notices.

The notices differ in a few ways that matter:

• List life. The 7327 list is "usually active for four years." The 7329 notice says its list "will be terminated one year from the date it is established, unless extended by NYC Health + Hospitals."
• Education. Both accept a four-year high school diploma or its equivalent. Only 7329 also accepts an Individualized Education Program (IEP) diploma plus six months of full-time work.
• Pay. Both start at $40,480 a year. The 7329 notice adds annual increases up to $58,345 after five years, plus $5,000 a year for officers trained to run weapons detection systems.
• Employer. The 7329 notice says NYC Health + Hospitals "is a separate municipal employer," and employees of City agencies cannot transfer to it.

See the requirements guide for the full comparison.

What a Special Officer does

Both notices describe work "relating to physical security, safety, loss prevention and maintenance of order." Officers patrol, give visitors directions, remove loiterers and disorderly people, make arrests and issue summonses on the premises, help sick or injured people and write reports. The hospital notice adds screening employees and visitors, running weapons detection systems, writing entries in the Hospital Police command log and giving first aid and basic life support during a medical emergency (Notice 7329). The City notice adds keeping records of people entering and leaving a building, clock rounds and, in some posts, wearing a body worn camera (Notice 7327).

Both notices list nights, weekends, holidays, rotating tours, outdoor work in all weather and long periods on your feet among the working conditions.

Dates for the current exams and the next ones

• Exam 7329 filing: September 2, 2026, to October 27, 2026. Applications are not accepted outside this period.
• Exam 7327 filing: September 2, 2026, to September 22, 2026 (closed).
• Admission Notice: on your OASys Dashboard 14 days before the first testing date.
• Testing begins: expected Monday, December 7, 2026, for both.

The DCAS annual exam schedule for fiscal year 2027 plans one more round of each: Exam 7328 for City agencies (filing planned for 3/3/27 to 3/23/27) and Exam 7330 for the hospitals (filing planned for 3/3/27 to 4/27/27). These are planning dates. Each exam will have its own notice, and the notice governs.

The $61 fee and the fee waivers

Both exams cost $61.00, and paying by credit, debit or gift card adds a nonrefundable 2.00% service fee. The notices say the fee may be waived for "New York City high school students, first-time test takers, veterans, unemployed individuals, and those receiving public assistance or supplementary security income." DCAS explains the change behind this list: "Beginning July 1, 2026, more New Yorkers can apply for DCAS civil service examinations at no cost. Under Local Law 57 of 2025, fee waiver eligibility is expanded to include first-time applicants and New York City high school students" (DCAS: How Can You Find Upcoming Exams?). If this is your first DCAS exam, check whether you qualify before you pay.

One warning from both notices: you may take the test before DCAS checks your qualifications, and if you are found "Not Qualified," your fee is not refunded and you get no score.

How to apply through OASys

1. Go to the Online Application System (OASys) at www.nyc.gov/examsforjobs and create an account. You need a valid email address, and new accounts are verified by email.
2. Apply for Exam No. 7329 by October 27, 2026, and pay the fee or claim a fee waiver.
3. Look for the emailed receipt. Your status also shows on the OASys Dashboard under "Notifications." Add OASys@dcas.nyc.gov to your known senders.

You can also apply online in person at a DCAS testing center, Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (DCAS: Applying for an Exam).

Where and how the test is taken

The test is given on a computer at one of five DCAS Computer-based Testing & Application Centers, in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx. Your Admission Notice names your site. DCAS considers your address, but a nearby site is not promised. Key rules from both notices:

• Bring one valid photo ID with your signature. The name must match your application.
• Phones, smartwatches and other devices are sealed in a Yondr pouch. Misusing a device can void your score and bar you from City tests for up to five years.
• Calculators are not permitted. None of the six abilities is a math ability.
• You are fingerprinted at the site. If you leave after that and before you finish, you cannot come back in.
• Some questions may be answered from "documents or other information supplied to the candidates on the date of the multiple-choice exam."

Requests for testing accommodations are due no later than 30 days before the first testing date (DCAS Special Circumstances Guide).

The six abilities in brief

The notices list abilities, not subjects or sections. They say the test "may include questions requiring the use of" these six:

• Deductive Reasoning: applying general rules to specific problems and deciding if an answer makes sense.
• Information Ordering: following a given rule or set of rules in the right order.
• Problem Sensitivity: telling when something is wrong or likely to go wrong.
• Time Sharing: shifting back and forth between two or more sources of information.
• Written Comprehension: understanding written sentences and paragraphs.
• Written Expression: writing in English so that others will understand.

"May include" means not every ability is promised to appear. Time Sharing has a one-line definition and one example ("responding to emergencies"), and nothing more. No official source says what a Time Sharing question looks like, so we do not practice it. For each ability with its job example, read the six abilities explained.

Scoring: 70% to pass, then rank decides

"To pass, you must achieve a minimum score of 70%," says Notice 7329. DCAS shows "immediate, tentative results at the end of your test" (DCAS: How Do You Get Your Results?).

Passing is only the first step. Passing candidates go on an eligible list "in final score order," and each one gets a list number. Under the City personnel rules, an agency fills a job by choosing one of the three highest-ranked candidates who are qualified and willing to accept (Personnel Rules, Rule IV). A higher score gets you reached sooner. For Exam 7329 this matters even more, because the list ends after one year unless it is extended. No official source says what score is "competitive." Our after-the-exam guide explains lists and hiring steps.

What the notices do not publish

As of October 12, 2026, neither notice states the number of questions, the time limit, how many questions test each ability, what a Time Sharing question looks like or the last day of testing. Neither says whether people who filed for both exams take one test session or two. We also found no official sample questions or practice test for either exam. A page that gives a question count or a time limit for these exams is not quoting the notices.

Common mix-ups, checked against the notices

What happens after the exam

A Protest Review Session is held on the first Friday after the week of your test, and you have 30 days to protest an answer. A Test Validation Board reviews protests and can change the key (DCAS protest procedures). Score appeals go to the Committee on Manifest Errors through OASys.

DCAS says an eligible list "may be established within six to nine months from the date of the examination though times vary" (DCAS veterans guidance). When your number is reached, you get a call letter. If you do not respond, "your name may be taken off the list of candidates, even if you passed the exam" (DCAS: What Happens Next). Before appointment come an investigation with a $92.50 fingerprint fee, medical and psychological exams and, for the hospital job, a drug screening at the medical exam. See what happens after the exam.

How to prepare

1. Read the notice for your exam. It is the only official outline of the test.
2. Learn the six definitions and job examples. Each ability is tied to a Special Officer task.
3. Practice by ability. Find the abilities that cost you the most points and spend more time there. Weights are not published, so do not skip any ability.
4. Practice report writing. The notices tie Written Expression to incident reports and daily logs.
5. Practice reading rules closely. Deductive Reasoning, Information Ordering and Written Comprehension all turn on details stated in the question.
6. Plan test day. Check OASys for your Admission Notice, and confirm that your ID matches your application.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• DCAS Notice of Examination, Special Officer (NYC H+H), Exam No. 7329 (PDF)
• DCAS Notice of Examination, Special Officer, Exam No. 7327 (PDF)
• DCAS Annual Examination Schedule, FY2027 (PDF)
• DCAS: How Can You Find Upcoming Exams? (fee waivers)
• DCAS: Computer-Based Multiple-Choice Test Protest Procedures (PDF)

PrepRaven is an independent exam-prep site. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of New York, DCAS, NYC Health + Hospitals or any City agency. Always confirm dates and rules in the current Notice of Examination.

Last updated October 2026