NYC Train Operator Exam 2026 (Exam 7603): What the Notice Says

Checked against Notice of Examination No. 7603 and the MTA exam schedule, as of October 2026.

The MTA train operator exam is the multiple-choice test that MTA New York City Transit uses to rank candidates for subway Train Operator jobs. The current open competitive exam, the one for 2026, is Exam No. 7603. Filing closed on July 28, 2026, and testing is expected to begin on Saturday, December 5, 2026. This guide sums up what the notice says about the test, test day, results and appeals, and it says plainly what the notice does not publish.

Exam 7603 at a glance

• Exam: Train Operator, Exam No. 7603, open competitive, given by the MTA New York City Transit Examinations Unit (title code 91211).
• Filing period: July 1, 2026, to July 28, 2026 (closed).
• Fee: $91.00, plus a nonrefundable 2.95% service fee if you paid by card.
• Test date: "Multiple-Choice testing is expected to begin on Saturday, December 5, 2026."
• Format: a multiple-choice test that "may be given at a computer terminal or using paper and pencil/pen."
• Content: nine abilities listed in the notice.
• Pass mark: 70%. Your score sets your place on the eligible list.
• Calculator: allowed, four functions only.
• Not published: the number of questions, the time limit and how many questions cover each ability.
• Next exam: not posted on the MTA exam schedule as of October 23, 2026.

The notice describes the job in one long paragraph: running subway trains safely and on time in passenger, work-train, yard and terminal service. For the duties, the physical demands and the full list of requirements, see how to become a train operator in NYC.

How filing worked, and why it matters now

Applications for Exam 7603 went through the Online Application System, OASys, from July 1 to July 28, 2026. Two parts had to be done by midnight Eastern time on July 28:

1. The application and the $91 fee (or a fee waiver request). Fee waiver documents had to reach the Examinations Unit by mail by August 11, 2026. The notice names people receiving certain public assistance and veterans as possible fee waiver cases.
2. The Education and Experience Exam (EEE), a set of questions about your education and work history in OASys. The notice says that if you did not "Final Submit" it by the deadline, "your examination will be considered incomplete, you will not receive a score," and the fee is not refunded.

If you filed for Exam 7603 and finished both parts, the next step is the multiple-choice test. If you did not file, you cannot take this exam, and the next open competitive window has not been posted.

The promotion exam, 7703

MTA New York City Transit also runs Promotion to Train Operator, Exam No. 7703, with filing from August 1 to August 28, 2026, the same $91 fee and the same test start, Saturday, December 5, 2026. It is open to permanent Conductors, Tower Operators and Bus Operators, and to some other NYC Transit employees who finished the NYC Transit Certificate Program for Train Operator and have three years of full-time work. On 7703, the test counts for 85% of the final score and seniority for 15%. Notice 7603 says that "the names appearing on the promotion list will be considered first in filling vacancies." If you applied for both exams, you take the test only once.

What is on the test

The notice says the test "may measure your knowledge, skills and abilities in the following and other related areas," and it lists nine abilities, each with a job example:

• Written Comprehension
• Written Expression
• Problem Sensitivity
• Deductive Reasoning
• Information Ordering
• Spatial Orientation (the example is reading a subway map)
• Number Facility (the example is track-marker math)
• Visualization (the example is a scene seen in the front window and then in the rearview mirror)
• Customer Service

Each one is defined, explained and paired with an original practice question in our train operator exam study guide to the nine abilities.

What the notice does not publish: the number of questions, the time limit or the weight of each ability. The only clue to length is history. The proposed answer key for Exam 4605, the morning form of May 18, 2024, from the previous Train Operator exam, lists 60 questions with four choices each. That was a past form, not a rule for 7603. No MTA page we found gives a time limit.

Test day: admission letter, ID and what to bring

You are assigned a test date and a location, and you cannot ask to change them unless you qualify for an alternate date or a disability accommodation. The rules from the notice:

• Admission Letter: it appears on your OASys Dashboard 14 days before the first day of testing. "A paper copy of the Admission Letter is your ticket for admission to the test," so print it.
• ID: one valid, non-expired ID with your photo and signature, and the first and last name must match your application. The notice accepts a state driver license or state ID card, a US passport, a US military ID, an Alien Registration Card, IDNYC, an employer photo ID or a student photo ID. Without an acceptable ID, you may be denied testing.
• Calculator: allowed if it is hand-held, battery or solar-powered and numeric only, with no functions other than addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
• Not allowed in the building: phones, smartwatches, smart glasses, beepers, pagers, cameras, portable media players and other electronic devices. Using one at any time can cost you your score and your fee.
• Nobody with you: no other person, including children, may be with you while you are processed or tested, and no one may wait for you inside.
• Medical devices that alert or vibrate: only with written approval from the Examinations Unit in advance.
• Leaving: if you leave after being fingerprinted but before you finish, you cannot come back in.

Other dates and make-ups: an alternate date for religious observance must be requested at least 15 days before testing begins, and a disability accommodation at least 30 days before. Make-up tests are allowed only for the reasons the notice lists, such as ordered military duty, a temporary disability, pregnancy or childbirth, or a clear error by the Examinations Unit. Requests go to examsmakeups@nyct.com.

Results, list numbers and appeals

The notice says that if you meet the education and experience requirements and pass the test, "your name will be placed in final score order on an eligible list and you will be given a list number." Results come by email. You are considered for appointment when your name is reached on the list, if you meet all the other requirements. Eligible veterans can ask for Veterans' or Disabled Veterans' Credit, which goes only to passing candidates and must be requested before the list is established.

Appeals: if you think your test was rated incorrectly, you can appeal through OASys. Go to the Appeals tab on your Dashboard, click NEW APPEAL, pick the exam and the exam part, choose a reason and give specific reasons why your score should be higher. The notice warns that an appeal "may result in a higher or lower rating." Proposed answer keys for past exams are posted on the MTA answer keys page.

When the list comes out: the notice does not say. History shows it can take a long time. In NYC Open Data (checked October 23, 2026), the previous open competitive Train Operator list, 7604, was established on September 19, 2018, still holds 13,020 names and has an extension date of September 19, 2027. Exam 4605 was tested from May to July 2024, but no 4605 Train Operator list appeared in Open Data on that date. Do not plan around a list date that no official source gives.

Exam 4605 results, list and answers

Many readers still ask about Exam 4605, the open competitive Train Operator exam before 7603. It was tested on several dates in 2024: May 18 and 19, June 8 and 9, and a make-up on July 12, 2024, according to the MTA answer keys pages. The proposed answer keys for those forms are posted there; they list answer letters only, for example the key for the morning of May 18, 2024, with 60 questions. Final keys can be requested by email after results.

As for the 4605 list: no Train Operator list numbered 4605 appeared in the active or terminated NYC Open Data civil service lists when we checked on October 23, 2026. We found no official page that says when it will be established, so we do not guess. The older list 7604 is the open competitive Train Operator list in Open Data, as described above.

When is the next MTA train operator exam?

Not announced. The MTA exam schedule listed no Train Operator, Conductor or civil service Bus Operator window as of October 23, 2026. The careers page says written tests are offered "every four to six years," but the open competitive exams on record are closer together: list 7604 in 2018, Exam 4605 tested in 2024 and Exam 7603 testing from December 2026. Each exam gets its own notice, and fees and abilities change between notices, so check the new notice when it posts.

How to prepare

1. Read the notice. It is the only official outline of the test.
2. Learn the nine definitions and job examples. Each ability is tied to a subway task.
3. Practice by ability. Weights are not published, so skip none of them.
4. Practice map and picture questions. The notice describes a subway map and a rotated scene. Our practice uses our own drawn grid maps and layouts, not the real subway map.
5. Practice track-marker math with a basic calculator, the same kind you may bring.
6. Plan test day. Print your Admission Letter and check that your ID name matches your application.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Notice of Examination, Train Operator, Exam No. 7603
• Notice of Examination, Promotion to Train Operator, Exam No. 7703
• Proposed answer key, Train Operator Exam No. 4605 (morning form of May 18, 2024)
• MTA exam schedule
• MTA proposed answer keys
• NYC Open Data, Civil Service List (Active)
• Train Operator careers page
• OASys, Online Application System for NYCT exams

PrepRaven is an independent exam-prep site. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), MTA New York City Transit or any City or State agency. All practice questions are original. Facts are as of October 2026, checked against Notice of Examination No. 7603; always confirm dates and rules in the current notice.

Last updated October 2026