FDNY Firefighter Exam Preparation

To become part of New York's bravest you must excel on the FDNY exam. The exam is administered approximately once every five years with one being set for January 2025. To ensure your career as a firefighter, it's vital to thoroughly prepare for the exam. Preparation will help you land a high spot on the candidate's list, so start practicing today.

What the "New York Post" Says About Our FDNY Exam

“JobTestPrep.com…describes many desirable firefighter traits the FDNY exam will seek…The ideal profile shouldn’t be extreme. It warns to tone down some responses to avoid raising red flags…a JobTestPrep vice president said his company…performs a valuable service…[saying,] ‘If you don’t have a job, you cannot make it in the modern world. Why shouldn’t an applicant know what the personality test will look for?’ "

Susan Edelman, New York Post

The most recent FDNY exams, #7001 and #4004 exam are different from the previous versions because of a recent lawsuit filed on behalf of minority firefighter candidates, which forced the FDNY to completely change its exam.

The new FDNY exam does not require you to have any prior knowledge of firefighting or of the fire department. It is a multiple-choice test, developed by PSI, and it covers topics such as reading, problem-solving, applying rules and concepts, and listening.

The FDNY exam is very similar to the Firefighter Candidate Assessment (FCA), which is used for the LAFD. The whole test should be completed within four hours.

• Video Learning:

  Before you start taking your test, you will receive a printed outline of the training material devised to facilitate your understanding of the test’s requirements. The Training Guide Booklet you receive contains texts, pictures, and diagrams used during the test, with which you will familiarize yourself before getting down to your tasks. You can also write notes in it and review correct exam answers.

  In the first part of your test, you will be asked to watch a video lesson. In it, a lecturer will explain how to operate a certain piece of equipment. You will watch the video twice and will be allowed to jot down notes. After you finish watching, you will answer questions that examine your knowledge of the material covered in the video lesson.

  The second part of the test includes watching a narrated slide show. The slides will center on equipment safety. As in the first part of the test, you will be allowed to take notes while watching. At the end of the session, you will be asked several questions related to the information shown on the slides.

  Next, you will watch three short video clips featuring a dialogue between an instructor and a student. The instructor will provide additional information about the equipment. The student will make inquiries about it and answer the instructor’s questions. As in the previous sections of the exam, video clips will be replayed, and you will be permitted to make notes in the training booklet. When you finish watching, you will be required to answer questions relevant to the viewed material.

  These three parts of the test assess your listening comprehension skills, your ability to process new information, and your reasoning skills.

• Reading Comprehension:

  The next section of the test is based on the material contained in an operations manual. You will read a page-long excerpt on how the equipment works that will appear on the right side of your computer screen.

  A total of three different passages will be presented to you, each followed by a set of questions, which you will need to answer. Some data in the excerpts will repeat information shown to you earlier in the videos. As with the video clips, the section of the test focused on the operations manual evaluates your reading comprehension, reasoning, and basic math skills

• Background and Personality Test: 

  The final part of the FDNY test differs in methods and goals from the previous ones. The aim of the fifth section is to evaluate your personality and verify whether you possess the necessary traits to be a firefighter. The qualities that the test is designed to estimate are conscientiousness, agreeableness, emotional stability, honesty, and dependability, among others. Your character will be assessed with the help of a questionnaire. Some of the questions it contains will be biographical. Others will measure your behavior and aptitude for the position.

In 2012, 59,874 applications were received for a position with the New York Fire Department. However, only about 41,000 applicants received a minimum score of 70. Even more so, only 6,000 moved on to the next phase of the hiring process.

It’s important to note that passing the FDNY test is not enough. The difference between receiving a score of 100 and 99 is dropping down over 1,000 spots on the candidate’s list! In 2012, the lowest score that still received a phone call was 98.

This year, 72,595 candidates applied for a position with the FDNY. Thus, it’s vital that you prepare for each stage of the testing process to ensure you do well and place highly on the candidate’s list. Be sure you start your career off right—by preparing with JobTestPrep.

Stage 1: Application period.

Stage 2: You should receive an Admissions Notice, via mail, assigning you a test day and time at a testing center in the New York City area. If you have not yet received an Admissions Notice, be sure to send a request as soon as possible, as it can take up to four business days to receive a response.

Stage 3: Administration of the computer-based test will begin. This test assesses important firefighter attributes such as reading, listening, problem-solving, and basic arithmetic.

If you successfully pass the computer-based aptitude test, you will then need to complete and pass the physical ability test (as vacancies occur).

The physical ability test requires you to complete all eight events while wearing full gear and, depending on the event, additional weighted gear.

The test is pass or fail and is comprised of the following exercises: stair climb, hose drag, equipment carry, ladder raise and extension, forcible entry, search, rescue, and ceiling breach and pull. Be sure to review each of these sections, via the official CPAT Orientation Guide, to ensure you complete the physical test with high marks.

If you successfully pass the firefighter exam and get hired as a firefighter, the benefits of the job are extremely rewarding. The starting salary for a firefighter is over $43,000, and after only five years, it grows to over $100,000, including overtime and holiday pay.

Furthermore, the benefits include lifelong medical coverage for you and your family, a flexible work schedule, up to four weeks paid vacation per year, a generous pension, and promotional opportunities for positions such as lieutenant, captain, and battalion chief. Firefighters in these job positions receive a salary of over $150,000 a year.

To ensure a thorough preparation experience, JobTestPrep has compiled a list of effective test tips.

1. The purpose of the exam is not to test your firefighting knowledge but your learning skills. You will be tested on your ability to engage with new information and apply it, as you would have to do should you be recruited.
2. Be aware that in the video sections, the materials presented in the videos may not be real and may even sometimes include made-up words.
3. You will receive a booklet with three Training Guides for the video sections. These guides are there to help you answer the questions after each of the videos. The Training Guide will contain some information, or ways for you to organize your information, but you must not rely solely on what is provided for you there. When you watch the video, look out for information that was not mentioned in the Training Guide.
4. Remember you are short on time. Don’t bother with syntax and don’t use full sentences. As long as you understand what you’ve written, that’s all that matters.

To receive more tips, comprehensive guides per section, tutorials and practice tests, start preparing now with our FDNY PrepPack™. It was created specifically for the FDNY 7001 exam and is well-suited for the new FDNY 4004 exam.

As the FDNY exam only occurs once every five years, it is vital that you prepare to ensure your success. JobTestPrep can help you every step of the way with our quality preparation resources. Our online practice tests, tutorials, study guides, tips, and answer explanations are guaranteed to bring you closer to starting your career as a firefighter for the New York City Fire Department. Start preparing today to land a spot on the candidate’s list.