Headstart your Civil Service Career with the Public Safety Exam Level 1

Looking for a career in NYC Civil Service? The Public Safety Exam Level 1 offers a unique opportunity to take a single multiple-choice test that opens the door to multiple job titles within the city’s public service. Successfully passing the test will make your name available for consideration across various positions, detailed below. 

This guide will include all the necessary information and practice questions.

While the Public Safety Exam will take place starting January 10, 2025, it will be open for application until November 29, 2024

Public Safety Exam (Level 1) Practice Tests
Money Back Guarantee
Less Content

Comprehensive practice for the Multiple-Choice test:

  • 8 Information Ordering practice tests
  • 8 Memorization practice tests and guide
  • 13 Number Facility practice tests and guides
  • 2 Problem Sensitivity practice tests
  • 6 Spatial Orientation practice tests
  • 13 Written Expression practice tests
Shir, Civil Service Assessments Expert at JobTestPrep
Have a question? Contact me at:

Page Content

What is the Public Safety Exam (Level 1)

The exam is a multiple-choice test administered on a computer terminal. To pass, you need to score at least 70%. While the DCAS does not provide a specific test length, it is estimated to last 2.5 hours. The test evaluates various abilities, including information ordering, memorization, number facility, problem sensitivity, spatial orientation, and time management. Your test results will determine your place on an eligible list for hiring consideration.

Multiple Opportunities. One Test.

Unlock endless growth opportunities with a career in the US Civil Service. Kickstart your journey by taking the Public Safety Exam (Level 1) using JobTestPrep’s practice tests and setting your career in motion!

Public Safety Exam Practice Questions

Public Safety Exam Information Ordering Sample Question

This test is aimed at evaluating your ability to apply general rules to specific scenarios and reach logical conclusions.

You will encounter multiple-choice questions, typically with 4 answer options, only one of which is correct. Your objective is to select the best answer from the options provided. Be sure to have a pen and paper ready for note-taking.

Public Safety Exam Information Ordering Sample Question

Officer Martinez was in a team which responded to a terror attack threat in a public school. The team made an incident briefing right afterwards. Officer Martinez’s account of the events consists of the seven statements below, which are out of order:

  1. We made a short summarization with 2 police officers who already responded to the call
  2. Our team was handed the responsibility of keeping civilians away from access routes. We used barricade tape to isolate the area
  3. A 10-60 code was transmitted to all units about a bomb call threat. I joined my team and got on one of the responding vehicles
  4. Our team entered the building and scanned the eastern area for anyone who may have been forgotten.
  5. The incident commander announced 'back to normal' and we returned to base
  6. After we made sure no one was left there, we came back to the school's entrance for a debriefing with the District Chief, who took control over the incident.
  7. Upon arrival we identified the school by the chaos of the crowded civilians.

Officer Martinez's team witnessed the mess gathering around the school right before:

Wrong

Correct!

Wrong

Wrong

View Explanation
The answer is B.

Immediately after the team identified the scene by the chaos they saw, they teamed up with 2 officers (Allen and Taylor).

This type of question is a bit tricky; our goal is to find an event which occurred close (before or after) to another event while the answers we can choose from give extra information to what is written in the original list.

We already know the right order, so we just need to look up for the sentence which describes the mess around the school or in other words "the chaos" as described in sentence No.7.

According to the right order, sentence No.1 which describes the briefing with the 2 officers is placed right after step No. 7, meaning that after they saw the mess the briefing took place.

Public Safety Exam Memorization Sample Question

These questions are designed to evaluate your ability to notice and retain details. You will have 10 minutes to study and memorize the information in a text. Once the time is up, the text will disappear, and you'll receive a prompt to stay focused. Following this, you’ll be presented with questions based on what you observed.

Public Safety Exam Memorization Sample Question

Incident Report:

IndiGo flight 7E-89, traveling from Singapore to Delhi on May 15, departed at 17:50 local time from Singapore and was forced to make an emergency diversion to Phuket, Thailand, due to a medical emergency on board. A passenger, Mr. Ramesh Chada, collapsed and lost consciousness near the lavatory. The crew immediately informed the captain, who decided to divert the flight to Phuket, requesting an ambulance upon landing. Two passengers, both doctors, along with the IndiGo crew, provided medical assistance to Mr. Chada. Despite their efforts, Mr. Chada was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Although Bangkok was an alternate enroute destination and would have been more operationally convenient for IndiGo due to it being a staffed station, it was over an hour and 20 minutes away. Given the urgency of the situation, the captain opted for the closer option, Phuket, to ensure immediate medical attention.

While in Phuket, passengers had to remain on board as there was no A-320 certified engineer available to inspect the aircraft. IndiGo attempted to secure a certified engineer through Thai Airways, Bangkok Flight Services, and a third-party provider, but none could assist at that hour. As a result, the passengers experienced delays, and the crew ensured their comfort by providing complimentary food and beverages. Arrangements were also made to accommodate passengers in a nearby hotel, and the necessary visa procedures for Indian nationals were facilitated.

The flight was delayed by 16 hours and finally arrived in Delhi at 5:47 pm IST. During the delay, IndiGo covered all hotel and meal expenses, as well as international phone calls for passengers to inform their families. The passengers expressed their gratitude to the crew for their efforts during this challenging situation. IndiGo extends its deepest condolences to Mr. Chada's family and appreciates the understanding and patience shown by the passengers throughout this ordeal.


Considering operational convenience and future departure, where would it have been more preferable for the plane to land?


Correct!

Wrong

Wrong

Wrong

View Explanation

The correct answer is A.
The plane landed in Phuket due to the emergency, but “Handling and further departure of our fight from BKK (Bangkok) would have been operationally easier for IndiGo” therefore it would have been preferable to land there.

Memorization Methods

Have another look at the original text above.

Numbers, Dates and Acronyms:

Any sequence of numbers (or letters) can be given meaning or simplified in order to make them easier to remember.
For instance the flight number 7E-89 can be very easily be remembered by it being the sequence 789.
In order to remember the date and time of the flights departure – May 15 at 17:50- we can turn it into a string such as this: 5,15,17,50 and memorize it.
It can be useful to think of it as a sequence of 5’s, since all these numbers either have the digit 5 in them or mean 5 (17 is 5 PM).
Since the landing time can be slightly confusing – 5:47 PM – we can also use the differences in order to make the numbers more distinct in our memory. We can remember that the landing time had 4 in it, whereas the departure time did not.
Of course these are just examples. There are many such tricks we can use.

The acronym ATC means “Air Traffic Control”. In order to remember ATC if we don’t know its meaning we can try to guess what it is or make up a different one, such as: Adam The Captain.


Being a Part of the Story:

In order to remember what the crew did in order to make the delay less inconvenient for the passengers we can imagine ourselves as one of them and create a personal story around the details in the text:
“We had to wait inside the plane for a really long time, but at least they gave us food and drinks. Then when we learned we had to stay in Phuket overnight, they booked hotel reservations for us and of course helped with all the visa issues. I was especially pleased that they let me call my husband to tell him about the delay. We were delayed for 16 hours but at least they were very nice…”.

Keep it Simple:

Of course it is always helpful to simplify the story by extracting its essence and repeating it in your own words.
The gist of the story above is that a plane going from Singapore to Delhi was forced to land in Phuket due to the fact a person collapsed while the plane was in the air, then died at the hospital. The flight was delayed there for 16 hours due to that emergency and because the aircraft had to be inspected, and no engineer was available.
The rest of the details can be added to the summary after we are sure we understand what happened.

Public Safety Exam Number Facility Sample Question

These problems involve quickly translating verbal information into numerical form and performing basic calculations, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions, decimals, and formulas. The questions are presented as short scenarios with multiple answer options to choose from.

Public Safety Exam Number Facility Sample Question

A carton containing 24 cans, each with 300 grams of tea, makes 7200 cups of tea. How many 300-gram cans are needed to make 4800 cups of tea?

Correct!

Wrong

Wrong

Wrong

Wrong

View Explanation

The number 4800 is 2/3 of 7200. If 24 cans are required to make 7200 cups, then 2/3 of this amount is required for 4800 cups. Therefore, 24 x 2/3 = 16.

The correct answer is 16.


Ace the Public Safety Exam

Our Public Safety Exam Prep includes:

  • 8 Information Ordering practice tests
  • 8 Memorization practice tests and guide
  • 13 Number Facility practice tests and guides
  • 2 Problem Sensitivity practice tests
  • 6 Spatial Orientation practice tests
  • 13 Written Expression practice tests

Public Safety Exam Problem Sensitivity Sample Question

This test is designed to assess your ability to recognize problems.

Public Safety Exam Problem Sensitivity Sample Question

Officer Higgins interviewed four witnesses regarding an assault at a busy intersection. Each provided the following descriptions of the suspect:

**Witness 1:**
"She was a pale-skinned woman, late thirties, with long brown hair. She wore a gray top and blue jeans, stood about 5'5" tall, and weighed around 130 pounds. She had numerous piercings and a tattoo on the back of her neck."

**Witness 2:**
"She was a short, slim woman, around forty, about 5'3" tall, and weighing 120 pounds. She had long, thick brown hair that went past her shoulders. She was dressed in blue jeans and a gray shirt. She had several piercings and tattoos."

**Witness 3:**
"She was a white woman, approximately thirty-five years old, wearing a short-sleeved gray shirt and blue jeans. She was slightly over five feet tall, weighing between 120-135 pounds. Her hair was long, thick, and brown, extending far past her shoulders. Her arms were covered in tattoos, and she had at least four piercings on her face."

**Witness 4:**
"She was a light-skinned woman, around forty years old, with thick, dark hair reaching her back. She stood about 5'4" tall and weighed around 125 pounds. She wore blue jeans and a gray t-shirt, had rings on nearly all her fingers, eyebrow piercings, and several tattoos."

Given this information, there is a problem with the description given by witness:

Correct!

Wrong

Wrong

Wrong

View Explanation
The correct answer is A.

There is an agreement between all of the witnesses that the suspect was a White female, between 35 – 40 years old, with long brown hair and was around 5’4” and 125 pounds.  They also all reported that the suspect was wearing a gray shirt and blue jeans, and that she had tattoos and piercings. 

Witnesses 2 and 4 mentioned that the suspect had tattoos, but did not mention where they were, while witness 1 only reported noticing a tattoo on the back of her neck and witness 3 reported that the suspect’s arms were covered in tattoos. This, of course, does not contradict witnesses 1 report, as witness 3 may have simply not seen the back of the suspect’s neck.  However, notice that all of the witnesses also reported that the suspect had long hair that was down past her shoulders. If her hair was down, witness 1 would not have been able to see the back of the suspect’s neck. 

Distractor

Witness 4 was the only one to report that the suspect had rings on all of her fingers. It is very plausible that such a small detail would be overlooked by the other witnesses. 

Public Safety Exam spatial orientation Sample Question

This test evaluates your spatial orientation skills, including map reading, navigating using relative directions (left-right), understanding absolute directions (north-south), and solving map-based problems.

Public Safety Exam spatial orientation Sample Question

An arrow on a street indicates that, unless otherwise specified, along the entire street, traffic is only allowed to travel in the direction in which the arrow is pointing.

police map

As a new security measure against possible break-ins to public institutes, all doors have been installed with sensitive motion detectors and especially loud smart alarms. The residents of one residential area are complaining about the alarm going off in the institute closest to their homes. There are no complaints coming from other residential areas.

Wrong

Correct!

Wrong

Wrong

View Explanation

The correct answer is B.

First we must understand where the alarm went off. The clue is that it must be a public institute close only to one residential area.
Residential area number 4 is closest to the clinic, and there are no other residential areas nearby, therefore it must be the one from which people are calling to complain.

Answer A is wrong because Prince St. is one way (east not west).
Answer C is wrong because it leads to the bank, which is close to more than one residential area and therefore is not the answer.
Answer D is wrong because both Tane Avenue and Grand Avenue are one way.

Public Safety Exam Written Expression Sample Question

This test is designed to evaluate your ability to arrange sentences logically into coherent paragraphs.

  1. Each question typically offers three or four multiple-choice options, with only one being the correct answer.
  2. A mechanical aptitude test is commonly administered either on a computer or with paper and pencil.
  3. Most mechanical reasoning tests cover fundamental principles of Newtonian mechanics and electricity, concepts usually found in high school physics.
  4. However, unlike high school physics exams, these tests focus more on understanding the concepts rather than performing complex calculations.
  5. Since most questions don’t require intricate calculations, you generally have about 40 seconds to answer each one.

Correct!

Wrong

Wrong

Wrong

View Explanation

The answer is A – It represents the best organized paragraph. The first thing that should be done is to read all the sentences and see if you can easily identify the introduction, supporting or closing sentences. Sentence 2 is good introduction of what the paragraph is going to be about, so you can eliminate option B and D. Also, sentences 1, 3, and 5 provide specific information and would be considered supporting sentences, so you can eliminate any option that starts with one of these sentences (B and D) or end with these sentences (B and C); leaving you with option A. Remember a great paragraph introduces the idea (introduction sentences) then has 2-3 supporting the idea (supporting sentences) and the summarizes the information given (closing sentence).

Arranged correctly it should read:
A mechanical aptitude test is usually administered on a computer or in paper and pencil form. Each question is usually followed by three or four multiple-choice answers to choose from, of which only one is correct. Since most questions do not require complex calculations, one has approximately 40 seconds per question. Most mechanical reasoning tests introduce basic concepts of Newtonian mechanics and electricity, the same concepts that are covered in the high school physics curriculum. However, unlike in the high school physics tests, fewer calculations are required, and it is more about understanding concepts.


Applying for the Public Safety Exam

Taking the Public Safety Exam will require the following application process:

  1. Submit one application through the Online Application System (OASys).
  2. Pay a single application fee of 47$
  3. Take one multiple-choice exam, which will be considered for all the titles you are applying for.

You must have a valid email address to apply online, and accounts may take up to two business days for verification. Be sure to apply before the deadline to ensure you’re considered for the exam.

Please notice: You will take the test before your qualifications are verified. It is your responsibility to ensure you meet the examination requirements before applying. If found "Not Qualified," your application fee will not be refunded, and you will not receive a score.


Make-up Test Availability for the Public Safety Exam

If you cannot take the test on the scheduled date due to military service, court appearances, illness, or other qualifying reasons, you may apply for a make-up test.

To request a make-up test, promptly email Administration, Customer, and Exam Support (ACES) at testingaccommodations@dcas.nyc.gov. Be sure to include any documentation that explains the special circumstances leading to your missed test.


Your Future Awaits. One Test Away.

Let us help you kickstart your Civil Service Career today.


Job Titles You Can Apply For With The Public Safety Exam

Sanitation Enforcement Agent

Sanitation Enforcement Agents are critical in enforcing vital health and sanitation laws across New York City. This role involves issuing summonses, inspecting commercial and residential areas, controlling traffic, and coordinating snow shovelling teams during winter events. With duties ranging from patrolling the streets to operating communication devices, this position offers the chance to directly impact the city's cleanliness and safety while gaining valuable public service experience.

School Safety Agent

School Safety Agents are responsible for maintaining a safe school environment. Their duties include scanning for unlawful items, assisting visitors, removing unauthorized individuals, responding to conflicts, and aiding those who are sick or injured. Agents monitor security systems, enforce Department of Education rules, and handle violations of Penal Law. They prepare reports, testify in hearings, and communicate with co-workers through radio. This role ensures school safety through vigilant patrolling and swift response to emergencies.

Special Officer

Special Officers are responsible for maintaining order, physical security, and safety in public buildings and surrounding areas. Their duties include patrolling to prevent vandalism, theft, and other security risks, assisting visitors, and addressing disorderly behavior. Special Officers issue summonses, make arrests when necessary, and transport individuals to police precincts. They also provide aid to the sick or injured, monitor security systems, control access using electronic measures, and complete necessary reports. This role ensures people's and property's safety while upholding public order through proactive security measures and swift responses to incidents.

Traffic Enforcement Agent

Traffic Enforcement Agents are essential for ensuring smooth traffic flow and enforcing parking laws to keep the streets safe and efficient. They patrol assigned areas to enforce parking and traffic regulations. They issue paper and electronic summonses for violations, report inoperative parking meters, and address traffic conditions that need attention. Agents also testify at hearings and in court, prepare reports, and operate motor vehicles and communication equipment.