What is on the NYS DOCCS Correction Lieutenant written test?
Four subject areas, named verbatim by DOCCS's own current archived exam announcement — one more than the Correction Sergeant exam below it.
- Test type
- Written multiple choice
- Subject areas
- Four
- Administered by
- NYS DOCCS, for DOCCS employees only
- Item count / duration
- Not published
The four subject areas
Here is the order the Department's own archived posting for exam 31-453020 lists them in:
- Writing skills for Correction Lieutenants — detecting grammar, punctuation and sentence-structure errors; choosing the clearest, most accurate restatement of information; and organizing sentences into a coherent paragraph.
- Rules, regulations, and procedures relevant to the operation of a correctional facility — knowledge of the Employee Manual, the Incarcerated Individual Rule Book, and DOCCS directives pertaining to Labor Relations, Personnel, Support Operations, Facility Management, and Security Services.
- Administrative supervision in a correctional facility — a 'job simulation exercise' testing the ability to direct subordinate staff through subordinate supervisors, investigate staff misconduct, and delegate authority.
- Controlling emergency situations and maintaining security — a 'job simulation exercise' testing the ability to control and contain emergencies, identify security cues, and oversee investigations of inmate misbehavior.
"Job simulation exercise" means multiple choice, not a live exercise
The announcement labels two areas 'job simulation exercise' and, in the very same section, states 'you must pass the multiple-choice test.' This is the same generic phrase the New York State Department of Civil Service uses across many of its promotional titles for a scenario-based subtest — it is not video, not an in-person exercise, and not scored by a rater.
What DOCCS does not publish
No item count. No time allowance. No weighting between the four areas. No passing score for this administration. Seniority credit (one credit per five-year period, excluding the first year) and wartime veterans' credit are added to a passing score afterward, as fixed arithmetic on your service.