The four subject areas on the New York firefighter written test

The four areas the guide publishes

The test guide names Ability to Learn and Apply Information, Basic Arithmetic, Reading Comprehension, and Situational Judgment. For each it gives a Test Task explaining how the questions are presented, at least one worked sample question, and the published solution.

All four are multiple choice. There is no video section, no personality inventory, no integrity questionnaire and no essay — words that appear in the guide exactly zero times. The guide states plainly that "No specialized knowledge of firefighting is required", which is worth reading twice if you are coming to this exam without fire service experience.

Which of the four you will actually sit

The guide says to check your own Examination Announcement, under the heading "Subjects of Examination", because that is what specifies the subject areas for your particular test. Both county announcements read for this page carried all four, but the guide is explicit that the announcement rather than the guide decides it.

That is why RankHigh prepares all four rather than guessing at a subset. Read your own announcement, then spend most of your time on what it lists.

Which municipalities this series covers

The guide's own cover says it is for all municipalities except Mount Vernon and New Rochelle, which run their own examinations. New York City is separate again: the FDNY firefighter examination is run by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and is a different test entirely.

An earlier edition of the same guide also excluded White Plains. The current edition does not, so White Plains has rejoined the series — a small illustration of why the cover is worth reading rather than assuming.

Related guides

• The training lesson section, and why it is not a memory test
• Situational judgment, and why this one can be prepared for
• The arithmetic section: one table, one missing number