How the New York Local Police Sergeant exam is scored
Seniority is added to a passing score and it is capped. The written test is effectively the whole of what separates candidates, which is unusual among promotional examinations.
- Passing score
- 70.00
- Seniority
- Added to a passing score, banded, up to about six points
- Appointment
- From the top three willing candidates
- Eligible list
- One to four years, set by the jurisdiction
Seniority is added, not blended
A failing score is not rescued by long service. Seniority credit is added to a score that has already reached 70.00, and the announcements band it rather than paying it per year without limit — Oneida County bands it to six points and the City of Watertown to five.
Because the credit is fixed by your service on the closing date, the written test is the only part of your standing you can still change.
The rule of three
Appointment is made from the top three willing candidates on the list. That is what makes the difference between adjacent ranks matter: moving from fourth to third is the difference between being reachable and not.
A promotional list does not travel
Suffolk County's announcement states that eligible lists from promotional examinations are certified only to the jurisdiction the candidate is employed in. You compete against the other officers in your own department, and your score does not follow you elsewhere.
Sources
- NYS Department of Civil Service — Test Guide for the Police Supervisors/Investigators Series · checked 2026-09-07
- NYS Department of Civil Service — local government jobseeker information · checked 2026-09-07