DUTYRANK

How NYC civil service works

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By DutyRank. Independent; not affiliated with DCAS, MTA or NYS UCS. What changed

This reference follows 8 landmarks from a NYC civil service exam notice to appointment. A passing score leads to a ranked list; it does not promise a job or a date when an agency will contact you. [2][3]

From notice to appointment

  1. Notice
  2. Filing
  3. Test
  4. Protest
  5. List
  6. Certification
  7. One in three
  8. Appointment

The exam notice sets the application and testing rules. After results and any applicable review, a list can supply names to an agency through certification. The agency handles its next steps and appointments. This outline leaves out title-specific screening and is not a promise that every candidate reaches every stage. [4][3]

Reference guides

Looking for a particular exam list? The eligible-list lookup shows aggregate records. The guide explains what those records mean.

Glossary

Eligible list
A roster ordered by examination results, used when filling a title’s vacancies. [2]
Established
The list has entered the period in which it may be used for appointments. Publication and establishment can have different dates. [4]
Certification
The referral of eligible names to a hiring agency. It records a referral, not appointments. [4]
Hiring pool
An arrangement for considering candidates for vacancies; the rules allow the commissioner to establish pools. [3]
One in three
For an appointment, an agency may choose among the three highest-standing certified candidates who are qualified and willing. Equal scores can widen that group; the guide explains how. [3]
Off-side
Not currently eligible for certification to an agency, although the candidate remains part of the eligible list. This is a candidate’s certification status, not the end of the list itself. [4]
Provisional
An appointment made when no appropriate civil-service list is available. Passing a later exam is a separate step. [4]
Terminated
A list whose period of use has ended. Its continued appearance in a dataset is not evidence that it can still supply appointments. [3]

How to use this reference

Follow the source notes for the agency’s own wording. The list guide distinguishes DCAS, MTA NYCT and the New York State Unified Court System. Each page records when its text changed separately from when its sources were checked.

Sources

Each note links to the original publisher. Page and rule references help you find the evidence. Archive details identify the exact copy checked; archived documents are not republished here.

  1. DCAS: How Do You Get Your Results? · Wayback snapshot

    How Do You Get Your Results?: tentative scores, official results and list publication.

    Archived copy and fingerprint

    Archived . Internal evidence location: docs/sources/dcas-how-do-you-get-your-results-2026-10-18.html:216–219.

    SHA-256 of original: 1f323a7a9b2b6f5e96465c1b9e79a3ce3ca07f329f1eb30c32fff24e6d18a329

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  2. DCAS Personnel Rules and Regulations, Rule 4 · Wayback snapshot

    Rules 4.4.11–4.4.12 (ties), 4.4.14 (credits), 4.6 (establishment and duration), and 4.7 (certification and appointment).

    Archived copy and fingerprint

    Archived . Internal evidence location: docs/sources/dcas-prr-rule-4-2026-10-18.html:299–307, 326–366, 380–386.

    SHA-256 of original: 840720c039a836d5cf526378605392b9614e9caf6dec9fd7655119c1dfc34020

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  3. DCAS Civil Service Primer, August 29, 2024 · Wayback snapshot

    PDF pages 7, 15–21 and 28–29: provisional appointments; list publication, certification and call letters; off-side status.

    Archived copy and fingerprint

    Archived . Internal evidence location: docs/sources/dcas-civil-service-primer-2024-08.txt:pdftotext -layout lines 89–106, 224–303, 387–413.

    SHA-256 of original: 8a403f84ca8574331cd7769aef3095d3a452ce122eaf8c202bfd97d9a3d06230

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  4. DCAS Civil Service Glossary · Wayback snapshot

    Entries “Certification” and “One-in-Three Rule.”

    Archived copy and fingerprint

    Archived . Internal evidence location: docs/sources/dcas-civil-service-glossary-2026-10-18.html:213–214, 246–247.

    SHA-256 of original: d9b1525fb665b734767d6714338f71f1e0c9d82d6e57ce489b4db92dd206e05d

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Cite this page

DutyRank. “How NYC civil service works.” Updated 2026-10-18. https://dutyrank.com/civil-service

What changed

  1. Clarified equal-score selection rights and off-side status in the glossary.

  2. Published the reference index, process outline and shared glossary, with a guide to NYC eligible lists.