EXAM 45-857 · AUG 26 – OCT 7, 2026
NYS Court Officer Exam 45-857 (2026): the complete guide
Everything you need to understand the exam — the job, the dates, the five sections, how scoring works, and how to prepare. Plain English, no fluff.
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What the job is
A New York State Court Officer is a peace officer in the NYS Unified Court System. Court Officers are uniformed, may be authorized to carry firearms, and can execute warrants and make arrests as part of keeping courthouses and the people in them safe.
You are hired first as a Court Officer-Trainee (JG-16), starting at $58,100 plus location pay depending on your county. The traineeship runs two years and includes about four months of paid academy training. After you complete it, you become a Court Officer (JG-19), starting at $68,593.
You can pick one of two appointment regions when you apply to a list: New York City plus the 9th and 10th Judicial Districts, or the 3rd through 8th Judicial Districts.
Key dates and timeline
The application window (April 1 – May 14, 2026) has closed, so if you are reading this you have likely already applied. What is left is the exam itself and the long wait for the list.
| Testing window | August 26 – October 7, 2026 |
| Total testing time | 3 hours 15 minutes |
| Results emailed | About six months after the window — expect spring 2027 |
| Eligible list established | First half of 2027 |
| List canvassed | Strictly in score and rank order |
Note: prior lists 45-841 and 45-843 expire once the 45-857 list is established, so even people who passed those exams must retake this one.
The 5 exam sections explained
The official announcement defines exactly five sections. Each one is a distinct, trainable skill — click any section to practice it free.
Remembering Facts and Information
MemoryStudy a written incident for 5 minutes, wait 10, then answer from memory. Trainable with the right technique.
Practice this section →Reading, Understanding and Interpreting Written Material
ReadingPassages with questions (Format A) and fill-in-the-blank passages (Format B). Everything you need is in the text.
Practice this section →Applying Facts and Information to Given Situations
Applying RulesRead a court policy, then apply it to a concrete situation. The trap: answers that violate exactly one clause.
Practice this section →Clerical Checking
ClericalCompare three near-identical sets of names, numbers and codes — in different fonts — and spot the differences fast.
Practice this section →Court Record Keeping
Record KeepingCombine and reorganize information from several court tables to answer counting and lookup questions.
Practice this section →How scoring works
Your exam is scored on a 0 to 100 scale, and a scaled score of 70 passes. The passing raw score — how many questions you actually needed to get right — is determined after everyone has tested. That means a scaled 70 does not necessarily equal 70 percent correct.
Veteran credits add points on top of a passing score: +10 for eligible disabled veterans, +5 for eligible non-disabled veterans. Credits are only applied once you have already passed.
This is why rank matters more than passing. The eligible list is canvassed strictly in score order, so a few points can be the difference between an early academy class and waiting years.
What to bring and exam-day rules
The exam is computer-based and all test supplies are provided at the site. The testing area is strict about personal belongings. Leave the following behind or store them — they are not allowed in the testing area:
- ✕Cell phones and smart watches
- ✕Regular watches
- ✕Bags, backpacks and purses
- ✕Outerwear and hats
- ✕Sunglasses
- ✕Your own pens, pencils and erasers
- ✕Notebooks and any outside materials
- ✕Calculators
- ✕Food, drink and gum
Non-applicants are not allowed in the testing area (except a parent or guardian of a minor), and there is no childcare. UCS employees who work weekdays must test on the weekend of August 29–30, 2026.
How to prepare
Start by finding out where you actually stand, then train your weakest sections with timed practice and technique explanations.
Frequently asked questions
When is the 2026 NYS Court Officer exam?
The computer-based exam 45-857 is administered in a testing window from Wednesday, August 26, 2026 through Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at test centers across New York State. You self-schedule your own appointment on a first-come, first-served basis.
What score do I need to pass?
The exam is scored on a 0-100 scale and a scaled score of 70 passes. The passing raw score is set after the exam is administered, so a scaled 70 does not necessarily mean 70 percent of questions correct. Veteran credits are added only to passing scores.
What sections are on the exam?
Five sections per the official announcement: Remembering Facts and Information (memory), Reading, Understanding and Interpreting Written Material, Applying Facts and Information to Given Situations, Clerical Checking, and Court Record Keeping. Total testing time is 3 hours 15 minutes.
When will results come out?
The Office of Court Administration typically emails results about six months after the testing window ends, so expect them around spring 2027. The eligible list is established in the first half of 2027 and is canvassed strictly in score and rank order.
How many questions are on the exam?
The Office of Court Administration does not publish the number of questions. Our full-length mocks default to about 100 questions to match the structure of five sections and the 3 hour 15 minute budget, with a clear note that the count is not official.
How much does a NYS Court Officer make?
A Court Officer-Trainee (JG-16) starts at $58,100, plus location pay of $4,920 in the highest-cost counties. After the two-year traineeship, a Court Officer (JG-19) starts at $68,593. See our salary breakdown for the full picture.