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EXAM 6626 · TEST OCTOBER 10, 2026

MTA NYCT Conductor exam 6626: the complete guide

What the job is, when the exam is, the 8 of 9 ability areas we build for, and how to prepare for each one. Every fact below traces to the official notice.

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15 questions · no signup · built for exam 6626

Key dates

Filing closed
July 10, 2026
Test date
October 10, 2026
Passing score
70%

Notice of Examination No. 6626 is the governing document, and it has been amended twice — which is the first thing to check if you are reading a copy somebody saved earlier in the year. The amended notice of 1 July 2026 states on its front page that it moved the application deadline from 30 June 2026 to 10 July 2026; the original is not archived here, and the 1 July version still carried a test date of Sunday, 11 October 2026. The second amended notice of 7 August 2026 moved the test date to Saturday, 10 October 2026, and states that change on its front page in turn. Everything below is read from the second amended notice unless it names one of the earlier two.

The application period ran 1 June to 10 July 2026 through the Online Application System (OASys), and the application fee was $68.00. Paying by credit, debit or gift card added a non-refundable service fee of 2.95% of the payment amount. Documentation supporting a fee waiver had to reach the Examinations Unit by post by 14 July 2026; the notice's own wording is that a veteran, or an applicant receiving or participating in certain forms of public assistance, benefits or programs, may qualify to have the application fee waived — the notice states it as a possibility, not as an entitlement. Candidates are assigned a test date and location and cannot ask for either to be changed, except through the two routes the notice provides: an alternate date for religious observance, requested no later than 15 days before testing is expected to begin, and special test accommodations for disability, requested no later than 30 days before.

MTA publishes no cadence for this title and this page does not invent one. What the notice does publish is that a promotion examination for Conductor is being held for eligible New York City Transit employees, and that the names appearing on the promotion list will be considered first in filling vacancies. An open-competitive list number is what decides the order among external candidates; it does not put them ahead of the internal list.

The 8 of 9 ability areas, and what each one asks of you

The notice names 9; drills here cover 8 of them.

The notice describes the test in four sentences and adds nothing to them. You will be given a competitive multiple-choice test; it may be given at a computer terminal or using paper and pencil or pen; a score of at least 70% is required to pass; and your score on the test determines your place on the eligible list. No question count, no time limit and no per-ability weighting is published anywhere in the document, so a figure you have been given for any of the three did not come from MTA. Each area below has a technique lesson and a drill built for this exam — not adapted from another one.

Written Comprehension

Understand what a sentence or paragraph actually says — policies, regulations, signage — and answer from the text rather than from assumption.

Drill this area

Written Expression

Choose the wording that another person will read the way you meant it. Grammar, clarity and precision in reports, in multiple-choice form.

Drill this area

Problem Sensitivity

Notice that something is wrong, or about to go wrong, before it is pointed out — and name both the whole problem and its parts.

Drill this area

Deductive Reasoning

Take a rule you are given and apply it to a specific case, then judge whether the answer actually follows. The wrong options are usually the ones that break one clause of the rule.

Drill this area

Inductive Reasoning

Work the other direction: combine separate facts into the general conclusion they support, and reject conclusions that outrun the evidence.

Drill this area

Information Ordering

Put steps, numbers, names or procedures into the order a stated rule demands. The rule is always supplied — the work is following it exactly.

Drill this area

Number Facility

Add, subtract, multiply and divide quickly and correctly under time pressure. Speed and accuracy together, not either alone.

Drill this area

Memorization

Hold words, numbers, faces and procedures well enough to answer after the material is taken away. A trainable filing habit, not a talent.

Drill this area

Nine ability areas are named, each with a definition and a single job example. In the notice's own order: written comprehension, illustrated by understanding written bulletins released by MTA New York City Transit; written expression, by writing incident reports regarding unusual occurrences; problem sensitivity, by recognising that an issue with a radio system may interfere with normal operations; deductive reasoning, by applying rules and regulations to situations to determine the appropriate action; inductive reasoning, by determining the action to take from a combination of personal observations and radio chatter from the Rail Control Center; information ordering, by following a step-by-step procedure to open and close the train doors; number facility, by performing time-based calculations to determine whether a train is running on schedule; short-term memorization, by remembering information transmitted over a two-way radio; and customer service, by providing a passenger with directions to a location.

Eight of those nine are constructs practised on this site. Customer service is the ninth and it is not practised here — it is a judgement about how to speak to a passenger rather than a question answered from a stimulus, and saying so is better than letting a candidate believe the coverage is complete. What the notice publishes about it is the one sentence and the one example quoted above.

Test-site conditions are in the notice too. Calculators are permitted, but only hand-held, battery or solar powered, numeric-only ones: a calculator with any function beyond addition, subtraction, multiplication and division is prohibited, which is a real constraint on a paper that names number facility. Cellular phones, smart watches, beepers, pagers, cameras and portable media players may not be brought into the test site at all, and using one anywhere in the building before, during or after the test can nullify your score and forfeit your fee. One form of valid, non-expired photo and signature identification is required, and the name on it must match the name used to apply. The admission letter appears on your OASys dashboard 14 days before the first date on which testing is expected to begin.

Who can apply

Education — a high school diploma, and nothing above it
By the date of appointment you must have a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent, approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognised accrediting organisation. The notice attaches a consequence to it in the same paragraph: if you do not meet the education requirement by the date of appointment, your application fee will not be refunded and you will not be appointed. Education obtained outside the United States must be evaluated by an approved service and sent to MTA New York City Transit's Examinations Unit directly by that service — evaluations received from applicants are not accepted.
What this notice does NOT require
There is no age requirement, no driver licence requirement and no work experience requirement anywhere in Notice 6626, and there is no Education and Experience Exam to file. That makes it the widest entry of the two MTA New York City Transit titles covered here: Train Operator 7603 asks for a New York State driver licence, a year of continuous full-time work with one employer, and a separate qualifying exam submitted in OASys. Conductor asks for a diploma.
English
You must be able to understand and be understood in English to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. The job description explains why the notice bothers to say it: conductors make announcements to customers, interact with the Train Operator, supervision and the Control Center, and set up the automatic announcement system.
Medical
Medical guidelines have been established for the position and you will be examined to determine whether you can perform its essential functions, with reasonable accommodation provided where appropriate. The notice lists what those functions physically involve: walking along subway tracks, stepping over rails including live third rails, ascending and descending from trains and catwalks to roadbeds, responding to audible signals such as alarm bells, whistles, horns and radio conversations, distinguishing coloured lights, remaining standing for extended periods, lifting heavy equipment, and working outdoors in all weather.
Drug screening — DOT safety-sensitive, and random for as long as you hold the job
You must pass a drug screening to be appointed, and once appointed you are subject to random drug and alcohol tests for the duration of your employment. The notice names the position safety-sensitive: anyone who has tested positive, or refused a test, during pre-employment or while employed by a Federal DOT-regulated employer within the applicable period must have completed the Substance Abuse Professional evaluation, referral and education or treatment process required by federal law before appointment.
Residency — not required
New York City residency is not required for this position. That is a genuine difference from the DCAS uniformed titles covered on this site, several of which require city residency at appointment and maintain it as a continuing condition of employment. Under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 you must still be able to prove your identity and your right to work in the United States before employment with any MTA agency.
Training and probation
You may be required to undergo a formalised training course during your probationary period, and failure to complete it successfully may result in termination. The probationary period itself must be completed. Special working conditions are stated plainly: conductors may be required to work various shifts, including nights, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
The promotion list is considered first
A promotion examination for this title is being held for eligible New York City Transit employees, and the notice states that the names appearing on the promotion list will be considered first in filling vacancies. Nothing on the open-competitive list changes that ordering, and no candidate should read a strong list number as a position in a single queue.

Scoring, and what happens after you pass

If you meet the education requirement and pass the competitive multiple-choice test, your name is placed in final score order on an eligible list and you are given a list number. You are notified of your test results by email, and if you meet all requirements and conditions you are considered for appointment when your name is reached.

How long that list stays active is not stated in Notice 6626. This page does not fill the gap with the four years a DCAS notice states for a different title under a different administration. New York Civil Service Law § 56 sets the outer bounds for eligible lists generally at not less than one year and not more than four, and that statutory range is what a 6626 candidate can plan against.

Two things have to happen before the list is established. Veterans' or Disabled Veterans' Credit is granted only to eligible passing candidates who ask for it; the notice says it should be requested at the time of application and must be requested before the date the list is established, and that claims cannot be made once it has been. Separately, a candidate who believes the test was rated incorrectly may appeal through the Appeals tab of OASys, giving specific reasons why the score should be higher — the notice adds that an appeal may result in a higher or lower rating, which is not a promise that the difference runs upwards.

What the notice says about pay

Notice 6626 states a current minimum salary of $26.70 per hour for a 40-hour work week, increasing to $38.15 per hour in the sixth year of service, and adds that these rates are subject to change. Beyond the rate it names night and weekend salary differentials, paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, a comprehensive medical plan and a pension plan, and gives an amount for none of them.

MTA publishes this title's pay by the hour, so comparing it with the annual figures on the DCAS notices means doing arithmetic and saying so. Forty hours a week for 52 weeks at $26.70 comes to $55,536 a year, and at $38.15 it comes to $79,352 — our multiplication of the notice's own hourly rate, not a figure MTA prints anywhere. Neither includes the differentials, and the notice publishes no schedule for the steps between the first year and the sixth.

How to prepare

Start with the diagnostic — 15 questions, about seven minutes, no signup. It tells you which of the 8 areas is costing you rank, so you drill the weak one instead of the comfortable one. Then work the lessons and drills for that area, and sit a timed mock when you want to know where you stand under the clock.

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Questions candidates ask

When is the MTA Conductor exam?

The second amended Notice of Examination, dated 7 August 2026, states that multiple-choice testing is expected to begin on Saturday, 10 October 2026. The earlier versions of the notice had said Sunday, 11 October 2026, and that is the date most third-party pages still carry.

Did the Conductor 6626 dates change?

Twice. The amendment of 1 July 2026 moved the application deadline from 30 June 2026 to 10 July 2026. The second amendment of 7 August 2026 changed the test date from 11 October to 10 October 2026 and left the deadline alone.

How many questions are on the Conductor exam?

The notice publishes no question count and no time limit. It publishes the nine ability areas, the 70% pass mark, and that the test may be given at a computer terminal or using paper and pencil or pen.

What do I need to qualify for the Conductor exam?

A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent by the date of appointment. Notice 6626 sets no age requirement, no driver licence requirement and no work experience requirement, and there is no Education and Experience Exam for this title.

How much does an MTA Conductor make?

The notice states $26.70 per hour for a 40-hour work week, increasing to $38.15 per hour in the sixth year of service, with those rates subject to change. Night and weekend salary differentials are paid on top and are not quantified in the notice.

Can I use a calculator on the Conductor exam?

Yes, within limits. Calculators must be hand-held, battery or solar powered and numeric only; any function beyond addition, subtraction, multiplication and division is prohibited, as is any device with an alphabetic keyboard or word-processing or data-recording capability.

Do I have to live in New York City?

No. The notice states that New York City residency is not required for this position.

Does the promotion exam affect my chances?

It affects the order of appointment. The notice states that a promotion examination for this title is being held for eligible New York City Transit employees and that the names appearing on the promotion list will be considered first in filling vacancies.

The rest of the guide

Conductor practice test — one question from every ability area

Real questions from the bank, answered in the page, with the technique explanation after each one.

MTA Conductor Salary: $26.70 to $38.15 an Hour (Exam 6626)

What Notice of Examination 6626 states about Conductor pay: $26.70 per hour for a 40-hour work week rising to $38.15 in the sixth year of service, subject to change, plus the differentials and benefits the notice names and the figures it does not..

MTA Conductor Requirements: A High School Diploma, and Little Else

Everything Notice 6626 requires of a Conductor candidate — a four-year high school diploma by appointment — and everything it conspicuously does not: no age limit, no driver licence, no experience, no Education and Experience Exam..

MTA Conductor Exam 6626 Format: 9 Abilities, 70% to Pass

The format of MTA Conductor exam 6626: a ranked multiple-choice test at a terminal or on paper, a 70% pass mark, four-function calculators permitted, and nine ability areas with the notice's own job example for each..

What Does an MTA Conductor Do? The Job Notice 6626 Describes

The Conductor job description in Notice 6626: doors and announcements in customer service, working with the Train Operator and the Control Center, flagging protection for track workers, hand-thrown switches in the yards, and reports of unusual occurrences..

MTA Conductor vs Train Operator: Which Exam Should You Take?

Conductor 6626 and Train Operator 7603 compared from the notices: a diploma against a diploma plus a licence, a year of continuous work and an Education and Experience Exam; $68 against $91; $26.70 against $41.16 an hour; and the two abilities each paper has that the other does not..

Where these facts come from

We do not publish exam dates ourselves, and you should be skeptical of any site that posts one without a source. Every fact on this page comes from the documents below, each with the date we last opened it. Facts on this page were last checked September 9, 2026 — for the current filing period and test date, the official notice is authoritative.