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EXAM 6329 · TEST SEPTEMBER 8, 2026

NYC Police Communications Technician exam 6329: the complete guide

What the job is, when the exam is, the 7 ability areas it tests, and how to prepare for each one. Every fact below traces to the official notice.

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12 questions · no signup · built for exam 6329

Key dates

Filing closed
July 17, 2026
Test date
September 8, 2026
Passing score
70%

Notice of Examination No. 6329, amended 24 June 2026, is the governing document. Its filing period ran 7 May to 17 July 2026 and it states that multiple-choice testing is expected to begin on Tuesday, 8 September 2026. The application fee is $68.00, with a non-refundable 2.00% service fee added when paying by card.

This is the only uniformed-adjacent title tracked on this site with no patrol component. A Police Communications Technician works a console: taking 911 calls, obtaining the information needed to start a response, dispatching police units by radio, and viewing pictures, video and audio sent through Text to 911. The notice describes the work as being performed while wearing a headset and monitoring a computer screen for extended periods.

The DCAS annual schedule through 30 June 2027 lists three further Police Communications Technician filing periods, opening 2 September and 2 December 2026 and 3 March 2027. Like most DCAS titles this one runs quarterly, so a missed window costs a season rather than a career.

The 7 ability areas, and what each one asks of you

The multiple-choice test is conducted at a computer terminal. Your score determines your position on the eligible list, so passing and placing well are different achievements. Each area below has a technique lesson and a drill built for this exam — not adapted from another one.

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

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

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

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

Seven ability areas are named. They are a strict subset of the nine the Police Officer notice tests: what is absent is spatial orientation and visualization, which is exactly what you would expect of a role that works from what a caller says rather than from where the officer is standing.

Calculators are not permitted, and neither is any other electronic device. Items brought to the test site are sealed in a Yondr pouch until after the exam event, headphones and earbuds included. Using a prohibited device — in the testing area, a restroom, a hallway or anywhere else — nullifies your score, bars you from civil-service tests for up to five years, and forfeits your application fee.

Each ability in the notice carries a worked example from the job. Deductive reasoning is illustrated by determining what unit to dispatch when a caller reports hearing strange sounds from the apartment next door; memorization by recalling the location of a robbery; problem sensitivity by determining the critical nature of a call when the caller is having difficulty describing the emergency. Those examples are the cheapest preparation available, because they show what the abstract construct looks like once it has been turned into a question.

Who can apply

Education and experience
A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent, plus one of four things: one year of satisfactory full-time experience performing clerical, typing or secretarial work; one year of satisfactory full-time experience dealing with the public, including obtaining information from people; the successful completion of 30 college semester credits from an accredited college or university; or two years of active United States military duty with an honorable discharge. A satisfactory combination of education and experience equivalent to any of those also qualifies.
The public-contact route
The second route is the one candidates most often overlook, and it is drawn widely: one year of full-time experience dealing with the public that involves obtaining information from people. That describes a great deal of call-centre, reception, retail service and intake work, and it carries exactly the same weight as the college-credit route.
Foreign education
Education obtained outside the United States must be evaluated for equivalence to education obtained here. The notice directs candidates to the Foreign Education Evaluation Guide published on the DCAS website and asks for a document-by-document evaluation submitted directly to DCAS.
The physical demands of the console
The notice sets out what the job involves physically, and it is unlike the other titles here: sitting for extended periods with a headset on while monitoring a computer screen, typing information into the computer using a keyboard, and coordinating eye and hand movements while handling emergency calls. Candidates who assume a desk role carries no physical requirements should read that section directly.
Shifts
Police Communications Technicians work various tours around the clock, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, and may be required on occasion to work overtime tours depending on the needs of the Department. A 911 centre does not close, and the roster reflects that.
Qualification is verified after the test
You are given the test before your qualifications are verified. If you are found not qualified afterwards, the application fee is not refunded and you do not receive a score, so the education and experience routes are worth checking against your own record before you file rather than after.

Scoring, and what happens after you pass

Passing puts your name on an eligible list in final score order. New York Civil Service Law § 56 sets the outer bounds on how long such a list runs: not less than one year and not more than four.

Appointments are then made under New York Civil Service Law § 61, which lets an appointing authority select one of the three highest-ranked candidates on the certified list who are willing to accept the job. That is why a few points of score decide whether you are reachable rather than merely passing.

Veterans and disabled veterans may be eligible for application fee waivers, preference credits and make-up arrangements. Credits must be claimed before the list is established; none can be added afterwards.

What the notice says about pay

Notice of Examination No. 6329 states a current minimum salary of $51,790 per year, and says the rate is subject to change.

That places the title between Traffic Enforcement Agent at $48,719 and Police Officer at $55,942 on entry, and well above School Safety Agent at $40,480 — for a role with no patrol duty and the widest set of qualifying routes of any exam tracked here.

How to prepare

Start with the diagnostic — 12 questions, about seven minutes, no signup. It tells you which of the 7 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

What does a Police Communications Technician do?

They are the NYPD's 911 call-takers and radio dispatchers. The notice describes taking 911 calls, obtaining the information needed to start emergency assistance, dispatching police resources by radio, viewing pictures, video and audio sent through Text to 911, and performing related clerical and administrative work.

What are the requirements for the NYC 911 operator exam?

A four-year high school diploma or equivalent, plus one of: one year of clerical, typing or secretarial work; one year dealing with the public including obtaining information from people; 30 college semester credits; or two years of active U.S. military duty with an honorable discharge. An equivalent combination also qualifies.

How much does a NYC 911 operator make?

Notice 6329 states a current minimum salary of $51,790 per year, and adds that the rate is subject to change.

What abilities does the exam test?

Seven: deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, information ordering, memorization, problem sensitivity, written comprehension and written expression. There is no spatial orientation or visualization, which the Police Officer and School Safety Agent exams both include.

Can you use a calculator on the exam?

No. Calculators are not permitted and no other electronic device is either. Items are sealed in a Yondr pouch for the exam event, and using one nullifies your score and bars you from civil-service tests for up to five years.

Do 911 technicians work nights and weekends?

Yes. The notice states that technicians work various tours around the clock, including Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, with occasional overtime tours depending on the needs of the Department.

The rest of the guide

911 Technician practice test — one question from every ability area

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

NYC 911 Operator Salary (2026)

Police Communications Technician pay starts at $51,790 per the notice for exam 6329.

NYC 911 Operator Requirements: Four Ways to Qualify

Exam 6329 offers four routes: one year of clerical work, one year dealing with the public, 30 college credits, or two years of military service.

NYC 911 Operator Test: Format and the 7 Abilities

Exam 6329 tests seven ability areas — the Police Officer nine minus spatial orientation and visualization.

What Does a NYC 911 Operator Do?

Taking 911 calls, obtaining what a response needs, dispatching by radio, and handling Text to 911 pictures, video and audio — as the notice for exam 6329 describes it, including the round-the-clock roster..

911 Operator vs Police Officer: Which NYPD Exam to Take

Both are NYPD titles with overlapping exams, but one patrols and one 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 August 15, 2026 — for the current filing period and test date, the official notice is authoritative.