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EXAM 7331 · TEST OCTOBER 22, 2026

NYC Traffic Enforcement Agent exam 7331: 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 7331

Key dates

Filing closed
August 25, 2026
Test date
October 22, 2026
Passing score
70%

Notice of Examination No. 7331 took applications from 1 July to 25 August 2026, and it states that multiple-choice testing is expected to begin on Thursday, 22 October 2026. The notice publishes one application period for this exam number, so a later opportunity at this title means a later notice under a new number — which is how DCAS runs it, and why the exam number rather than the title is the thing to track.

The application fee is $0.00 — the notice instructs applicants to select "No Fee" as the payment method. That is unusual enough to be worth stating plainly: for this exam, the only cost of entering is the time you spend preparing.

If you miss the August deadline, the DCAS annual schedule through 30 June 2027 lists three further Traffic Enforcement Agent filing periods opening 5 November 2026, 3 February 2027 and 5 May 2027. This title runs roughly quarterly, so a missed window costs a quarter rather than a career.

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

The test is multiple choice, taken at a computer terminal, and 70% is the minimum passing score. Your score sets your rank on the eligible list, so passing and placing well are different things. 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

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

Spatial Orientation

Work out where you are relative to something else, and pick the route or direction that follows. Usually a map, a floor plan or a set of turns.

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

Traffic Enforcement Agent draws on seven ability areas — fewer than the nine on the Police Officer and School Safety Agent notices and the eleven on Correction Officer. Missing from this list are inductive reasoning and visualization, which appear on every other DCAS uniformed notice tracked here.

One practical difference on test day: this notice permits basic hand-held calculators with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division functions only. The School Safety Agent and Police Officer notices both state flatly that calculators are not permitted, so do not carry a habit from one exam into another.

The notice defines each ability and gives a worked example from the job — spatial orientation, for instance, is illustrated by directing and controlling traffic at an assigned location. Reading those examples is the cheapest preparation available, because they tell you what the abstract construct looks like in a question.

Who can apply

Education
A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent, approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization, by the date of appointment. There is no college-credit requirement and no military-service alternative to satisfy — this is among the lowest formal education bars of any uniformed New York City civil-service title.
Foreign education
If you were educated outside the United States, your education must be evaluated for U.S. equivalence. The notice says the Police Department issues instructions on the approved evaluation services during pre-employment screening, so this is handled after the test rather than before you apply.
Driver license
You do not need a licence to apply or to test, but you must hold a valid New York State motor vehicle driver license by the time you reach 15 months in the position, and keep it for the rest of your employment. Moving violations, a suspension or an accident record may disqualify you. Assignment Level III additionally requires a W (tow truck) endorsement with no restrictions on the licence.
Assignment levels
Candidates are appointed to Assignment Level II. Level I covers patrolling an assigned area and issuing paper and electronic summonses for movement, parking, stopping and standing violations; Level II adds directing and controlling traffic at assigned locations. Two further levels carry higher salary steps, and Level IV requires Special Patrolman status granted by the NYC Police Commissioner under Administrative Code section 14-106 and chapter 13 of title 38 of the Rules of the City of New York.
Medical, psychological and drug screening
Medical and psychological guidelines are established for the title and you will be examined against them, with reasonable accommodation provided where appropriate. You must pass a drug screening to be appointed. Level III carries an additional medical screening and additional drug screening.
Residency
The notice gives a residency advisory rather than a rule: under New York City Administrative Code section 12-120 you might need to live in New York City within 90 days of appointment. Because the requirement varies by title, appointing agency and length of service, the notice tells candidates to ask the agency's personnel office at the appointment interview.
Probation and language
The probationary period is 12 months. You must be able to understand and be understood in English, and under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 you must prove your identity and right to work in the United States before employment.

Scoring, and what happens after you pass

Passing puts your name on an eligible list in final score order, with a list number, notified by email. The notice says such a list is usually active for four years.

Unlike the Police Officer notice, this one offers no New York City Residency Credit — there are no bonus points here for living in the city. Wartime veterans' and Civil Service Law section 85-a credits still apply where earned, but otherwise your raw performance on test day is what sets your number.

A score you believe was rated incorrectly can be appealed to the DCAS Committee on Manifest Errors through the online application system, stating the reasons for requesting a higher score. The notice warns that an appeal may result in a different rating — which can go either way.

What the notice says about pay

Notice of Examination No. 7331 states that candidates are eligible for appointment at Assignment Level II, for which the current minimum salary is $48,719 per year. Two additional assignment levels carry higher salary steps under the union contract, and the notice says these salaries are subject to collective bargaining increase. The work week is 40 hours, with rotating shifts that include Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and overtime.

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.

Take the free diagnosticBrowse the drillsSit a timed mock

Questions candidates ask

Is there a fee for the NYC Traffic Enforcement Agent exam?

No. Notice of Examination No. 7331 states an application fee of $0.00 and instructs applicants to select "No Fee" as the payment method. Separately, Local Law 57 of 2025 expanded DCAS fee-waiver eligibility from 1 July 2026 to include first-time applicants and New York City high school students, which affects other exams that do still charge.

When is the next Traffic Enforcement Agent exam?

Exam No. 7331 took applications from 1 July to 25 August 2026, with testing expected to begin 22 October 2026. The DCAS annual schedule through 30 June 2027 then lists filing periods opening 5 November 2026 (Exam 7332), 3 February 2027 (7333) and 5 May 2027 (7334).

Can you use a calculator on the Traffic Enforcement Agent exam?

Yes, but only a basic hand-held calculator with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division functions. Anything with additional features, a keyboard, word processing or data recording is banned and will be sealed in a pouch at the test site. This differs from the School Safety Agent and Police Officer notices, which state that calculators are not permitted at all.

Do you need a driver license to become a Traffic Enforcement Agent?

Not to apply or to sit the test. You must hold a valid New York State motor vehicle driver license by the time you reach 15 months in the position and maintain it thereafter. Moving violations, licence suspensions or an accident record may be disqualifying, and Assignment Level III requires a W tow-truck endorsement with no licence restrictions.

How much does a NYC Traffic Enforcement Agent make?

The notice states a current minimum salary of $48,719 per year at Assignment Level II, which is the level candidates are appointed to. Two further assignment levels pay higher steps under the union contract, and all figures are subject to collective bargaining increase.

The rest of the guide

Traffic Enforcement 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 Traffic Enforcement Agent Salary (2026)

Traffic Enforcement Agent pay starts at $48,719 at Assignment Level II, the level candidates are appointed to.

NYC Traffic Enforcement Agent Requirements (2026)

What you need to sit Traffic Enforcement Agent exam 7331 and to be appointed: a high school diploma, no college credits, no filing fee, and a New York State driver licence by 15 months in the job — not before you apply..

NYC Traffic Enforcement Agent Hiring Process After the Exam

What happens after Traffic Enforcement Agent exam 7331: your list number, how appointments come off the list in rank order, the screening steps, and why passing and being hired are not the same thing..

NYC Traffic Enforcement Agent Test: Format and the 7 Abilities

What is actually on Traffic Enforcement Agent exam 7331: a computer-based multiple-choice test, 70% to pass, seven named ability areas, and the one notice that permits a basic calculator.

What Does a NYC Traffic Enforcement Agent Do?

The four assignment levels of the Traffic Enforcement Agent title, what the job involves at each, the driver-licence requirement that arrives at 15 months, and the peace-officer status that comes only at Level IV..

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 2, 2026 — for the current filing period and test date, the official notice is authoritative.