NEW YORK STATE
Department of Civil Service Announces
Examinations Open to All Qualified Individuals

Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or WestchesterCounties will receive an additional $1,302 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $651 annual Mid-Hudson adjustment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: On or before March 10, 2007, you must have:

NOTES:

1. If you expect to receive your qualifying degree by August 31, 2007, you can be admitted to the written test, but you cannot be considered for appointment until you submit proof of successful completion of the educational requirements to the appointing authority.
2. For the purposes of this examination, a degree in a human service area includes the professional disciplines of occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychology, social work, speech/language pathology, audiology, nutrition, and therapeutic recreation (including art, dance, drama, music, and physical education). Also included are related academic disciplines associated with the study of: human behavior (e.g., human services, sociology, speech communication, gerontology); human skills development (e.g., education, counseling, human development); humans and their cultural behavior; or any other study of services related to basic human care needs (e.g.,community mental health, rehabilitation counseling).
3. Your degree or college credit must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the NYS Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. If your degree or college credit was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. This information is also available here. You must pay the required evaluation fee. If you are applying on the Internet, you must mail the independent verification of equivalency to the NYS Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York, 12239, Attention: S1KLB.
4. If you pass the examination for a language parenthetic, you will be required to demonstrate your language proficiency at a level that will ensure your ability to perform properly the duties of the position. The lists established as a result of the examinations for Social Work Assistant 2 and Social Work Assistant 3 will also be used to fill language parenthetic positions, other than Spanish Language and Deaf and Hearing Impaired, that currently exist or are established during the life of the list.
5. Promotion examinations are also being held for Social Work Assistant 3 positions. If you are eligible for appointment from a promotion list, you may not be appointed in your own agency from the lists resulting from these examinations open to the public. Although promotion examinations are being held for Social Work Assistant 3, it is expected that appointments will be made as the result of these examinations open to the public.
6. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
7. New York State residence is not required.
8. Although you may file for these examinations by completing one OC-APP application form, the indicated processing fee must be submitted for each salary grade level of examination, G-14 and/or G-17, listed on your application.

THE POSITIONS: The majority of positions are located statewide in the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and the Office of Mental Health. A small number of positions are located in the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, Office of Children and Family Services, Helen Hayes Hospital, and the State Education Department.

DUTIES: As a Social Work Assistant 2, you would, under the supervision of professional staff, assist in the provision of various social work activities in support of a plan of service for consumers. This could include assisting in individual assessments; identification, implementation, coordination, and evaluation of services; and the preparation of written assessments, progress notes, reports, letters, and other communications with consumers, providers, and other involved parties.

As a Social Work Assistant 3, your duties would be similar to those of an Assistant 2, but you will be required to handle more complex issues and to exercise more independent judgment in performing those duties.

SUBJECT OF EXAMINATION: There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

1. Interviewing – These questions test for a knowledge of the principles and practices employed in obtaining information from individuals through structured conversations. These questions require you to apply the principles, practices, and techniques of effective interviewing to hypothetical interviewing situations. Included are questions that present a problem arising from an interviewing situation, and you must choose the most appropriate course of action to take.
2. Providing services to individuals with mental disabilities – These questions test for knowledge and understanding of the concepts, principles and practices used in providing services to individuals who may have mental illness, mental retardation, developmental disabilities, alcoholism or substance abuse problems. Questions may cover such topics as: identifying client characteristics, behaviors, and problems; assessing client strengths and needs; linking clients with treatment programs and community services; and providing clients with support and advocacy.
3. Preparing written material – These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
4. Understanding and interpreting written material – These questions test how well you comprehend written material. You will be provided with brief reading selections and will be asked questions about the selections. All the information required to answer the questions will be presented in the selections; you will not be required to have any special knowledge relating to the subject areas of the selections.
   Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Rank on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits to your final passing score.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

ADMISSION TO EXAMINATION: Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, call (518)474‑6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 1].

NEW YORK STATE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER: It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity in employment, compensation and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION: Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under "Religious Accommodation." We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS IN TESTING: In addition, it is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to enjoy equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their applications. Further information is available from the Special Arrangements Unit of the Department of Civil Service at (518)457‑2487 [press 2, then press 2] in the Albany area, toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 2], or via TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf) at (518) 457-8480.

MULTIPLE EXAMINATIONS SCHEDULED FOR THE SAME DAY: With the exception of written tests announced by New York City, if you have applied to take a written test announced by a local jurisdiction (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must call (518) 474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 1], no later than two weeks before the test date, to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the State examination center.

S1/TB1 KLB-tmc
Issued: 12/22/06