New York State of Opportunity

Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding

Written Test To Be Held
November 9, 2019*
You may be assigned to either Saturday or Sunday.
Please refer to the information below.
Applications Must Be Submitted or Postmarked By
September 25, 2019

 

Exams Included on This Announcement
Exam Number Exam Title Salary Salary Grade Non−Refundable Processing Fee (Waivers available)
26-697 Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding $31,245 SG-6 $25
26-698 Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding (Chinese Language) $31,245 SG-6
26-699 Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding (Spanish Language) $31,245 SG-6
*Due to the large number of candidates who will be taking these tests, you will be assigned to either a morning or afternoon session on either Saturday, November 9th or Sunday, November 10th to take your test. If all candidates cannot be accommodated on these dates, you may be assigned to either Saturday, November 16th or Sunday, November 17th. Your admission notice will tell you where and when you are scheduled to appear. You cannot request a day or time in advance or change your scheduled day or time. If you do not receive your admission notice by November 6, 2019, see ���ADMISSION TO EXAMINATION��� on the last page. If you are viewing this announcement online, it is recommended you print a copy of this announcement for future reference. It is also recommended that you read this announcement in its entirety.

IMPORTANT: Unless waived, you must pay the non-refundable processing fee. For information on fee waivers, visit https://www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/types/oc/appinfo.cfm##Fee. It is important that you verify that you entered the correct examination number and title on your online or paper application prior to submitting. If you apply online, you should immediately review your email confirmation notice to verify that you applied for the correct examination. If you do not receive a confirmation number after submitting your online application, your application was NOT received by the Department of Civil Service. No late applications will be accepted after the filing deadline has passed.

"Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties will receive an additional $3,026 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $1,513 annual mid-Hudson adjustment.

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Minimum Qualifications

There are no minimum education or experience requirements for these examinations. However, for those who pass the written test, prior to being considered for appointment, you will be required to pass a keyboarding test that demonstrates your ability to enter text at a rate of at least 30 words per minute with at least 96% accuracy.

OTHER OPPORTUNITY: These examinations will be used to also fill the following title below:

Law Department Document Specialist Trainee 1 Equivalent to Grade 6

If you are appointed to an Office Assistant 1 Keyboarding position, your name will remain active for the above traineeship title filled from this examination. If you are appointed to the Trainee title filled from this examination, your name will be inactivated for all other titles. The Law Department Document Specialist Trainee 1 positions exist only in the Office of the Attorney General and are limited in number. There is an eighteen-month traineeship that consists of on-the-job training and mandatory classroom training. After successful completion of twelve months, you will advance to the Trainee 2 level, Equivalent to a Grade 8. Upon successful completion of the remaining six months of the traineeship, you will advance to Law Department Document Specialist, Grade 9 without further examination.

The Positions

These positions exist in most state agencies and departments throughout the state.

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Duties

As an Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding, you would spend most of your work time performing keyboarding, data entry, chart compilation or arrangement, or tasks involving keyboarding into computerized systems. You also would perform general office support or clerical duties.

As a Law Department Document Specialist Trainee, you would perform duties similar to those performed by Office Assistants 1-Keyboarding, while learning how to support the work of attorneys, paralegals, and investigative staff, by independently producing legal documents that are required to support judicial actions. Law Department Document Specialists also produce general legal correspondence, perform case file management, and may provide general office support to line attorneys.

Notes

  1. Waiver of Keyboarding Performance Test: The keyboarding performance test may be waived if, within the last five years, you have served in a NYS government position that required you to take and pass the Department of Civil Service keyboarding performance test; or if you provide documentation that, within the last five years, you have successfully passed a five-minute keyboarding performance test entering text at a rate of at least 30 words per minute with at least 96% accuracy. The documentation of the test results must be on official letterhead or an official notice of the results of a keyboarding test administered by a state agency or other recognized training program for typists, secretaries, or word processors. A photocopy of your test results is acceptable.
  2. If you pass the examination for No. 26-698 Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding (Chinese Language) or 26-699 Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding (Spanish Language), you will be required to demonstrate your Chinese or Spanish language proficiency at a level that will ensure your ability to perform properly the duties of the position. Only enough candidates to fill current vacancies will be called to the proficiency test.
  3. If you submit an application for No. 26-698 Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding (Chinese Language) or 26-699 Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding (Spanish Language), an application will automatically be submitted for you for 26-697 Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding at no additional cost.
  4. Background Investigation/Justice Center Review: In some agencies, the names of all prospective employees will be:

    • Checked against the Staff Exclusion List (SEL) maintained by the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Prospective employees whose names appear on the SEL as having been found responsible for serious or repeated acts of abuse or neglect will be barred from appointment and may have their names removed from the eligible list(s) for the title(s);
    • Investigated through a Criminal Background Check (CBC). All convictions must be reported. Conviction of a felony or misdemeanor or any falsified or omitted information may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment. Each case will be determined on its own merits, consistent with the applicable provisions of state and federal laws;

    and may be:

    1. Screened against the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR). Prospective employees whose names appear on the SCR may be barred from appointment.

    You will be responsible for payment of all required fees.

  5. Medicaid and Medicare: Some agencies require that, in order to be eligible for appointment and to maintain employment, you cannot be listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of the Federal and/or State Medicaid and Medicare exclusion lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program). If you are appointed and subsequently listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of these lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally-assisted program), you may be terminated from your employment.
  6. New York State residence is not required.

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Subject of Examination

There will be a written, multiple-choice test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. If you pass the written test, you will also be required to pass a keyboarding performance test at a later date that demonstrates your keyboarding proficiency at an acceptable level. Only enough candidates to fill current vacancies will be called to take the keyboarding performance test. You must pass both the written test and the keyboarding performance test to be considered for appointment.

Scope of Multiple-Choice Test: The multiple-choice test tests for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

  1. Reading - These questions test for the ability to read and understand short written passages. You will be asked one question about each passage. Everything you need to know to answer the question is contained in the passage. You should base your answer only on the information contained in the passage, and not on what you may know about the topic.
  2. Working with others - These questions test for knowledge of how to interact with others in a constructive, courteous, and effective manner. Questions will involve working or interacting with a variety of individuals in a variety of circumstances.
  3. Name and number checking - These questions test for the ability to accurately check names, words, and numbers that are almost exactly alike. Information will be presented in two or three columns. You must compare entries across the columns and mark your answers in accordance with the directions given.
  4. Operations with letters and numbers - These questions test for the ability to perform a variety of operations using letters and numbers. You must alphabetize, arrange, compare, check, and/or count given groups of letters and/or numbers, in order to answer the questions correctly.
  5. Grammar, usage, punctuation, and spelling - These questions test for knowledge of grammar, word usage, punctuation, and spelling in the English language. The grammar and usage questions test for the ability to recognize incorrect grammar and word usage in sentences. Questions may involve errors in agreement of subject and verb, or in the use of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and/or prepositions. The punctuation questions test for the ability to recognize incorrect use and placement of punctuation marks, such as commas, question marks, and quotation marks, in given sentences. The spelling questions test for the ability to identify misspelled words.

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.

Scope of Keyboarding Performance Test: The Keyboarding Performance Test uses a standard keyboard and is given on a personal computer (PC). No prior knowledge of software is required. The test is five minutes long and is preceded by a three minute practice session. You are to enter as much of the passage as you can during the time available. You will be tested on keying speed and accuracy. To pass, you must enter the text at a rate of at least 30 words per minute, with at least 96% accuracy.

TEST GUIDE: Information about the material for the Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding examination may be found in A Guide to the Written Test for the Beginning Office Assistant Series that is available on the Department website athttp://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/statetestguides.cfm.

Important: The Department of Civil Service and other state agencies may communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include the notification of your examination results and canvassing you for interest in appointment. It will be important for you to keep your email address, phone number and mailing address current by logging into https://www.cs.ny.gov/home/myaccount.

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How To Apply

This announcement is for viewing purposes only.

Additional Information

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 employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest and/or criminal conviction record, or any other category protected by law, 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.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

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

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 provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Administration Unit of the Department of Civil Service. In the Albany area, call 518-457-2487. Outside of the Albany area, call toll free at 1-877-697-5627. For TDD services, call NY Relay at 711 (requires a fee) or 1-800-662-1220.

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, email us at AdmissionNotices@cs.ny.gov. Please provide your first and last name, address, and the last four digits of your social security number, and we will provide you with the information you need to attend your written test. If you have an issue other than not receiving your admission notice, please contact our office at (518) 474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627. Please leave a clear concise message and provide your first and last name, last four digits of your social security number and a daytime phone number.

Taking State and Local Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions 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. For your convenience, contact information for all local civil service agencies is available on our website at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/local.cfm.

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

Do not bring cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices to the test site. The use of such devices at the test site in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas could result in your disqualification.

S1/TB2 MXT-rkv
Issued: 08/23/2019

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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