Department of Civil Service

Driver Improvement Examiners

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*Due to the size of the candidate population for this date, candidates will be tested at a Computer-Based Testing Center in their area and may schedule to take their test on either Thursday September 24, 2026, or Friday September 25, 2026. Candidates will receive a notification email from CBTAdministration@cs.ny.gov requiring them to self-schedule for one of the open exam sessions being administered. Candidates will receive their admission notice after self-scheduling for their test and will be notified of their test site location on their admission notice.

Promotion examination open to all qualified employees of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before September 24, 2026, you must be a qualified employee of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and have had 50 days of permanent competitive, non-competitive NY HELPS**, or 55-b/55-c service as shown below. If you have received a permanent appointment to a qualifying title listed and served provisionally*** in that title immediately preceding your permanent appointment, such provisional service may be counted towards meeting the time in title required for this examination.

For Exam No. 31-510020: Driver Improvement Examiner or Driver Improvement Examiner Trainee.

For Exam No. 31-511020:
Either A. Supervising Driver Improvement Examiner;
Or B. Driver Improvement Examiner.

For Exam No. 31-512020:
Either A. Head Driver Improvement Examiner;
Or B. Supervising Driver Improvement Examiner

Only the title or titles listed are qualifying.

If you were permanently appointed to a qualifying title on or before August 5, 2026, and have served continuously in this title since that date, you are eligible to file for this examination.

**If you were permanently appointed via the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide (NY HELPS) program to a qualifying title in the non-competitive class on or before August 5, 2026, and have served continuously in this title since that date, you may apply for this examination.

***If you were permanently appointed to a qualifying title and had provisional service in the same title immediately preceding the permanent appointment, such provisional service may be counted towards meeting the time in title required to apply for this examination. Your provisional appointment must have been on or before August 5, 2026, to qualify for this examination.

Qualifying Experience For Appointment From The Eligible List:

For Exam No. 31-510020: After one year of service at the Full Performance Level, successful candidates will be qualified for appointment from the eligible list.

Exam Nos. 31-511020 and 31-512020: After one year of the service described in the A Qualifications, successful candidates will be qualified for appointment from the eligible list.
Or
After two years of service described in the B Qualifications, successful candidates will be qualified for appointment from the eligible list.

Employees appointed via the NY HELPS program to a qualifying title in the non-competitive class will have their names restricted from appointment from the eligible list until their position is covered-in to the competitive class by action of the New York State Civil Service Commission or otherwise obtain permanent competitive status in the position.

If you have received a permanent appointment to a qualifying title listed and served provisionally in that title immediately preceding your permanent appointment, such provisional service may be counted towards meeting the time in title required for appointment from the eligible list.

Eligibles who meet the “B” qualifications, and who are subsequently appointed to an “A” title, may request to have their name added to the “A” list, once they have completed the time in title year(s) of service in the “A” title. The request should be submitted in writing to the NYS Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York 12239; Attention: S2/MLG.

Order of Certification: For Exam Nos. 31-511020 and 31-512020, the order of certification of the eligible lists will be:
1. "A" eligibles 2. "All" eligibles

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Duties

As a Supervising Driver Improvement Examiner, you would supervise units staffed by Driver Improvement Examiners and clerical support staff engaged in evaluation and adjudication activities. You would also train new employees; retrain all employees on new programs, policies, and procedures; and personally handle more complex or sensitive cases requiring a high degree of technical expertise and tact. In addition, you may perform the duties of a Driver Improvement Examiner.

As a Head Driver Improvement Examiner, you would supervise a section containing several units. You would review all training programs, handle cases that go beyond the expertise of the Supervising Driver Improvement Examiner, set production standards, review production reports, and recommend and initiate corrective action where needed.

As a Chief Driver Improvement Examiner, you would direct and supervise the activities of subordinate Head Driver Improvement Examiners, train supervisors, and communicate and interpret new policies and procedures. You would develop and maintain quality controls for the Bureau, conduct staff meetings, prepare budget and personnel requests, and review complex, unusual or sensitive adjudication problems; and adjudicate those cases for which either no parameters or new parameters exist, or for which new policy interpretations must be developed.

Notes:

1. As a Supervising Driver Improvement Examiner, Head Driver Improvement Examiner, or Chief Driver Improvement Examiner, you may be required to testify at motor vehicle hearings or in court cases. You may also make presentations on driver safety topics to civic groups and groups of governmental officials.
2. Travel Requirements: Appointment to certain positions requires extensive travel within an area of assignment. Appointees may need to operate a motor vehicle or have other means to meet the transportation needs of the job. If the position requires that you operate a motor vehicle, you must continuously have a driver’s license valid in New York State to continue employment. Field work and travel expenses are reimbursed on a fixed schedule. Overnight travel may be required.

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Subject of Examination

To be considered for appointment to this title, you must pass the multiple-choice test. The multiple-choice test evaluates your knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in the following areas:	For Examination Nos.
	31-510020	31-511020	31-512020
1. 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.	X	X	X
2. Understanding and applying written material based on legal passages - Candidates will be provided with a reading passage taken from a published law or regulation and be required to answer one or more questions based on that passage. The questions may require the candidates to apply the passage to a hypothetical situation or situations described in the question(s) or summarize all or part of the passage. All factual information needed to answer these questions is provided in the reading selections. No prior knowledge of the material is needed to answer these questions correctly. The content of the readings used in these questions may not necessarily pertain directly to the duties of the positions. The purpose of the questions is to determine the candidate's ability to read and comprehend written material of a particular style and difficulty. Moreover, knowledge of the subject matter contained in the reading selections is generally not related to answering the questions successfully because all of the information needed can be found in the reading selections.	X	X	X
3. Evaluating conclusions based on factual information - These questions test your ability to evaluate and draw conclusions from factual information presented. Each question consists of a set of factual statements and a conclusion. You will be asked to determine whether the conclusion can be proven to be true by the facts, proven to be false by the facts, or if the facts are inadequate to prove the conclusion.	X	X
4. Supervision - These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.	X
5. Administrative supervision - These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices involved in directing the activities of a large subordinate staff, including subordinate supervisors. Questions relate to the personal interactions between an upper level supervisor and their subordinate supervisors in the accomplishment of objectives. These questions cover such areas as assigning work to and coordinating the activities of several units, establishing and guiding staff development programs, evaluating the performance of subordinate supervisors, and maintaining relationships with other organizational sections.		X	X
6. Advising and interacting with others - These questions test for the ability to interact with other people in order to gather and present information and to provide assistance and advice in a courteous and professional manner.			X
7. Administrative techniques and practices - These questions test for a knowledge of management techniques and practices used in directing or assisting in directing a program component or an organizational segment. Questions cover such areas as interpreting policies, making decisions based on the context of the position in the organization, coordinating programs or projects, communicating with employees or the public, planning employee training, and researching and evaluating areas of concern.			X

Test Guide & Sample Test Material: A General Guide to Multiple-Choice Test is available at http://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm. If Sample Test Material is available for a subject area described above, it can be found at http://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/sampletestmat.cfm.

Time Allowance: The time allowance to answer all questions in each exam is listed below. This time allowance does not include travel time to and from the computer-based testing center, or check-in time at the computer-based testing center. Each exam is timed separately.

For Exam No. 31-510020: 3 hours 30 minutes
For Exam No. 31-511020: 3 hours 30 minutes
For Exam No. 31-512020: 4 hours

Candidates scheduled to take multiple examinations on the same date will be limited to a maximum of eight (8) hours of total testing time. Note: The time allowance is subject to change. If changed, approved applicants will receive an email notification before the exam date with the revised time allowance.

If you pass, your seniority credit(s), if any, will be included in the computation of your final score. Your final score on the eligible list will be determined after adding any Veterans' credits.

Credit For Seniority: Seniority is credited at the rate of one credit for each five-year period (or fraction thereof), excluding the first year of service.

Admission To The Test: If approved for a multiple-choice test, you may self-schedule for a preferred test date and time. You will receive a notification email from CBTAdministration@cs.ny.gov requiring you to self-schedule for one of the open exam sessions being administered. You are allowed to reschedule to another test date and time as long as the self-scheduling window is still open. Your admission notice will be sent to you electronically once you self-schedule. You will be notified of your test date, time, and site location on your admission notice. Candidates who are approved for a reasonable accommodation will be contacted by the Department of Civil Service with the date, time, and site location of their test.

Applicants are required to have a Personal NY.gov account and keep their email address up to date. The Department of Civil Service and other state agencies will communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include notification of your application status, your test arrangements, 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

Apply Online

You will need a personal NY.gov ID to apply for these examinations. If you do not have a personal NY.gov account, please create an account.

Select each examination you intend to apply for.

Supervising Driver Improvement Examiner

Head Driver Improvement Examiner

Chief Driver Improvement Examiner

(You must select at least one exam to continue.)

You Can Also

• Download examination application NYS-APP form; or
• Email cs.sm.examinfo@cs.ny.gov to request NYS-APP forms; or
• Obtain an NYS-APP form from a State agency or facility personnel/business office; or
• Request NYS-APP form by calling the Department of Civil Service in the Albany area at 518-457-2487 or toll free at 1-877-697-5627.

The NYS Department of Civil Service reserves the right to reject for lateness or to accept applications filed after the advertised filing period. All statements you make on your application are subject to investigation.

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.

Religious Accommodation

Most multiple-choice 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 Accommodation Unit of the Department of Civil Service at Testaccommodation@cs.ny.gov.

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 multiple-choice 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 multiple-choice 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 multiple-choice test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this multiple-choice 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.

Eligibility for Examination

To be considered a qualified employee eligible to compete in this examination, you must be employed in, or on leave from, the specified department or agency on a permanent or contingent permanent basis in the competitive class, or in the non-competitive class or labor class if specifically noted on this announcement (or be on an appropriate preferred list), and have the specified time in the specified title or salary grade. You may not compete in a test for a title if you are permanently employed in that title (unless you are still on probation) or in a higher direct line of promotion.

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

The use of cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices at your personal testing site or in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas, except as expressly authorized by the Department of Civil Service, could result in your disqualification.

S2/TC1 MLG-skh
Issued: 7/3/26

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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