New York State of Opportunity

Education Finance Specialist 2

Written Test To Be Held
May 13, 2023
You may be assigned to either Saturday or Sunday to take your test.
You cannot request or change your scheduled day.
Applications Must Be Submitted or Postmarked By
March 29, 2023

 

Exams Included on This Announcement
Exam Number Exam Title Open to Employees of Salary Salary Grade Non−Refundable Processing Fee (Waivers available)
38-926 Education Finance Specialist 2 Education, Dept of $79,325 SG-23 $20

You must review important information on the New York State Department of Civil Service COVID-19 policy that applies to all candidates sitting for in-person Civil Service examinations being administered at a New York State test center. You can access our full policy on the Department of Civil Service website.

Due to current testing space limitations, candidates may need to travel to a test site to take this examination. Candidates will be notified of their test site location on their admission notice.

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

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before May 13, 2023, you must be a qualified employee of the New York State Education Department and have had three months of permanent competitive or 55-b/55-c service as:

Either A. Education Finance Specialist 1, Education Finance Specialist Trainee 2, or Education Finance Specialist Trainee 1.

Or B. Senior Accountant, Accountant Trainee 2, Accountant Trainee 1, Senior Budgeting Analyst, Budgeting Analyst Trainee 2, or Budgeting Analyst Trainee 1.

If you were permanently appointed to a qualifying title on or before February 13, 2023, and have served continuously in this title since that date, you are eligible to file for this examination.

Only the title or titles listed are qualifying.

Qualifying Experience For Appointment From The Eligible List: After one year of service at the full performance level, successful candidates will be qualified 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 full performance level ?A? title. The request should be submitted in writing to the NYS Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York 12239; Attention: S3-SEP.

Order of Certification: The order of certification of this eligible list will be:

  1. "A" eligibles
  2. "All" eligibles

The Positions: These positions exist in the New York State Education Department and are located in Albany only.

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Duties

As an Education Finance Specialist 2, you would assist in the administration, oversight, and implementation of fiscal programs and policies and serve as a liaison between the program and internal and external entities including, but not limited to, school districts, Boards of Cooperative Educational Services and local education agencies. Depending on your area of assignment you would have responsibility for administering and coordinating fiscal programs or activities including, but not limited to, allocating, monitoring, and tracking funds or expenditures; assisting in database systems development and/or maintenance activities; working in the Statewide Financial System (SFS); ensuring appropriate usage of funds and compliance with various laws, rules, regulations, and other requirements; and evaluating the effectiveness of programs. You would also develop and implement various processes and procedures; provide technical assistance and training to internal and external customers; coordinate aid, funding, and/or grant activities involving various programs, entities, or stakeholders; develop, analyze, and reconcile financial data; prepare financial recommendations and reports; and supervise and direct the activities of professional, para-professional, and support staff as assigned.

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Subject of Examination

To be considered for appointment to this title, you must pass the written test. The written test evaluates your knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in the following areas:

  1. 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.
  2. Effectively interacting with agency staff and members of the public - These questions will test candidates' knowledge of techniques used to interact effectively with a variety of individuals and groups, to provide information about topics of concern, to publicize or clarify agency programs or policies, to negotiate conflicts or resolve complaints, and to represent one's agency or program in a manner in keeping with good public relations practices.
  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. 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.
  5. Understanding and interpreting tabular material - These questions test your ability to understand, analyze, and use the internal logic of data presented in tabular form. You may be asked to perform tasks such as completing tables, drawing conclusions from them, analyzing data trends or interrelationships, and revising or combining data sets. The concepts of rate, ratio, and proportion are tested. Mathematical operations are simple, and computational speed is not a major factor in the test. You should bring with you a hand-held battery- or solar-powered calculator for use on this test. You will not be permitted to use the calculator function of your cell phone.

Test Guide & Sample Test Material: A General Guide to Written Tests is available at http://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm. Sample Test Material for the subject areas described above is available at http://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/sampletestmat.cfm.

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 wartime 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.

Note: The Department of Civil Service may administer tests either online or with paper booklets and answer sheets.

Admission To The Test: If approved for a written test, you will receive an admission notice which will indicate your assigned test date and the way your test will be administered. Your test may be administered with paper and pencil or online at a state test site using a state-provided Chromebook. You cannot request to change your scheduled day or request a specific type of test administration.

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 the notification of 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

This announcement is for viewing purposes only.

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. Any past due application processing fees must be paid in full prior to submitting an application. Please email FeeUnitMail@cs.ny.gov regarding inquiries about any past due 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.

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 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.

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.

S3/TB2 SEP-klr
Issued: 2/24/23

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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