New York State of Opportunity

Office Assistant 2

Written Test To Be Held
November 5, 2022
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
September 21, 2022

 

Exams Included on This Announcement
Exam Number Exam Title Open to Employees of Salary Salary Grade Non−Refundable Processing Fee (Waivers available)
38-687 Office Assistant 2 Multiple Agencies $37,507 SG-9 $10
38-688 Office Assistant 2 (Spanish Language) Multiple Agencies $37,507 SG-9
38-689 Office Assistant 2-Calculations Multiple Agencies $37,507 SG-9
38-691 Office Assistant 2-Customer Service Multiple Agencies $37,507 SG-9
38-692 Office Assistant 2-Customer Service (Chinese Language) Multiple Agencies $37,507 SG-9
38-693 Office Assistant 2-Customer Service (Spanish Language) Multiple Agencies $37,507 SG-9
38-694 Office Assnt 2 Stores/Mail Multiple Agencies $37,507 SG-9
38-695 Office Assistant 2-Keyboarding Multiple Agencies $37,507 SG-9
38-696 Office Assistant 2-Keyboarding (Spanish Language) Multiple Agencies $37,507 SG-9

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.

Interdepartmental promotion examination open to all qualified employees of New York State.

For Promotion in State Departments, Facilities, and Agencies
1. Within Promotion Units 2. Within Entire Departments 3. To Other Departments

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before November 5, 2022, you must be a qualified employee of New York State and have had three months of permanent competitive or 55-b/55-c service as:

For Exam Nos. 38-687, 38-688, 38-689, 38-691, 38-692, 38-693, and 38-694: an office assistant, clerical, or keyboarding title allocated to Grade 6 or higher. Qualifying titles are available at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/announcements/38687titles.cfm.

For Exam Nos. 38-695 and 38-696:

Either A. a Law Department Document Specialist Trainee 1, Law Department Document Specialist Trainee 2, Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding, Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding (Chinese Language) or Office Assistant 1-Keyboarding (Spanish Language).

Or B. an office assistant or clerical title allocated to Grade 6 or higher. A comprehensive list of qualifying titles is available at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/announcements/38695titles.cfm. ONLY the titles listed are qualifying for these examinations. Examples of non-qualifying titles are: Developmental Disabilities Secure Care Treatment Aide 1, Direct Support Assistant, Food Service Worker 2, Licensed Practical Nurse, Mental Health Therapy Aide, Security Services Assistant, and Youth Support Assistant.

If you were permanently appointed to a qualifying title on or before August 5, 2022, and have served continuously in this title since that date, you are eligible to file for this examination.

IMPORTANT: For option B above, candidates who FIRST pass the written test, prior to being considered for appointment, may be required to pass a keyboarding test that demonstrates your ability to enter text using an alpha numeric computer keyboard, at a rate of at least 30 words per minute with at least 96% accuracy.

Qualifying Experience For Appointment From The Eligible List: After one year of the service described in the Minimum Qualifications, 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 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: S-1 MXT

Additional Requirements for Appointment:

  1. Language Proficiency: If you pass the examination and apply to a title which requires language proficiency, you must demonstrate your language proficiency at a level that will ensure your ability to perform the duties of the position properly. The proficiency test will only be given to enough candidates to fill current vacancies.
  2. 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);
    • be investigated through a Criminal Background Check (CBC). You must report all convictions. 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 law;

    And may:

    • be 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 are responsible for payment of all required fees.

  3. Medicaid and Medicare: To be eligible for appointment and 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). You may be barred from appointment or your employment may be terminated at any time if you are listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of these lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program).
  4. Order of Certification: The order of certification of this eligible list will be:

    1. Promotion Unit "A" eligibles
    2. Promotion Unit "All" eligibles
    3. Department "A" eligibles
    4. Department "All" eligibles
    5. Interdepartmental "A" eligibles
    6. Interdepartmental "All" eligibles

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    Duties

    As an Office Assistant 2 (and all language parenthetics), you either would supervise two or more Office Assistants 1 or other lower level staff; or directly perform the more difficult or complicated clerical processing and office support work for which substantive knowledge of the program area is required; or do both. Your assignment can encompass a wide range of office support and clerical activities.

    As an Office Assistant 2 Calculations, you either would supervise two or more Office Assistants 1 or other lower-level staff; or directly perform the more complicated calculations work for which substantive knowledge of the program area is required; or do both. You would spend most of your work time performing mathematical operations, and/or clerical activities related to mathematical operations, in the service of agency or program functions. Calculations activities may include creating or editing spreadsheets, using calculators, and using other calculations-related devices or programs. Your duties may include performing various financial, purchasing, or statistical functions.

    As an Office Assistant 2 Customer Service (and all language parenthetics), you would have substantial contact with members of the public seeking agency services or information. You would also have contact with individuals in public service and the private sector. You would provide services and assistance, answer questions on agency programs, and obtain information for state records as needed. This contact may take either verbal or written form.

    As an Office Assistant 2 Stores/Mail, you would supervise two or more Office Assistants 1 (Stores/Mail) or other lower-level staff in a mail, storehouse, or warehouse operation. You would spend most of your work time performing activities related to mail receipt, mail distribution, storage, and stores keeping. Positions of Office Assistant 2 (Stores/Mail) may require the ability to routinely lift and/or carry heavy items and the ability to routinely reach, bend, stand, and walk for long periods of time.

    As an Office Assistant 2 Keyboarding (and all language parenthetics), you either would supervise two or more Office Assistants 1 (Keyboarding) or other lower-level staff; or directly perform the more difficult or complicated clerical processing and office support work for which substantive knowledge of the program area is required; or do both. You would spend most of your work time performing keyboarding, data entry, chart compilation or arrangement, or tasks involving typing into computerized systems.

    Notes:

    1. If you submit an application for a Language Parenthetic, an application will automatically be submitted for you for the English Language at no additional cost.
    2. You will not be scored for any examination for which you did not apply.
    3. One $10 non-refundable processing fee is required per application submission. You must select the individual examination(s) you are interested in during the application process. For example, you may apply for all nine examinations listed and pay one $10 fee if processed during one online transaction. If you submit one online application for less than all of the examinations listed, and subsequently apply for additional examinations in this series, another $10 non-refundable processing fee will be required.

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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: For Examination Nos.
    38-687 38-688 38-689 38-691 38-692 38-693 38-694 38-695 38-696
    1. Name and number checking - These questions test for the ability to distinguish between sets of words, letters, and/or numbers that are almost exactly alike. Material is usually presented in two or three columns, and you will have to determine how the entry in the first column compares with the entry in the second column and possibly the third. You will be instructed to mark your answers according to a designated code provided in the directions. X X X X X X X
    2. 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 X X X X X
    3. Understanding and interpreting written material - These questions test for the ability to understand and interpret written material. You will be presented with brief reading passages and will be asked questions about the passages. You should base your answers to the questions only on what is presented in the passages and not on what you may happen to know about the topic. X X X X X X
    4. Working with office records - These questions test your ability to work with office records. The test consists of two or more sets of questions, each set concerning a different problem. Typical record keeping problems might involve the organization or collation of numerical data from several sources; maintaining a record system using running balances; or completion of a table summarizing data using totals, subtotals, averages and percents. 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. X X X X X
    5. Arithmetic computation with calculator - These questions test for the ability to use a calculator to do basic computations. Questions will involve addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. You may also be asked to calculate averages, to use percents, and to round an answer to the nearest whole number. 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. X
    6. Customer service - These questions test for the ability to interact with other people, to gather and present information, and to provide assistance, advice, and effective customer service in a courteous and professional manner. Questions will cover such topics as understanding and responding to people with diverse needs, perspectives, personalities, and levels of familiarity with agency operations, as well as acting in a way that both serves the public and reflects well on your agency. X X X
    7. Keeping simple inventory records - These questions test for the ability to follow instructions in keeping simple inventory records of different materials received and distributed from a central location. The ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide will be required. You may have to compute total costs from quantities (number of units) and cost or price per unit. Knowledge of specific record keeping systems and techniques will not be needed. X
    8. Keyboarding Practices - These questions test your knowledge of preferred practices in such areas as letter format, capitalization, hyphenation, plurals, possessives, word division, word and figure style for numbers, and common proofreading marks. In addition, you will be given a passage to proofread and asked questions about how to correct the errors in the passage. X X
    9. Grammar, usage, punctuation, and sentence structure - The grammar and usage questions test for the ability to apply the basic rules of grammar and usage. The punctuation questions test for knowledge of the correct placement of punctuation marks in sentences. Each question contains four sentences. You must choose the one sentence that contains a grammatical, usage, or punctuation error (the sentence which is INCORRECT). The sentence structure questions test for the ability to recognize sentences that are CORRECTLY constructed. X X

    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.

    S1/TB2 MXT-rkv
    Issued: 8/19/22

    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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