As a general rule, the Test Guides developed by New York State are targeted to the "entry- level" occupations, e.g., Police Officer, Correction Officer, Fire Fighter, Clerical. This effort is done to provide candidates who are not familiar with civil service testing an opportunity to become somewhat familiar with civil service examinations generally and thereby minimize the amount of test confusion that can affect candidate scores and interfere with the accurate assessment of the areas being tested. There are relatively few exceptions to this "entry-level" (open-competitive) candidate preparation offered by New York State. These exceptions are related to examinations where there is an unusual test format, e.g., Written Incident Simulation Exercise, In-Basket Exercise, etc. In these instances, the test guides are designed more to familiarize candidates with the format of the test than to assist the candidate to prepare for the test content. An example of this type of Test Guide in the police service would be for some of the Police Chief examinations in the larger municipalities that have both Written Simulation and In-Basket exercises.

The most important document that candidates should carefully read and consider is the announcement itself.  Candidates should pay close attention to the “Scope of Examination” section of the announcements where candidates are informed about the test type and content, and focus your examination preparation upon the information described in this portion of the announcement.

How to Take a Written Test.

Department of Civil Service, Municipal Service Division

Albany County is a participating E-Verify employer.

• E-Verify Information Poster (English and Spanish)
• Immigrant and Employee Rights: Right to Work Information Poster (English and Spanish)

If the exam for which you have applied requires that you submit a college transcript, please do so at the time of application or as soon after as possible. You need not provide an original or official copy; however, it must indicate completion of the degree (often referred to as "degree conferred" or "degree awarded"), your name and the name of the college/university. We will accept online printouts as long as the aforementioned three items appear on the transcript.

If we do not receive your transcript by the time the appearance letters are mailed out, you may be granted conditional approval. You will receive a conditional letter of approval along with your appearance letter. This letter states that you will not receive a score/exam result letter, nor be certified to the list of candidates eligible for appointment, until the transcript is received and reviewed.

If the minimum qualifications on an announcement require a degree or coursework and you have obtained this education in another country, the Albany County Department of Civil Service requires that the degree or coursework be evaluated for equivalency. (List of agencies that provide evaluations of foreign education.) Applicants are responsible for any evaluation fees.

We are the Albany County Department of Civil Service.

We often receive phone calls from people trying to reach the New York State Department of Civil Service or the City of Albany Municipal Civil Service Commission.

While all three agencies are located in downtown Albany, we are separate and distinct agencies.

• You can reach the NY State Department of Civil Service at (518) 457-2487. Their office is at the Empire State Plaza, Agency Building One on the Ninth Floor in Albany, NY.
• You can reach the City of Albany Municipal Civil Service Commission at (518) 434-5049. Their office is in the Albany City Hall.

Other Civil Service Agencies Within Albany County:

• You can reach the Town of Colonie Civil Service Department at (518) 783-2721.
• You can reach the City of Cohoes Civil Service Commission at (518) 233-2132.
• You can reach the City of Watervliet Municipal Civil Service Commission at (518) 270-3800, ext. 114.

The Albany County Department of Civil Service implements the 55-A program. The Department pre-qualifies applicants prior to forwarding information to ACCES-VR or NYSCB for certification/approval.

Civil Service receives approval from ACCES-VR or NYSCB then places the applicant on the 55-A list of eligible candidates for appointment to a particular title(s) and his/her/their name will be sent when a certified list for that title(s) is requested.

Certification is valid for up to four years and runs concurrently with the Civil Service list(s) of eligible candidates for the position(s). Once permanently appointed to a title, no re-certification is necessary.

For additional information regarding the 55-A Program, contact the Department of Civil Service by calling (518) 447-7775 or emailing csinfo@albanycountyny.gov.

55-A Titles

Click here for detailed descriptions of the 55-a titles

Albany County Government

All positions within Albany County government

Towns

• Berne
• Bethlehem
• Coeymans
• Guilderland
• Knox
• New Scotland
• Rensselaerville
• Westerlo

Villages

• Altamont
• Colonie
• Green Island
• Menands
• Ravena
• Voorheesville

School Districts

• Berne-Knox-Westerlo
• Bethlehem
• BOCES
• Green Island
• Guilderland
• Menands
• North Colonie
• Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk
• South Colonie
• Voorheesville

Public Libraries

• Berne
• Bethlehem
• Guilderland
• Menands
• RCS Community
• Voorheesville
• Town of Westerlo

Authorities

• Albany County Airport Authority
• Green Island Power Authority 

Special Districts

• Albany County Water Purification District.
• Albany County Soil & Water Conservation District

Competitive Class

The competitive class of civil service consists of positions for which it is practicable to determine the merit and fitness of applicants by competitive examinations. These examinations are either open competitive, that is, open to all applicants meeting the minimum qualifications for the position; or, promotional, for those individuals already serving in a lower position within the same jurisdiction as the existing vacancy.

Provisional appointments may be made to positions in the competitive class if no list of eligible candidates exists. All provisional appointees are subject to passing a competitive examination and be reachable on any list established as a result of such an examination.

Continuous recruitment positions can be applied for at any time, and the eligible list will be used to fill vacancies as they occur. The personnel officer of Albany County reserves the right to terminate continuous recruitment and re-establish a periodic, announced-date type of examination.

Exempt Class

The exempt class of civil service consists of positions for which there is no competitive examination.  Candidates for appointment must meet minimum qualifications as established by the appointing authority. Those appointed in exempt class positions serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. Applications for these positions will be accepted on a continual basis.

Non-Competitive Class

The non-competitive class of civil service consists of positions for which using a competitive examination to determine the merit and fitness of the applicants has been found to be not practicable.

Labor Class

The labor class of civil service consists of unskilled labor positions for which no competitive examination is practicable; however, applicants may be tested as to their fitness for employment.

We are in the Albany County Office Building at 112 State Street in downtown Albany.

Our hours of operation are 8:30am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday (except holidays).

Please feel free to call us during business hours at (518) 447–7770 with any questions you may have concerning policies or procedures.

You can also email us at csinfo@albanycountyny.gov. If you email us outside of business hours, we'll get back to you when our office is open again.

Albany County Department of Civil Service
112 State Street, Room 900
Albany, NY 12207
Phone: (518) 447-7770
Fax: (518) 447-5586
Email: csinfo@albanycountyny.gov

The New York State Civil Service system was developed to ensure that the best and brightest employees are brought into public service. The Albany County Department of Civil Service was established, per Article V, Section 6 of the New York State Constitution, to ensure that appointments and promotions in the civil service of the state and all the civil divisions shall be made according to merit and fitness; and, as far as practicable, shall be in the competitive class.

The Director of the Albany County Department of Civil Service possesses responsibility in five major areas of Civil Service administration:

1. Adoption of civil service rules;
2. Classification of positions;
3. Administration of an examination program;
4. Maintenance of employment records; and
5. Enforcement of Civil Service Law through the payroll certification process.

Civil Service Exam Application (ACS-21)

Use Form ACS-21, the Application for Examination or Employment, when applying. ALL of the sections on the application must be completed in detail, even if you elect to attach a resumé to your application form.

It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that the application and appropriate filing fee are received by the Albany County Department of Civil Service or postmarked by the United States Postal Service by the last filing date for an examination. The Albany County Department of Civil Service is not responsible for lost or late applications sent via interoffice mail/courier.

Additional Applications & Forms

• Alternate Test Date Application This application is for candidates who have documentation to substantiate their inability to appear on the exam date, which must then be approved by the Director of Civil Service or the Deputy Personnel Officer.
• Crossfile Application For candidates who have filed applications for examinations in different civil service agencies scheduled for the same examination date.
• Change of Address Form For notifying the Albany County Civil Service Department of a change of address affecting the Civil Service eligible list(s) on which candidates are still active or for which they have applied.
• Application Fee Waiver Form For candidates who are unemployed and primarily responsible for support of a household or those receiving public assistance.
• Physical Ability Test Orientation Guide This test was developed to allow the EMS Department to obtain pools of trainable candidates who are physically able to perform essential job tasks at EMS incidents. This is a Pass/Fail test