Police Officer

Police Officer · NYPD

Patrol NYC for the NYPD. $0 to apply, with a filing window almost every month.

Minimum salary $55,942 a year, rising to $109,352 after five and a half years, per the Notice of Examination for Exams 7311 to 7322 (read September 25, 2026). The notice says the rate is subject to change.

≈ $26.90/hr equivalent · $2,152 every 2 weeks, before taxes.

On the clock, that's 0.75¢ a second.

NYC minimum wage is $17/hr. This beats it by $9.90/hr, with health insurance and a pension on top.

Pay

$55,942/yr

The work

Multiple-choice test, $0, windows most months

Exam

Civil service exam

Residency

NYC or 6 nearby counties

Timeline

Months. The test, the list, screenings and the academy all take time. That's normal, not a rejection.

Check yourself

Do you meet the requirements?

Check every box that applies. Be honest. Twenty seconds.

I'll be at least 17 on test day, and under 43 on the day I file You must be at least 20 years and 6 months old to be appointed. Qualifying military service can take up to six years off your age for the upper limit. By the day I'm appointed, I'll have a high school diploma or its equivalent, plus 24 college credits with at least a 2.0 GPA or two years of honorable full-time U.S. military service The notice lets you meet this by the date of appointment, so you can take the test first. By the day I'm appointed, I'll be a U.S. citizen with a valid, unrestricted New York State driver license Both are in the notice. You have to keep the license for your whole career. I can pass medical, psychological, physical and drug testing, and a background check The notice says people convicted of a felony or a domestic violence misdemeanor can't be appointed. Other arrests or convictions may also disqualify you.

The process

6 steps. That's the whole process.

0 of 6 steps

Done: Create your OASys account

OASys is the city's exam system, and one account covers every exam you file for from now on. Use an email you can open: OASys sends a confirmation to verify it.

OASys, the city’s exam filing system (official)

Done: File for a monthly exam

One notice covers 12 Police Officer exams, one for almost every month from July 2026 to June 2027. Each has a short window, about two weeks, when you apply and pick your test slot, and the test happens the next month. Exam 7314 takes applications October 1 to 14, 2026, with testing November 2 to 7. The fee is $0: select “No Fee” when you file. Miss a window? The next one opens about a month later.

File in OASys (official) DCAS annual exam schedule (PDF, official)

Done: Take the multiple-choice test

A multiple-choice test at a computer. You need 70% to pass. The notice says it can test deductive and inductive reasoning, information ordering, memorization, problem sensitivity, spatial orientation, visualization, written comprehension and written expression. No calculators. Bring one valid photo ID with your signature, in the same name you applied under. Your phone goes in a sealed pouch until you finish. Live in NYC? Follow the test-day instructions to request the 10-point NYC residency credit. An NYC address on your application doesn't count as a request.

Notice of Examination Nos. 7311 to 7322 (PDF), read this first

Done: Get on the eligible list and wait

Pass and you land on a ranked eligible list, usually active for four years. You get your results by email. Hiring goes down the list as openings come up. This takes months. It's not a rejection. It's how civil service works.

Done: Clear the screenings

Before you're appointed: a qualifying physical test, medical and psychological exams, a drug screening, a character and background investigation with a $75 fingerprint fee, and proof of identity and your right to work in the U.S. Bring originals or certified copies of every document they ask for. False or exaggerated answers can get you disqualified.

Done: Police Academy and probation

Probation is 24 months. You have to pass the Police Academy's firearms, academic, physical and driving tests. The notice says the academy physical test may include a 1.5-mile run. Firearms qualification repeats twice a year for your whole career. Expect nights, weekends, holidays, rotating tours and overtime when ordered, outdoors in all weather.

Police Officer

Do you meet the requirements?

6 steps. That's the whole process.

Get told before this exam closes.

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