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New York State Police Trooper Entrance Examination
The New York State Police Trooper Entrance Examination is the written entrance exam of the New York State Police for Trooper candidates: a two-hour computer-based test of 150 multiple-choice questions in two separately timed sections — cognitive ability (1 hour 40 minutes) and personality attributes (20 minutes) — delivered by appointment at Pearson VUE testing centers. Following the exam, NYSP establishes an eligibility list and ranks candidates in order of exam scores plus any applicable veteran's credit; no passing score is published.
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Questions150 multiple-choice questions
Testing timeTwo hours total, in two separately timed sections: 1 hour 40 minutes for the cognitive ability section and 20 minutes for the personality attributes section
ScoringNo published passing score; following the examination NYSP establishes an eligibility list, and candidates are ranked in order of exam scores plus any applicable veteran's credit, with candidates notified for processing as positions open
Exam feeUSD 44.00 testing fee collected by Pearson VUE when the candidate selects the time, date, and location of the examination; refundable only if the appointment is canceled within 72 hours of the scheduled exam (current 2025-2026 cycle application instructions). The August 2024 Governor's office announcement for the prior 2024-2025 cycle additionally stated applicants "must pay a $20 fee at the time of application"; the current application instructions affirm only the $44.00 Pearson VUE testing fee.
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Exam overview
What to know before choosing your prep
- Who runs it
- NYSP
- Category
- Law Enforcement & Corrections
- Current version
- Current specification; no public version label — the exam is administered in recruitment cycles designated by year (current cycle: "2025-2026 Trooper Entrance Exam"), and the official study guide (©2022 IOS, Inc., updated for Pearson VUE testing) describes one unchanged specification
- Where it applies
- US-NY, United States
- Exam languages
- English
- Testing provider
- Pearson VUE (Pearson VUE Testing Centers; testing also offered for military personnel at 112 locations worldwide)
- Format
- Computer-based (NYSP switched from paper-pencil to computer-based testing with the 2022 exam), delivered at Pearson VUE testing centers
- Availability
- By real-time appointment at Pearson VUE testing centers once NYSP authorizes the candidate (authorization-to-test email within 1-2 business days of application); testing is tied to periodic recruitment cycles — for the 2025-2026 cycle the application deadline was August 17, 2026 and the entrance exam deadline September 1, 2026, and a new application cycle is anticipated November 2026
- Results
- No score or pass/fail result is given at the test center — the candidate receives only a printed receipt marked "Examination Taken"; NYSP reviews all results at the end of the testing period and provides candidates with information on their status, and ranked candidates from the eligibility list are notified to appear for processing
Exam structure
One exam of 150 multiple-choice questions in two sections: a cognitive ability section (1 hour 40 minutes) assessing 12 narrow abilities under five broad areas — Reading/Writing (Reading, Writing), Fluid Intelligence/Reasoning (Deductive Reasoning, Ordering of Information, Inductive Reasoning, Pattern Recognition), Crystallized Intelligence (Grammar, Vocabulary), Visual Intelligence (Visualization, Spatial Orientation, Flexibility of Closure), and Short-Term Memory (Memorization) — and a personality attributes section (20 minutes) in which candidates indicate level of agreement with statements or choose which of two statements best reflects their beliefs or attitudes; the exam does not measure job knowledge or skills requiring specialized training
Where rules vary
The entrance examination for the New York State Police, a New York State agency; candidates are appointed as New York State Troopers. A single uniform statewide exam — the variation is that it applies only to New York State (its exam feeds a NYSP-specific eligibility list, separate from other New York civil-service or municipal police exams).
Eligibility
U.S. citizenship; minimum age 20 at application (current-cycle instructions disqualify candidates under 20 on the eligibility date of September 2, 2026, and candidates cannot turn 44 before that date, with the maximum extendable one year per year of full-time active military service up to 7 years); high school diploma or equivalency to apply, with 60 college credits required at time of appointment (30 for those with qualifying military service or police training)
Retake policy
No published waiting period or attempt limit for failed attempts; candidates who are absent or late without canceling according to policy are not admitted and forfeit the exam fee (an excused absence may be requested from Pearson VUE within 14 days for illness, family death, traffic accident, court/jury duty, military duty, or weather emergency)