The New York State Department of Civil Service has announced an important change regarding the scoring of promotional examinations for positions in fire departments above the entry level. Effective immediately, the Department will implement band scoring for all such fire examinations, beginning with the upcoming Fire Chief/Assistant Fire Chief exam scheduled for April 4, 2025.

Historically, upper-level fire promotional exams have been point-scored, with candidates receiving a precise numerical score. However, this change brings fire promotional exams in line with long-standing Department practices. Band scoring has been utilized by the Department for nearly all other local government examinations since September 13, 1997, with upper-level police promotional exams adopting band scoring as recently as May 2024.

The decision to expand band scoring to upper-level fire exams is aimed at grouping candidates who demonstrate similar levels of competency into score bands. This provides appointing authorities with a broader pool of eligible candidates, thereby increasing flexibility and efficiency in making appointments to critical leadership roles within fire departments.

Municipal civil service agencies are strongly encouraged to communicate this update to their respective fire departments promptly.

It is important to note that this change will also affect how civil service agencies process score rosters for upper-level fire promotional exams. As with other promotional exams that use band scoring, banding tables will be provided to assist agencies in calculating final scores, inclusive of any applicable seniority credits.

For further details, fire departments or candidates should reach out to their local civil service agency to discuss the changes.