Porter announces free civil service exams for high school students and first-time test takers
Starting July 1, 2026, exams are free for NYC high school students and first-time test takers, as part of Local Law 57 compliance.
Recognizing how the way people find, access, and engage with information has changed, and we've invested in new ways to make civil service more accessible.
Starting this past July 1st, 2026, civil service exams are now free for New York City high school students and first-time test takers.
This includes all of the city's students, those attending a public school, private school, charter school, parochial school, or home school.
This has also afforded us an opportunity to potentially reach millions of first-time test takers.
This initiative was undertaken as part of our compliance with Local Law 57 of 2005, illustrates what we can achieve when government works together.
It is as much a win for us as it is for the council, and we are grateful for the partnership.
Coupled with our existing fee waivers, DCO
CAS is working to ensure that financial barriers do not stop a prospective candidate from applying and taking an exam.