Civil service entrance exams are open for all. The eligibility requirements are also less strict in federal positions than in private jobs. Unsurprisingly, many people apply for civil service jobs—usually way more than the number of vacancies.
This competition means that passing the DCAS exams is not enough. To increase your chances of being recruited, you have to do better than all the other candidates. Don’t worry; we’ve got you covered.
Whether you’re preparing for the NYC Sanitation Exam or the Suffolk Police Exam, follow these dos and don’ts to stand out.
1. Do – Find Out the Skills Needed for the Exam
DCAS exams are completely different than the exams you’re used to. You can’t prepare for them the same way.
Civil service exams such as the FDNY exam don’t use any industry jargon or ask you any technical questions. They evaluate your natural abilities, such as problem-solving and pattern recognition. Some exams, such as the NYC Sanitation Exam, also have a physical exam that tests your strength and endurance.
You can and should train for all the skills required in your exam, but different skills are acquired differently. Finding out which skills you’ll need is the first step in exam preparation. Alternatively, you can join a preparation class for your civil service exam and let experienced tutors guide you.
2. Don’t – Sacrifice Your Sleep
Preparation is important, but if you’re not getting enough sleep, you’re throwing everything you’ve learned down the drain. Sleep plays a much bigger role in learning than we give it credit for. During NREM sleep, your brain sorts all the memories you made during the day and transfers them from your short-term memory to the long-term memory. This frees up your short-term memory to store information the following day.
Sleep also acts as a post-processing phase for all the lessons that you learn. In REM sleep, your brain throws together all your memories to make simulations and tries to get a deeper insight into things. It’s not a coincidence that so many artists got the ideas for their famous pieces in dreams. Sleeping on problems helps.
3. Do – Attempt Sample Problems
You’re probably better at some skills than at others. You might not need any training for some skills but would be a rookie at others. The only real way to test your abilities is by putting them to the test. Once you know all the skills you need to pass the exam, you can test these skills by attempting sample problems online. You can also train those skills by attempting the very same sample problems.
Different DCAS exams require different competencies of different skills. For example, you need greater deductive reasoning skills to pass the Suffolk Police Exam than the NYC Sanitation Exam. The problems you’ll find on the internet will not be like the problems you’ll find on your exam. The best way to precisely train for only the skills required in your exam is by joining a preparation class.
4. Don’t – Eat Processed and Sugary Foods before the Exam
Processed foods and foods high in simple sugars are undeniably bad for brain health. It’s hard to train for cognitive abilities if your brain is fundamentally incapable of processing the required amount of information.
Foods high in simple carbs and low in fibers are digested very quickly. The sugars immediately get into your bloodstream, spiking your blood sugar levels. Your body responds by releasing lots of insulin to help lower the glucose. The insulin takes care of the glucose, but as soon as the glucose levels drop, you have too much insulin in your blood. This makes you crave simple carbs again.
This is bad for two reasons. When you have high insulin levels, it depletes glucose from your blood, and you feel unenergetic, which also slows down the brain. Studies have shown that the brain functions better when it uses ketones for energy than when it uses glucose. High insulin levels make it harder for the body to make ketones from fat, which can lower your performance on the exam.
5. Do – Enroll in Preparation Classes
The only foolproof way to prepare for your civil service exam is y enrolling in preparation classes specifically designed for your exam. We recommend Civil Service Success.
Civil Service Success is the only institute in NYC that has been preparing students for civil service exams for over 45 years. Their preparation classes for sanitation exam 2060 DCAS are starting this August, and admissions are open. They also host classes for NYC Sanitation Exam Prep Classes, Nassau and Suffolk Police Exam Prep Classes, and NYC Firefighter Exam Prep Classes.
Want to get everything right? Reach them out now!
The author is a former civil service officer and helps new students prepare for exams. He’s currently associated with Civil Service Success.
