The Ultimate Guide to Preparing for the NYC Sanitation Exam

The highly anticipated Sanitation exam 2060 DCAS will commence later this year. Before we get into how to prepare for the exam, let’s take a brief look at how the exam works to better understand what you’re up against.

Sanitation Exam 2060 DCAS: What You Need To Know

The written NYC Sanitation Exam is virtually an aptitude test that tests your observational and problem-solving skills. The exam doesn’t require any industry knowledge and doesn’t use any technical language, so you don’t have to prepare for the exam the way you’d prepare for other similar exams.

The Minimum Requirement

You need at least 70% points to pass the exam. However, getting a score higher than 70% doesn’t guarantee a position; it’s merely a requirement to enter the competition. Candidates who score higher than 70% are then ranked according to their scores. People higher up on the scoreboard have a better chance of getting recruited (depending on the interview and the physical test) while those at the bottom might have to try again.

The Competition

In December 2021, a report by Business Insider went viral that revealed how some sanitation workers were able to make up to $300,000 in incentive payments in 2021. Following this, a lot more people took interest in it and are applying for the test this year. The test normally comes every four to six years but due to COVID restrictions, it’s already been seven years since the last exam took place in February 2015. All this means that the competition in the upcoming Sanitation exam 2060 DCAS is going to be tougher than ever.

Let’s now look at the skills and abilities tested in the NYC Sanitation Exam.

Sanitation Exam 2060 DCAS: Required Skills and Abilities

Here are the skills and abilities required to pass the written and the physical exam.

1. Problem Solving Skills

Problem-solving questions span a good part of the written exams. In these questions, you’re given information about hypothetical scenarios and then you have to answer multiple-choice questions about the scenarios. The answers to these questions are not directly given to you, but they can be extracted from the available information. Your task is to combine facts to make new facts and solve these questions.

2. Observation Skills

Observation is the ability to tell the important from the unimportant. If your observation is oversensitive, you spend time and effort on trivial pieces of information that don’t really matter. If it’s under-sensitive, you overlook important pieces of information and can’t answer the important questions. The sanitation exam has some questions dedicated to texting your observation skills, but you’ll need observation skills on almost every single problem.

3. Time Management Skills

Time management is a vital skill for sanitation workers in the busiest US city. This is why time management is tested both in the written exam and in the physical exam.

The written exam is designed to take an ideal candidate no less than the allotted time. Even if you answer everything correctly, you won’t be able to get to the remaining problems if you spend too long on each one. This is done to differentiate the candidates who can solve the exam from those who can solve it faster.

4. Better Cognitive Ability

All DCAS Exams test your cognitive abilities, and the NYC Sanitation Exam is no different. Your ability to solve problems is directly determined by cognitive factors such as the ability to maintain focus and process large amounts of information.

Both attention span and information processing (working memory) can be improved. Calming activities such as yoga and meditation have shown to have positive effects on attention span. Working memory can also be improved by keeping your stress levels low and getting enough sleep every night.

5. Strength and Stamina

Once you’re done with the written exam, you’re faced with the best round, the physical exam. Termed the “superman test,” the NYC Sanitation physical exam is a rigorous set of tests that test your physical strength and agility. The test is divided into two phases, each of which requires you to do multiple tasks within a given time limit.

Passing the physical test requires both strength and stamina. You don’t actually have to be a competitive bodybuilder to ace the test, but you need above-average stamina.

Sanitation Exam 2060 DCAS: Ways To Prepare

Improve Your Sleep Quality

True, not everyone needs eight hours of sleep every day. Some people need fewer than eight hours but that’s very rare. One in every three adults in America doesn’t get enough sleep, and it can affect their memory. Sleep deprivation can have permanent effects on the working memory. Getting enough sleep every day can allow you to perform much better in the exam.

Do Moderate Aerobic Exercise Daily

The term “superman test” may make you think you need a lot of sheet strength to pass the test. In reality, stamina is far more important. This includes your aerobic function and your body’s ability to produce energy without resorting to anaerobic respiration. Aerobic exercise trains you for both of these aspects.

If you smoke, we’d recommend switching to a less harmful alternative. Smoking has a direct immediate effect on lung function, and it can seriously limit your physical performance.

Enroll in NYC Sanitation Exam Prep Classes

The only reliable way to prepare for all aspects of the test is by joining NYC Sanitation Exam prep classes and working with a professional to improve your weak areas. This is where we come in.

At Civil Service Success, we’re the only institute in NYC that has been hosting civil service exam preparation classes for over 45 years. Right now enrolling candidates for our preparation classes for the upcoming sanitation exam 2060 DCAS. We also host Nassau and Suffolk Police Exam Prep Classes and NYC Firefighter Exam Prep Classes.

Want to ensure you give your best on exam day? Enroll in prep classes today!