Exam 9604 B/O #9604 Hiring Process (TA)

[+Young+]

http://web.mta.info/nyct/hr/pdf_exams/9604.pdf

Happy Posting!!

[TwentyFive]

A couple general questions.. what is the normal turnaround from the test date till you receive a list number. Also, what would be the next step in the hiring process after you receive your list number. Thanks. 

[misslo]

29 minutes ago, TwentyFive said:

A couple general questions.. what is the normal turnaround from the test date till you receive a list number. Also, what would be the next step in the hiring process after you receive your list number. Thanks. 

If you pass it, about two months. If you failed you get letter within two weeks or so W ith the list number you wait regardless.

[TwentyFive]

How many other active bus operator (civil service title) lists are they still hiring from? Do they hire from multiple lists or do they hire until a new test/ new list comes out?

[+Young+]

18 hours ago, TwentyFive said:

A couple general questions.. what is the normal turnaround from the test date till you receive a list number. Also, what would be the next step in the hiring process after you receive your list number. Thanks. 

 

7 hours ago, TwentyFive said:

How many other active bus operator (civil service title) lists are they still hiring from? Do they hire from multiple lists or do they hire until a new test/ new list comes out?

First, welcome to the site!!

Second, after taking the initial civil service exam, the next step is to successfully take and pass the BOSS (Bus Operator Selective Survey) exam. Long story short, the BOSS is a 'physiological' examination to try to eliminate those who have poor driving and/or work habits. As time gets closer I'll post a 'few' sample questions, which other members have found to be on the actual BOSS examination.

After the BOSS exam, then we wait until the list is established. Once the list is established, then we will obtain our list numbers in the mail. As far as how long it takes: It could take a couple of years for them to establish the list. Here's an example:

Currently, they are hiring from Bus Operator Exam 4600, which, according to the Notice of Examination, was administered in December of 2013. According to this site (type "4600" in the search box on the top right), the list was established in January of 2016 and is set to expire in January of 2020.

Now you have to keep in mind that Bus Operator Exam 7612 was administered in October of 2017 according to the Notice of Examination. I, myself, got a 75 out of 100 with 20 incorrect answers, and when I went to the protest session, I was able to argue half of my incorrect answers. We are still waiting, to this date, for that list to be established, in which I'll be very curious if my score increased and by how much as well.

To answer your next question, after waiting for the list number, followed by waiting for them to reach your list number, you would get a letter in the mail in which the Human Resources Office would be inviting you down to 180 Livingston Street for paperwork and a drug test, followed by medical, followed by the intense 10-day training session. Somebody else on this site called the intense 10-day training session as "Boot Camp," which I personally found very interesting.

Finally, they usually hire from one [1] active Bus Operator list. The only exception is if the agency, which is NYC Transit, go through a list quicker than expected. Then, if they still need vacancies to fill, then they will establish the next list. This was the case with Bus Operator Exam 2613, in which only 3,621 people passed that exam. As a result, that list was established in October of 2013 and terminated in October of 2017. However, since they still had vacancies to fill, the next list, Bus Operator Exam 4600, was established in January of 2016. Therefore, for about 21 months, they were hiring from both lists, if anyone from Bus Operator Exam 2613 decided to restore their name to the list for whatever reason.

I know it's a lot of information, however I hope I answered your question(s). If not, just ask, and try to be as specific as you can. At least from my perspective, it would be appreciated.

Edited August 28, 2018 by +Young+

[TwentyFive]

Thank you +Young+ for the wealth of information. I guess it’ll be a good long while before I see anything from TA. Best wishes to you. However, I’m still not clear whether they establish a list number based on the written exam only or a combination of the written and the BOSS exam results. Either or, I will still need to wait. Lol. 

[TwentyFive]

Oops I forgot to add on the previous... I know it’ll be awhile before I retire (for the second time lol) but what is the retirement package like for the upcoming hirees? I haven’t really done any kind of research on NYCERS

[+Young+]

6 minutes ago, TwentyFive said:

Thank you +Young+ for the wealth of information. I guess it’ll be a good long while before I see anything from TA. Best wishes to you. However, I’m still not clear whether they establish a list number based on the written exam only or a combination of the written and the BOSS exam results. Either or, I will still need to wait. Lol. 

You're welcome...for a civil service exam, like this one, they establish your list number based on the written exam, which is actually multiple-choice. The BOSS is simply a pass/fail exam in an effort to try to eliminate those candidates who have poor driving and/or work habits.

2 minutes ago, TwentyFive said:

Oops I forgot to add on the previous... I know it’ll be awhile before I retire (for the second time lol) but what is the retirement package like for the upcoming hirees? I haven’t really done any kind of research on NYCERS

Click here. Hope this helps.

[TwentyFive]

Thank you Young. Last question, do you have a link indicating newly hired TA B/O’s as working under Tier 6.  NOE mentions a pension plan benefit in a brief sentence.  Are all new civil service hirees in every department under TA working under Tier 6? I’m having a problem navigating through NYCERS. 

[TwentyFive]

Okay Young. I think I found it under the summary plan descriptions. 

[+Young+]

On 8/28/2018 at 5:41 PM, +Young+ said:

Second, after taking the initial civil service exam, the next step is to successfully take and pass the BOSS (Bus Operator Selective Survey) exam. Long story short, the BOSS is a 'physiological' examination to try to eliminate those who have poor driving and/or work habits. As time gets closer I'll post a 'few' sample questions, which other members have found to be on the actual BOSS examination.

I know I'm early, however if anyone is anxious to find out some sample questions from the BOSS exam, click here.

I know this may not be useful now, but in the future it will.

[Lawrence St]

Is there any study material I can catch up on?

[+Young+]

18 minutes ago, Lawrence St said:

Is there any study material I can catch up on?

From taking the past three Bus Operator exams, I have personally found the green passbooks to be a waste of time and money.

What I did find helpful was this NYPD Test Preparation Kit, providing you didn't cheat with the memory portion, in addition to the book 501 Reading Comprehension, which can be found here and here, primarily chapters 5, 6 & 10. According to the Notice of Examination, calculators will not be allowed.

For those who do not live in Queens, I would encourage you to save some $$ to find a reading comprehension book at your library to use to prepare for the exam. Keep in mind that, after the exam, you're probably not going to need the book, therefore why buy it to begin with? Just a thought...

[Lawrence St]

11 hours ago, +Young+ said:

From taking the past three Bus Operator exams, I have personally found the green passbooks to be a waste of time and money.

What I did find helpful was this NYPD Test Preparation Kit, providing you didn't cheat with the memory portion, in addition to the book 501 Reading Comprehension, which can be found here and here, primarily chapters 5, 6 & 10. According to the Notice of Examination, calculators will not be allowed.

For those who do not live in Queens, I would encourage you to save some $$ to find a reading comprehension book at your library to use to prepare for the exam. Keep in mind that, after the exam, you're probably not going to need the book, therefore why buy it to begin with? Just a thought...

Ah ok. So how long from now would they actually call me for an interview cause I have to get my CDL beforehand dont I?

[+Young+]

8 hours ago, Lawrence St said:

Ah ok. So how long from now would they actually call me for an interview cause I have to get my CDL beforehand dont I?

If you read the Notice of Examination carefully, at the top of the second page, it says:

At the time of appointment (not when you take the exam), you must possess either:

1. A Class B Commercial Driver license (CDL) valid in the State of New York, with passenger endorsement and no restrictions that would disqualify you from performing the duties of this position (aka you successfully took and passed a road test in a bus); or

2. A motor vehicle driver license valid in the State of New York and a CDL Learner Permit with passenger endorsement and no restrictions as referenced in “1” above.

Your CDL or motor vehicle license, or any combination thereof, must have been valid in the State of New York for at least three years immediately prior to the date you are appointed to this position.

Therefore, it is not mandatory that you get the CDL, however if you read the B/O exams 2613 & 4600 threads, you'll see that not only getting the CDL, but also getting experience in a bus is definitely worth it if you're dead serious about the job, which I can agree to 100%.

As far as how long they would take to call you:

After they finish with the B/O 4600 list, they are going to start calling from Exam 7612. This exam was administered approximately a year ago. Once they finish with this exam, then they'll start with this list. Therefore, it depends on how many names are on the list from Exam 7612, however we're talking at least 4 years into the future, maybe sooner if the list from Exam 7612 is short for whatever reason.

[davidl]

Hi ,

I don't have CDL license now , can I apply the exam now and get it before the exam ?

thanks 

[DrewMania]

5 hours ago, davidl said:

Hi ,

I don't have CDL license now , can I apply the exam now and get it before the exam ?

thanks 

Yes you can! But you don’t need a CDL license all you need is the CDL permit along with Passenger and Air Brake  endorsements. Just make sure that you had your Regular license for a period of 3 or more years.

 

[davidl]

thanks for reply , do you have any info for CDL permit ?

[+Young+]

2 hours ago, davidl said:

thanks for reply , do you have any info for CDL permit ?

For the questions, you can go to https://www.cristcdl.com/. Just note that the website comes out of Ohio. Therefore, what I did was I made index cards with the questions from the website (General Knowledge, Air Brakes and Passenger Endorsement) and I used this to study 80% of the time - the other 20% I read the New York State DMV manual, since I live in Queens, respectively.

As far as going to DMV to take the multiple-choice test, for New York State residents, click here for information on that. Just note that the permits are only good for 6 months, therefore if you don't plan on getting your CDL before you get called, it would be wise to plan ahead, respectively.

If you live in New Jersey, you can obtain more information here.

[davidl]

okok thanks a lot ,

I see part time bus operator coming soon , should I apply full time one and part time one at the same time ? 

[+Young+]

1 hour ago, davidl said:

I see part time bus operator coming soon , should I apply full time one and part time one at the same time ? 

Technically you can't apply to both at the exact same time. However, I understand where you're coming from and I would personally encourage you to do so. However, if you're still unsure, check this out, which lists the "Pros" and "Cons" of the part-time position.

[leaniel3209]

Is it true that the test is around december

[+Young+]

2 hours ago, leaniel3209 said:

Is it true that the test is around december

Yes, probably either December 15th or December 16th (click here for the source). From taking various civil service examinations for NYC Transit in the past, they usually rent out a public high school, and with them being closed for Winter Recess from December 24th through January 1st, if I had to take an educated guess, they'll probably look to schedule everyone either one of those days, except for the make-ups which will take place at their facility during the week.

[Lawrence St]

When are we suppose to receive the letters?

[+Young+]

1 hour ago, Lawrence St said:

When are we suppose to receive the letters?

It says on the top of page four of the Notice of Examination:

An Admission Letter will be mailed to you about 10 days before the first date of the multiple-choice test. If you do not receive an Admission Letter at least 4 days before this date, you may obtain a duplicate letter at the MTA Exam Information Center (as indicated above). A paper copy of theAdmission Letter is your ticket for admission to the test

However, from taking these exams, it'll probably be about two to three prior (give/take a couple of days). Keep in mind that the application period for this examination just closed on Friday, therefore they have to see how many people applied, how many public high schools they can rent out for an AM & PM Session on both of those days, followed by color-coding the admission letters, etc.