What to Expect From the NYS Court Officer Physical Ability Test

Court officers don’t just sit inside courtrooms every day. Some days, they can be assigned patrol or law enforcement duties too. To facilitate this aspect of the job, we’ve got the physical ability test, which is the second phase of your NYS court officer recruitment procedure. Now, the test can seem pretty daunting at first, but if you regularly work out several weeks before the actual test, you should  be able to ace this one.

Here’s what you can expect to happen on test day.

The physical ability test is a battery comprising four exercises.

1. Push-up Test

The aim here is to assess your upper body strength and stamina. You’ll be asked to place both your hands and feet on the ground with the rest of your body straight and fully extended. Bend your elbows at a right angle to dip toward the ground and then return to your start position.

Your objective is to complete as many push-ups as you can in one minute. Remember that you have to keep good form otherwise your push-up won’t count.

2. Illinois Agility Run test

The purpose of this test is to assess your cardiovascular health and your anaerobic abilities. This means you’ll be asked to sprint across a short distance. In most cases, you’ll be required to run about 60 yards and make multiple sharp turns during the course. Your score will be based on the total time you took to complete your run. This will be done twice to ensure reliability in scores.

Note: You won’t begin the run on your feet. You’ll be lying on your stomach and will have to get up quickly as soon as the whistle blows.

3. Sit-up test

This test assesses your abdominal strength. You’ll begin by lying on your back with your knees arched and your feet together. Your arms have to be crossed over your chest at all times. Someone will be holding your feet down. Your objective is to perform as many sit-ups as you can in one minute.

4. Beep test

The aim of the beep test is to assess your aerobic capabilities. This will include several 20-meter long runs and you must maintain or exceed a speed range that will be instructed to you via an audio recording. You’ll also be assigned a running lane, so stick to that at all times or you might be disqualified. The objective is to complete as many running intervals as you can to override the actual running time allotted to you.

If you follow all the rules of the physical ability test, we’re positive you’ll pass it with flying colors. And that’s one step closer to your goal of becoming a New York State Court Officer. But the journey begins with the written examination so make sure you prepare well for that. Join our tuition classes if you need any help. We’ll have you ready in just 3 sessions!

For more information on other civil service tests, get in touch with us here.