NY POST

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services administers the POST program, sets training standards, and approves courses. Your employing agency or academy handles enrollment and scheduling. Check the DCJS website and your training unit for current requirements, because program details are updated periodically.

Expect multiple-choice questions, often built around short scenarios that require you to apply a legal rule or procedural step. Some courses add practical performance components such as defensive tactics or firearms qualification. Your academy or agency will confirm the exact structure for your course.

Those figures vary by course and are set by the administering body, so no single number applies across programs. DCJS and your academy publish the current scoring standard and time allowance for each course. Ask your training unit directly rather than relying on secondhand claims.

The legal domains are the usual pressure point. Questions rarely ask you to recite a definition; they describe a situation and expect you to identify the correct authority, threshold, or next step. Candidates who memorize elements without practicing application tend to struggle most on Penal Law and CPL items.

Retake and remediation policies are set by the administering body and your academy, and they differ by course. Some programs require a waiting period or remedial instruction before a retest. Confirm the specific rule in writing with your training unit before your test date.

Not automatically. New York ties peace officer status and training currency to employment and to periodic in-service requirements, so lapses in service or missed training can affect your standing. Ask your agency about maintenance requirements and how a break in service is handled.

Start with Penal Law and CPL, since those rules underpin use of force, arrest authority, search, and evidence questions. Then move to constitutional law and liability, then traffic law, investigations, and patrol. Finish with report writing, ethics, and crisis intervention, which reward practice more than memorization.

Mixing up search authority standards, confusing arrest and detention thresholds, and answering use-of-force items on gut feeling instead of the legal standard. Another frequent error is choosing the most aggressive tactical option when the question rewards containment, communication, or de-escalation.

No. This is independent study material prepared for candidates, and it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or derived from DCJS or any academy. Always treat official DCJS publications and your agency's directives as controlling over any third-party study guide.