NYC Sanitation Worker study plan
NYC Sanitation Worker · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Sanitation Worker written examination (content domains not enumerated in the source)
Inventory every topic area named in the official NYC Sanitation Worker notice of examination and rank them by number of scored questions and by your own baseline weakness.
Build a one-page topic map that lists each content area (written comprehension, reading interpretation, arithmetic reasoning, map and diagram reading, following written procedures, safety and equipment rules) with a target review date.
Take one full-length untimed diagnostic practice set and record raw scores per topic area to establish a baseline.
Set a fixed weekly study schedule of 6 hours in 60-90 minute blocks that fits around shift work.
Your checkpoint
A dated topic map plus a baseline score table showing percent correct for each content area.
Sanitation Worker written examination (content domains not enumerated in the source)
Drill written comprehension passages by summarizing each paragraph in one sentence before answering questions.
Practice eliminating answer choices that are true but not supported by the passage, and log each trap type you fall for.
Complete 40 reading-comprehension practice questions under a 1-minute-per-question limit.
Review every missed question and write the rule that would have prevented the error.
Your checkpoint
An error log of at least 15 missed reading questions, each tagged with a trap type and a corrected reasoning note.
Sanitation Worker written examination (content domains not enumerated in the source)
Solve arithmetic word problems involving rates, unit conversions, percentages, and averages without a calculator.
Memorize the conversions the exam commonly uses (hours to minutes, pounds to tons, feet to yards, gallons to quarts) and recite them from memory.
Work 50 mixed arithmetic problems in timed sets of 10, targeting 85 percent accuracy.
Re-derive any formula you missed instead of memorizing the answer.
Your checkpoint
A completed conversion and formula sheet written from memory, scored against a reference, plus 50 logged arithmetic problems.
Sanitation Worker written examination (content domains not enumerated in the source)
Interpret tables, schedules, route sheets, and simple diagrams by extracting the one value each question asks for.
Practice map and grid reading tasks such as locating an address block, counting blocks between points, and following a described route.
Complete 30 table-and-diagram questions and time each one.
Re-run the week 1 diagnostic sections for reading and arithmetic to measure improvement.
Your checkpoint
A mid-point score report comparing week 1 and week 4 accuracy per content area, with a written note on the two weakest areas.
Sanitation Worker written examination (content domains not enumerated in the source)
Apply written procedures and safety rules to scenario questions by identifying the exact rule that governs each case.
Distinguish must, shall, should, and may in procedural text and answer questions that hinge on those words.
Practice sequencing tasks: order steps of a job, spot the out-of-order step, and identify the next action.
Write a short plain-language summary of five common Sanitation safety and equipment rules in your own words.
Your checkpoint
Five original procedure-scenario questions you wrote yourself, each with the governing rule cited and a justified answer.
Sanitation Worker written examination (content domains not enumerated in the source)
Combine all content areas in mixed 25-question sets to build switching stamina.
Cut average time per question to the exam pace while holding at least 80 percent accuracy.
Revisit your error log and re-solve every question you previously missed without looking at the old answer.
Identify and drop two low-yield study habits that consumed time without raising scores.
Your checkpoint
Three timed mixed sets with scores, times, and a list of the error-log items still unsolved.
Sanitation Worker written examination (content domains not enumerated in the source)
Take two full-length timed practice exams under real conditions: no pauses, no notes, one sitting.
Review each full exam within 24 hours and classify every miss as content gap, misread, or time pressure.
Target your two weakest content areas with 30 focused questions each.
Practice a test-day routine: sleep timing, arrival buffer, ID and notice requirements, and permitted materials.
Your checkpoint
Two scored full-length practice exams with a miss-classification tally and a final-week remediation list.
Sanitation Worker written examination (content domains not enumerated in the source)
Re-drill only the items on your remediation list until each is correct twice in a row.
Take one final full-length timed exam and confirm accuracy is at or above your week 7 result.
Recite your conversion and formula sheet from memory one last time.
Confirm logistics: exam date, location, travel time, required documents, and calculator policy.
Your checkpoint
A final one-page readiness sheet listing your last three practice scores, remaining weak spots, and confirmed exam-day logistics.
Milestones
Week 2: Baseline and topic map are complete, and reading accuracy on timed sets has improved by at least 10 percentage points over week 1.
Week 4: Mid-point report shows at least 80 percent accuracy on arithmetic and at least 75 percent on table-and-diagram questions.
Week 6: Mixed timed sets average at or above 80 percent accuracy at exam pace, and at least half of the original error-log items are re-solved correctly.
Week 8: Final full-length practice score meets or beats the week 7 score, and the readiness sheet confirms all exam-day logistics.