Staff Analyst Trainee Exam Training Course

The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) has announced that it will be giving a Staff Analyst Trainee exam this summer which "expected to begin July 7, 2014," according to the Notice of Examination published on March 5, 2014.

The online application period for the exam opened March 5, 2014 and closed March 25, 2014.

OSA's training for the exam will take place from March 31, 2014 through May 16, 2014 at the OSA union office, 220 East 23rd Street, Suite 707, New York City, between Second and Third Avenues. Classes are given on weeknights, once a week for seven weeks or full weekend days, once a week for three and a half weeks.

The materials you will need for the training course are available further down on this page as PDF files which can be downloaded by clicking on each of the relevant links. Please be sure to review the introductory materials about the content of the training classes and the schedule of classes.

Please note that if you want to print a complete list of the training materials on this page (in addition to the materials themselves), we recommend scrolling to the section "Training Materials" below and clicking on the link "List of Training Materials" to launch a PDF version of this page which you can easily print. This website uses frames and printing the web version of this page will produce widely varying results depending on the browser you are using and your own preferred settings.

In addition to the in-person training classes, you can purchase DVDs and, while supplies last, VHS tapes of prior training sessions for other Analyst series exams. The material covered is substantially the same as what will be included in the in-person training this time around and offers you the opportunity to review material repeatedly and at your own pace. You can download a coupon to order the DVDs or tapes by clicking this link.

Notice of Exam

Below is the Notice of Exam for the Staff Analyst Trainee exam.

  • Notice Of Exam For Staff Analyst Trainee

    Staff Analyst Trainee Job Description

    Below is the current job description for Staff Analyst Trainee.

  • Staff Analyst Trainee Job Description

    Training Materials

    The training materials on this page include the information needed for each of the seven weeknight or 3 1/2 weekend day training sessions that are part of OSA's Staff Analyst Trainee exam training course.

  • List of Training Materials

    The OSA Study Guide that follows includes many practice tests, as well as the "Reference Booklets" given out at some of the previous exams.

    The remainder of the Study Guide on this page is divided into the training topics of Budget and Contracts, Communication, Grammar, Math, Management and Supervision, Statistics, Operations Research, Personnel, and Test Taking Techniques.

    Please note that much of this information has been used in previous training classes and, as a result, may have page numbers on some of the articles. Please disregard the fact that the numbering may not be sequential and you may appear to be missing some pages. Some materials were no longer relevant and we have not included them on this page.

    Most topics begin with a section for Curriculum, Flip Charts and/or Powerpoint presentations, and Questions, followed by individual articles.

    There is a massive amount of information available here. You are not required to bring all of it to each of the training sessions, just the material relevant to that particular section. The training sessions will refer directly to the material provided for that session.

    Training Schedule

    The schedule of classes you can download at the link below outlines the topics and the days and times that the training will take place.

  • Schedule of Classes

    The evening weeknight training sessions take place once a week (on the same day each week) Mondays through Fridays from March 31, 2014 through May 16, 2014 from 5:30pm to 9pm.

    The Saturday and Sunday weekend training will be conducted from April 5, 2014 through April 27, 2014. The first three weekend sessions begin at 8:30am and end at 4pm. There will be a one hour lunch break. Two topics will be covered each weekend day. The fourth weekend has only a session in the morning and ends at 1pm without a lunch break.

    There are several restaurants in the area or you can bring your own lunch.

    You will be assigned a seat when you arrive for the first training class session. Please go to the same place each week. The desks are arranged in groups. The members of your group are your "training buddies." You should attempt to keep in contact with each other by sharing your telephone numbers, in case you need assistance or plan to study together.

    Please be sure to bring your original training class registration form with you to your class sessions. It will serve as your "admission ticket."

    OSA STUDY GUIDE

  • OSA Study Guide Cover Sheet

  • List of Training Materials

  • Notice Of Exam For Staff Analyst Trainee

  • Schedule of Classes

  • Executive Order 16 and Amendments

  • How To Handle Multiple Choice Questions

  • Sample Test

  • Summary Of And Questions For Personnel

  • Summary Of And Questions For Management Analysis - Operational Research

  • Summary Of And Questions For Budgets

  • Tasks For Personnel

  • Tasks For Budget

  • Tasks For Operational Research

  • Reference Booklet For The Staff Analyst Exam Given in 2004

  • Reference Booklet For The Associate Staff Analyst Exam Given in 2001

    Management & Supervision

  • Management & Supervision - Section Cover Sheet

  • Management & Supervision Curriculum

  • Management & Supervision Flip Charts

  • Management & Supervision Powerpoint Slides

  • What Makes A Leader

  • What is Leadership?

  • A Model Of Team Effectiveness

  • Team Performance Score Card - What To Observe In Groups

  • An Overview Of Leadership Style Research

  • Managing Organizational Change

  • Redirecting Difficult Behavior - Feedback

  • The Role Of The Supervisor - POSDCORB

  • Supervisory/Management Theories of Management

  • Transforming The Practice Of Management

  • Management & Supervision Questions

    Personnel

  • Personnel - Section Cover Sheet

  • Personnel Powerpoint Slides

  • Personnel Curriculum and Flip Charts

  • Personnel Questions

  • Definitions of Rules and Regulations

  • Employee Personnel Files

  • Recruitment

  • Planned Action Reports

  • Guide to Labor Relations In NYC

  • Separate Relationship Issues

  • Counseling Sessions

  • Managing Conflict

  • Americans With Disabilities Act

  • Americans With Disabilities Act Q&A

  • Sexual Harassment

  • Performance Evaluation

  • Equal Employment Opportunity

  • Personnel Responsibilities

  • Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

  • Time And Leave

  • Right To Know - Workplace Safety/Health Related Issues

  • Executive Order 16

  • Executive Order 41

  • Executive Order 50

    Budget & Contracts

  • Budget and Contracts - Section Cover Sheet

  • Budget Powerpoint Slides

  • Budget Flip Charts and Questions

  • Budgeting

  • New York City Budget Process

  • Capital Projects And Budget

  • Glossary Of Budget Terms

  • Contracts Powerpoint Slides

  • Contracts Questions

  • NYC Organizational Structure

  • Procurement

  • General Provisions

  • Professional Code Of Conduct

    Statistics

  • Statistics - Section Cover Sheet

  • Statistics Powerpoint Slides

  • Statistics Curriculum And Questions

  • Statistical Methodologies

  • The Basic Concept of Statistics

    Operations Research

  • Operations Research - Section Cover Sheet

  • Operations Research Powerpoint Slides Part One

  • Operations Research Powerpoint Slides Part Two A

  • Operations Research Powerpoint Slides Part Two B

  • Flow Chart Symbols

  • Operations Research Curriculum and Questions

  • Systems And Procedures

  • Office Work Simplification

  • Planned Change And Organizational Development

  • Common Questions For Investigating An Out Of Control Process

  • Conducting A Survey

  • Project Planning Charts: Pert Charts

  • Project Planning Charts: Gantt Charts

    Communication

  • Communication - Section Cover Sheet

  • Communication Curriculum and Flip Charts

  • Communication Questions

  • Communicating

  • Communication Skills

  • Three Ways of Communicating

  • Oral Communication/Feedback

  • Negotiation

  • 7 Keys to Successful Employment Selection Decisions

  • Interviewing Techniques

  • Written Communication

  • Active Listening

    Test Taking Techniques

  • Test Taking Techniques - Section Cover Sheet

  • Test Taking Tips And Strategies

  • Sample Questions Related To Video

    Math

  • Math - Section Cover Sheet

  • Basic Math Powerpoint Slides

  • Basic Arithmetic Curriculum And Examples With Questions

  • Supplementary Materials (Whole Numbers & Their Basic Properties/Decimals, Whole Numbers & Exponents/ Fractions/Integers/Percent & Probability/Positive & Negative Numbers/ Introduction To Algebra

    Grammar

  • Grammar - Section Cover Sheet

  • Grammar Curriculum, Review and Questions

  • Grammar Hint Of The Week

  • Rules of Usage

    Fair Use Notice

    This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for educational purposes and to advance understanding of public policy issues. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this page is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

    For more information go to: www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.

    If you wish to use copyrighted material from this page for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

    Staff And Associate Staff Analyst Exams (February 2010)

    The The New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) gave several exams in our title series on February 20, 2010, with alternate exam dates on Friday, February 19, 2010 and Sunday, February 21, 2010. DCAS gave an open competitive Staff Analyst exam, a promotional Associate Staff Analyst exam and, for the first time in more than thirty years, an open competitive Associate Staff Analyst exam. In addition, there were Education Analyst and Associate Education Analyst exams given at the same time.

    The Organization of Staff Analysts gave a training course for these exams from December 21, 2009 through early February of 2010. After more than a year and a half, in December 2011, DCAS released the final answer keys for the various exams. You can see them at the links below:

  • Staff Analyst (Exam No. 0150) and Education Analyst (Exam No. 0116) Final Answer Key

  • Associate Staff Analyst (Exam No. 0107), Promotion to Associate Staff Analyst (Exam No. 0507), Associate Education Analyst (Exam No. 0106) and Promotion to Associate Education Analyst (Exam No. 0504) Final Answer Key

    The lists for the various promotional and open competitive exams were issued and can be downloaded as PDF files at these links:

  • Open Competitive Staff Analyst List

  • Open Competitive Associate Staff Analyst List

  • Promotion to Associate Staff Analyst Lists (By Agency)

  • Open Competitive Education Analyst List

  • Open Competitive Associate Education Analyst List

  • Promotion to Associate Education Analyst List

    In February of 2012, the various agencies began calling the Promotion to Associate Staff Analyst lists. You can see a chart outlining the status of the lists in the various agencies by clicking on the link below:

    Status of the Associate Staff Analyst Promotional List by Agency

    If you receive a letter calling you to a hiring pool or indicating you have been promoted, please call Mike Schady at the union office at 212-686-1229.

    We are tracking the movement of the promotional list, including the number of individuals who currently are Staff Analysts who are promoted to ASA, the number of individuals who are currently provisional ASA's turned over in place, and the number of individuals on leave to titles other than ASA who have their underlying civil service title upgraded to ASA. As you can see from the chart, many agencies have now completed their lists. OSA has been in regular communication with DCAS and the agencies that have candidates remaining on their lists to encourage them to appoint them.

    As the promotional ASA lists began to be exhausted, agencies began calling the open competitive ASA list. As of February, 2014, numbers as high as 1,000 had been reached on the open competitive ASA list.

    In addition, agencies have been calling the open competitive Staff Analyst list and, as of February, 2014, numbers as high as 580 on the open competitive SA list have been reached.

    If you are on the open competitive ASA or SA list, it would benefit you to review the following information.

    Some Tips and Rules For The Open Competitive ASA and SA Lists

    Candidates may be called to pools at multiple agencies, since these are citywide open competitive lists which will be given to every agency that has a provisional Associate Staff Analyst or Staff Analyst, not simply the agency you are presently serving in (assuming you are a City employee already).

    Your list number is very important. Agencies cannot simply appoint whomever they want, whenever they want. They must, by law, proceed in number order while making appointments.

    Some words about the "One-In-Three Rule." An agency does not have to appoint every successful candidate. When the agency "considers" candidates whose list numbers are #1, 2 and 3 for the first job, the agency can select the best of the "one-in-three."

    If the agency gives that first appointment to the candidate whose list number is list #1, numbers 2 and 3 are marked "CNS" or considered but not selected. If a second job is available, list #s 2, 3, and 4 must be considered. If #2 is chosen, #3 has been considered but not selected twice and #4, once.

    When a third position is offered, #3, 4 and 5 are considered, but if the job goes to candidate #4, candidate #3 has been considered but not selected three times. His or her name is removed from the list for any future consideration. The agency can (but does not have to) grant a candidate's written request for later restoration to the list. On the other hand, you remain eligible to be called from the list at all other City agencies.

    If you are presently a City employee, you need to ask your agency if they have received the certified Associate Staff Analyst list from DCAS, if they will reach your number, and whether you will be appointed.

    If you receive a notice from another agency inviting you to a hiring pool, you need to tell your agency immediately. If they choose to, they will give you a "DP-72" form to take to the hiring pool at the other agency. The other agency will appoint you for your agency. Agencies help each other in this way all the time, but your agency must approve the appointment by providing the "DP-72" form. Give the form to the personnel at the hiring pool when you arive. If they reach your number, they will give you papers to return to your agency.

    If you are called to a pool by your agency or another agency, never decline a job offer. Let them decline you. If you decline a job, you will be removed from the list for every agency and you will have to write to DCAS to restore you. They can only restore you to the list three times. If the agency declines you, you remain on the overall list, but will not be called by that particular agency again. You may, however, write to Human Resources at that agency and ask to be restored to the list for that particular agency.

    If you are invited and do not go to a pool or call and tell them you will not be coming, either in your agency or another agency, you will be considered an "FTR" or Failure to Report. You will be taken off the list for every agency and will be forced to write DCAS for restoration to the list – which can only be done three times.

    Sometimes, you will have no choice but to FTR at an agency, because agencies sometimes call the list on the same date and at the same time. You will be forced in those cases to choose which pool to attend. If you are appointed at the pool you do attend, you don't need to do anything. If you are declined by the agency whose pool you attended, the FTR in the other agency you did not attend will mean you are removed from the list and you will need to write to DCAS for restoration to the list.

    If you are in another higher provisional title (other than Associate Staff Analyst or Staff Analyst - depending on which list you are on), you will remain in your current position at your current salary and become a probationary Associate Staff Analyst (on leave) or probationary Staff Analyst (on leave). After your year's probation as an ASA or SA, you will become a permanent Associate Staff Analyst (on leave) or Staff Analyst (on leave). You will be, what is called "turned over."

    OSA normally seeks to monitor the "calling of the list." If you receive a notice calling you to a pool, contact OSA Executive Director Sheila Gorsky at (212) 686-1229. Occasionally, candidates know about a hiring pool before the union does.

    If you are not currently an OSA member, we look forward to welcoming you into the union. And, if you are not currently a member of OSA, please call the union office at (212) 686-1229 and let us know how to communicate with you so that we can provide assistance as the list is moved.

    The Last Administrative Staff Analyst List (May 2006 - May 2010)

    The City gave the first Administrative Staff Analyst exam in, literally, decades on Saturday, June 25, 2005.

    On May 17, 2006, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services issued the final answer key and established the list for Administrative Staff Analyst Exam No. 4540. The list expired as of May 16, 2010.

    Most of the agencies moved their lists fairly well. You can download a chart here compiled by Michael Schady, which shows the movement of the list. And you can read a final report on the movement of the list by clicking here.