Civil Service Maintenance Test Preparation – 2024

Are you a job seeker in peak physical condition? Do you think you can handle full days of lifting 50-pound objects or working 50 feet about the ground? How about a competitive salary? If this sounds appealing, you might consider a job as a maintenance worker.

What Is The Role of a Maintenance Worker?

Maintenance workers handle the routine maintenance of buildings, their fixtures, and various equipment.

Their roles include:

• Visually inspecting and assessing buildings, fixtures, and equipment for repair
• Maintaining and repairing furniture.
• Making structural repairs – plumbing, electrical and masonry.
• Assisting with the relocation of furniture and equipment.
• Preparing inspection and maintenance reports.

There are special work conditions associated with maintenance workers. These include:

• Shift work including nights, weekends and bank holidays.
• Working in adverse weather conditions.
• Working in confined spaces.
• Working at heights of approximately 50 feet off the ground.
• Lifting and carrying heavy objects.

What Steps do I Take to Become a Maintenance Worker?

In order to land a job with the government as a maintenance worker, there are a few requirements that need to be met. Prospective applicants need to meet one of the following requirements:

• Three years’ experience (full-time) doing any of the following:
  • Mechanic
  • Apprentice in the Mechanical/Electrical or Construction field.
• Two years’ experience plus any relevant educational experience. Each year of relevant training/education will be credited as six months’ work experience. The Department of Education or any reputable accrediting institution must recognize all related education experience.

In addition to the requirements listed above, some States, like New York, may require that the candidate have a valid drivers’ license.

Providing the requirements are met, candidates will then be required to sit for a pre-employment assessment, the Civil Service Maintenance Test.  Providing the candidate passes the test the candidate will be added to an eligibility list. If a job is offered, the candidate will be required to undergo a screening process, which can include a background check, drug and alcohol test, and a psychometric analysis

What is the Civil Service Maintenance Test?

Candidates need to pass the Civil Service Maintenance Test in order to be considered as eligible applicants for maintenance jobs with the civil service. The exam varies from state to state and can be done at multiple assessment centers in each state. The exam is administered for a variety of civil service maintenance jobs, but the content of the exam across the various jobs are relatively similar.

The Civil Service Maintenance Worker Exam questions usually tests the following key areas:

• Comprehension – Tests the candidate’s ability to read and understand. This section is particularly important because maintenance workers often need to read and understand instructions in order to carry out their day-to-day jobs.
• Mechanical Comprehension – Tests the candidate’s knowledge and technical aptitude. This includes testing the candidate’s knowledge of various tools and their uses.
• Ability to Work with Numbers – Tests the candidate’s ability to work with numbers and perform simple mathematical problems and provide solutions for reasoning problems.
• Safety Procedures – Tests the candidate’s knowledge of proper equipment use to ensure safety and the knowledge of up to date safety practices and procedures.

Due to the physical nature of many of the jobs, some of them require that candidates attempt and pass a physical exam. The physical exam may include:

• Climbing a ladder.
• Maneuvering a loaded (160lbs) wheelbarrow.
• Lifting and carrying heavy loads (50lbs).

A grade of 70% is needed to pass the exam, of which a maximum of 10% might be made up of special credits. Special credits are usually given to army veterans and college graduates.

Who Takes the Civil Service Maintenance Test?

Quite a few jobs fall under the category of civil service maintenance worker. Just about all of the jobs require candidates to sit for the Civil Service Maintenance Exam. Below is a list of some of the titles that fall within the category:

• Machinist
• Cemetery Maintenance Worker
• Warehouse Worker
• Support Services Manager
• Signal Maintenance Worker
• Building Maintenance Technician
• MTA Bus Maintainer
• Park Maintenance Worker

How to Pass the Civil Service Maintenance Test?

Whether it is online or at your local bookstore, preparation materials for the Civil Service Maintenance Worker Test are aplenty. Study guides are an excellent place to start, and so are past papers. Past papers are the go-to especially if they provide both questions and answers. 

Experience should not be discredited; therefore asking past candidates for exam tips is also advised.

Conclusion

Becoming a Civil Servant is truly no walk in the park. Ensure you make use of your resources so that you are well prepared to sit for the exam. Not only do you need to do practice tests for maintenance workers, but you must also maintain your physical fitness so that you will have no problems passing the physical component of the exam.

All the best on your journey to becoming a civil service maintenance worker!