Just took the NYC Sanitation Worker exam (7316) in April and I'm trying to figure out what a realistic timeline looks like. I know my list number depends on my score, but I've seen wildly different answers about what score range actually leads to a hire and how long the process takes from exam to Day 1 on the job.
The base salary is around $43,000 starting, going up to about $77,000 after five years — plus the pension and benefits, which is the real draw. I've been in construction for 6 years but the stability and long-term trajectory with DSNY are genuinely better. I'm not just chasing the exam for kicks.
I scored around 95, which I thought was competitive, but then I read that in past lists even high-90s scores didn't get called for 2-3 years. Is that still accurate for the current list? Has the pace of hiring changed? Anything from people who were actually called off a recent list would be more useful than the generic stuff on most forums.
The medical and physical standards are stricter than most people expect. Even after you're called, maybe 15-20% don't clear the medical. Make sure any prior conditions are well-documented and you're not going in cold on what they check.
Veteran credits are a big factor. A vet with a 90 can rank above a non-vet with a 99. If you're not a vet, that's just how the system works. Factor it into your expectations, not as a complaint, just as a realistic input on your number.
List 7316 is going to be massive. They had something like 60,000 test takers. A 95 might put you at list number 8,000-12,000 depending on veteran credits. The list is valid for 4 years and DSNY processes a few hundred to a few thousand per class. It's genuinely a waiting game.
My cousin got hired off the 2019 list with a 97 and it still took him about 18 months to get called. Budget and attrition drive the pace more than anything else. Keep your address updated with DCAS — a lot of people miss their notices just from that.