The LEE (Law Enforcement Examination) refers to the method by which residents interested in an entry-level law enforcement position with a New Jersey civil service jurisdiction can become eligible for employment.  “Announcements” are posted on the N.J. Civil Service Commission (CSC) website, alerting the public that applications are being accepted for certain job titles for certain jurisdictions.  These announcements inform the public of which particular job titles (such as Police Officer, Parole Officer, etc.) in which particular jurisdictions (a specific county, local municipality, or State agency) a person may apply for.  By clicking on an individual announcement, interested persons can learn of the applicant requirements (such as age or education), the application deadline, and other helpful information.  To be considered for employment, a person must first apply for an announcement by completing the online application, submitting any required payment, and receiving confirmation that the application was submitted.  Everyone who is determined to have fulfilled all requirements to take the exam will be scheduled to take the written multiple-choice exam administered at various test centers throughout the State on particular dates.  Those who pass the exam are placed on the eligibility list corresponding to the announcement for which they applied.  Candidates receive a score and a rank on each list and may then be hired by the agency for which they applied after going through the certification process.  Each aspect of this process will be further explained within the proceeding FAQs.

No.  Each jurisdiction/agency has the opportunity to opt-in for an announcement cycle based on its hiring needs and the status of its current list of eligibles (those who have passed an exam and can be considered for employment).  Therefore, every title might not announce during each announcement cycle.  Furthermore, not every jurisdiction may choose to opt-in to an announcement cycle.  For example, Town A could choose to opt-in for the title of Police Officer to be a part of an announcement cycle, while another jurisdiction, Town B, may not choose to announce for Police Officer.  If there is no announcement posted on the CSC website for the title and jurisdiction for which you are interested in applying, then no new applications are being collected for that title/jurisdiction this announcement cycle.

There are certain titles that are tested with the LEE whenever they announce and therefore may be part of each LEE announcement cycle.  Bilingual variants, such as Spanish/English, exist for some of these titles as well.  To learn more about each title tested by the LEE, click on the title below:

Police Officer

County Police Officer

Campus Police Officer

Police Officer, Human Services

Police Officer, Palisades Interstate Park

State Park Police Officer

Sheriff's Officer

County Correctional Police Officer

Correctional Police Officer

Correctional Police Officer, Youth Justice Commission

Parole Officer Recruit

Parole Officer Recruit, Youth Justice

No. New Jersey State Trooper is NOT part of the LEE because it is announced and tested separately by the New Jersey State Police. 

The eligible lists resulting from the 2025 LEE announcements issued on December 3, 2025. The 2025 LEE testing cycle (like the three previous cycles) did not put candidates into a pool of eligibles when results were released. Instead, titles that made up the 2025 LEE testing cycle announced individually by jurisdiction (i.e., individual municipalities and counties) and candidates were placed on eligible lists for each jurisdiction for which they applied. So, instead of filling out one single LEE application, candidates needed to fill out separate applications for each and every jurisdiction for which they were interested in working.

Those who took and passed the examination are mailed a notice of eligibility for every announcement to which they applied. The notice of eligibility includes their examination score and rank on that individual list. Those who took and failed the examination are mailed a notice of ineligibility, indicating that their score was below minimum requirements.

Results can also be viewed online by looking up the individual eligibility lists on the CSC’s website at NJ CSC - ELIGIBILITY LIST. The lists contain the names of all individuals on that list, along with their score and rank.

The 2025 entry-level Law Enforcement Examination (LEE) announced on March 1, 2025.  Applications were accepted through the Online Application System.  Applications had to have been completed and submitted by 4:00 p.m. on the closing date (March 31, 2025).

The Law Enforcement Status Report posted on the CSC website at https://www.nj.gov/csc/jobs/publicsafety/law_titles.shtml includes a list of all titles and jurisdictions that were part of the 2025 LEE cycle.

A $30 application processing fee was required for each application.  Fee exemptions were noted on each LEE announcement and application.

Eligible lists resulting from entry-level law enforcement announcements expire after one year. 

No. Scores from ANY previous examination were NOT carried over to the 2025 LEE announcements. Anyone who wished to receive a score for any of the 2025 LEE announcements must have applied, paid the related fee, and taken and passed the examination held during summer 2025.

The Law Enforcement Aptitude Battery (LEAB) was used to test candidates who applied for any of the 2025 LEE announcements. Because the same examination was used, candidates only had one opportunity to take the examination, regardless of the number of announcements for which they applied, and their score achieved on the examination was applied to all the 2025 LEE announcements for which they applied.

According to the New Jersey Administrative Code 4A:4-2.9(a), make-up examinations for public safety open competitive examinations may only be authorized for the following reasons:
1. Error by the Civil Service Commission or Appointing Authority;
2. Serious illness or disability of the candidate on the test date, provided the candidate submits a doctor’s certificate specifying that the candidate was not able to take the test on that day for medical reasons;
3. Documented serious illness or death in the candidate’s immediate family;
4. Natural disaster;
5. Prior vacation or travel plans outside of New Jersey or any contiguous state, which cannot be reasonably changed, as evidenced by a sworn statement and relevant documentation;
6. When required for certain persons returning from military service (see N.J.A.C. 4A:4-4.6A); and
7. Other valid reasons, as determined by the CSC.

MAKE-UP REQUESTS, WITH SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION, MUST BE SUBMITTED IN WRITING WITHIN FIVE DAYS OF RECEIPT OF THE TEST NOTICE. However, in situations involving an illness, death, or natural disaster that occurs on or immediately before the test date, a request for make-up must be made in writing no later than five days after the test date. All make-up requests based on medical grounds must include a New Jersey Civil Service Commission Medical Authorization Form for Make-up Examinations (DPF-728). This form can also be obtained by clicking here or contacting the CSC's Information Center at (609) 292-4144. Requests for make-up examinations should be mailed to: Public Safety Make-Up Unit, Civil Service Commission, P.O. Box 310, Trenton NJ 08625-0310.

No; to protect the security of this examination, there will be no review of any test material.

The tentative timeframe for the next LEE announcement is the first quarter of 2026.

In accordance with N.J.S.A. 11A:4-1, all job applicants are requested to provide their Social Security Number (SSN) on applications to establish a unique means of identifying all of their records throughout the selection and appointment processes. Providing your SSN is voluntary. If you did not provide your SSN, another unique identification number was assigned to you, and that number will appear on all subsequent records related to this examination. However, in order to receive New Jersey Civil Service Commission Veteran’s Preference, you must have provided your SSN.

Yes, there is a minimum hiring age for every title associated with the LEE.  Candidates need to be at least 18 years of age on or before the Closing Date shown on the examination announcement.  The only title associated with the LEE that has a maximum hiring age is Municipal Police Officer.  Applicants over age 35 as of the closing date of the announcement are not eligible for Municipal Police Officer positions, with certain exceptions.  (An applicant is considered to be over 35 the day of his/her 35th birthday.)  By law, applicants may reduce their age by deducting the following: (1) the amount of their military service time that falls within the location and time limit criteria for New Jersey veteran’s preference and/or (2) the amount of time previously served in certain law enforcement titles.  To qualify for this second provision, separation from prior service must have been for reasons other than removal for cause on charges of misconduct or delinquency.

Click here for the Municipal Police Maximum Hiring Age Information Sheet 

Applicants were required to complete the residency portion of the application. Please note that your residency may be different from your mailing address. Residency information was used to place your name in the appropriate tier for municipal and/or county eligible lists. You must be a legal resident of the jurisdiction you list as your residency as of the announcement closing date, and as of the appointment date for some jurisdictions. Please check with the municipality or county for their residency requirement.

Effective September 1, 2011, all employees of State and local government must reside in the State of New Jersey, unless exempted under the law.  In addition to this requirement, most positions offered by the titles announced in the LEE have very specific residency requirements.  When applying for an individual jurisdiction, it was important to read that jurisdiction’s job announcement carefully so that you understood the residency requirements (the section of the announcement labeled “Open to Residents of”).  For example, some municipalities require you to live in that municipality to be eligible for that position, while other municipalities may allow you to live in a nearby town within the same county to be eligible for that position.  In addition, you needed to make sure were using the correct residency code on your job application.

You must meet the veterans preference requirements of the N.J. Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (NJDMVA) in order to claim veterans preference for any examination. If you did meet those requirements, you should have claimed veterans preference on the application form and submitted the required proof to be awarded the preference for the titles associated with the LEE and all future CSC examinations. If you did not submit the required documentation, you will not be able to claim veterans status for this announcement.

A completed Civil Service Veterans Preference Claim Form (available by clicking njdmava_form_05A-1.pdf), along with the required documentation, must be submitted directly to the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. You may visit NJDMVA's website or contact them at 1-888-865-8387 to obtain a Civil Service Veterans Preference Claim Form or for more information.

Veterans preference must be established no later than 8 days prior to list issuance and, once established, is good for life. Additional information regarding New Jersey Veterans Preference can be found at https://www.nj.gov/csc/jobs/veterans/.

No extra points are given to veterans. However, eligibles with disabled veteran or veteran status are grouped at the top of the eligible lists by their veteran status and then by their final averages. Disabled
veterans are placed above veterans who, in turn, are placed ahead of non-veterans. Click on this link for more information: https://www.nj.gov/csc/jobs/veterans/competitive.shtml

N.J.S.A. 40A:14-123.1a grants hiring preference to candidates who are applying to a municipal police officer announcement whose natural or adoptive parent was killed in the lawful discharge of official duties while serving in one of the following titles: Police Officer (municipal); County Police Officer; Trooper; Sheriff’s Officer; New Jersey Transit Police Officer; Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Officer; State Park Police Officer; Police Officer, Palisades Interstate Park Commission; Police Officer, Human Services; and Campus Police Officer. The law provides them preference over non-veterans, but not over veterans. This preference shall not, however, be applicable if the municipality has entered into a consent decree with the United States Department of Justice concerning the hiring practices of the municipality.

To receive this preference, applicants were required to provide documentation by the closing date, which includes (1) the parent’s name, (2) parent’s date of death, (3) the address of the parent’s Department at the time of death, (4) a letter from the Department confirming the parent was killed in the line of duty, and (5) proof of relationship to the officer.

After scoring of the exam was completed, an eligible list for each announcement was produced, containing the names of all those who had applied for that announcement and passed the examination. The eligible list ranked candidates based on their score in the following order: disabled veterans (ranked by score), veterans (ranked by score), and non-veterans (ranked by score). When an Appointing Authority (AA) has an open position to be filled, the CSC provides the AA with a certification, which contains the top names that currently reside on the eligible list. The AA can then use this certification list to begin its hiring process. It is only after a certification is requested by the AA that candidates can be considered for a position with an agency.

If your name is certified to an AA, a certification notice will be sent to the mailing address or email address that is associated with your Online Application System account that was used to apply for the announcement. This is why you MUST notify the CSC if your mailing address and/or email address changes from the one you entered on your application.

If you receive a certification notice, you will be given five business days from the notice date to respond in writing to the AA that you are interested, or not interested, in the job. If you do not respond within this timeframe, your name will be removed from the certification and you will no longer be considered for appointment.

No.  It means you MAY be interviewed and/or considered for appointment if you are reachable on the certification list.

The selection process is described below:

1. The Appointing Authority (AA) conducts background investigations for eligible candidates who indicate interest in being appointed. These investigations may include reports from their criminal, employment, and driving records.  The AA will usually disqualify anyone with negative reports.  In accordance with N.J.A.C. 4A:4-6, any false statement of any material fact (including educational and employment record) or any deception or fraud in any part of the selection or appointment process will be grounds for disqualification and possible legal action.
2. Not all eligibles who pass the background investigation are offered the currently available jobs. Disabled veterans and veterans have absolute preference and must be appointed first.  Where there are no disabled veterans or veterans, the "rule of three" applies.  This means that the AA may select any one of the first three non-veterans for each appointment they make.
3. The AA will schedule medical and psychological examinations for those candidates who are selected.
4. Candidates must pass both the medical and psychological examinations to be appointed.
5. The AA will forward the completed certification with supporting documentation to the CSC, where it will be reviewed for compliance to the rules and regulations.

The selection process often takes six months or more because it is so involved, so please be patient.

Each jurisdiction or agency has its own Appointing Authority (AA) for the selection process.  The CSC reviews the AA’s documentation for each certification to ensure compliance with related rules and regulations.  The CSC is not the AA for entry-level law enforcement titles.

The CSC does not break tied scores.  Candidates who have the same final average and veteran status have equal ranking on an eligible list and resulting certification.  For example, if there are 20 people on the certification with the same final average and they're all non-veterans, they will be listed in alphabetical order by their last names, but they all have the same rank on that certification.  If one of them is reachable for an appointment, all are reachable and the Appointing Authority may hire any one of them.

If you change your name, mailing address, or email address, or if it is listed incorrectly on a notice that you receive from the CSC, please click on the following link to submit your change(s): Change Request Instruction - OAS. You will be prompted to log into the Online Application System (OAS) to complete your change request. For security reasons, changes cannot be made from telephone calls.

Since eligibility needs to be established as of the Closing Date of the announcement, your residency code cannot be changed after the Closing Date, even if you change your residence address or mailing address.  If you change your residence to another jurisdiction after the closing date, you may not be eligible for appointment in your former or new jurisdiction.  Please research with both jurisdictions to see how their residency requirements will affect you before you change your residence address or mailing address.