NY Security Guard Pass Rate, Format & Study Guide

New York requires an 8-hour pre-assignment course for security guard registration; the course includes a one-hour review and examination period given to each student (9 NYCRR 6027.3). The regulation sets minimum hours for each topic: role of a security guard 1 1/4 hours, legal powers and limitations 2 hours, emergency situations 1 hour, communications and public relations 1 hour, access control 1/2 hour, ethics and conduct 1 hour, plus a 1/4-hour introduction. After the course you have 16 hours of on-the-job training within 90 days of employment and 8 hours of in-service training each calendar year; the registration is issued for two years (NYS Department of State).

Completing the pre-assignment course is a requirement for registering as a security guard in New York.

People preparing to work as unarmed security guards in New York who are taking, or have just taken, the 8-hour pre-assignment course.

The certifying body does not publicly publish an official pass rate for this exam. Be wary of third-party sites citing a specific number here — treat any pass-rate claim you see elsewhere for this exam as unverified.

Retake rules for the end-of-course examination are set by the school that gives the course; ask your school.

New York publishes no passing score for the examination at the end of the course. The portal practice set uses 70 percent only as a self-check. Format: an 8-hour course with a one-hour review and examination at the end; the state sets no item count or format. No official pass rate is available for this exam, so none is quoted here.

New York requires an 8-hour pre-assignment course for security guard registration; the course includes a one-hour review and examination period given to each student (9 NYCRR 6027.3). The regulation sets minimum hours for each topic: role of a security guard 1 1/4 hours, legal powers and limitations 2 hours, emergency situations 1 hour, communications and public relations 1 hour, access control 1/2 hour, ethics and conduct 1 hour, plus a 1/4-hour introduction. After the course you have 16 hours of on-the-job training within 90 days of employment and 8 hours of in-service training each calendar year; the registration is issued for two years (NYS Department of State). 8-hour pre-assignment course ending with a one-hour review and examination period · item count, format, time limit and passing score set by each school. New York publishes no passing score for the examination at the end of the course. The portal practice set uses 70 percent only as a self-check.

New York sets minimum hours per topic rather than exam weights: legal powers and limitations is the longest at 2 hours, followed by the role of a security guard at 1 1/4 hours, and 1 hour each for emergency situations, communications and public relations, and ethics and conduct; access control takes 1/2 hour. This portal practices those six topics.

You must be 18, not convicted of a serious criminal offense, hold a current New York photo driver license or non-driver ID, complete fingerprinting and complete the required training; the pre-assignment course is taken at a school approved by DCJS.

$36 initial application and a fingerprint fee to the vendor; the training school sets its own course price, and renewal is $25.

The registration is issued for two years; renewal costs $25 and requires the annual in-service training described by the Department of State. Armed guards have additional firearms training.

Work through the exam topics one area at a time, finish with timed full-length practice runs of 50 questions in one sitting.

Regulations, fees and school requirements change; this guide follows the official documents listed under Verification as of October 2026. Confirm with the Department of State and your training school.