1.1 Current Exam Facts

The New York Security or Fire Alarm Installer written exam is the Department of State sitting that stands between most 2026 applicants and a license under General Business Law (GBL) Article 6-D. OpenExamPrep independent study material that helps candidates prepare for the NY DOS Security or Fire Alarm Installer exam starts with current exam-day facts, because a technically prepared installer can still be turned away for bringing cash, a codebook, or an expired identification card.

Why these facts matter on the written exam

The New York State Department of State (DOS), Division of Licensing Services publishes a walk-in bulletin, not a national testing-vendor reservation. The July–December 2026 Security or Fire Alarm Installer Written Examination Information and Schedule states that you register at the test center on exam day, that seats are first-come/first-served, and that late arrivals are not admitted. Those sentences are as operational as Ohm's law for this credential. They also tell you what the paper covers: the exam is multiple choice and is based on the 81-hour prelicensing curriculum.

Treat this sitting as a statewide occupational exam, not a city fire-department certificate. This exam is not a Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) Certificate of Fitness. FDNY certificates address specified New York City fire-alarm duties under city fire rules. GBL Article 6-D still requires the DOS installer license for the business of installing, servicing, or maintaining security or fire alarm systems. Studying only FDNY booklets leaves security topics, DOS walk-in rules, and GBL license logistics untaught.

Who may sit and who owns the paper

You must be 18 years of age. DOS owns the exam and the license. Official pages to keep bookmarked are the Get a Security or Fire Alarm Installer License page and the current half-year bulletin. The legal name of the license is Security or Fire Alarm Installer. The written exam covers both security and fire: motion detection, perimeter systems, access control, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) sit beside fire technology and job safety.

DOS does not publish the number of items on the written exam. Do not memorize "100 questions" as the real exam size. If a prep site, a classmate, or an outdated metadata card quotes an item count, treat that number as unpublished. DOS also does not mail a percentage. Results are passed or failed only.

Time, format, and closed-book conduct

Applicants are allowed 2½ hours after instructions. The clock starts when the supervisor finishes the instructions, not when you sit down. Use the instruction period to confirm you have two #2 pencils, your identification is available if staff need it again, and your phone is off.

The exam is closed book. Dictionaries, books, other reference materials, large bags, and briefcases are not allowed, and the bulletin says there is no place to store them. Cellular phones, beepers, and other electronic devices must be turned off. Eating, drinking, or smoking is not permitted. Visitors, guests, and children are not permitted. Firearms are not allowed; DOS directs questions about that policy to the exam unit at (518) 473-2731. Anyone using notes, giving or receiving help, removing examination materials, causing a disturbance, or otherwise violating proper conduct can be dismissed. Disciplinary decisions are made by the Exam Supervisor at the Department of State.

What you must bring

1. A current photo-bearing government-issued signature identification from the bulletin list: driver's license; state-issued identification such as a non-driver ID; military ID; United States passport; Employment Authorization Card issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; United States Immigration and Naturalization Service issued ID; certificate of U.S. citizenship; foreign passport; IDNYC (New York City resident ID); Brazilian, Mexican, Honduran, or Ecuadorian consular ID; or a Mexico voter ID card.
2. The $15 examination fee, paid by check or money order payable to the Department of State, or charged to Visa or Mastercard. Cash is not accepted. Examination fees are nonrefundable. A $20 fee is charged for any returned check.
3. Two #2 pencils. Pencils are not provided at the site.

Arrive 15 minutes before the posted start time. If you are late, you will not be admitted.

Topics named on the July–December 2026 bulletin

The bulletin lists: basic electricity; all standards and codes; control devices; alarm transmissions; motion detection; perimeter systems; access control; CCTV systems; job planning; fire technology; and job safety. For this exam, questions relating to standards and codes are based on the New York State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. The bulletin does not print NFPA edition years. Do not treat a third-party edition claim as a DOS bulletin fact.

Walk-in sites on the July–December 2026 schedule

Confirm dates on the current PDF before you drive. Locations and start times on that bulletin are:

• Albany (Albany County): Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, 80 South Swan Street, 9:00 a.m.
• Binghamton (Broome County): State Office Building, 44 Hawley Street, 1st Floor, 1:30 p.m.
• Buffalo (Erie County): 295 Main Street, Room 845, 9:00 a.m.
• Franklin Square (Nassau County): Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall, 68 Lincoln Road, basement, 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
• Hauppauge (Suffolk County): Perry Duryea State Office Building, 250 Veterans Memorial Highway, basement conference room, 9:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
• New York City (New York County): 123 William Street, 7th Floor, 9:00 a.m. Enter doors to the left of the main lobby, take the escalator to the 2nd floor, then the elevator. This is not the 2nd-floor Division of Licensing Services customer-service counter.
• Pomona (Rockland County): Rockland County Fire Training Center, 35 Firemen's Memorial Drive, 1:30 p.m.
• Rochester (Monroe County): Finger Lakes Developmental Disabilities State Operations Office, 620 Westfall Road, 1:30 p.m. Park in the lot on the right; do not enter through the main lobby; look for the "New York State Testing" sign.
• Syracuse (Onondaga County): Hughes State Office Building, 333 East Washington Street, main floor, 1:30 p.m.
• Utica (Oneida County): State Office Building, 207 Genesee Street, 2nd Floor, Room 205, 1:30 p.m.

Weather cancellations: check the Division of Licensing Services website, the Department of State's Facebook or Twitter (@NYSDOS) accounts, or call (518) 474-4429. Do not call the exam centers listed on the bulletin.

Applicants who need special testing arrangements because of a learning, physical, mental, or psychological disability should complete the DOS Special Testing Arrangements Request before relying on an ordinary walk-in seat.

Results, readmission, and the two-year clock

If you pass, DOS mails a PASSED notice. The original notice—not a photocopy—must be submitted with form DOS-1587-f-a. If you fail, DOS mails a fail notice that you may use for readmission to another examination. Examination results are valid for two years. Waiting for a numerical score that will never arrive wastes calendar time you need for fingerprints (receipts last five months) and for the $185 Path A application.

GBL §69-r(2) provides that the $15 exam fee is included in the license fee if the applicant qualifies from that exam. You still pay $15 at the test center; the Path A application still lists $185. Do not skip the door fee because of the statute.

Realistic Department of State scenarios

Scenario 1 — Wrong floor in Manhattan. A Queens technician goes to 123 William Street, 2nd floor, because that is the published customer-service address. The July–December 2026 exam room is on the 7th floor. After a lobby delay, the candidate is late and is not admitted.

Scenario 2 — Open-book habit. A Module 4 student brings a printed Uniform Code excerpt "just for definitions." The sitting is closed book. Staff will not store the packet. The candidate either discards it or is turned away.

Scenario 3 — Score-chasing delay. A Rochester sitter waits weeks for a percentage, then learns the letter only says failed. The fail notice is the readmission document. A later pass notice is valid two years; sitting again in month 23 leaves almost no time to assemble IdentoGo proof and original course certificates.

Scenario 4 — Cash at the door. A Buffalo candidate brings $15 cash because "state offices take cash." The bulletin rejects cash. Without a check, money order, Visa, or Mastercard, the candidate cannot sit.