The NJ LEE exam — the New Jersey Law Enforcement Examination — is the standardized written test the state Civil Service Commission uses to screen candidates for entry-level public safety jobs: municipal police officer, county corrections officer, juvenile detention officer, and sheriff’s officer. Your score lands you on a ranked eligible list for a specific jurisdiction, and hiring agencies pull from that list when they have vacancies. The written test is only the first gate. Before you’re sworn in, you also have to pass a physical performance test, a deep background investigation, medical and psychological evaluations, and a police academy.
Who Can Take It
The age window for municipal police appointments is 18 to 35, set by N.J.S.A. 40A:14-127.1Justia. New Jersey Code 40A:14-127 – Age Requirements If you meet the age requirement on the announced closing date of the exam, you stay eligible for the entire life of the resulting list even if you turn 36 while waiting for a call. Veterans whose military service pushed them past 35 may qualify for an extension under federal reemployment protections.
Beyond age, the general qualifications statute requires U.S. citizenship, the ability to read, write, and speak English competently, good moral character, and no convictions for crimes of moral turpitude.2Justia. New Jersey Code 40A:14-122 – General Qualifications of Members of Police Department and Force Most job announcements also require a high school diploma or equivalent, and some agencies add their own layer: 30 or 60 college credits, for example. Read the specific announcement for the jurisdiction you’re applying to.
Residency is where a lot of applicants get tripped up. The New Jersey First Act requires all public employees hired on or after September 1, 2011 to live in New Jersey, with one year after their start date to relocate if they don’t already.3New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development. New Jersey First Act On top of that, many municipalities have their own ordinances requiring officers to live in the town or within a set radius. The Civil Service Commission’s application instructions warn that you must be a resident of the township or county listed on the announcement to be eligible for that particular list.4New Jersey Civil Service Commission. Online Application System Instructions
How to Apply and What It Costs
Applications run through the Civil Service Commission’s Online Application System. Before you start, find the symbol number for the specific announcement you want. Each symbol number is a unique code tying your application to a jurisdiction and title, and applying under the wrong one is a common mistake. Symbol numbers are posted on the Commission’s public safety announcements page.5New Jersey Civil Service Commission. Entry-Level Public Safety Titles
The online system asks for your legal name (exactly as it appears on your government ID), contact information, residency history, education, employment history, and any military service.4New Jersey Civil Service Commission. Online Application System Instructions Gather all of that before you log in — the session times out if you take too long. Military service belongs on the application because it drives veteran preference on the eligible list.
The processing fee is $70, whether you select one title area or all of them on the same application.6New Jersey Civil Service Commission. Entry Level Law Enforcement Examination (LEE) FAQ Standard Civil Service exams offer a reduced fee for veterans, but the LEE fee is set separately to cover the cost of the specialized test.7Cornell Law Institute. New Jersey Administrative Code 4A:4-2.17 – Application Processing Fees Pay by credit card or electronic check inside the portal, and save the emailed confirmation. Keep it for the entire hiring cycle.
Once the application window closes, the Commission schedules qualified applicants at test centers around the state and sends notice of your assigned date and location.
What the Written Exam Covers
The LEE has three parts: a cognitive ability test, a work styles questionnaire, and a life experience survey. The full session runs about three hours with instructions.
The ability test measures reading comprehension, written expression, basic math, and deductive reasoning — the analytical work officers do daily, from understanding written directives to writing reports. This is the scored portion that determines your ranking on the eligible list, so it carries the most weight.
The work styles questionnaire and life experience survey are different animals. They assess personality traits, behavioral tendencies, and interpersonal attitudes, comparing your profile to patterns seen in successful officers. You can’t really study for these in the traditional sense, but honesty and consistency matter; inconsistent answers raise flags. Watch your time. Running out of clock on the ability test because you lingered on the questionnaire is a mistake that costs people spots on the list.
How Your Score Turns Into a Job Offer
After the exam, the Commission scores the ability test and builds eligible lists by jurisdiction. Within each list, order follows a strict hierarchy: disabled veterans first (ranked by score), then veterans (ranked by score), then everyone else (ranked by score).8Legal Information Institute. New Jersey Administrative Code 4A:4-3.2 – Order of Names on Eligible Lists This is absolute veteran preference: a veteran who scored lower than a non-veteran still sits higher on the list. If you’re not a veteran, understand this before you invest months in the process — a perfect score does not put you ahead of a veteran who passed.
When an agency has a vacancy, it requests a certification from the Commission. Under the Rule of Three, the Commission certifies the three highest-ranked interested candidates and the agency picks from among them.9Justia. New Jersey Code 11A:4-8 – Certification and Appointment Disabled veterans at the top of a certification generally cannot be passed over without documented cause.
Eligible lists last three years from the date they are established. The Commission’s chairperson can extend a list for good cause, but no list can exceed four years total.10Legal Information Institute. New Jersey Administrative Code 4A:4-3.3 – Duration and Cancellation of Eligible Lists If you aren’t hired inside that window, you retake the LEE when the next cycle opens.
The Physical Performance Test
Separately from the written exam, candidates must pass a Physical Performance Test consisting of five events performed in a fixed order. The New Jersey Police Training Commission sets the standards:11New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Physical Training Standards for Trainees
- Vertical jump: 15 inches minimum
- One-minute sit-ups: 28 repetitions minimum
- 300-meter run: 70.1 seconds or less
- One-minute push-ups: 24 repetitions minimum
- 1.5-mile run: 15 minutes 55 seconds or less
These are minimum thresholds, not competitive targets. At the academy level, trainees who fall short on any single event get nine conditioning sessions followed by a retest on the failed event; failing after that retest means dismissal.11New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Physical Training Standards for Trainees
After the Conditional Offer
Making the list is not a job offer. Once an agency selects you off a certification, you get a conditional offer, and then the real screening begins.
The background investigation is the most intensive step. Investigators go through your criminal history, driving record, employment history, education transcripts, financial records, and personal references. It routinely takes several months. Some things are automatic disqualifiers: a conviction for any indictable offense, any domestic violence conviction, selling or manufacturing illegal drugs at any point in your life, a dishonorable military discharge, or being subject to a domestic violence or stalking restraining order.12New Jersey State Police Recruiting. Minimum Qualifications and Disqualifiers Two or more DWI convictions, or a single DWI within the past five years, will also disqualify you.
Drug testing is mandatory for all law enforcement applicants as a condition of employment, governed by the Attorney General’s statewide policy. Officers who test positive face termination.13New Jersey Office of the Attorney General. Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Drug Testing Policy
Medical and psychological evaluations come after the conditional offer. A physician evaluates whether you meet the physical health standards for the position, and a psychologist assesses fitness for duty. If either results in disqualification, the agency must request your removal from the eligible list and provide you a copy of the report explaining why. You have appeal rights.
Police Academy
Candidates who clear every screening step attend a basic training course approved by the New Jersey Police Training Commission. Municipal officer academies typically run about 26 weeks. The State Police academy runs about 24 weeks and adds its own requirements, including swimming 50 yards followed by five minutes of treading water, qualifying with firearms at 80 percent accuracy, and passing a firearms safety quiz with a perfect score.14New Jersey State Police. Academy
Coursework covers criminal law, constitutional law, defensive tactics, firearms, emergency vehicle operations, first aid, and community policing. Recruits must pass written exams with a minimum score of 70 percent and meet the same physical fitness standards as the PPT.14New Jersey State Police. Academy Most departments hire you as a probationary employee during academy training, so you earn a salary while you’re there. Washing out means losing the position.
If You Want to Appeal
If you believe your exam score is wrong, you were unfairly disqualified, or you were improperly removed from an eligible list, the Civil Service Commission has a formal appeals process. Appeals must be submitted in writing and carry a $20 filing fee. Appealable decisions include exam eligibility, exam scoring, exam administration issues, list removals, and medical or psychological disqualifications.15Civil Service Commission. Appeals – Frequently Asked Questions
If the Commission issues a decision you disagree with, you have two paths. You can file a request for reconsideration within 45 days, but only on narrow grounds: new evidence that wasn’t available earlier and would change the outcome, or a clear material error in the Commission’s decision. Or you can bypass the Commission and file a Notice of Appeal with the Superior Court, Appellate Division, within the same 45-day window.15Civil Service Commission. Appeals – Frequently Asked Questions The court route is worth considering when the Commission’s own rules are the problem rather than a factual mistake in how they applied them.