NJ Civil Service Navigator

N.J.A.C. 4A:4-5.1 General provisions

N.J.A.C. 4A:4-5.1, General provisions. The working test period is part of the examination process designed to permit an appointing authority to determine whether an employee can satisfactorily pe Full text with 3 recorded amendments, 60 citing decisions.

Selection and Appointment · Working Test Period

Current through New Jersey Register, Vol. 58 No. 14, July 20, 2026. Reviewed as of July 26, 2026.

This is an annotated mirror, not the official publication. Verify against the Civil Service Commission before relying on it.

In plain language

The working test period is formally part of the examination, not a separate probation bolted onto the end of hiring. That framing is the reason it exists: it lets the appointing authority find out whether you can actually do the job before the appointment becomes permanent. Every regular appointment to a career service title carries one, with four exceptions. Appointments from special, police, sheriff officer, fire and regular reemployment lists are exempt. So are appointments to a comparable or lower related title in lieu of layoff, and appointments to a title you already held permanently within your current continuous service. Lateral title changes are handled separately. During the period you perform the duties of the title you were appointed to.

Written by the NJ Civil Service Navigator editorial team from the text of N.J.A.C. 4A:4-5.1. It is a description of the rule, not the rule itself, and not legal advice.

(a) The working test period is part of the examination process designed to permit an appointing authority to determine whether an employee can satisfactorily perform the duties of the title. #

(b) All regular appointments to a title in the career service shall be subject to a working test period, except: #

1. Appointments from special, police, sheriff's officer, fire, and regular reemployment lists; #

2. Appointments to a comparable or lower related title in lieu of layoff; #

3. Appointments to titles previously held on a permanent basis within current permanent continuous service; or #

4. For lateral title changes, see N.J.A.C. 4A:4-7.6(b). #

(c) During the working test period, an employee shall perform the duties of the title for which appointment was made. #

(d) An employee who is serving a working test period shall not be eligible for a promotional examination from that title. #

Amendment history

Rule numbers, effective dates and New Jersey Register citations as published. 3 recorded changes.

  1. AmendedR.2019 d.072
    51 N.J.R. 191(b); 51 N.J.R. 1115(a)
  2. AmendedR.2017 d.142
    49 N.J.R. 492(a); 49 N.J.R. 2239(a)
  3. AmendedR.2014 d.099
    45 N.J.R. 500(a); 46 N.J.R. 1331(c)

How this rule has been applied

60 decisions have cited N.J.A.C. 4A:4-5.1. The list below is citations to those decisions, not the decisions. We have not written summaries for this section. A citation with no summary is deliberate: we do not paraphrase a decision we have not read. Nothing here is legal advice.

Appellate Division (2)
  • Cipriano v. Dep't of Civil Service151 N.J.Super. 86; 376 A.2d 571
  • Cipriano v. Department of Civil Service151 N.J.Super. 86; 376 A.2d 571
Civil Service Commission final determinations (42)
  • In re Petrosky, Union Cnty., Dep't of Human Serv.Docket CSV 05680-23
  • In re Jaime, Union Cnty. Dep't of Human ServicesDocket CSV 09761-21
  • In re Payne, Camden Cnty. Dep't of Corr.Docket CSV 04382-19
  • In re Corrales, et al., Dep't of Children & Families, CSC Docket Nos. 2020-1967, et al. (Consolidated)Docket 2020-1967
  • In re Bright, Warren Cnty., CSC Docket No. 2021-600Docket 2021-600
  • In re Engineering Technician Apprentice, CSC Docket No. 2020-575Docket 2020-575
  • In re Construction and Maintenance Technician Apprentice, CSC Docket No. 2020-576Docket 2020-576
  • In re T.Y., Cnty. Corr. Officer, Hudson Cnty., CSC Docket No. 2018-3241Docket 2018-3241
  • In re Conrad, et al., Cnty. Corr. Captain (PC2530T) and Cnty. Corr. Lieutenant (PC2556T), Hudson Cnty., CSC Docket Nos. 2018-701, et al. (Consolidated)Docket 2018-701
  • In re Avilleira, et al., Judiciary Clerk 2 Bilingual in Spanish and English, Monmouth Vicinage, CSC Docket Nos. 2018-2144, et al. (Consolidated)Docket 2018-2144
  • In re Agee, et al., Greystone Park Psychiatric Hosp., CSC Dkt. No. 2014-3110
  • In re Brown, Dep't of Children & Families, CSC DKT. NO. 2013-1984
  • Davis v. Newark Public Library9 N.J.A.R. 841987
  • Schopf v. New Jersey Department of Labor96 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 853
  • Nwosu v. Department of Human Services95 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 436
  • Hogan v. Vineland Board of Education95 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 400
  • Singletary v. Bergen Pines County Hospital95 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 370
  • Niosi v. Department of Public Works95 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 238
  • Memmot v. Department of Health, Twp. of Freehold95 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 118
  • Muhammad v. Department of Corrections94 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 609
  • Lindsley v. Department of Buildings and Grounds, Monmouth County94 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 604
  • Brown v. Department of Labor94 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 362
  • Smith v. Jersey City Housing Authority94 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 381
  • Vaidier v. Mercer County Geriatric Center94 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 94
  • Burchardt v. Union Township Police Department93 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 618
  • De Botton v. Borough of Fair Lawn93 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 579
  • Hall v. Newark Housing Authority93 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 432
  • Amin v. Department of Transportation93 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 406
  • Capone v. State-Operated School District of Jersey City93 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 395
  • Capone v. State-Operated School Dist. of City of Jersey City, Hudson County93 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 395
  • Aller v. Department of Labor93 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 390
  • Bowers v. Irvington Township Police Department93 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 55
  • Davis v. Department of Transportation92 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 769
  • Evelina v. William Paterson College of New Jersey92 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 738
  • Meyrick v. Hunterdon County Sheriff's Office92 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 692
  • Edington v. Treasury Department92 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 673
  • Phillips v. New Jersey Department of Human Services92 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 602
  • Andres v. N.J. Department of Transportation92 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 481
  • Johnson v. Vineland Developmental Center92 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 363
  • Smith v. Northern State Prison92 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 342
  • Vegotsky v. Office of Administrative Law92 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 162
  • Downs v. Marlboro Psychiatric Hosp.92 N.J.A.R.2d (CSV) 94
Office of Administrative Law initial decisions (15)
  • In re Mathur, Dep't of Children & FamiliesDocket CSV 07606-24
  • Petrosky v. Union Cnty. Dep't of Human Serv.Docket CSV 05680-23
  • In re Miller, Essex Cnty. Dep't of Citizen Servs.Docket CSV 00727-18
  • In re Ellington, Essex Cnty. Dep't of Citizen Servs.Docket CSV 12787-16
  • In re Whelan, Office of the Public DefenderDocket CSV 11498-13
  • In re Ray, N.J. State Prison, Dep't of Corrs.Docket CSV 15310-13
  • In re Voigtsberger, Camden Cty. Dep't of Corrs.Docket CSV 17848-13
  • Lisa Brown v. Dep't of Children & FamiliesDocket CSV 2630-13
  • In re Matthew Sailey, N.J. Dep't. of Transp.Docket CSV 1082-13
  • In re Perez, Cnty. of Cape May, Dep't of Crest HavenDocket CSV 13678-13
  • In re Howe, City of CliftonDocket CSV3601-06
  • In re BarnesDocket CSV 3764-06
  • In re MatusDocket CSV 5064-07
  • In re MabsonDocket CSV 2164-05
  • In re AbdelrahimDocket CSV 2229-05
Other decisions (1)
  • CETA hired police officers. Att'y Gen. F. O. 1977-No. 25 (see footnote).

Commission decisions citing 4A:4-5.1

51 decisions of the Civil Service Commission since January 16, 2019 cite this section (granted 46, denied 4, granted in part 1, as the minutes record the outcome). The newest:

All 51 decisions

This rule points to

Elsewhere in Working Test Period