Review all the important information regarding the civil service exam. The Department of Civil Service of New York has a website devoted to the exam at Cs.state.ny.us. This site will give you information about how long the test is, what the test covers and why these tests are important.
Use the study guides the Department of Civil Service hosts on its website. This department hosts study guides for every civil service test. These guides are in PDF format and offer the essential information regarding the exam and practice tests.
Make practice questions on index cards. For example, if the sample test asks you to alphabetize names in the correct order, have a friend write down four random names. Then you can practice quickly alphabetizing the information. Have someone review these concepts with you, or go over them by yourself. Pick out the concepts which are particularly difficult for you -- and focus on them.
Take practice exams using the study guides from the Department of Civil Service. You may also want to take practice tests or classes from companies such as the Civil Service Exam Study Guide Company, who publishes independent guides for studying. While New York State cannot endorse any of these practice exams officially, they can be a useful extra resource for practice exams.