NYC sanitation exam canceled over cheating concern costs city $1.2M

The New York City Sanitation Department had to throw out the results of an April 13 civil-service exam after answers to the test were found to be widely distributed on Facebook prior to the test, the New York Post reports.

The exam was taken by more than 2,300 sanitation workers looking to be promoted to the role of supervisor—a position that comes with a minimum salary of $80,812. However, once it was discovered that a selection of 121 questions were posted online—100 of which appeared in the actual test—the city made the decision to void the results.

The incident resulted in a cost to the city of at least $1.2 million, the Post reported. The Sanitation Department paid a combined $621,000 to the test-takers to cover their day’s salary and another $565,000 was spent in overtime wages to those filling in for those taking the test.

The city’s Department of Investigation is currently looking into how the breach occurred, and whether or not a scheduled May 11 sanitation exam for promotion to general superintendent may be similarly compromised.

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Staten Island City Councilman Joseph Borelli told the Post that the scandal had wide-reaching implications across the city’s entire civil service sector.

“This calls into question our entire civil service system if we can’t guarantee that tests are fairly administered,” Borelli said.