Google completes "nyc tour guide license" with "exam questions", "exam questions pdf", "practice test" and "renewal". Here is what is official, what is not, and how to plan it.
The exam, exactly#
- 150 questions, multiple choice, and you need 97 correct (about 65%) to pass.
- $50, non-refundable, paid with your license application.
- Where: ExamBuilder test centres across the city, open 9am to 5pm seven days a week; schedule at dcaschedule.exambuilder.com or (646) 974-8244.
- When: your details reach ExamBuilder about 24 hours after DCWP processes your application, and from that moment you have 60 days to take and pass.
- Fail twice and you pay the $50 exam fee again before the next attempt.
What to study#
DCWP publishes an Exams and Study Reference FAQ for the Sightseeing Guide exam; start there, because it tells you the scope. The exam tests what a guide should know about the whole city, not one tour: the five boroughs and their neighbourhoods, landmarks and their dates (bridges, parks, museums, skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island), history from New Amsterdam to today, geography and the grid, transit (subway lines, ferries, airports), and cultural institutions. The "exam questions pdf" and "practice test" results you will find are unofficial study sets compiled by guides; useful for drilling, not the real paper. The best preparation guides describe: ride every line to its end once, walk every borough, and read a one-volume history of the city.
Renewal#
Every Sightseeing Guide license expires March 31 of even-numbered years, regardless of when you got it. Renewal is $50 per guide. If you miss the window, you refile; the license fee is prorated to how much of the two-year cycle is left ($50, $38, $25, $13, or $63 for up to 30 months), so there is no point waiting for a "cheaper" moment.
The whole process#
How to become a tour guide in NYC has the application, fees and documents in order.
Meanwhile#
Studying takes weeks; being paid for your time with visitors does not need to wait for it. Company for a meal, a game or a newcomer's first weekend is not a sightseeing tour, and it is what a Local Friend on Roavi is paid for, at a rate you set, with no commission. Getting paid for your time in New York.
Live in New York? Get paid for your time with visitors and newcomers, at your rate, no commission.
Become a Local FriendFrequently Asked Questions
How many questions are on the NYC tour guide exam?
150. You need at least 97 correct to pass. It is taken at an ExamBuilder test centre, costs $50, and you have 60 days from when your application appears in their system.Is there an official NYC tour guide practice test?
DCWP publishes an Exams and Study Reference FAQ for the Sightseeing Guide exam. Searches for 'exam questions pdf' mostly find unofficial study sets; use them to practise, not as the real paper.When does the NYC sightseeing guide license expire?
March 31 of even-numbered years, whatever date you got it; renewal is $50 per guide. The license fee is prorated when you first file mid-cycle.