Judiciary Clerical Assessment Program, J-CAP, Jobs in New Jersey Court System

The Judiciary Clerical Assessment Program (J-CAP) is designed to accelerate the open competitive appointment process by maintaining an ongoing pool of interested job applicants who have been screened and tested in advance of the need to hire. Job seekers will be able to register for jobs and take examinations at various times throughout the year. State Judiciary employers will be offered a steady supply of eligible candidates, providing a dramatic reduction in both hiring time and the need to appoint provisionally.

Use of Judiciary Clerical Assessment

The program is used only in open competitive situations, not for promotional announcements. When the appointing authority (State Judiciary) identifies a need to hire, it will contact its Civil Service Commission customer service representative who will determine whether the job opening falls under this program. If there is a sufficient number of eligible candidates in the clerical pool who satisfy the requirements of the vacant position, CSC will issue a certification for the position.

The Application Process

Download J-CAP Printable Application

Download the printable application for J-CAP.  Instead of sending a postcard, you will be able to register and choose your test center on the application. Once completed, the application must be returned by mail with a $15.00 processing fee to the Civil Service Commission. For those who do not have computer access, applications are available at the CSC Information Center located at 44 S. Clinton Ave. Trenton NJ or by calling 609-292-4144.

After you have registered, you will be notified of your test date within 4-6 weeks.

To apply, you must be a resident of the United States. By applying for and taking this examination, you are being tested for possible consideration involving vacancies for any of the titles in the Judiciary Clerical Assessment Program; you are NOT being tested for one particular title. Eligible applicants
will remain in the “pool” for one year. You may not take the multiple choice S-CAP test (for general State clerical positions) or the J-CAP test (for Judiciary clerical positions) more than once per year.

The Announcement & Test Process

Job seekers will be made aware of this program through newspaper ads, Internet postings, and other means. The examination will be held at regional test centers throughout the State. Job seekers will be administered a multiple-choice examination. Due to the need to preserve the security of examination
materials, retests will not be administered any sooner than one year from the date of the original multiple choice test administration. Test takers that apply for both S-CAP and J-CAP (Judiciary Clerical positions) will take only one test per year.

Eligible Pool/Duration

Eligible applicants will be placed in an applicant pool for up to one year. While in the pool, applicants remain unranked. When the Judiciary indicates the need to hire a clerical employee, CSC will create a certification of eligible candidates that may be considered for the job, based upon the job title requested and other characteristics (such as special skills, geographical preference, and residency) along with test scores. Candidates with higher test scores will be drawn from the pool before candidates with lower test scores and provided to appointing authorities by bands of scores. Any certified eligible may be appointed from a band on a certification. Veterans’ preference rights will still apply in making appointments; that is, veterans certified will go to the top of the list. Eligible applicants will receive a “Notification of Certification” in the mail. Applicants who respond that they are not interested in a particular certification will not be certified again for that title, but will remain in the pool for other opportunities.

The eligible candidate pool will have no expiration date. Applicants will be continuously added to the pool when they are deemed eligible and removed if they are appointed. Eligible candidates who do not receive an appointment after remaining in the pool for one year will also be removed. After their score expiration date, applicants must take another test and establish a new score.