2026 Environmental Police Officer A/B Examination

If you currently have a Civil Service Online Account DO NOT create a new account to apply for this examination.

Utilize the Government Jobs Help & Support to access your account. Online Employment Application Guide | Massachusetts Civil Service Applications

Test takers with two accounts may cause delays with properly recording your application and notifications from civil service such as notices to appear, or job opportunities. If you have questions, please email civilservice@mass.gov.

This exam is being administered by the Human Resources Division (HRD) to establish an eligible list from which to fill Environmental Police Officer A/B vacancies in the Massachusetts Environmental Police (MEP) Agency.

Written Examination Date: August 15, 2026

Application Open Date: May 4, 2026

Application Deadline: July 7, 2026

Examination Processing Fee: $75

Written Examination Location(s): Various sites across the Commonwealth

Notice to Appear for Examination: Approximately two weeks prior to examination date

Examination Information

Examination Requirements

Age Requirement: Candidates must be 19 years of age on or before the date of the examination, and as of the date of appointment candidates must be at least 21 years of age pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 467 of the Acts of 2004.

Education Requirement: As of the date of appointment, candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalency certificate approved by the Massachusetts Department of Education and at least two years of full-time, or equivalent part-time skilled experience in wildlife or fisheries conservation, or Officer on Snowmobile management, natural resources conservation or management, biological or environmental science, forestry, ecology, marine science, conservation law enforcement, or related field, or any equivalent combination of such experience and the substitutions below.

Substitutions

An Associate's degree in environmental science, biology, oceanography, ecology, natural resource management, wildlife management, fisheries management, forestry, conservation law enforcement or related field, may be substituted for one year of the required experience.
A Bachelor's or higher degree in environmental science, biology, oceanography, ecology, natural resource management, wildlife management, fisheries management, forestry, conservation law enforcement, or related field may be substituted for the required experience on the basis of two years of education will substitute for one year of experience.
One year of education equals 30 semester hours or its equivalent. Education toward a degree will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of the requirements actually completed.

Application: An examination processing fee must be received by the application deadline. You will receive two confirmation emails when you have completed the process: one email confirming your application has been received, and one email confirming your payment has been received. Your application is not complete until you have received both confirmation emails. If you have not submitted payment of the examination processing fee on or before the application deadline, your application will not be accepted.

Note: Although the online application system allows candidates to elect to receive notification by email or regular mail, please be advised that HRD utilizes only email for all notices to candidates.

Fee Waiver: The examination processing fee may be waived for candidates who have received certain state or federal public assistance, or unemployment insurance during any portion of the one year immediately preceding the examination date, August 15, 2026. Fee Waiver Forms are available on our website (Fee Waiver Form). This form should be completed and supporting documentation must be scanned and attached to the application. All fee waiver forms must be submitted on or before the application deadline.

Current Military Personnel: Any current military personnel requesting a makeup opportunity, please click here for more information.

Makeup Examination: With the exception of current military personnel, no candidate has a right to a makeup examination due to personal or professional conflicts on the testing date. Candidates are advised to consider this before applying for the examination. If you submit an examination application by the application deadline but are unable to appear for the examination on the scheduled examination date due to an emergency or unanticipated hardship, you may request a makeup examination by filing a written request with verifiable documentation to HRD no later than seven calendar days from the examination date. HRD reserves the right to approve or deny your request. HRD may require an additional examination processing fee upon approval of your request.

Reasonable Accommodations: If you need reasonable accommodations due to a documented impairment, or medical condition, you must fill out the Testing Accommodations Request Form and submit supporting documentation as outlined on the form from a qualified professional detailing what type of accommodation you require at the examination site. The form and supporting documentation must be scanned and attached to the application or emailed to CS-ReasonableAccommodations@mass.gov no later than four weeks prior to the examination date. Without such a letter, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to grant your accommodation. This information is requested only to provide reasonable accommodations for exams and will not be used for any other purposes.

Credit for Employment/Experience: Pursuant to the provisions of Massachusetts General Law (MGL) Chapter 31,

22, individuals may apply to receive credit for employment or experience in the position title of Environmental Police Officer A/B. You must claim this credit by completing the applicable section of the application. All claims must be verified by supporting documentation, which must provide specific details of any employment or experience you have in the examination title as an Environmental Police Officer A/B, including dates of service and, if part time, total number of hours worked. The supporting documentation must be on original letterhead with an original signature from the appointing authority where the employment or experience occurred. Credit for employment or experience is applicable only to individuals who achieve a passing score on the written examination and cannot be added to a failing written examination score. Claims must be submitted during the application period; supporting documentation must be scanned and attached to the application or sent to civilservice@mass.gov. Supporting documentation must be submitted no later than August 22, 2026.

Preference Claims for Environmental Police Officer A/B: Candidates can submit a claim for the following preferences.

Veterans' Preference: Click on this link for further information- Veterans' Preference Eligibility.
Disabled Veteran Status: Click on this link for further information- Disabled Veteran's Preference Eligibility.
Selective Certification for Bilingual/Gender Environmental Police Officers: If an appointing authority requires that an Environmental Police Officer be fluent in a second language (e.g., Spanish, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, etc.) or of a specific gender, the appointing authority may request that competition for that vacancy be limited to persons who have such skills. You will need to prove your language fluency at the time of appointment.

During the Human Resources Division (HRD) review process or during the life of the applicable eligible list(s), candidates must make original supporting documentation available should the issue of authenticity arise with any submitted document copies.

Typical Qualifications

Examples of Essential Duties for an Environmental Police Officer A/B: Under general supervision from Environmental Police Officers or others of higher grade: enforces all general laws of the Commonwealth focusing on the protection of natural resources, wetlands, and waterways, commercial and recreational outdoor activities, and federal laws pertaining to the protection of the Commonwealth's natural resources; follows up on enforcement actions by appearing on the government's behalf in court or legal proceedings; investigates accidents and/or fatalities involving hunting, boating, and recreational vehicles; provides a law enforcement presence and makes law enforcement decisions regarding the environment, public safety, and related educational activities within an assigned geographic area; performs basic maintenance and upkeep and operates motor vehicles, motorboats, snowmobiles, off road vehicles, and related safety equipment; operates electronic equipment; operates enforcement tools, such as handguns, shotguns, chemical immobilizers, chemical weapons, batons, flashlights, and handcuffs; operates personal computers and mobile data terminals; files reports, issues citations, and keeps current with changes in law and polices; conducts patrols, boardings, surveillance, and inspections of commercial and recreational boats, off road vehicles, snowmobiles, and all respective dealers and establishments for compliance with related state and federal statutes and regulations; observes covertly or overtly commercial and/or recreational enterprises or individuals engaged in the activities of boating, fishing, and hunting; launches and retrieves trailered boats, snowmobiles, or off road vehicles; performs search, rescue, and recovery operations; and performs related work as required.

Examination Subjects: The examination for Environmental Police Officer A/B will measure skills and abilities of independence and initiative, accountability, adaptability, interpersonal interactions, problem sensitivity, problem-solving, as well as other skills and abilities commensurate with the essential job functions of an Environmental Police Officer A/B.

Updating Information: Candidates are responsible for maintaining accurate contact information. For information on how to update your information, visit Update Your Account.

Refunds: There will be no refund of the examination processing fee unless the examination is cancelled by HRD.

Private School or Service: HRD does not recommend or endorse any private school, service, or publisher offering preparation and/or publications for examinations and is not responsible for their advertising claims.

Salary: Inquiries concerning salary should be directed to the Agency at the time of employment consideration.

Supplemental Information

Women, minorities, veterans, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

For more information or inquiries about this and other civil service examinations, visit www.mass.gov/civilservice or email the Civil Service Unit at civilservice@mass.gov.

The Civil Service Unit can be reached Monday through Friday, 8:45am – 5:00pm, except holidays at the following numbers.

Boston area: (617) 878-9895 or (617)-878-9700

Toll-Free Within Massachusetts: 1-800-392-6178

TTY Number: (617) 878-9762

There is no Benefit Code

01

Will you be 19 years of age or older on August 15, 2026?

02

Environmental Police Officer A/B Claim for Employment/Experience Credit: Credit will be given only for experience in the position title for which the examination is conducted. In other words, since you are taking the examination for Environmental Police Officer A/B, you can claim any experience you have had performing work ONLY as a Environmental Police Officer A/B. While HRD may hold military make-up exam session(s) after August 15, 2026. HRD will not grant credit for experience accumulated after August 15, 2026. CALCULATING EMPLOYMENT/EXPERIENCE CREDIT: You will receive 0.02 points for each month of creditable employment/experience as a Environmental Police Officer A/B. One month equals 172 work hours or 16 or more work days. Part-time work employment/experience will be prorated on the basis of a 40-hour workweek. Your Employment/Experience Credit is added to your final mark. VERIFYING EMPLOYMENT/EXPERIENCE CLAIMS: 2026 Environmental Police Officer A/B Employment and Experience documentation must be provided in the form of a dated letter, signed by the appointing authority or your employer (past or present), identifying the position title, type of job responsibilities, dates of experience, whether the experience was full or part-time and other pertinent information concerning your experience. If the experience was less than full-time, the verification must include the actual time worked, e.g., number of hours. Letters of verification must be on original, official letterhead or stationery, with an original signature. Employment and Experience documentation must be scanned and attached to your application or emailed to civilservice@mass.gov within 7 calendar days of the written examination (August 22, 2026).

Yes, I am eligible for Employment Experience Credit, and will provide supporting documentation as instructed above.
No, I am not eligible to claim Employment Experience Credit.
Required Question

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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2026 Environmental Police Officer A/B