Exam Bulletin - Offset Press Assistant

Department of General Services

Exam Code: EX-1942

Examination Plans Included:

  • OFFSET PRESS ASSISTANT - Open

Final Filing Date: Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.

Bulletin Updates

  • Continous filing dates have been deleted.

Classification Details

OFFSET PRESS ASSISTANT: $5,029.00 - $5,182.00 per Month

View the OFFSET PRESS ASSISTANT classification specification.

Application Instructions

Upcoming Filing Cutoff Dates:

  • 6/6/2025

Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) must be received or postmarked by the filing date indicated above. Applications postmarked, personally delivered or received via interoffice mail after the filing date will be processed in the next group.

Who Should Apply:

The information below will help you determine which classification(s) is(are) appropriate for you. Applicants must meet the Minimum Qualifications as stated on this bulletin to compete in this examination.

Open and Open, Non-Promotional Examination(s):

  • OFFSET PRESS ASSISTANT - Open

For all Classifications, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 12 months:

Exam Code(s):

    1942

For OFFSET PRESS ASSISTANT, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 12 months:

Exam Code(s):

  • EX-01942

How To Apply:

Submit an Examination/Employment Application (STD 678) to apply for this examination.

Electronic applications can be submitted through your account at www.CalCareers.ca.gov.

You may apply by mail to:

  • Department of General Services
    Recruitment and Examination Services Unit
    P.O. Box 989052
    West Sacramento, California, United Stat, CA 95905

Indicate the Examination Code and Classification(s) on your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678).

You may drop off your application and any applicable or required documents at:

  • Recruitment and Examination Services
    707 3rd Street, Lobby
    West Sacramento, California, United Stat, CA 95605
    8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Indicate the Examination Code and Classification(s) on your Examination/Employment Application (STD 678). All applicants must provide proof of identification. Accepted forms of identification are: 1) a photo identification card or 2) two forms of signed identification.

Via Email
DGSExams@dgs.ca.gov
The preferred method of application submittal is via email as it is the most expeditious method of communication.

Applicants are required to submit a completed, signed, and dated:
(1) State Application (Std. Form 678), AND
(2) Training and Experience Evaluation (found at the end of this bulletin) For this examination either by mail, in person, or via email to the addresses listed below. Training and Experience Evaluation received without the State Application (Std. Form 678) will not be accepted.

Do not submit applications to the California Department of Human Resources.

Applications with an original or electronic signature will be accepted.

Dates printed on mobile barcodes or equivalent mobile print technology shall not be considered postmarks and, as such, are not acceptable proof of the date an application was filed.

Applications MUST include “to” and “from” dates (month/day/year), time base, civil service class title(s), and range (if applicable) for all work experience. College course information MUST include title, number of semester or quarter units, name of institution, completion dates, and degree (if applicable). Applications received without this information may have delays in processing and/or may be rejected.

Special Testing Arrangements:

If you require assistance or alternative testing arrangements due to a disability, indicate on your application that you need reasonable accommodation. You will be contacted by a representative of the testing department to make the necessary arrangements. If you have not been contacted by the time you receive notification of testing, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

If you are unable to submit your application or complete the test due to a disability, please contact the testing department listed in the Contact section of this bulletin.

Minimum Qualifications

All applicants must meet the education and/or experience requirements as stated on this exam bulletin to be accepted to the examination.

Unless otherwise stated in the Minimum Qualifications, qualifying experience may be combined on a proportionate basis if the requirements stated below include more than one pattern and are distinguished as "Either" 1, "or" 2, "or" 3, etc. For example, applicants possessing qualifying experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern 1 and additional experience amounting to 50% of the required time of Pattern 2 may be accepted to an examination as meeting 100% of the overall experience requirement.

00107335 - OFFSET PRESS ASSISTANT

Either I
One year of experience in the California state service performing the duties of Printing Trades Assistant II.

Or II Two years of experience in the California state service performing the duties of a Printing Trades Assistant I or Bookbinder I.

Or III Three years of experience in the California state service performing the duties of a Lithographic Pre-Press Assistant.

Or IV Two years of shop experience in printing on an offset press. (Completion of a two-year school course in printing may be substituted for one year of the required experience.)

Position Description

00107335 - OFFSET PRESS ASSISTANT

Definition
Under supervision, to assist with the operation of an offset press by performing the less difficult work; and to do other related work.

Typical Tasks
Operates and maintains automatic and manual splicers on the press; moves and loads paper stock on splicers and into sheetfed feeders and does related paper work for record keeping and assists press operator by adding, mixing and testing fountain solutions; installs and removes blankets, rollers, plates; washes blankets; gums plates; oils and cleans press and keeps work area clean; assists press operator with make ready on the press, sets ink, tension and register; mixes ink for color match; makes up new blankets with bars and recovers dampener sleeves; learns methods of operating a press from the press operator.

Manual dexterity, physical agility, and physical conformation necessary to work within restricted spaces and in unusual positions; ability to lift up to 50 pounds; willingness to work under noisy conditions (hearing protection provided) and to work various shifts (day, evening, or night).

Education equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade.

For information regarding position location(s), please refer to the Eligible List Information section.

Examination Information

This examination consists of the following component(s):

Component OrderComponent TypeComponent DuePercentage of Final Score
1Supplemental ReportWith Application100%

Components that are due with your application will be scored and will count toward your final examination result. Failure to submit these items may result in disqualification or elimination from the examination.

A final score of 70% must be attained to be placed on the eligible list.

Complete and submit the following items with your application. These will be scored and count toward your final examination result. Failure to submit these items will result in disqualification from the examination.

In addition to evaluating the applicant's relative knowledge, skill and ability as demonstrated by quality and breadth of education/experience, emphasis in each test component will be on measuring competitively, relative to job demands, each applicant's:

Knowledge of:
1. Operation of the automatic feeders of an offset press, methods of handling and preserving offset plates, use and care of offset blankets, and terminology and equipment of a printing plant.
2. Operations of simple machinery.
3. Mechanical principles.

Ability to:
1. Read and write English at a level required for successful job performance.
2. Understand and follow directions.
3. Perform mechanical tasks.

Eligible List Information

A Departmental Open eligible list for the OFFSET PRESS ASSISTANT Classification will be established for:

  • Department of General Services

The names of successful competitors will be merged onto the eligible list(s) in order of final score regardless of test date. Eligibility expires 12 months after it is established. Applicants must then retake the examination to reestablish eligibility.

Resulting Eligibility List(s) will be used to fill vacancies throughout the State of California.

Veterans' Preference will be granted for this examination. Veterans' Preference is an assistance program for veterans, veteran widows and widowers, and spouses of 100% disabled veterans who seek employment with the state. Veterans' Preference is also extended to currently serving military members nearing their retirement or separation date.

You are not eligible for Veteran's Preference if you are:

  • A veteran who has been dishonorably discharged or released.
  • A veteran, widow or widower of a veteran, or spouse of a 100 percent disabled veteran who currently has permanent civil service status. (Permanent civil service status is the status of an employee who is lawfully retained in his/her position after completion of the applicable probationary period. This does not include limited term).

Veterans' Preference is codified in Government Code Sections 18973 – 18979.

Veteran status is verified by the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR). Directions to apply for Veterans' Preference are on the Veterans' Preference Application (Std. Form 1093), which is available at www.CalCareers.ca.gov, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Career Credits are not granted for examination(s) administered on an Open basis or a Promotional basis.

Cut-off Date: 1st Friday of every month

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis. Check back periodically as cut-off dates are subject to change or can be cancelled at any time. Such changes or cancellations will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules. Additionally, applications may be processed on a flow basis prior to the cut-off date to meet the hiring needs of the Department.

Testing Departments

  • Department of General Services

Contact Information

Questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

Department of General Services
Recruitment and Examination Services Unit
P.O. Box 989052
West Sacramento, CA 95798-9052
Phone: (916) 376-5400
DGSExams@dgs.ca.gov

California Relay Service: 1-800-735-2929 (TTY), 1-800-735-2922 (Voice). TTY is a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, and is reachable only from phones equipped with a TTY Device.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The State of California is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

Drug Free Statement

It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free State work place. Any applicant for State employment will be expected to behave in accordance with this objective, because the use of illegal drugs is inconsistent with the law of the State, the rules governing civil service, and the special trust placed in public servants.

General Information

Examination and/or Employment Application (STD 678) forms are available at the California Department of Human Resources, local offices of the Employment Development Department, and through your CalCareer Account (www.CalCareers.ca.gov).

If you meet the requirements stated on this examination bulletin, you may take this examination, which is competitive. Possession of the entrance requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. Your performance in the examination described in this bulletin will be rated against a predetermined job-related rating, and all applicants who pass will be ranked according to their scores.

Department of General Services reserves the right to revise the examination plan to better meet the needs of the service, if the circumstances under which this examination was planned change. Such revision will be in accordance with civil service laws and rules and all applicants will be notified.

General Qualifications: Applicants must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, the ability to work cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class. A medical examination may be required. In open examinations, investigation may be made of employment records and personal history and fingerprinting may be required.

Eligible Lists: Eligible lists established by competitive examination, regardless of date, must be used in the following order: 1) sub-divisional promotional, 2) departmental promotional, 3) multi-departmental promotional, 4) service-wide promotional, 5) departmental open, 6) open. When there are two lists of the same kind, the older must be used first. Eligible lists will expire in one to four years unless otherwise stated on the bulletin.

High School Equivalence: Equivalence to completion of the 12th grade may be demonstrated in any one of the following ways: 1) passing the General Education Development (GED) Test; 2) completion of 12 semester units of college-level work; 3) certification from the State Department of Education, a local school board, or high school authorities that the competitor is considered to have education equivalent to graduation from high school; or 4) for clerical and accounting classes, substitution of business college work in place of high school on a year-for-year basis.

Accepted applicants must provide proof of identification at each in-person test session. Acceptable identification consists of a photo identification card or two forms of signed identification.

Application Methods:
Electronic (Your CalCareer Account)
By Mail
In Person (see bulletin for details)
Alternate Application Process

While we recommend that you utilize your CalCareer Account to take advantage of all the tools available, you may choose to apply for this examination without using your account. In this case, print and complete the Exam Application Package Checklist and include it if you submit a hard copy application.

Exam Application Package Checklist

Blank Application Form (STD678)

Accommodation Request (STD679)