Exam Bulletin - Agent, ABC

Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

Exam Code: EX-1982

Examination Plans Included:

  • AGENT, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONT - Open

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

Bulletin Updates

  • Any editable section on the Exam Bulletin has been updated.
  • Any editable section on the Exam Bulletin has been updated.

Classification Details

AGENT, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONT: $6,215.00 - $8,390.00 (A) per Month
AGENT, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONT: $7,163.00 - $10,401.00 (B) per Month
AGENT, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONT: $0.00 per Month

View the AGENT, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONT classification specification.

Application Instructions

Upcoming Filing Cutoff Dates:

  • 10/15/2024
  • 12/13/2024

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.

ABC Human Resources Office will accept examination packets on a continuous basis. Applications will be reviewed to ensure the minimum requirements for participation in this exam are met. Possession of the entrance requirements does not assure a place on the eligible list. Applications postmarked or personally delivered after the current advertised exam cut-off date will not be processed until the next exam administration.

NOTE: For the Agent exam, we do not accept examination documents delivered via interoffice mail because there is no datestamp.

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):

  • AGENT, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONT - Open

A list will be established for the Alcoholic Beverage Control Agent position. The names of successful competitors will be merged on the list in order of final scores, regardless of date. The names will remain on the eligible list for a period of 18 months.

For all Classifications, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 1 months:

Exam Code(s):

    1982

For AGENT, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONT, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 1 months:

Exam Code(s):

  • EX-01982

Please Note: you may retake the PELLET-B once every 30 days if you failed to pass the exam.

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:

  • Ginger Valdez
    3927 Lennane Dr #100
    Sacramento, CA 95834

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:

  • 3927 Lennane Dr #100
    Sacramento, CA 95834
    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.

The following items must be submitted with your Examination/Employment Application form. Failure to submit these items may result in rejection of your application.

  • Other - UNOFFICIAL COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED (If meeting minimum qualifications based on education). Candidates will be required to submit official transcripts upon appointment to a position.
  • Criminal Background Supplemental Questionnaire
  • Other - DD214 – Military Discharge Certificate (if meeting minimum qualifications based on military experience).
  • Other - T-SCORE RESULTS ON OFFICIAL LETTERHEAD FROM TESTING FACILITY (Only applicable for Option 1) (See Below Written Test Section for specific instructions)

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.

00101013 - AGENT, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONT

Must meet the peace officer selection standards developed by the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training per Penal Code section 13510(a) and in accordance with existing law. Applicants may be admitted to the examination without meeting the POST peace officer selection standards, but must meet the POST peace officer selection standards prior to appointment; and

Applicants for positions in this class are required to pass a drug screening test prior to appointment; and

Firearm Conviction Disqualification: Anyone who is restricted for employment-related purposes from accessing, possessing, carrying, receiving, or having under their control a firearm or ammunition under all applicable State or Federal laws is ineligible for appointment to any position in peace officer classifications; and

Firearms Requirement: Persons convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence as defined in the amended Federal Gun Control Act of 1968 are disqualified from appointment to peace officer classifications; and

Equivalent to completion of the 12th grade [U.S. high school diploma, high school equivalency (GED), or California High School Proficiency Exam]; and

Effective December 1, 2022


EITHER I


Experience:
One year of experience in the California state service performing duties of an Agent Trainee, Alcoholic Beverage Control, or at a comparable level performing investigative duties. (Applicants who are within six months of satisfying the experience requirement for this pattern will be admitted into the examination, but they must satisfactorily complete one year of experience in the class before they can be considered eligible for appointment.)


OR II


Experience:
Two years of experience as a peace officer (as defined in the California Penal Code Section 830 et. seq. or equivalent Federal or out-of-State law enforcement) performing patrol or investigative work.


OR III


Education:
Three years of active-duty military service in the United States Armed Forces with an honorable discharge for said service. Applicants who are within six months of satisfying the experience requirement for this pattern will be admitted into the examination, but they must be honorably discharged before they can be considered eligible for appointment. Academic education from an accredited college/university may be substituted for the required experience on a year-for-year basis (1 academic year is equal to 30 units).


The above patterns may be combined on a proportional basis to meet the total experience requirements.


General Qualifications:
Candidates must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiatives, dependability, good judgment, and ability to work cooperatively with others, and a state of health consistent with the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class.

Interview Scope:
If an interview is conducted, in addition to the scope described on this bulletin, the panel will consider education, experience, personal development, personal traits, and fitness. In appraising experience, more weight will be given to the depth, breadth and recency of pertinent experience and evidence of the candidate’s ability to accept and fulfill increasing responsibilities than to the length of his/her experience. Evaluation of a candidate’s personal development will include consideration of his/her efforts towards self-development. Evaluation of a candidate’s personal development will include consideration of his/her recognition of his/her training needs; his/her plans for self-development; and the progress he/she has made in his/her efforts toward self-development. 

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

Position Description

00101013 - AGENT, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONT

Agent positions are located statewide.

Agent responsibilities include, but are not limited to, conducting independent investigations of criminal and/or administrative violations committed on or about alcoholic beverage control licensed premises by licensees, their employees, and/or members of the general public; and interpreting and explaining the provisions of the laws, rules, and regulations of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, Penal Code, Health and Safety Code, and Vehicle Code.

Agents perform plain clothes assignments, undercover operations, and uniformed enforcement duties; make physical arrests; write citations; provide technical assistance to law enforcement agencies and others; collect and preserve evidence to support administrative action and/or prosecution; write investigation reports, and write, secure, and serve arrest and search warrants.

Investigations include alcohol sales to minors and people who are intoxicated, possession of alcohol by minors, narcotics sales, illegal weapons, gambling, quality of life crimes, human trafficking, and alcohol source investigations for alcohol-related traffic deaths or serious injury.

ABC AGENTS ARE REQUIRED TO CARRY AND USE FIREARMS AND HAVE A VALID CALIFORNIA DRIVERS LICENSE.

MINIMUM AGE
Minimum age for appointment is 21 years.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Good health, sound physical condition, freedom from any physical or mental condition that would interfere with the full performance of the essential duties of a peace officer; effective use of both hands, both arms, and both legs; strength, endurance, and agility; normal hearing; normal vision (20/20) or vision corrected to normal; color vision must be adequate to successfully perform the job measured by the Ishihara Pseudo-Chromatic Plate Test or for persons failing the Ishihara, the Farnsworth D-15 Arrangement Test; and weight in proportion to height.

BEHAVIORAL STANDARDS
Pre-employment behavioral standards for the selection and testing of peace officer candidates have been established. While considering youthful indiscretion and experimentation, these standards are designed to ensure that peace officer personnel have demonstrated a history of sound judgment, maturity, and honesty, as well as a respect for and adherence to the laws of the State of California and the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. Positions of public trust require people who have demonstrated honesty, sound judgment, personal discipline, and responsibility.

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

Examination Information

Written Test: POST Entry-Level Law Enforcement Test Battery, (PELLETB)

 

The PELLETB will consist of questions that measure the competitor’s ability to read and understand written communications and write clearly using correct grammar and spelling.

 

Reading and Writing Ability:

1. Clarity

2. Vocabulary

3. Spelling

4. Reading Comprehension

5. CLOZE (see preparation guide for an explanation of the CLOZE sub-test)

 

Review the Applicant Preparation Guide for the POST Entry Level Law Enforcement Test Battery to prepare for the PELLETB test.

This examination consists of the following component(s):

Component OrderComponent TypeComponent DuePercentage of Final Score
1WrittenN/A100%

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

OPTION 1: Submit Prior PELLETB T-Score

Competitors can submit their prior Post Entry-Level Law Enforcement Test Battery, PELLETB test results dated within one year of current cutoff date, to the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control by the corresponding cut-off date.   A T-Score of 42 or higher will be accepted.   

Applicants are encouraged to contact law enforcement agencies and/or basic training academies in your area to determine if they are giving the PELLETB test (some agencies also refer to it as the “POST Reading and Writing Test”). You can take it at a location near you for your convenience.   

OPTION 2:  Take the PELLETB test with ABC

Take the PELLETB test given by the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control on written test date below.

Testing is held in Sacramento and Cerritos, California. Your testing region will be determined by the address provided on your application. Applications received after posted cut-off dates will be included in the following administration. Candidate test dates are based on their application filing period in accordance with the following table.

EXAM APPLICATION CUT-OFF DATE:  June 13, 2024

WRITTEN TEST DATE:  July 20, 2024

EXAM APPLICATION CUT-OFF DATE:  August 15, 2024

WRITTEN TEST DATE:  September 21, 2024

EXAM APPLICATION CUT-OFF DATE:  October 15, 2024

WRITTEN TEST DATE:  November 16, 2024

EXAM APPLICATION CUT-OFF DATE:  December 13, 2024

WRITTEN TEST DATE:  January 25, 2024

Please follow FILING INSTRUCTIONS for both options listed above. All accepted applicants will receive a notice in the mail approximately two weeks prior to test date with pertinent information regarding the test.

Required Identification:
Accepted applicants are required to bring either photo identification (driver’s license) or two forms of signed documentation when they appear for the examination.

Failure to complete any of the required forms or failure to appear for the scheduled test will result in elimination from the examination. All information submitted for consideration at every phase of the selection process must be accurate, complete, and truthful and will be subject to verification. Any inaccuracy and/or omission may be considered intentional and may be cause for elimination from the examination and/or subsequent verification.

Retest Period after a Failed Score:
Applicants can only compete in one Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Entry Level Law Enforcement Test Battery test in a 30-calendar-day period.

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:
Investigation techniques and procedures; interviewing techniques, rules of evidence and court procedures; laws of arrest, search and seizure; legal rights of citizens; service of legal process; communication and active listening skills; behaviors indicative of potential hostility; techniques for effective interaction with diverse communities; how to approach problems with cultural awareness and sensitivity; cultural differences and similarities; implicit and explicit biases; community engagement and strategies and the benefits of effective community engagement; reporting obligations when biased behavior or misconduct is observed; characteristics protected under the Racial and Identify Profiling Act; knowledge of the Alcoholic Beverage Control and related statutes and regulations; duties of Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies; and provisions of the laws, rules, or regulations enforced or administered.

ABILITY TO:
Interpret and apply laws and regulations to specific situations; gather and analyze facts and evidence; reason logically, draw valid conclusions, analyze situations accurately, think and act quickly in emergencies, and take an immediate and effective course of action; develop, organize, prioritize, and manage multiple case investigations, work plans, and other assignments or tasks; make appropriate recommendations; communicate effectively, prepare written documents and accurate detailed investigation reports clearly and concisely; follow written and oral instructions; participate effectively in investigations and interviews; be open-minded, flexible, and willing to learn and understand other cultures; seek clarifying questions to get a better understanding of the issue(s); maintain neutrality; identify effective ways to communicate and/or provide support; work cooperatively with various cultural backgrounds and others in the community; defuse, negotiate, and resolve conflicts; recognize and respect diversity through words and actions; have social and cultural perceptiveness; effectively investigate allegations of misconduct pursuant to departmental policy; treat all people with respect and in an unbiased and unprejudiced manner; review and evaluate the work of others; provide guidance and constructive feedback; and establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with Federal, State, local law enforcement agencies and others.

SKILL TO:
Perform investigatory work; and plan, organize, and direct investigations.

Eligible List Information

A Departmental Open eligible list for the AGENT, ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONT Classification will be established for:

  • Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

The names of successful competitors will be merged onto the eligible list(s) in order of final score regardless of test date. Eligibility expires 18 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.

Testing Departments

  • Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

Contact Information

Questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
Ginger Valdez
Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control
3927 Lennane Drive, Suite 100
Sacramento, CA 95834
Phone: (916) 419-2557
Fax: (916) 419-2569
exams@abc.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 Alcoholic Beverage Control 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)

Blank Criminal Record Supplemental Questionnaire