Exam Bulletin - Psychiatric Technician

Department of Developmental Services - Headquarters

Exam Code: EX-2221

Examination Plans Included:

  • PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN - 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

PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN: $3,845.00 - $5,250.00 (A) per Month
PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN: $3,999.00 - $5,618.00 (B) per Month
PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN: $4,159.00 - $5,882.00 (C) per Month
PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN: $5,673.00 - $6,599.00 (S) per Month
PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN: $5,864.00 - $6,993.00 (T) per Month
PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN: $6,079.00 - $7,249.00 (U) per Month

View the PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN classification specification.

Application Instructions

This is not a timed exam. If you request a Reasonable Accommodation your account will be locked and you will not be able to proceed with the exam until the request is processed.

Applications are accepted on a continuous basis.

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):

  • PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN - Open

For all Classifications, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 9 months:

Exam Code(s):

    2221

For PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN, once you have participated in any of the following examinations, you may not recompete for 9 months:

Exam Code(s):

  • EX-02221

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.

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.

00108232 - PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN

Possession of a valid license to practice as a Psychiatric Technician issued by the California Board of Vocational Nurse and Psychiatric Technician Examiners. (Applicants who are within four months of completing the Psychiatric Technician curriculum accredited by the California Board of Vocational Nurse and Psychiatric Technician Examiners will be admitted to the examination but they must secure this license before they will be eligible for appointment.)

Drug Testing Requirement

Applicants for positions in this class are required to pass a drug screening test. Testing of current employees who are applicants in an examination or who are transferring is permitted only if the person does not have a current appointment to a class for which drug testing is a requirement.

Position Description

00108232 - PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN

Gives a basic level of general behavioral and psychiatric nursing care to mentally or developmentally disabled voluntary, involuntary or judicially committed clients; works with other disciplines as part of the treatment team to provide an overall treatment program for the client; under general supervision, performs nursing procedures such as administering medications and treatments, including oral medications, hypodermic injections, urinary catheterizations, enemas and taking and charting temperature, pulse, blood pressure and respiration; observes clients' physical condition and behavior and reports significant changes to unit supervisor or physician and records nursing notes on clients; prepares and cares for clients during treatment; gives first aid as needed; participates as a member of the multidisciplinary team with the development of treatment plans and objectives from assessments of the clients; assists in the training of Psychiatric Technician Trainees, Psychiatric Technician Apprentices, Psychiatric Technician Students, Psychiatric Technician Training Candidates and other ancillary staff.

Helps to create a safe and therapeutic environment for clients; applies mental health principles in all relationships with clients; motivates clients to develop self-reliance in daily living; develops, encourages participation in, and supervises on-the-unit group and individual program activities for clients; assists rehabilitation therapists in occupational, recreational, vocational and educational therapy programs for clients; assists clients with feeding, habit training, and maintaining a well-groomed appearance; keeps clients and their beds, clothing, and living area clean; follows safe practices; protects clients from personal injury; receives visitors and encourages their interest in the clients' welfare; escorts clients on the hospital grounds, and to and from the community; orders supplies as needed; keeps records; and participates in in-service training programs.

Special Personal Characteristics

An interest and a willingness to work in a State hospital; understanding of the behavior of clients; emotional stability; patience; tolerance; tact; alertness; neat personal appearance; hearing and vision required for successful job performance.

Special Physical Characteristics

Possession and maintenance of sufficient strength, agility, and endurance to perform during physically, mentally, and emotionally stressful and emergency situations encountered on the job without endangering the health and well- being of the incumbent, fellow employees, patients, or the public.

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

Examination Information

We recommend using Chrome, Firefox, or Edge for optimal performance when accessing the examination.

This examination consists of the following component(s):

Component OrderComponent TypeComponent DuePercentage of Final Score
1CalHR Online ExamN/A100%

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

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. Fundamentals of nursing care, general behavioral and psychiatric procedures, client behavior and mental health principles and techniques involved in the care and treatment of individual or groups of mentally or developmentally disabled clients
  2. Current first-aid methods 
  3. Medical terminology 
  4. Pharmacology
  5. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation 
  6. Management Assaultive Behavior techniques

Ability to:
  1. Learn and apply general behavioral and psychiatric knowledge, skills, and attitudes 
  2. Establish effective therapeutic relationships with mentally or developmentally disabled clients 
  3. Carry out occupational, recreational, vocational and educational programs for clients
  4. Follow directions
  5. Keep appropriate records
  6. Analyze situations accurately and take effective action

Eligible List Information

A Departmental Open eligible list for the PSYCHIATRIC TECHNICIAN Classification will be established for:

  • Department of Developmental Services - Headquarters

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.

Psychiatric Technician Training and Experience Exam Preview

Instructions:
Rate your experience performing specific job-related tasks.

Respond to each of the following task statements by indicating how the statement applies to you. You are required to respond to every question and provide relevant examples. Also, indicate the references who can verify the information provided.

In responding to each statement, you may refer to your WORK EXPERIENCE, whether paid or volunteer, your EDUCATION, and/or FORMAL TRAINING COURSES you have completed.

PLEASE NOTE: This examination is designed to gain an overall assessment of your education, training, and experience as it directly relates to the duties and the knowledge, skills and abilities required for this position. Possession of specific education is not required to be successful in this examination; however, such achievements may substitute for desirable levels of experience. All components of this examination have been carefully validated by tying them directly to job requirements and documenting their relevance to the position.


  1. Performing nursing care (e.g., taking and recording vital signs, recording weight/height, documenting client’s status and symptoms, medication administration) as needed for health record keeping.
  2. Assisting with the containment of violent, or potentially violent, clients to maintain the safety and security of clients, staff, and the facility.
  3. Responding to medical emergencies (e.g., suicide attempts, violent behaviors, seizures, choking, cardiac issues) by providing emergency care (e.g., CPR, First Aid, Heimlich Maneuver, therapeutic communication).
  4. Documenting client behaviors and interactions through observations made during therapeutic activities to record clients’ responses to treatment.
  5. Facilitating therapeutic activities (e.g., music, recreational, vocational, educational, occupational, group sessions) to help maintain clients’ mental and physical wellbeing.
  6. Completing required medication forms (e.g., missing and/or expired medication, refill requests, medication refusals, noting physician orders) to identify client medication needs and update client records.
  7. Gathering subjective and objective information from clients and treatment team meetings to determine appropriate coping strategies for encouraging clients’ selfreliance in daily activities.
  8. Communicating hazardous/unsafe concerns (e.g., abuse, security breaches, needed repairs, unusual activities) to appropriate staff to maintain the safety of the facility and clients.

Testing Departments

  • Department of Developmental Services - Headquarters

Contact Information

Technical questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

California Department of Human Resources
CalCareer Service Center
1810 16th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (866) 844-8671
CalCareer@CalHR.CA.GOV

Administrative questions regarding this examination should be directed to:

Department of Developmental Services - Headquarters
Department of Developmental Services
Exam Unit
1215 O Street, MS 10-40
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 322-9335

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 Developmental Services - Headquarters 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)