Obviously, the standards are a lot higher in NY state, as plenty fail here.
I would hope so (and for selfish reasons too, since I now live in NY).
The thing that got me was that plenty of people who passed our practicals failed the written test. Which was among the easiest tests I've ever taken. I would have hoped that the powers-that-be would have noticed that so many demonstrated idiots (people who failed the written test) were passing the practical portion of the test, but I guess not...