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| Police Officer Entrance Exam What You Should Know |
| by George M. Godoy |
questions will be on the exam (multiple choice, essay, etc.) and what areas of knowledge will be tested.
Ask also if the exam is Civil Service. Civil service exams are usually only offered once or twice a year, and
re-testing may also be limited. Check your guide for specifics, but in general, police officer exams are timed,
contain 100 to 200 questions in several sections, require 2-3 hours time for completion and are scored as
pass/fail or require 70% correct to pass. Most exams are completed by hand (pencil-marked answer sheets),
but many are taken on computers.
Study preparation for the police officer exam is simple and straightforward. Read your test guide front to back
and then read it again. Check out the library, Internet and bookstore for more resources on police exams,
especially for sources with sample questions. Most libraries will have books in the reference section that contain
explanations of the exam sections most commonly used and sample questions for each. If you find an exam
section that you feel is a weak area for you, spend extra time on it to tone down test day anxiety.
Nearly every police officer exam will include 5 areas of evaluation. These areas may be covered in separate
sections of questions, or may be bundled within 2 or 3 sections. They include:
1. Accuracy of Observation/Memory
Your ability to retain and recall specific information. You will be given printed information, allowed to read and
study it (no note-taking) for a certain amount of time (5 to 25 minutes), then the materials are returned and you
are tested on the contents. Tests may be strictly memory recall, or may ask for conclusions to be drawn from
the information given.
This exam section evaluates your ability to perform police-related duties such as: remembering suspect
descriptions, wanted posters/pictures, department policies and procedures, and safety and tactical procedures.
2. Written Skills
Your ability to communicate in writing. You will be given either a spelling or vocabulary test usually consisting of
25-50 words to be defined and spelled correctly. You will also be given, in some form, a scenario to read and
take notes on. You will then write a report that relates to specific test-defined points of the scenario.
This exam section evaluates your ability to perform police-related duties such as: report writing, witness
statements and completing department forms.
3. Reading Comprehension
Your ability to understand what you read. You will be given materials to read and will then answer multiple
choice questions on that information to show that you understand and can apply information you read.
This exam section evaluates your ability to perform police-related duties such as: accurately reading and
comprehending technical and legal information - court orders, department policy, state law, haz-mat warnings
and training materials, for example. Prepare for exam sections 1 - 3 by cornering family and friends to give you
verbal or written answer pop-quizzes on information you've read in newspapers and magazines. This is so close
to a game that you shouldn't have any trouble finding people to 'play'.
4. Decision Making/Judgment Skills
Your ability to identify and comprehend critical elements of a situation and to choose an appropriate course of
action. You will be given written, audio or video materials and then asked to pick the best response out of
several responses, within an extremely limited time frame (10 seconds, for example).
This exam section evaluates your ability to perform police-related duties such as: responding calmly to
provocation, handling authority appropriately, using unbiased enforcement, professional ethics and social
maturity.
Prepare for exam section 4 by studying sample questions, reading newspaper accounts of crimes and
proposing what your response would be, and observing officer response during a police ride along.
5. Navigational Skills/Directional Orientation
Your ability to read maps and recognize the direction you are traveling. You will be given materials that ask you
to find locations on maps, show point to point routes for specific location responses and suspect vehicle and
foot chases. This exam section evaluates your ability to perform police-related duties such as: routing to calls to
decrease response
time, knowledge of street closures and need for re-routing, radio transmissions of a suspect chase, and
emergency response to officer down/needs assistance.
Prepare for exam section 5 by observing the officer during a ride along, sticking a compass in your vehicle and
learning to use landmarks as orientation guides and lastly, involve friends or family in imaginary suspect
'chases'. Your 'chase' exercise would be something like this: Both drivers are in cell phone contact. Your
vehicle is 2 blocks away from your partner's vehicle. You will begin your imaginary 'chase' of a suspect (at legal
speeds) while giving directions to your 'backup' over your cell phone. Set a time limit (5 minutes). When the
suspect is 'apprehended', see if your backup finds you. Then switch roles and have your partner be the lead
vehicle. Your job will be to follow, and also to anticipate routes that would allow you to block the suspects
anticipated direction of travel. Again, this is a great game and you'll have little trouble finding partners.
The police officer exam is designed to evaluate multiple abilities and skills. In addition to the five evaluation
sections noted above, you will also find simple math and problem-solving math questions, and behavioral
questions that indicate character, compliance with laws and personal accountability.
Ask also if the exam is Civil Service. Civil service exams are usually only offered once or twice a year, and
re-testing may also be limited. Check your guide for specifics, but in general, police officer exams are timed,
contain 100 to 200 questions in several sections, require 2-3 hours time for completion and are scored as
pass/fail or require 70% correct to pass. Most exams are completed by hand (pencil-marked answer sheets),
but many are taken on computers.
Study preparation for the police officer exam is simple and straightforward. Read your test guide front to back
and then read it again. Check out the library, Internet and bookstore for more resources on police exams,
especially for sources with sample questions. Most libraries will have books in the reference section that contain
explanations of the exam sections most commonly used and sample questions for each. If you find an exam
section that you feel is a weak area for you, spend extra time on it to tone down test day anxiety.
Nearly every police officer exam will include 5 areas of evaluation. These areas may be covered in separate
sections of questions, or may be bundled within 2 or 3 sections. They include:
1. Accuracy of Observation/Memory
Your ability to retain and recall specific information. You will be given printed information, allowed to read and
study it (no note-taking) for a certain amount of time (5 to 25 minutes), then the materials are returned and you
are tested on the contents. Tests may be strictly memory recall, or may ask for conclusions to be drawn from
the information given.
This exam section evaluates your ability to perform police-related duties such as: remembering suspect
descriptions, wanted posters/pictures, department policies and procedures, and safety and tactical procedures.
2. Written Skills
Your ability to communicate in writing. You will be given either a spelling or vocabulary test usually consisting of
25-50 words to be defined and spelled correctly. You will also be given, in some form, a scenario to read and
take notes on. You will then write a report that relates to specific test-defined points of the scenario.
This exam section evaluates your ability to perform police-related duties such as: report writing, witness
statements and completing department forms.
3. Reading Comprehension
Your ability to understand what you read. You will be given materials to read and will then answer multiple
choice questions on that information to show that you understand and can apply information you read.
This exam section evaluates your ability to perform police-related duties such as: accurately reading and
comprehending technical and legal information - court orders, department policy, state law, haz-mat warnings
and training materials, for example. Prepare for exam sections 1 - 3 by cornering family and friends to give you
verbal or written answer pop-quizzes on information you've read in newspapers and magazines. This is so close
to a game that you shouldn't have any trouble finding people to 'play'.
4. Decision Making/Judgment Skills
Your ability to identify and comprehend critical elements of a situation and to choose an appropriate course of
action. You will be given written, audio or video materials and then asked to pick the best response out of
several responses, within an extremely limited time frame (10 seconds, for example).
This exam section evaluates your ability to perform police-related duties such as: responding calmly to
provocation, handling authority appropriately, using unbiased enforcement, professional ethics and social
maturity.
Prepare for exam section 4 by studying sample questions, reading newspaper accounts of crimes and
proposing what your response would be, and observing officer response during a police ride along.
5. Navigational Skills/Directional Orientation
Your ability to read maps and recognize the direction you are traveling. You will be given materials that ask you
to find locations on maps, show point to point routes for specific location responses and suspect vehicle and
foot chases. This exam section evaluates your ability to perform police-related duties such as: routing to calls to
decrease response
time, knowledge of street closures and need for re-routing, radio transmissions of a suspect chase, and
emergency response to officer down/needs assistance.
Prepare for exam section 5 by observing the officer during a ride along, sticking a compass in your vehicle and
learning to use landmarks as orientation guides and lastly, involve friends or family in imaginary suspect
'chases'. Your 'chase' exercise would be something like this: Both drivers are in cell phone contact. Your
vehicle is 2 blocks away from your partner's vehicle. You will begin your imaginary 'chase' of a suspect (at legal
speeds) while giving directions to your 'backup' over your cell phone. Set a time limit (5 minutes). When the
suspect is 'apprehended', see if your backup finds you. Then switch roles and have your partner be the lead
vehicle. Your job will be to follow, and also to anticipate routes that would allow you to block the suspects
anticipated direction of travel. Again, this is a great game and you'll have little trouble finding partners.
The police officer exam is designed to evaluate multiple abilities and skills. In addition to the five evaluation
sections noted above, you will also find simple math and problem-solving math questions, and behavioral
questions that indicate character, compliance with laws and personal accountability.
| Police Exam 911™ A step-by-step system YOU can use to secure a top score on ANY Police Exam |
| U.S. Border Patrol Exam |
A step-by-step
system designed
specifically
for the
U.S. Border Patrol Exam
| George Godoy - Police Recruitment Specialist |
Sergeant George Godoy (Ret.) is a 22 year police
veteran. During his police career, Sergeant Godoy served
for 5 years as a police recruitment specialist where he
veteran. During his police career, Sergeant Godoy served
for 5 years as a police recruitment specialist where he
personally tested over 1,000 potential police recruits.
Sergeant Godoy has produced unique video presentations where he takes you step
by step through the Police Examination Process and the U.S. Border
Patrol Exam. Follow these links to check out his ONLINE VIDEO Police Exam
and U.S. Border Patrol Exam learning systems.
Sergeant Godoy has produced unique video presentations where he takes you step
by step through the Police Examination Process and the U.S. Border
Patrol Exam. Follow these links to check out his ONLINE VIDEO Police Exam
and U.S. Border Patrol Exam learning systems.
| Online Video Learning Systems: Police Exam - U.S. Border Patrol Exam |
| Police Exam Preparation |
| Police Officer Entrance Exam - What You Should Know |
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You've taken the first step. Your application is in the
hands of a police recruiter. Now you're ready to take the
plunge with the police officer exam. Like everything else
in your quest for the badge, the key to success in the
written exam is: preparation.
First on your prep list is the police officer exam study
guide. Before you leave the recruiter's office, ask for
one, or where you can get one. Many agencies have an
online guide available on their web site. These exam
guides tell you what types of questions to expect and
how many there are per section, how much time you
have on each section, and what skills and abilities are
tested. If your agency does not have an exam guide, ask
the recruiter or your department contact, for information
about the exam. Find out where the exam is taken, the
time required to complete the exam, what types of
hands of a police recruiter. Now you're ready to take the
plunge with the police officer exam. Like everything else
in your quest for the badge, the key to success in the
written exam is: preparation.
First on your prep list is the police officer exam study
guide. Before you leave the recruiter's office, ask for
one, or where you can get one. Many agencies have an
online guide available on their web site. These exam
guides tell you what types of questions to expect and
how many there are per section, how much time you
have on each section, and what skills and abilities are
tested. If your agency does not have an exam guide, ask
the recruiter or your department contact, for information
about the exam. Find out where the exam is taken, the
time required to complete the exam, what types of