What happens if you fail the PELLET B (California police exam)?
Answer:
Hi,
When candidates ask me this, they usually imagine a hard “you failed, that’s it.” The reality is a bit different. On the PELLET B you get a T-score, and each agency decides its own cutoff, like City of Inglewood police officers, California Highway Patrol and sheriffs' departments. If your score is below If your score is below that line, you simply don’t move forward with that department right now. It feels like failing, but it really means that on that day your reading, writing, or verbal reasoning skills weren’t yet at the level they expect.
In most cases, you can retake the PELLET B after 30 days, so one low score never ends your chances of becoming an officer. That said, I always tell people: don’t plan on the retake as a backup strategy. Retesting slows down your hiring process and adds pressure. It’s much better to prepare properly and aim to pass on your first try – and that’s absolutely achievable.
From a preparation expert’s point of view, a “fail” is an open opportunity to get feedback and improve. It usually points to one of three things: reading dense text under time, grammar/spelling and clear writing, or careful verbal reasoning. All of these can be improved with focused, test-style practice. The candidates who do best are the ones who take that seriously before their first sitting: they train those specific skills, walk in knowing what to expect, and give themselves a real chance to clear the cutoff without needing to reapply and wait that 30-day comeback.
