CritiCall Practice Test with Free Questions, Answers, and Explanations

Skip to:

• What is the CritiCall?
• The Test's Modules (Question Types)
• CritiCall Scoring Explained
• Our Top-of-the-Line CritiCall Prep Course

The CritiCall is a pre-employment assessment used by emergency communications agencies to hire 911 dispatchers.

Each agency customizes the CritiCall according to its own needs. However, the test takes 1-3 hous on average.

The CritiCall test is known for being challenging and for good reason. It’s designed to simulate the fast-paced, high-stakes environment of a 911 dispatch center.

From multitasking and data entry to decision-making under pressure and prioritizing information quickly, the abilities assessed in this test are the same ones you'll use on the job. 

The CritiCall has a unique feature:

Agencies that use the assessment gain access to a library of "test modules". They can choose which modules to include, and in what order.

Each module is focused on a specific skill required for emergency dispatch and telecommunication roles. This ensures that you are thoroughly tested on the core competencies that will help you succeed in the field.

Click on a module icon to skip ahead to that module.

The four Common Modules Are:

We recommend practicing all modules, even though some may not be part of your test.

This extra practice will not only help you prepare for any surprises but also boost your overall abilities and confidence, setting you up for success in your career.

Now, let’s go over each module and discuss which key skill they measure!

The CritiCall Typing Test is designed to examine your ability to accurately and efficiently input data, which is a crucial skill for 911 dispatchers. 

The minimum typing speed required from a 911 dispatcher and 911 operator candidate is set by the agency you’re applying to. That said, it’s recommended to reach a typing speed in the CritiCall typing test of 35 WPM and above,  and to be able to type at this speed for at least 5 minutes.

Here's how it looks:

*source: JobTestPrep CritiCall Practice Tests

The CritiCall Data Entry test evaluates your ability to correctly enter data, such as names, license plate numbers / VIN numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, and other alphanumeric characters into their appropriate fields.

There are two Data Entry versions:

(1) Split screen with the data on one side and empty fields on the other one.

(2) An audio recording of an emergency call with a person who says all the details. You’ll need to fill out the boxes only with what you hear.

You'll be graded on the speed and accuracy of the data you enter into the correct boxes. You'll also need to respond quickly to any emergency messages that appear at the bottom of the screen (similar to the Decision-Making section).

Failing to respond to a decision-making message within 15 seconds after the message appears will result in a lower score.

Here's how the first Data Entry version (non-audio) looks in JobTestPrep's practice pack

JobTestPrep’s CritiCall preparation pack includes thorough practice for the Data Entry part, which is one of the most important modules of the exam. This practice will help improve your data entry skills and multitasking abilities (multitasking between data entering and responding to emergency messages).

The map reading test requires orientation abilities and following instructions and directions.

Map Reading is a crucial skill for a 911 dispatcher since it requires the ability to orientate in and understand navigation to a scene of an emergency. It requires spatial reasoning skills, following instructions, and usage of directions (north, south, east, and west, and adjusting to left and right according to the current direction).

The CritiCall map reading questions will usually consist of two types:

• Best route: you'll need to find the most direct route between two locations.

• Orientation: you'll need to follow directions from a given starting point and determine where you will be at the endpoint.

A Map Reading guide and 13 practice tests with hundreds of map reading questions, and a variety of maps can be found in our CritiCall Preparation Pack. 

Let’s go over an example question!

The CritiCall Cross-Referencing practice test is a module designed to assess how well you can locate and verify information quickly and accurately using multiple sources—a critical skill for 911 dispatchers who must match details from callers, databases, and maps under time pressure.

 What You’ll See in the Test

• You’ll be given two or more data tables or lists (e.g., license plates, names, addresses, or case numbers).
  
  
• Each question will ask you to match or verify a specific detail by cross-referencing the data between these tables.
  
  
• The goal is to determine if the information provided (like a phone number or vehicle ID) is correct, mismatched, or missing.

What It Measures

• Attention to detail: Spotting discrepancies in similar-looking data.
  
  
• Speed and accuracy: Working quickly without sacrificing precision.
  
  
• Multi-tasking: Handling multiple sources of information simultaneously.

The next module aims to test your attention to detail and focus. You will need to be methodical to ensure that no mistakes are made. Proceed to the Character Comparison module, which demands attention to even the slightest details, methodical work, staying focused, and working quickly yet thoroughly.

The next module we will cover is the Probability Module which requires both numerical and reasoning skills. 

This section of the assessment will require:

• Determining which appropriate emergency agency to send to a scene - Fire Department, Police, EMS, or Utility.
• There will be specific instructions to help you decide which appropriate agency you should send (each department might have its own policies).
• This section usually has a 30-minute time limit.

Example from the CritiCall Test:

Example from JobTestPrep's Practice:

The next CritiCall test practice module refers to the 911 Dispatcher's ability to make difficult decisions while prioritizing. The Prioritization module will present you with different scenarios of varying urgency levels.

Prioritizing scenarios correctly is crucial and may be the difference between a successful response and a disaster. It requires you to consider both time and response urgency - for example, whether the situation is ongoing, whether there is any current danger to civilians, how serious an injury is, and so on.

Next, you will face the Mathematics Module, comprised mostly of word problems in a variety of difficulty levels. The Mathematics Module requires numerical abilities, an understanding of basic arithmetic operations, the use of fractions, decimals, and more.

It also requires an ability to translate written problems into equations – while knowing which equations should be used (i.e., remembering that time multiplied by speed equals distance). 

You can find math study guides and practice tests of increasing difficulty in our CritiCall PrepPack.    

For more math assessing exams, check out our Free Wonderlic Test Practice.

This part of the CritiCall test involves listening to brief stories or details about specific individuals. Your task is to summarize the key information from the calls and accurately enter it into the designated fields.

This section is available in three different formats, and each agency may select one or more of them:

1. Short stories, each followed by a single multiple-choice question about the information presented.
   
   
2. A caller's personal information and a brief story, followed by multiple-choice questions.
   
   
3. The same as the second format, with an added challenge of responding to emergency alerts that pop up at the bottom of the screen, similar to the Decision-Making section.

You’ll be able to write notes on your computer while you listen to the recording. These notes will be helpful afterward when you answer the questions.

CritiCall memory recall questions require listening to voice recordings of letters and numbers, and then repeating the recorded sequence.

911 Dispatchers require more than just prioritizing skills, typing and summarizing abilities. The next module - Reading Comprehension- assesses the verbal skills necessary to understand and respond to texts. As the examples demonstrate, reading comprehension requires careful reading, verbal proficiency, an understanding of context, and summarization techniques. Some of the texts may be lengthier, contain more details, or be at a higher English level.

Next is another verbal module – Sentence Clarity, which focuses on using proper English and the ability to rephrase or clarify sentences. The Sentence Clarity module requires excellent verbal skills, proficiency in English, and a sharp eye for errors. It involves selecting how a sentence should be phrased, as well as being able to rephrase it in the most effective way.

The following module is another verbal module – Spelling.

The Spelling module requires proper English, verbal proficiency, as well as listening abilities. The questions, which may involve sentence completion or correction, could include recorded words or not. 

Most agencies divide the CritiCall score into two metrics:

For most categories, a simple percentage score is used. Each module is scored separately, based on the number of questions you answer correctly out of all the questions in the module.

For these percentage scores, it’s important to know that skipping and guessing wrong both affect your score, so think well before you choose to guess or ignore a question.

In addition to the percentage-scored modules, two modules are scored using throughput metrics. This is a way of saying they gauge how much work you churn out in a given time. The modules are:

• Data Entry – uses Keystrokes Per Hour (KPH)
• Typing- used Words Per Minute.

Note – this doesn’t mean that speed alone affects your score for these modules – most agencies use a modified version (net KPH and net WPM) to account for errors.

This can change between agencies. Most will select candidates who have passed every module independently, based on a cutoff they choose (usually around 80% for percentage modules, 3000 KPH or 35 WPM for throughput modules).

This means failing a single module can result in a failed test.

Some agencies only grade some modules, leaving others ungraded. In such cases, they still want you to take those sections in order to assess your answers at later stages of the process, like the professional interview.

If this is the case with your agency, you will be informed of it.