Prepare for the Police NPOST Test

The National Police Officer Selection Test (NPOST) was created by Stanard & Associates as an entry-level basic skills test for law enforcement officers. The NPOST is used by a variety of municipal, county, state and federal agencies. It has been mandated as the statewide entry-level test by the states of Iowa and Utah.

The NPOST exam measures basic skills in math, reading and writing. The POST is made up of four separately-timed test sections. The first three sections utilize multiple choice and true/false formats. The fourth section requires you to write out your answers in complete sentences. 

Please note that while we do not provide an exact test simulation, our PrepPack™ is customized in a way that provides excellent comprehensive practice. Using our practice resources and study guides will significantly improve your chances of acing the test.

NPOST Section I - Mathematics

In this section of the NPOST exam you will be required to use basic arithmetic. You will be presented with word problems. You will have to read each situation and solve the problem. You are not allowed to use a calculator in this section, scratch paper will be provided.

This section consists of 20 questions and you will have 20 minutes to answer the questions.

NPOST Section II - Reading Comprehension

This section measures reading comprehension. You will read passages relating to police duty and then answer questions based on these passages. No prior knowledge of law or law enforcement is needed to answer the questions. All the information needed to answer the questions will be provided in the passage. There are three different types of questions that will be asked in this section.

1. True/False questions in which a statement will be given concerning a passage or sample report form. The statement will either be accurate and true based on a passage or form, or the statement will be inaccurate and false according to a passage or form.
2. Questions in which you will be asked to choose the correct answer according to the information presented in a passage or on a sample report form.
3. Questions in which you will be asked to choose the alternative that best completes the sentence. Answers should be based on the information in the passage or on the report form.

There are 25 questions in this section and you will have 25 minutes to answer them.

NPOST Section III - Grammar

This section of the exam requires you to identify errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling. There are two types of questions presented in this section.

• The first type presents incomplete sentences and you are to choose the alternative that best completes the sentence. For these items, be sure to read carefully any material appearing before or after the item. The right answer may be dependent on this material.
• The second type of question presents sentences that contain a spelling error and you are to choose the alternative that contains the misspelled word.

There are 20 questions in this section of the test. You will have 15 minutes to answer them.

NPOST Section IV - Incident Report Writing

This section tests your writing skills. You will be provided a completed sample incident report form. You will be asked to use the information contained on the form to answer the questions. All of your answers must contain the correct information and be written in complete sentences. The sentences must be grammatically correct and all words should be correctly spelled.

There are 10 questions in this section of the test and you will have 15 minutes to answer them. To receive maximum credit, answers must contain the correct information, be in complete sentences, contain no misspelled words and be grammatically correct.

Prepare for the NPOST with JobTestPrep

JobTestPrep provides test content and format to familiarize you with the exam. Preparing for the NPOST will get you one step closer to becoming a police officer. Our practice packs include practice test and study guides to prepare you for the exam.

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