NYPD Test Online Preparation - Your NYPD Career Starts Here
Updated: February 25th, 2025
The road to becoming one of New York's Finest is a challenging one. As the largest and one of the oldest police departments in the United States, the NYPD has a rigorous set of tests in place to ensure only the best candidates are selected as future police officers.
On this page, we will break the NYPD test process down for you, so that you know exactly what you need to prepare for, and how. We also offer access to our full NYPD test preparation pack, which includes:
- 1 Full NYPD test simulation, that will provide you with a true-to-source experience of the format and question types you will face in the real test.
- 37 Practice tests for every part of the NYPD written entrance exam, that will sharpen the cognitive skills necessary for acing the test and allow you to focus your work on the areas you need.
- Study guides and full score reports for every test, that will help you gain an in-depth understanding of the theory behind the NYPD test.
The NYPD Police Officer Exam testing period starts Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Practicing in advance helps you get comfortable with the test and boost your confidence.
NYPD Test Practice
- Full NYPD Test Simulation
- 6 Deductive Reasoning Tests & Guide
- 5 Inductive Reasoning Tests & Guide
- 2 Memorization Tests & Guide
- 3 Visualization Tests
- 9 Information Ordering Tests
- 2 Problem Sensitivity Tests
- 10 Reading Comprehension Tests & Guide
- 3 Spatial Orientation Tests
What is the NYPD Exam?
Possibly the most important part of the New York City Police Department hiring process is the NYPD test, often referred to as the police officer written exam. The NYPD test aims to measure the cognitive capabilities that police officer candidates possess, especially those that correlate directly with what is needed in daily police work in New York City.
The NYPD test is timed, and the questions can be very challenging - a dangerous combo that without proper preparation can easily mean you find yourself missing out on the job. This is why accurate prep is key.
Format of the New York City Police Department Written Exam
The NYPD Test is a timed computer-based test given in a multiple-choice format. You will have 2.5 hours to answer approximately 85 questions, which reflect the on-the-job activities of New York City police officers.
The NYPD exam evaluates the following competencies. These include:
- Memorization – The memory section of the test is considered to be the most difficult part of the entire exam. You will have 10 minutes to carefully study the details of a photo. You may not take notes; and once the viewing time has elapsed, you may not look back at the picture. Expect the questions to cover the smallest and most remote aspects of the photo.
- Spatial Orientation – Not only does this part of the assessment evaluate your relative (left-right) and absolute (north-south) directional skills, it also requires a degree of reading comprehension, attention to detail, and problem-solving. Many questions in this section will provide you with a map and ask you to find the fastest route between two places. Other questions may be presented in the form of a written scenario where you need to determine the last known direction or location of a person or object.
- Written Comprehension – A written comprehension test determines your ability to read and understand written information. In this section, you are presented with several passages pertaining to police work (e.g. a sample crime report). After each passage, you will be asked a series of questions regarding details from the text.
- Written Expression – In this section, you are tasked with restating information from a document (e.g. an incident report) so that it can be easily understood while retaining its original meaning. Having strong grammar and writing skills is a must when completing this section.
- Information Ordering – This section involves sequencing rules or actions. The questions can include letters, numbers, pictures, words, procedures, sentences, and mathematical/logical operations to be placed in order.
- Inductive Reasoning – The assessment measures the ability to implement a rule in a new scenario. Offence classifications are presented, and the task is to identify the crime committed within a specific scenario. Some items will involve witness statements, requiring you to indicate the statement that is most likely to be accurate or inaccurate.
- Visualization – This skill measures your ability to identify an object after it has been superficially altered or re-positioned. You will encounter diagrams, geometric shapes, floor plans, and pictures of human faces.
- Deductive Reasoning – This section involves applying a rule to specific problems in the most logical way. This test section involves tables, picture matching, and lists of detailed information.
- Problem Sensitivity – In this section of the NYPD test, you are evaluated on your ability to identify issues in a variety of police-related scenarios. Examples include spotting a problematic testimony, identifying an incongruency with procedures, or suspicious information at a crime scene.
NYPD Practice Exam Questions
In the questions below you will get a taste of the kinds of questions you will be facing in your NYPD test. Take a few minutes in a quiet spot to solve them, and see how you do.
NYPD Practice Exam Question 1 - Spatial Orientation
These questions ask you to find optimal routes using maps or audio descriptions. As a New York police officer, you will need to be able to direct the public and navigate public environments efficiently, and these questions measure this capability.
Question 1
The map below is a scheme of subway lines in the city.
Each line is marked by a different colour and is associated with a different letter. Stations are numbered by their location on the line(s). The numbering of the stations progresses from the beginning of the line to its end. Lines always begin at the northernmost station, except for lines G and M which begin at the westernmost station. Codes associated with some of the stations have been written below them.
A station can have more than one code associated with it, as some stations have more than one line passing through them.
Ms. Sol Aroches needs to commute from station M3 to station O3. Which of the following routes would be the least efficient (passes through the most stations)?
NYPD Practice Exam Question 2 - Written Expression
This category is about using English words and sentences in an understandable manner. Note that questions in this section will require you to pay attention to grammatical errors, inappropriate transitions, unsupported opinions, incorrect usage, wordiness, and illogical sentence order.
Question 2
1. This building will utilize less energy and resources while still being a state of the art facility.
2. All future buildings in New York are going to require this type of certification, and the aquarium is honored to be the first certified.
3. The New York department of parks and recreation opened its first aquarium this week which will be LEED certified.
4. As a LEED-certified building, this aquarium will serve as a model for future buildings.
Select the answer choice that represents the most appropriate and effective ordering of the sentences above.
Visit our NY Police Exams for additional information or check out our Free NYPD Practice Test for more questions with full solutions!
Prepare for your NYPD Test
Becoming a New York City Police Officer gives you a rewarding and meaningful career serving and protecting the people of your beloved city while enjoying many other benefits. But to be a police officer, you will need to prove you have what it takes to be one of New York's Finest.
With JobTesPrep's new and improved PrepPack, built on years of experience and expertise, you can be sure that you will get all the most accurate preparation you need to begin your way as an NYPD police officer.
NYPD Hiring Process
The New York City Police Department is interested in hiring only the best candidates to become police officers, and earn a NYPD badge and uniform. The hiring process is comprised of the following elements:
- Written entrance exam administered by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS)
- Medical exam - hearing, vision, height, weight, dental health
- Standardized written and oral psychological test
- Background character investigation
- Job Standard Test - this is the NYPD physical test which is built of six challenging physical tasks that need to be completed in under four minutes and twenty eight seconds. The aim of this test is to see that you have the physical strength and endurance to begin training to be a New York Police Department police officer. The NYPD physical test includes: barrier surmount ; stair climb ; physical restraint simulation ; pursuit run ; victim rescue ; trigger pull.
The minimum NYPD application requirements – 60 college credits at an accredited university or college; at least a 2.0 Grade Point Average; at least 21 years of age; U.S. citizenship; New York CIty resident; and a valid State of New York driver’s license.
Want to learn about becoming a New York Police Department Sergeant? Click here for useful information.
Interested in joining the New Yor City Fre Department? Learn about the FDNY Test.
