Police Written Exam Test Sections

Shir, Civil Service Assessments Expert at JobTestPrep.

Have a question? Contact me at: ask_the_team@jobtestprep.com

Police Exam Sections

The police written exam contains various test sections. Each section is to test general abilities that are required for the job. Each test may refer to each section differently, so it is important to become familiar with all test sections. By becoming familiar with all sections you are setting yourself up to succeed.

Reading Comprehension

The police reading comprehension test section is found on almost every police written exam. You will be given one or two passages and asked to answer questions about the passage. Some question types may be; the main idea, specific facts or details, or you may be asked to draw a conclusion from what is stated in the passage. Better prepare yourself for this section with sample questions and answers.

This section may also be referred to as Written Expression or Written Comprehension.

Vocabulary

The police vocabulary section is sometimes found within the reading comprehension section of the police exam. After reading a passage you may also be asked for the correct meaning of a word. You may also be asked to find a synonym or antonym of a given word. Another type of question that you may find is fill-in. You will be given a sentence and have to find the word that best fits the completion of the sentence.

Need Vocabulary Practice? Try some sample questions to practice your vocaulary skills.

Spelling & Grammar

These may be one or two sections depending on the police test. Grammar questions may test your punctuation and capitalization skills. It may also ask you to choose which of the four sentences is correct. On the police spelling words section it may ask which of four words is spelled correctly. Or the exam may have a sentence with a missing word and you will have to choose the correct spelling of the word.

This section may also be referred to as Written Expression or Written Comprehension.

Memory

In the police memory test section of the exam, you will most likely be given a picture or document to study and be asked to memorize as much as you can within a certain time frame. After which you will be given a set of questions to answer without having the picture or document in front of you. The purpose of this section is to see how well you can remember things. This section is found on most police exams. They may give a video clip instead of a picture.

Have a test with a memory section coming up? Try some sample questions to practice your memorization skills.

Spatial Orientation

This section of the police exam tests your ability to figure out where you are in relation to a location or object. You may also have to figure out how an image may look when rotated or rearranged. It may also include a map where you are asked to figure out the quickest way to get from point A to point B. The purpose of this section is to test your ability to orient yourself on a map. This section may also be referred to as Map Reading or Visualization.

Do you need to work on your Spatial Orientation? Try some sample questions to practice your Spatial Orientation skills.

Deductive Reasoning

In this section of the police exam you may find two types of questions. Questions based on rules and regulations or questions based on the interpretation of the law. The purpose of these types of questions is to test your ability to go from general rules to specific rules in order to draw a logical conclusion. Deductive reasoning is sometimes called top-down logic.

Inductive Reasoning

In this section of the police test you will have you find a rule or concept that explains a series of events that are unrelated. This is to show your ability to go from the specific to the general in order to draw a conclusion. The purpose of this is to see if you notice patterns and details, to help you draw a conclusion.

Problem Sensitivity

This section of the exam will test your ability to recognize or identify an existing problem, or when a problem may occur. There can be two types of questions asked in this section. One type, you will be given a set of rule followed by a description of a situation where the rules given should be applied. The other type being where the problem already exists and information is given by a witness that is different from another witness. You will not be asked to solve the problem in this section, just to identify it.

Information Ordering

In this section of the police officers exam you will be tested on your ability to put information in the best or most appropriate order. They may give you a set of rules that you must follow. This is to test your ability to follow procedures.

Incident Report Writing

In this section of the exam, you may be asked to read an incident report and answer questions. This section will be short answer since it is to test your grammar and spelling skills.

Click here for free sample questions for the police report test section.

Essay

In this section of the police test, you may be asked one or two questions about a certain situation or scenario and you will be expected to answer the question in a few sentences or paragraph. Not all exams include an essay section. This section is to test your writing skills.

Math

The police math test section tests your basic math skills. It includes: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. There will most likely math word problems that are found in everyday situations. Some tests may include fraction, decimals and percentages, and others may not include a math section at all.

If you need some training for an upcoming test, Practice your math skills now with free sample questions!

Prepare with JobTestPrep

These test sections can be found on most of the police written exam. Each section tests certain skill sets required for the job, and knowing more about these test sections will help you pass the exam. Here at JobTestPrep we can help you become familiar with the different test sections so that you will be prepared and confident on your exam day. Start practicing the different types of police exam questions with our free police exam sample questions. 

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