Pass the Correctional Officer Exam in 2021: Study Guide and Practice Test

Introduction to the Correctional Officer Exam

The Correctional officer exam is typically offered by the Department of Civil Service in your state or municipality.

The Correctional officer exam is designed to identify whether prospective candidates have the cognitive abilities to perform activities needed to maintain security within correctional or detention facilities.

Correctional officers are responsible for the custody, control, care, job training, and work performance of inmates living in the facility assigned to them.

What to Expect in the Correctional Officer Exam

The questions on the correctional officer test typically follow a multiple-choice format and are administered via computer or pencil-and-paper.

Let’s take a look at the subjects included in the Correctional officer test.

Mathematical Ability

As a Correctional Officer, you will need to have a basic level of mathematical comprehension. You will need to record information including the number of inmates, and possibly logistical and monetary data.

The questions on this section of the Correctional officer test usually include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division operations. However, it is not uncommon for the exam to include statistical data-related questions using graphs and tables.

Short-term Memorization

In this part of the Correctional officer exam, your ability to recall basic facts will be tested. As a Correctional Officer, you will need to read numerous reports and will be required to retain information about these reports.

This part of the Correctional officer exam will test your ability to memorize a string of numbers, letters, or a mixture of the two. You may also be asked to recall details from a photograph.

Applying Written Material

You will be presented with a passage that will take the form of a bulletin, guideline, information, instructions, or a procedure. These passages generally include information you would likely encounter as a correctional officer. You will then be asked questions about the passage.

Preparing Written Material

You will be presented with a set of sentences. These sentences will appear in random or nonsensical order. You will have to choose the correct restatement or a statement that shows the correct chronological or logical needed to produce a coherent passage.

Reading and Understanding Written Material

This is also known as the Reading Comprehension Test. You will be presented with a passage, ranging from a few sentences to a number of paragraphs. You will need to see how the information relates to the question.

Situational Judgement Test

In this part of the Correctional officer exam, you will be presented with a situation that involves a conflict or problem that needs to be resolved.

Most of the questions here will relate to law enforcement roles in general. However, some questions will focus on detention facility or correctional facility-centric situations. You will then be presented with a number of choices of varying effectiveness, and you will be asked to select the best course of action.

The Correctional Officer Exam Hiring Process

You must meet certain requirements to become a correctional officer. Depending on the state or municipality, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen by the time of appointment.
• Be 18 years of age by the date of exam though some require the applicant to be 21
• Have a high school diploma or GED equivalency
• Have a driver’s license, varies by state (beware as having any moving violation(s) may disqualify you).
• Undergo and pass a background check.
• Pass a medical and psychological assessment.
• Pass a physical ability test.
• Pass a drug test.

Prepterminal Can Help You Succeed in the Correctional Officer Exam

Passing the correctional officer test is hard. Even if you pass this exam, your score will be compared to that of other candidates, making competition fierce.

The stakes are high, so it’s crucial that you start preparing for the Correctional officer exam 2021 as soon as possible. That’s where Prepterminal comes in.

Prepterminal’s Correctional Officer Exam Prep Course is designed by law enforcement experts and test course professionals who regularly monitor the contents of the exam and update it to make sure that our course and study guides are up cutting edge. We can help you pass the exam with flying colors so that you stand out from the competition.

Our prep course is optimized for an efficient learning experience. We have assembled this resource to equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to significantly improve your Correctional officer exam score.

Our course also provides additional reading and study materials so that you can prepare for the background investigation and interview stages of the application process.