firefighter test prepNFSI and FST
NFSI practice test · FST firefighter testNFSI Practice Test and FST Prep: eight abilities, one honest questionnaire
Take a free NFSI practice test: 15 timed questions from our course drills, from reading and writing to rules, math and a map. Then train each ability of the National Firefighter Selection Inventory, and the two extra spatial abilities of the PST FST, with guides, timed drills and two full simulations. Not sure which test your department uses? See our firefighter test prep test finder.
- A path built on the ability list: reading, writing, reasoning, math, maps and the behavioral section, in that order
- 15 timed drills with the explanation after every answer, written guides and lesson videos
- 2 full simulations: the NFSI form (105 + 50) and the FST form (80 cognitive items, work styles, biodata)
- 3 behavioral questionnaires with a consistency check, and no coaching on what to answer
- 15 questions from the course drills
- 15:00 on one clock, about a minute each
- NFSI abilities plus one FST map question
- Score by ability, every answer explained
Free · no account, no email · questions from the course, not items from the real test
Two tests, one family of abilities
The NFSI and the FST are different tests from different publishers, but both pair a cognitive section built on named abilities with a questionnaire about you.1,5 Which one you take depends on the department, so check your candidate notice.
NFSI
National Firefighter Selection Inventory
- Length155 multiple-choice questions in 2½ hours1,2
- Cognitive105 questions on eight abilities1
- Behavioral50 questions on four scales1
- ScoringCompensatory: both parts count3,4
FST
Firefighter Selection Tool
- Time3¼ hours; plan 4–4.5 hours on site5,6
- CognitiveEight abilities, two of them spatial5
- Non-cognitiveWork styles (personality) and biographical data5
- PassAt least 70%; item count not published5
Behavioral part
Statements about you, no right answers
- NFSIFirefighter orientation, stress tolerance, team orientation, motivation/attitude1
- FSTWork styles and biographical data5
- Our adviceKnow how it works, then answer as you are
NFSI test facts at a glance
From the publisher, department and test-center pages cited below- What it is
- A written entrance test for firefighters with a cognitive and a behavioral section.2,4
- Developer
- IOS, Industrial/Organizational Solutions. Public test centers send candidates to IO Solutions: DMACC for the exam fee,3 Palm Beach State College for information on the exam.7 Wikipedia names IOS as the developer.4
- Questions and time
- 155 multiple-choice questions in 2½ hours.1,2
- Cognitive section
- 105 questions: verbal comprehension, verbal expression, problem sensitivity, deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, information ordering, mathematical reasoning, numeric facility.1 The split per ability is not published.
- Behavioral section
- 50 questions: firefighter orientation, stress tolerance, team orientation, motivation/attitude.1
- Scoring
- Compensatory: the cognitive and the behavioral part combine.3,4
- Pass, retakes, validity
- Lake Tech: 70%, three attempts within six months, scores valid 12 months.1 DMACC: pass/fail, hiring not based on scores.3
- Fee (example)
- DMACC: $25 to IO Solutions plus a $20 testing center fee.3
- FST by PST
- Eight cognitive abilities incl. spatial orientation and visualization, plus work styles and biodata; 3¼ hours; 70% to pass.5 One written exam every 90 days; remote-testing scores accepted by all PST agencies.6
- Not published
- Questions per ability (NFSI), the item count of the FST, and a cut score for the behavioral part.
The cognitive section, ability by ability
The course follows the ability list of the NFSI: one unit per ability group, each with a written guide, a lesson video and three timed drills from easy to hard. Every answer is explained right after you give it.
Taking the FST? Add maps and figures.
PST’s list for the FST names spatial orientation and visualization, two abilities the NFSI list does not.1,5 Unit SP trains both: maps with a compass, one-way streets and hydrants, headings after a series of turns, and figures that are rotated or mirrored.
- Check the compass first: on our maps north is not always straight up
- Legal routes: count blocks without driving against a one-way arrow
- Rotation or mirror: decide whether a figure was turned or flipped
- NFSI candidates can skip SP or take drill 1 as insurance, as the course path suggests
The behavioral section: know how it works, then be yourself
Fifty statements about you on the NFSI,1 work styles and biodata on the FST.5 There are no right answers, which is why it is not part of the free test. Here is what the course teaches instead.
- 1
Scales, not single answers
Each statement belongs to a scale, and the scale score sums many statements. No single answer decides anything.
- 2
Reversed statements and pairs
Some statements run backward, and some ideas come back in other words. Honest answers line up by themselves; a performed image tends to drift.
- 3
Statements true of almost nobody
“I have never been late for anything.” Agreeing with many of these makes answers look unreal, not reliable.
- 4
Practice reading statements
Three questionnaires of 50, 60 and 80 statements show your profile, how consistent your pairs were and how often you agreed with an extreme statement.
We do not tell you which answer looks best; lesson P explains why that kind of coaching tends to backfire. On the NFSI the behavioral section is about a third of the questions and counts toward the result.1,3
One path, in the order of the ability list
Pick NFSI / FST on the start page and the course shows your route.
- 1
Read the format guide
“How NFSI and PST FST work”: sections, abilities, scoring, retakes and test day, with the sources linked.
- 2
Take Simulation 1 cold
The NFSI form as your diagnostic. The report shows which part cost the most points.
- 3
Work through the units
R2, W, LG, M2, SP for the FST, then P: guide, lesson video, three drills each.
- 4
Finish with Simulation 2
The FST form. NFSI candidates take it too: more practice items and a longer sitting.
How every lesson works
Learn the method, see it on an example, then put it on the clock. Same steps in every unit, so you always know what comes next.
- 1
Watch the lesson
Each unit on the path and the format guide come with a lesson video.
- 2
Read the guide
The method, the traps that cost points under time pressure and worked examples.
- 3
Drill on the clock
Three drills per unit, easy, moderate and hard, with the explanation right after every answer.
- 4
Check yourself in a simulation
Two full forms show whether the pace holds over 2½ or 3¼ hours.
Two full simulations: the NFSI form and the FST form
Our simulations run one part after the other, each part on its own clock, with nothing marked until the end. That is our course format; the sources give only the total time.1,5 The report shows the cognitive score against a 70% line, your behavioral profile and consistency, and the questions you missed with explanations.
- 1Simulation 1 · NFSI form105 cognitive items over the eight abilities in 110 minutes, then 50 behavioral statements in 40 minutes
- 2Simulation 2 · FST form80 cognitive items, ten per ability incl. spatial orientation and visualization, in 135 minutes, then 50 work-style statements and 10 biodata items in 60 minutes
IOS does not publish how many questions each ability gets and PST does not publish the FST item count, so the split in our simulations is our estimate. The 70% line is the pass mark Lake Tech and PST publish; the behavioral part has no public cut score. Results are practice scores.
Free practice vs Firefighter Prep 2026
Free questions show you the format. Here’s what they usually leave out.
| Free practice | Firefighter Prep 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Clock | Often untimed | A clock on every drill question and on every part of both simulations |
| Abilities | A mixed handful | One unit per ability group, in the order of the NFSI ability list, plus maps for the FST |
| Behavioral part | “Pick the answer a firefighter would” | How the scales work, and three questionnaires with a consistency check |
| Why an answer is right | Often just a key | The explanation after every drill answer and in every simulation report |
| Full-length practice | One test, if any | Two full simulations: the NFSI form and the FST form |
| Cost | $0 | $68 once, 90 days of access |
Your NFSI / FST path in the course
Firefighter Prep 2026 has six test paths in one course. Your purchase opens all of them; this is the route for the NFSI and the FST, with the two lessons for the steps after the written test.
Other firefighter tests
Your department uses a different written test? These pages cover the others.
Questions before you buy
Is this a free NFSI practice test?
Yes. The NFSI practice test on this page is free, with no account and no email: 15 questions in 15 minutes, about one minute each, from verbal comprehension and verbal expression to reasoning, math and one FST-style map question. You get your score by ability, the lesson to start with and an explanation for every answer. The questions come from the drills of our course; they are not items from the real test.
What is the NFSI test?
The National Firefighter Selection Inventory (NFSI) is a written entrance test for firefighter candidates, developed by IOS (Industrial/Organizational Solutions). Test centers such as DMACC and Palm Beach State College refer candidates to IO Solutions. It combines a cognitive section with a behavioral section and, according to the DMACC testing page, uses a compensatory model: both parts count toward one result. Fire departments and test centers such as Fairfax County and DMACC in Iowa use it.
How many questions are on the NFSI, and how long is it?
Fairfax County and an older Lake Tech information sheet both give 155 multiple-choice questions in two and a half hours. The Lake Tech sheet splits them into 105 cognitive and 50 behavioral questions. Ask your test site whether your version matches; custom versions for single cities can differ.
What abilities does the NFSI test?
The Lake Tech sheet lists eight: verbal comprehension, verbal expression, problem sensitivity, deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, information ordering, mathematical reasoning and numeric facility. How many questions each ability gets is not published. The behavioral section measures four scales: firefighter orientation, stress tolerance, team orientation and motivation/attitude.
How do I prepare for the behavioral section?
By knowing how it works, then answering honestly. It is a set of statements about you, rated on a scale, with no right answers. Questionnaires repeat ideas in other words and include statements that are true of almost nobody, so a performed image tends to show up as inconsistency. The course explains this in lesson P and lets you take three practice questionnaires with a consistency check. We do not give advice on which answer looks best.
What is a passing score on the NFSI?
Lake Tech sets 70 percent, allows three attempts within six months and keeps scores valid for 12 months. DMACC reports pass or fail and says hiring is not based on scores. Other departments set their own rules, so your candidate notice is the final word.
What is the FST firefighter test, and how is it different?
The FST is the firefighter written test of Public Safety Testing (PST). PST lists eight cognitive abilities: deductive reasoning, mathematical reasoning, inductive reasoning, information ordering, spatial orientation, visualization, written comprehension and written expression, plus work styles (personality) and biographical data. Time allowed is 3¼ hours and the pass mark is 70 percent. PST does not give the number of questions. Spatial orientation and visualization are the two abilities the NFSI list does not name.
Can I retake the NFSI or the FST?
At Lake Tech the NFSI can be taken three times within six months. PST lets firefighter candidates take one written exam every 90 days. How long a score counts is set by the department; PST says departments usually keep their lists about 12 to 15 months.
Is there an NFSI study guide or practice test PDF?
We do not offer a PDF or official test items. Fairfax County points candidates to a study guide they can order. Our course works as an NFSI study guide in lessons: a format guide, six units with written guides and lesson videos, 15 timed drills, three behavioral questionnaires and two full simulations, every answer explained.
What do I get, and how fast?
One payment of $68 gives you 90 days of access to Firefighter Prep 2026, the whole course with all six test paths. For the NFSI and the FST that means the format guide, units R2, W, LG, M2, SP and P with lesson videos and written guides, 15 timed drills, 3 behavioral questionnaires and 2 full simulations, plus the CPAT and oral board lessons. Access starts right after checkout. If it is not right for you, email support within 7 days for a full refund (7-day money-back guarantee).
Is Prepterminal affiliated with IOS or PST?
No. Prepterminal is independent test prep and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Industrial/Organizational Solutions (IOS), Public Safety Testing (PST) or any fire department. NFSI and FST are names of their owners. All passages and questions are written by us; we use only the published descriptions of the tests.
Everything for the written test and what comes after
- The NFSI / FST format guide and six units: R2, W, LG, M2, SP and P, each with a written guide and a lesson video
- 15 timed drills: reading, writing, reasoning, math and maps, every answer explained
- 3 behavioral questionnaires with profile and consistency check
- 2 full simulations: the NFSI form and the FST form, with a report by part
- All six test paths of the course, plus the CPAT and oral board lessons
155 questions. Two and a half hours. Train the abilities first.
Take Simulation 1 tonight and see which ability costs you the most points.
Get Firefighter Prep 2026: $68P.S. Not ready to buy? Take the free practice test first, then decide. Preparing for a city written test instead? See our firefighter written exam prep.
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