NPOST Exam: Pass the Test with Flying Colors in 2024
If you have been invited to take the National Police Officer Selection Test (NPOST), there is a good chance that there isn’t much time between today and exam day. Luckily Prepterminal has an NPOST prep course that will prepare you in no time.
What’s more, with under a minute to answer each question and with the difficult subject matter, it is not uncommon for first-time test-takers to fail the NPOST exam. That’s why we at Prepterminal have created a comprehensive NPOST study guide and NPOST practice test to help you efficiently prepare for every element of this challenging exam.
Introduction to the National Police Officer Selection Test
The National Police Officer Selection Test, known as the NPOST test, is a multiple-choice format entry-level basic skills test utilized by numerous law enforcement agencies at the municipal, county, state, and federal levels as part of their hiring process.
It is designed and created by Stanard & Associates in a bid to make sure that prospective applicants have the required minimum cognitive skills that every police officer is expected to possess.
Three states – Iowa, Utah, and Wyoming have made it mandatory as the statewide entry-level exam, while 25 Police Chief Associations use it in different states.
Comprised of four major sections, three of which contain multiple sub-sections, the NPOST test has a strict 75-minute time limit. You will need to answer 75 questions within this tight time frame. That’s only one minute per question!
What to Expect on the National Police Officer Selection Test
The National Police Officer Selection Test is designed to test whether candidates have sufficient reading comprehension, grammar, mathematical skills, and incident report writing skills that need to effectively carry out a job as a police officer.
The four sections of this test are:
- Arithmetic
- Reading Comprehension
- Grammar
- Incident Report Writing
Let’s take a look at each of these sections of the NPOST test in detail.
Section I – Mathematical Skills
This section of the NPOST exam will measure your basic mathematical skills. You will be shown a short passage of text and you will need to solve the presented problem. You are not permitted to use a calculator in this part of the test. However, you will be given scratch paper.
You will need to check one answer in the answer sheet given to you. Marks will not be deducted for incorrect answers so make sure you answer every question, even if it is just a guess.
This part of the NPOST exam contains 20 questions and you will have 20 minutes to complete the test.
Section II – Reading Comprehension Skills
This section tests your reading comprehension skills. You will be shown passages that relate to law enforcement or state policies. You will not be required to have any preexisting knowledge of the subject matter presented. This is because all the information you need to answer the question correctly will be provided in the text itself.
There are three possible question types that you will encounter:
- A true/false question format where you will be stating a passage or report form. You will have to decide whether or not the statement is accurate or inaccurate based on the details provided in the passage or the report.
- A ‘choose which is the most accurate/inaccurate statement’ format where you will have to pick from several statements which are the most accurate or inaccurate ones about the passage or report provided.
- A ‘Choose the best choice’ that would best complete the statement or question regarding the passage or report.
There will be 25 questions in this section and you will be given 25 minutes to complete the test.
Section III – Grammar Skills
In this section of the National Police Officer Selection Test, you will need to identify errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. This section features two question types:
- You will have to pick the choice that best completes a sentence.
- There will be a misspelled word in a sentence and you will have to pick the choice that contains the same misspelled word.
There will be 20 questions in this section and you will be given 15 minutes to answer everything.
Section IV – Incident Report Writing Skills
Here, you will be given a sample report that is typically seen or used in the state’s or municipality’s law enforcement agency that you are interested in joining.
You will be asked specific details about the contents of the report and you will be expected to write down your answer in complete sentences and with perfect grammar, capitalization, and punctuation.
In this section of the National Police Officer Selection Test, you must be extra careful since even a single instance of misplaced punctuation will render your answer incorrect even if you get the details right.
There will be 10 questions in this part of the exam and you will be given 15 minutes to answer everything.
Why is it Important to do Well in the National Police Officer Selection Test?
When it comes to jobs in law enforcement, the benefits and remuneration are substantial, so naturally, competition is high. While these tests come with a ‘pass’ score, this doesn’t mean that you’re guaranteed to progress to the next stage of the NPOST exam hiring process.
Often, more people pass than there are jobs available – this is when an agency begins to differentiate individuals according to their NPOST exam score. Thus, your score will be compared to your competitors’ scores.
Currently, a candidate is required to score at least 70% ON EACH section of the National Police Officer Selection Test.
Regardless of individual agency policy on whether you can retake the exam or take additional exams, you will face delays in what is already a lengthy recruitment process if you don’t get a top score the first time around.
You can avoid delays by preparing as soon as possible with our NPOST study guide and NPOST practice tests.
National Police Officer Selection Test Preparation Course in Detail
One of the main reasons candidates fail or get an insufficient score in the National Police Officer Selection Test is because they aren’t familiar with the subject matter of these tests and also because they have such a limited amount of time to answer all the questions.
Preptermianl’s NPOST prep pack is designed and developed by law enforcement experts and test professionals. These individuals regularly review the contents of the exam so that our guides are always up-to-date and cover everything that may appear in the actual test.
We know that, given the right tools, you can ace your exam and kickstart a rewarding career in law enforcement, protecting the public good as an outstanding officer.
