Spatial Orientation
You’ll be presented with a map of a typical New York City street (although it’s just as likely to be fictional). There’s a compass indicator, street names, and a list of numbers placed at strategic points around the map.
Give the map a brief once-over – you won’t need to remember anything here, but the more quickly you familiarize yourself with the street names, the faster you’ll be able to address each question.
Locational questions
These questions are based on locational orientation. You’re given a starting point, along with a list of instructions that guide you towards a final destination.
Crime scene questions
You’ll be given a starting location and told to find the shortest route to the scene of a crime. This is a test of your ability to recognize shortcuts, navigating your way around potential roadblocks and one-way systems, etc.
Written Comprehension
You’re given a long passage of text, containing multiple paragraphs – of up to a full sheet of letter paper.
You’ll be asked to identify facts based on the passage. These facts, however, are phrased differently, so you’ll need to look for the most accurate alternative description.
Written Expression
This section of the NYPD examination provides a crime description in table form, along with a list of four prose-based reports.
You’re asked to determine which of the given statements matches the table of information most accurately, clearly, and completely.
This section examines your ability to use the English language in a concise, accurate fashion, bearing in mind the conventions of grammar and sentence clarity.
This section of the paper will give you a summary of a crime event, including additional, detailed information.
You’ll be asked a list of questions that relate to the given information that demands that you use common sense and an understanding of criminal law to make assumptions and deductions.
Inductive Reasoning
You’re given a written crime scenario, and you’ll be asked questions that test your current understanding of legal subtleties.
Visualization
This section asks you to identify an object after superficial changes have been applied. Alternatively, you might be asked to identify the object from a different angle.
This section is exploring your ability to compare images and find similarities.
Deductive Reasoning
This section of the NYPD test will ask you to drive toward a conclusion based on given circumstances, but not all information will be relevant.
You could be given maps, tables, and image comparisons, but you’ll need to deduce which of those items are most helpful to your investigation.
Problem Sensitivity
You’ll be given a written scenario and asked to identify the problem. For example, a police officer needs to place signals or barricades in the road as a warning of hazards ahead to road users.
Based on that scenario, you’ll be given a set of three or four options, delving into your understanding of the problem and a potential action to prevent harm to the public.
Number Facility
These are basic mental arithmetic questions to complete without the use of a calculator, relying on your ability to determine reasonably complex equations in your head.