10-Question Test That You Might Face When Applying for a Job in the Police Force

The police entry exam is a critical step in becoming a law enforcement officer, assessing a range of skills necessary for the job.

While these tests differ from one state to the next, they cover many of the same topics, such as reasoning, writing, reading comprehension, spatial orientation, situational judgment, psychological readiness, and math.

Now that you know what you’re up against, get a pen and paper to note down your answers, and let’s dive into the questions! All the answers are provided at the end.

Question 1

Police officer Henry reported to the scene of an accident and saw the following: a jeep in the middle of an intersection with the hood smashed in and the windshield cracked, and a sedan twenty feet past the intersection with a large dent on the passenger side and the driver side smashed into a pole.

Based on the description above, which of the following is LEAST likely to have caused the accident?

A. The Jeep ran a red light

B. The sedan ran a red light

C. The Jeep tried cutting off the sedan

D. The Jeep slipped on ice and slid into oncoming traffic

Question 2

Find the answer that completes this sentence correctly: ____ claim that new lines of inquiry are being ____ .

A. Investigations, purused

B. Investigators, pursued

C. investigations, pursue

D. investigators, purseud

E. None of these

Question 3

Select the answer choice that represents the most appropriate and effective ordering of the following sentences:

1. This building will utilize less energy and resources while still being a state-of-the-art facility.

2. All future buildings are going to require this type of certification, and the aquarium is honored to be the first certified.

3. The Department of Parks and Recreation opened its first aquarium in San Beach this week which will be LEED certified.

4. As a LEED-certified building, this aquarium will serve as a model for future buildings.

A. 3241

B. 3412

C. 3421

D. 3214

Question 4

Read the following passage to answer the question below:

Major websites have developed a new—and legal—technique to track users’ online activities, known as a “supercookie,” a powerful device capable of re-creating user profiles even after people delete the regular cookies, and which is impossible for computer users to detect.

While many companies have been criticized for selling private data online, some sites that use supercookies said supercookie tracking was inadvertent and they would cease using it.

Some websites, which were notified that they had been using supercookies, announced on Wednesday they would immediately investigate the technique.

Knowing web-browsing history can provide advertisers with information about people’s interests, locations, and finances; Parliament has debated ways to protect consumer privacy.

Statement: There are certain privacy laws that protect the online activities of users.

A. True

B. False

C. Cannot Say

Question 5

A few reports came in about a suspicious-looking van parked outside a public playground.

Upon arriving at the scene, you discover the van has moved. A passerby lets you know that “it was heading eastbound, and then turned right and I saw it turning left over there at the intersection.”

What should you report on your radio? “The suspicious van is heading..”

A. South

B. West

C. East

D. North

Question 6

Officer Harris is assigned to a traffic post in the city. While directing traffic, she notices a car with out-of-state license plates that is about to make an illegal U-turn. Officer Harris blows her whistle and signals the car to stop.

She talks to the driver, informing him he is about to commit a traffic violation, and then permits him to continue on his way without any sanction.

Officer Harris’ response was:

A. Appropriate. She prevented the violation and used an officer’s discretion, deciding not to issue a sanction.

B. Inappropriate. An officer must issue at the very least a citation or a warning for every violation.

C. Inappropriate. She should have waited for the driver to make the violation and then issued the citation.

D. Appropriate. The officer was assigned to direct traffic, and every minute she spent with this particular driver was keeping her from that duty.

Question 7

Others turn to me to lead them when making choices.

A. Strongly Disagree

B. Disagree

C. Neutral

D. Agree

E. Strongly Agree

Question 8

What is the value of X? (3 + 2x)/5 = 17

A. 1

B. 7

C. 10

D. 41

E. 42

Question 9

A train travels 90 miles in 15 minutes. How many miles does it travel in 2 hours?

A. 542

B. 720

C. 789

D. 800

E. 942

F. None of these

Question 10

In the following question, you must fill in the blank spaces with a word that makes sense in the context. The correct word should have the same number of letters as the number of dashes given.

The FBI was closing in on a suspect’s house. Hoping to distract the agents, he threw a chair at the front window as the FBI closed in on him. The (1) _ _ _ _ _ _ shattered and a shard of (2) _ _ _ _ _ flew into Agent Peters’ eye.

(3) _ _ _ was in excruciating pain but kept moving forward. She told the suspect he was under (4) _ _ _ _ _ _, put him into the (5) _ _ _ driven by her partner, and then allowed the paramedics to take her to the (6) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

Agent Peters was treated and released a few hours later. While she was in the hospital, illegal weapons, drugs, and stolen diamonds were found on the suspect’s (7) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.

Phew, some of those questions were tough! Are you ready to find out how well you did? Read on for the answers.

Explanation 1:

The correct choice is C.

When Officer Henry arrives, he notices that the front of the Jeep is significantly damaged, with the windshield also cracked. This suggests that the front of the Jeep collided with something else.

Additionally, the sedan has a noticeable dent on one side, while the opposite side is crushed against a pole. This implies that the sedan was struck on the side, causing it to slide into the pole.

Explanation 2:

The correct spelling of the sentence is: “Investigators claim that new lines of inquiry are being pursued,” which corresponds to option B.

Explanation 3:

The correct sequence is 3412 (B) for the most logically organized paragraph.

Explanation 4

The solution is that supercookies are legal, and while there have been discussions in Parliament about ways to protect consumer privacy, there’s no evidence of specific regulations that limit the use of tracking technologies or that safeguard online user activities.

Therefore, the correct answer is “Cannot Say.”

Explanation 5

The correct answer is C.

If the van was traveling east and then made a right turn, it was initially heading south. After making another left turn, it would be facing east again.

Explanation 6:

Best response: A

Officer Harris observes an out-of-state vehicle on the verge of committing a traffic violation. Two critical points are: the violation hasn’t yet occurred, and the vehicle has out-of-state plates, suggesting the driver may not be familiar with local traffic rules.

In this scenario, an officer should exercise discretion. Since the violation can still be prevented, prioritizing public safety by stopping the violation is the best course of action.

The officer’s decision to not issue a ticket is based on the understanding that the driver likely made an innocent mistake. Educating the driver on local regulations is more constructive than penalizing them.

Additionally, this approach reflects positively on the police, showing that their primary goal is to ensure public safety rather than issuing tickets. Thus, answer choice A is the most appropriate.

Explanation 7

This question evaluates assertiveness. High scores may indicate a tendency toward dominance or even aggressiveness, which can hinder the development of working relationships.

Low scores might suggest a passive communication style and a tendency to avoid conflict, potentially at the cost of achieving work goals.

A moderate level of assertiveness is generally sufficient for most jobs, and it’s advisable to avoid extremes on either end of the spectrum.

Explanation 8

(3 + 2x)/5 = 17

Multiply each side by 5:

3 + 2x = 85

Subtract 3 from each side:

2x = 82

Divide each side by 2:

x = 41

Explanation 9

Fifteen minutes is a quarter of an hour. To reach two hours from a quarter of an hour, you need to multiply by 8. Since time is multiplied by 8, you also multiply the distance traveled by 8:

90 * 8 = 720 miles

Therefore, option B is correct.

Explanation 10

The correct answer is “window,” referring to the window mentioned in the previous sentence. The correct answer is “glass,” completing the phrase “shard of glass.” The correct answer is “She,” referring to Agent Peters. The correct answer is “arrest,” completing the phrase “under arrest.”

One correct answer is “car,” with another possible answer being another three-letter vehicle, like “van.” The correct answer is “hospital,” a logical destination for paramedics. The correct answer is “property.”

So, do you have what it takes to join the force? Share this quiz with your friends so they can find out, too!

And don’t forget to check out this site for a full range of police exam papers and practice tests.

Looking for a quick brain workout? These thought-provoking challenges will test your ability to think critically and solve problems. Ready to see how sharp your mind really is? Dive in and discover how well you can tackle these puzzles! Click here to take this 6-question IQ test.