What Is the Police Written Exam?

The police written exam is the entry-level cognitive test that opens the police hiring process in the United States. It measures basic skills such as reading comprehension, writing, arithmetic, and judgment, and it requires no knowledge of law enforcement. A passing score moves you to the physical, medical, psychological, and background stages, and in many cities the score also sets your rank on the hiring list. This article covers what the major exams contain, how they are scored, how well they predict success in the academy and on the job, and what preparation can realistically change.

The two largest national test publishers are explicit that no policing background is expected. Stanard & Associates says its National Police Officer Selection Test "is designed to measure basic skills - reading, writing and arithmetic - that are important for successfully learning and performing an entry-level, law enforcement position," and that applicants need no previous law-enforcement knowledge to answer correctly. Ergometrics tells FrontLine National candidates: "You do not need law enforcement experience to answer the questions in this test. Common sense is always your best guide."

What is actually measured varies by instrument. Some exams are basic-skills batteries covering arithmetic, reading, grammar, and report writing. California's PELLETB is primarily a language aptitude test of writing ability and reading comprehension. The NYPD exam tests nine defined abilities, including deductive and inductive reasoning, memorization, spatial orientation, and written expression, while FrontLine National adds a video-based human relations and judgment component.

None of these is an IQ test. They are job-specific aptitude tests, built and validated for one job family and reported as pass/fail or placement scores rather than as an IQ. The abilities they sample (verbal comprehension, quantitative reasoning, reasoning from rules, memory) are classic cognitive-ability content all the same, which is why the research on general mental ability applies to them.

• The NPOST: Stanard & Associates' National Police Officer Selection Test has 75 items in four timed sections: arithmetic (20 questions, 20 minutes), reading comprehension (25 questions, 25 minutes), grammar (20 questions, 15 minutes), and incident report writing (10 questions, 15 minutes, answered in complete sentences). Total administration runs about an hour and 45 minutes. It is the mandated statewide entry test in Iowa and, per the publisher, the official test of 29 state police chief associations.

• The PELLETB: California POST's Entry-Level Law Enforcement Test Battery is chiefly a language test: a writing-ability section of 45 to 54 multiple-choice items on clarity, vocabulary, and spelling, plus a reading-comprehension section of 20 to 24 items. The old CLOZE fill-in section was removed effective January 1, 2025.

• The NYPD exam: A computer-based multiple-choice test taken at a city testing center for a $40 fee. It covers the nine abilities above, requires 70% to pass, and places passers on an eligible list in final score order, a list that typically stays active for four years.

• FrontLine National: Ergometrics' exam, delivered through the National Testing Network, has three parts: a video-based human relations and judgment test of 46 scenarios over 90 minutes with 10 seconds to answer each question, a writing test (one video-based report in 10 minutes plus 15 multiple-choice writing questions in 10 minutes), and a 30-question fill-in-the-blank reading test in 15 minutes.

Because formats range from a basic-skills battery to a video judgment test, the first practical step for any candidate is finding out which instrument the hiring agency uses.

Scoring models differ as much as formats do. The NYPD requires at least 70% to pass, then ranks everyone who passed by final score, with 10 extra points available for New York City residency and further credits for veterans. On a ranked civil-service list, the margin above the pass mark decides when, or whether, you are ever reached for appointment, so treating 70% as the goal is a mistake.

The PELLETB reports a "T-score," a scale with an average of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. California POST describes scores of 40 or below as below average and 60 or above as above average, and there is no single statewide pass mark; each agency sets its own requirement. The NPOST works similarly: Stanard or the department scores the test, and the hiring agency or state sets the cut score.

Two logistical details trip up candidates. Calculators are not allowed on the NPOST or the NYPD exam, though the NPOST provides scratch paper. And on machine-scored multiple choice, blank answers earn nothing: the FrontLine National handout advises that guessing is the best strategy when you are unsure.

The police written exam sits on one of the best-studied foundations in applied psychology. Schmidt and Hunter's review of 85 years of selection research found that general mental ability predicts job performance with a mean validity of .51 for medium-complexity jobs and training performance at .56, and that pairing an ability test with a structured interview raises prediction further. A 2022 reanalysis by Sackett and colleagues revised the field's validity estimates downward after correcting a statistical overcorrection, with structured interviews emerging at or above cognitive ability among the strongest predictors. Cognitive tests remain firmly useful under both readings.

There is police-specific evidence too. California POST reports from its own scoring research that "the likelihood of successful academy completion increases for every point scored above 42" on the PELLETB T-score scale. Stanard states that the NPOST predicts law enforcement training success and job performance and is associated with higher academy performance. The pattern matches what general employment screens like the Wonderlic test show across occupations: cognitive scores forecast how readily people learn a demanding job.

Practice helps, within limits. A meta-analysis of 174 samples covering 153,185 test takers found significant retest effects on cognitive tests, with no further gains after the third administration; the same paper cites earlier work finding that mere repetition of a test produced an improvement of almost a quarter of a standard deviation. Familiarity with formats and pacing is worth real points, and on a ranked list a single point can move you past hundreds of names.

Test owners are candid about the boundary. California POST warns that "there is no quick or easy way to improve these skills in preparation for the exam," because the PELLETB measures language skills built over years, though it notes the clarity sub-test is the one place studying can markedly raise a score. Stanard sells an official online NPOST practice exam and study guide for under $20 each. Working timed numerical reasoning problems is sensible preparation for the arithmetic sections, since no calculator will be available on test day.

If you want to know where your underlying abilities stand before an exam cycle, a normed IQ test gives a calibrated answer in a way a pass/fail screen cannot. The RIOT IQ test (the Reasoning and Intelligence Online Test) offers a free version that returns an estimate in about 8 minutes with a stated margin of error of ±14.9 IQ points, and a Full version of 15 subtests taking about 52 minutes that narrows the margin to ±3.7 points. Knowing your standing on verbal and quantitative reasoning tells you which exam sections deserve the most practice time.

It depends on the instrument: arithmetic, reading comprehension, grammar, and report writing on the NPOST; spelling, vocabulary, clarity, and reading on the PELLETB; nine abilities including memorization and spatial orientation on the NYPD exam; video judgment plus report writing and reading on FrontLine National.

The NYPD requires 70%. The PELLETB has no fixed pass mark; a T-score of 50 is average, and POST research ties academy success to every point above 42. For the NPOST and FrontLine National, the hiring agency sets the cut score.

It varies by agency. NYPD eligible lists typically remain active for four years; other agencies and testing networks set their own windows.

No. It is a job-specific basic-skills and aptitude battery, though it samples the same underlying abilities, which is why cognitive-ability research predicts who passes.

Not on the exams verified here. The NPOST provides scratch paper but bans calculators, and the NYPD exam does not permit them either.

NPOST time limits are set so at least 90% of applicants can finish each section, so the challenge is ranking high rather than beating the clock. PELLETB difficulty is concentrated in vocabulary and reading skills built over years.

1. California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. (n.d.). Applicant preparation guide for the POST Entry-Level Law Enforcement Test Battery. post.ca.gov

2. Ergometrics & Applied Personnel Research. (n.d.). FrontLine National candidate handout. joinakronpolice.com

3. New York City Department of Citywide Administrative Services. (n.d.). Notice of examination: Police officer. a856-exams.nyc.gov

4. Sackett, P. R., Zhang, C., Berry, C. M., & Lievens, F. (2022). Revisiting meta-analytic estimates of validity in personnel selection: Addressing systematic overcorrection for restriction of range. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(11), 2040-2068. doi.org/10.1037/apl0000994

5. Scharfen, J., Peters, J. M., & Holling, H. (2018). Retest effects in cognitive ability tests: A meta-analysis. Intelligence, 67, 44-66. doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2018.01.003

6. Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1998). The validity and utility of selection methods in personnel psychology: Practical and theoretical implications of 85 years of research findings. Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 262-274. doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.124.2.262

7. Stanard & Associates. (n.d.). The National Police Officer Selection Test. stanard.com