Pass thePolice Exam.

Quick Drill

Hit one skill area with a short focused set.

Flashcards

Review terminology and key concepts.

• Reasonable suspicion — specific facts that crime may be afoot (enough to stop). Probable cause — enough to believe a crime occurred (needed to arrest/search).
• Miranda — required before custodial interrogation (custody + questioning), not for every contact.
• Terry stop — brief detention on reasonable suspicion; a frisk is a pat-down for weapons only.
• Use of force — must be objectively reasonable and proportional to the threat.
• Chain of custody — tag, log, and record every transfer; a gap can make evidence inadmissible.
• Felony (serious, longer sentence) vs misdemeanor (less serious). Authority outside your jurisdiction generally needs mutual aid or hot pursuit.

• Distance = Speed × Time → Speed = D ÷ T, Time = D ÷ S
• Percent = (part ÷ whole) × 100
• Percent change = (new − old) ÷ old × 100
• Average = sum ÷ how many
• Time — 60 min/hr; convert seconds to hours by ÷3600. mph from ft/s: × 3600 ÷ 5280.
• Read the units in the answer choices first — they tell you what to convert.

• its = belonging to it · it's = it is
• their / there / they're = possessive / place / they are
• affect = verb (to influence) · effect = noun (a result)
• who = subject · whom = object
• Singular subjects: each, neither, the list of… → singular verb (was/is).
• Spell-check: separate, definitely, occurrence, sergeant, warrant, liaison, necessary, pursuit, receive.

• Deductive = must be true from the rules. Inductive = the likely pattern across cases.
• Contrapositive: if A → B, then NOT B → NOT A (a valid flip).
• Number series — test +/−, ×, growing differences, squares (1,4,9,16…), Fibonacci (add the last two).
• Ordering puzzles — sketch the order on scratch paper; don't hold it in your head.
• Watch absolute words: all, none, only, must — they make or break an answer.

• Life safety first — protect people before property or paperwork.
• De-escalate — stay calm and professional; never match hostility.
• Integrity always — decline gratuities, report misconduct, correct your own errors.
• Avoid the extremes — the best answer is rarely "do nothing" or "go overboard."
• Follow lawful orders; raise disagreements through proper channels.

• Lock in the 5 W's: who, what, where, when, which direction.
• Scan people top to bottom: head/hair, face marks, clothing, shoes, then anything carried.
• Vehicles: color, type, plate, damage, direction.
• Lock in numbers and letters first — they fade fastest.
• Don't fixate on one detail; spread your attention across the whole scene.

Structure behavioral answers so they land cleanly:

• S — Situation: set the scene in a sentence or two.
• T — Task: what you needed to accomplish.
• A — Action: the specific steps you took.
• R — Result: how it turned out and what you learned.

• Why do you want to be a police officer?
• Why this department specifically?
• Tell us about a time you handled conflict.
• Describe a time you did the right thing when no one was watching.
• How do you handle stress and criticism?
• What would you do if you saw a fellow officer break the rules?
• Tell us about a time you worked as part of a team.
• What are your greatest strengths and one real weakness?

• Research the department — size, community, values, recent news.
• Use real, specific examples from your own life.
• Pause and breathe before answering; thinking is fine.
• Be honest about a weakness and how you're improving it.
• Show you understand the community you'd serve.
• Dress the part: clean, conservative, pressed.

• Rambling — keep answers to about 1–2 minutes.
• Badmouthing past employers, coworkers, or anyone.
• "I just want to help people" with nothing behind it.
• Memorized, robotic scripts that sound rehearsed.
• Exaggerating or inventing stories — panels probe.
• Talking only about action and excitement, not service.