A Quick Guide to EB Jacobs Tests

EB Jacobs is a highly renowned crafter of pre-employment exams in the United States. They specialize in exams focused on the public safety sector, which includes law enforcement, firefighters, government positions, and even bus drivers.

These exams are given in test batteries relative to the section of public service that the test-taker is entering. Today, we will look at the 2 most common test batteries, the LEAB and FSAB.

Law Enforcement Aptitude Battery (LEAB)

The LEAB is one of the most commonly taken pre-employment assessments for those entering law enforcement careers in the United States. The test is issued in two formats, digital and paper, but both versions take approximately three hours to complete.

Sections of the Law Enforcement Aptitude Battery

The Law Enforcement Aptitude Battery is comprised of three sections – the ability test, life experience survey, and work-style compatibility questionnaire. Each section will be scored independently, then compiled.

Ability Test – The ability test section contains 48 multiple-choice style questions over topics like deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, order of information, problem awareness, written communication, and reading comprehension.

Life Experience Survey – The Life Experience Survey will contain anywhere from 47-96 questions that are framed as hypothetical statements or scenarios. The test taker is tasked with choosing which response best immolates their personal experiences or beliefs.

Work-Style Compatibility Questionnaire – The work-style questionnaire contains 72 to 102 items which the test taker will read, assess, and score depending on how much they believe the statement applies to them. This section is similar to personality tests like the Big Five and Myers-Briggs.

Law Enforcement Aptitude Battery Guidelines

• The test is timed, but there is no time limit.
• The suggested time for the ability test is 2.5 hours.
• The suggested timed for the workplace questionnaire is 15 minutes.
• The suggested time for the life experience survey is 15 minutes.  
• Once you have taken the LEAB, it is unlikely that you will be allowed to retake the exam. It is important to prep for the test prior to your testing date.

Law Enforcement Aptitude Battery Scoring

Each section of the LEAB will be scored independently, then the scores are combined for a cumulative grade. The final score is than compared to the scores of a control group of law enforcement officers in the testing database.

Fire Service Assessment Battery (FSAB)

The FSAB is another popular EB Jacobs test but used for those entering the firefighting profession. The test is based on research gathered from nearly 5,000 candidates and can help companies to hire individuals that have the cognitive skill, behavioral abilities, and personality strengths required to thrive in the field.

Sections of the Fire Service Assessment Battery

The Fire Service Assessment Battery is made up of three testing sections that take a cumulative four hours to complete (on average). These sections include – an ability test, life experience survey, and work styles questionnaire.

Ability Test – This section contains a variety of questions covering topics like deductive and inductive reasoning, assessing problems and priorities, reading comprehension, written communication skills, and more. There are 75 questions in this section.

Work Styles Questionnaire – The Work Styles Questionnaire can be compared to a standard personality test. The items from this section will be responded to with a 5-point scoring system, meaning the test taker will use a scale to indicate whether they relate to the item they have been presented.

Life Experience Survey – The life experience survey is one of the shortest sections of the test but can still take around 45-minutes to complete. There will be in=depth questions regarding work experience and skill history, similar to a job application.

Fire Service Assessment Battery Guidelines

• The test is time, though there is no overall time limit.
• The recommended times for the tests are 2.5 hours for the ability test, 45 minutes for the questionnaire, and 45 minutes for the survey.
• The FSAB utilizes methods of determining dishonest answers and you can be disqualified for being dishonest.
• It is important to study for the exam before testing as you will almost always be unable to retake the exam due to a poor score, though some departments may let you test again after a certain length of time.

Fire Service Assessment Battery Scoring

The FSAB sections are scored individually, with the final scores being combined into one. This final score is compared to the scores of the control group. EB Jacobs and their owner, PSI, do not reveal the weight of each section, so it is important to prepare well for each of them.  

Other Public Safety Tests

PSI has a wide selection of public safety pre-employment testing:

• Police Selection Test (PST)
• Bus Operator Selection System (BOSS)
• Protective Services Report
• Security Selection Report
• Many more