Everything You Need to Know About the NYPD Entry Exam

One of the most prestigious law enforcement agencies in the world, the NYPD is known for employing some of the most talented officers in the United States. So, it should be no surprise that their pre-employment testing process is long, difficult, and perfect for finding the highest talent available

If you are looking for information on the NYPD recruitment exam, simply read on.

A Look At the NYPD Recruit Exam (Written Skills Test)

If you meet the minimum requirements of the NYPD and your application is selected to move forward in the hiring process, you will need to complete and pass the written skills test. There are nine sections on this test:

1. Memory Booklet
2. Spatial Orientation
3. Written Expression
4. Written Comprehension
5. Deductive Reasoning
6. Inductive Reasoning
7. Problem Sensitivity
8. Visualization (Map Reading)
9. Semantic (information) Ordering

Memory Booklet

The memory booklet is referred to as the most difficult portion of the written exam. During this test, you will be shown a photo of a crime scene or other busy, scenic image. You will have 10 minutes to look over the photo, but you will not be allowed to take notes in any form.

After the 10 minutes has lapsed, the photo is removed and you are given a series of questions regarding the details of the photo.

Written Expression and Comprehension

Written expression and comprehension are two sides of what is typically referred to as a reading comprehension exam.

The written comprehension section will show you police reports, witness statements, or similar written documents and ask you questions regarding the details in the writing.

The written expression section covers your knowledge of vocabulary and asks you to look at a word and then find the most synonymous options from a series of other words.

Deductive and Inductive Reasoning

Deductive and inductive reasoning are two skill sets that are tested on the majority of employment assessments.

Deductive reasoning is the ability to take a set of rules or known facts and use that information to determine a pattern or the answer to a problem. These questions may be presented as illustrations, graphs, written text, or any number of ways.

Inductive reasoning is the ability to identify rules from raw data and use that deduction to continue patterns or separate data appropriately. On the NYPD exam this will be done in the context of police reports and witness statements.

Visualization

Visualization tests your ability to mentally reframe information and utilize that altered information. The test may show you geometric shapes, faces, or other images and ask you what that item would look like if it were altered in a certain way.

You will then select from multiple provided options.

Spatial Orientation/ Map Reading

Spatial orientation is often referred to as the map reading test because a large portion of the testing is framed around your ability to quickly and accurately read a map or similar piece of information. You will also need to prove your directional awareness skills.

Semantic (Information) Ordering

Semantic ordering tests your ability to follow rules and the natural logic of ordering pieces of information. The test may provide you the specific rules to follow while ordering, or it may use general language like, “list the statements in the order they were provided.” That specific example would require you to compare timestamps on statements to determine how to order them.

Problem Sensitivity

Problem sensitivity is difficult because it guages an abstract skill of recognizing errors and suspicious details. You may be asked to recognize inconsistencies in witness statements or to read a scenario and determine whether there is reason to believe something untoward may be happening.

Physical Fitness Job Standard Test

If you make it through your written test, health assessment, and mental health evaluation, you may find yourself taking the physical fitness test. The fitness test is made up of six trials:

• Sprint and Barrier Climb – You will sprint 50 feet to a 6 foot barrier that you must surmount.
• Stair Climb – You must climb a six-stair climbing setup.
• Physical Restraint – You must complete a physical restraint simulation.
• Pursuit – You will run in around a 600 foot course that includes cones.
• Victim Recovery – You will pull a 175 lb mannequin 35 feet.
• Trigger Pull – You will pull the trigger of an inoperable weapon 15 times with each hand.

The entire test is timed. The timer stops as soon as the 30th trigger pull is completed. You must complete the entire fitness test in under 4 minutes and 30 seconds.

How to Prepare for the NYPD Skills Test

Failing the skills test will be a major time setback for your NYPD career goals, so don’t head to your test unprepared. At JobAssessmentHelp, you can find all the study and test prep materials you need to get that passing score the first time around.

We know exactly what you need to know to pass the NYPD recruit exam, so head over to our NYPD test prep set and start boosting your chances to become an NYPD officer, today!