Police exam: written test, practice and preparation
A police exam is the written test you take to be hired as a police officer, and each department or state sets its own. Most written tests measure reading, writing and reasoning: California’s POST test is a 2½-hour reading and writing exam, while the NYPD police officer exam is a computer-based multiple-choice test with a 70% passing score. The written test is only the first step before physical, background, medical and psychological screening.
- Who sets the exam
- Each police department, civil service commission or state; rules varyCalifornia POST and NYC DCAS, checked 19 October 2026
- California POST test (PELLETB)
- Written reading and writing test, 2½ hoursCalifornia POST applicant FAQs, checked 19 October 2026
- PELLETB scoring
- T-score; each department decides what is acceptableCalifornia POST applicant FAQs, checked 19 October 2026
- PELLETB retest
- 30 calendar days after your last attempt, at any agencyCalifornia POST applicant FAQs, checked 19 October 2026
- NYPD police officer exam
- Computer-based multiple choice, 70% to passNYC DCAS notice of examination, checked 19 October 2026
- NYPD application fee
- $0.00NYC DCAS notice of examination, checked 19 October 2026
- Next NYPD filing period
- Exam 7315: apply Nov 2 to 16, 2026; test Dec 1 to 5, 2026NYC DCAS notice of examination, checked 19 October 2026
- Free official practice material
- California POST Applicant Preparation Guide (PDF, with practice test)California POST, checked 19 October 2026
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What is a police exam?
A police exam, also called a police officer exam or police entrance exam, is the written test that opens the hiring process for police officers. There is no single national police exam. Each department, civil service commission or state decides which test it uses, the passing score and the dates. Many departments hire through a civil service police exam; in California, departments use the state’s POST police exam.
The written police exam is only one step. California’s POST, for example, also requires a background investigation and medical and psychological evaluations, and lets local departments set standards above the state minimums.
Source: California POST — Peace Officer Candidate Selection Standards. Checked 19 October 2026.
Example: the California POST police exam (PELLETB)
California’s Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) commission publishes the POST Entry-Level Law Enforcement Test Battery, or PELLETB, also called the POST Reading and Writing Test. It is a multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank written examination of reading and writing ability. Participating agencies and academies give it, not POST itself, and it is currently paper-and-pencil only. You have 2½ hours.
Since 1 January 2025, the test has two parts: writing (clarity, vocabulary and spelling) and reading comprehension; the CLOZE section was removed. Raw scores become a T-score with an average of 50. Each department decides whether a score is acceptable, gives you a letter showing your T-score, and other departments may accept it or ask you to test again. You must wait 30 calendar days before retesting, even at a different agency.
Source: California POST — LE Entry-Level Test Battery Applicant FAQs. Checked 19 October 2026.
Example: the NYPD police officer exam
The NYPD police officer exam is a civil service exam run by New York City’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS). The current notice covers exam numbers 7311 to 7322, from July 2026 to June 2027, with a new application and testing window each month. The multiple-choice test is taken at a computer terminal, the application fee is $0.00, and you need at least 70% to pass. If you pass, your name goes on an eligible list in final score order.
To apply you must be under 35 on the first day of the application period, and at least 17 on the test date. To be appointed you must be at least 20 years and 6 months, a U.S. citizen, and a resident of New York City or of Nassau, Westchester, Suffolk, Orange, Rockland or Putnam county, and have 24 college credits or two years of honorable full-time military service plus a high school diploma. The test may require deductive and inductive reasoning, information ordering, memorization, problem sensitivity, spatial orientation, visualization, and written comprehension and expression.
Source: NYC DCAS — Notice of Examination, Police Officer Exam Nos. 7311 to 7322. Checked 19 October 2026.
Police exam NYPD dates for 2026 and 2027
The application window for exam 7314 closed on 14 October 2026. The next windows in the NYC DCAS notice, applied for through the city’s Online Application System (OASys):
- Exam 7315: apply November 2 to 16, 2026; testing December 1 to 5, 2026
- Exam 7316: apply December 1 to 14, 2026; testing January 4 to 9, 2027
- Exam 7317: apply January 4 to 19, 2027; testing February 1 to 6, 2027
- Exams 7318 to 7322 follow monthly; the last window is June 1 to 14, 2027, with testing July 5 to 9, 2027
Source: NYC DCAS — Notice of Examination, Police Officer Exam Nos. 7311 to 7322. Checked 19 October 2026.
Nassau County police exam: requirements, and when is the next Nassau County police exam?
The Nassau County Police Department says candidates must compete in a required written test and pass additional screening. On its recruitment page, candidates must be at least 17 but under 35 on the date of the written test; no college is required to take the test, but 32 college credits are required for appointment, along with U.S. citizenship and a valid New York State driver’s license at appointment, and a background investigation.
The recruitment page did not list a date for the next Nassau County police exam when we checked on 19 October 2026, so we cannot confirm a Nassau County police exam 2026 date. The page offers a form to register for the test; the department’s recruitment office and the Nassau County Civil Service Commission announce the filing period.
Source: Nassau County Police Department — Recruitment. Checked 19 October 2026.
Other New York police exams: Suffolk, Port Authority, MTA, state police and more
Many candidates in New York track several tests at once: the Suffolk County police exam, the Port Authority police exam, the MTA police exam, the NYS police exam for the State Police, and city or county tests such as the Westchester police exam, the Yonkers police exam and the White Plains police exam. Because Suffolk residents meet the NYPD residency rule, some candidates sit both the NYPD test and the Suffolk police exam. Outside New York, the Mass State Police exam is another state police exam that candidates often compare.
Each of these is announced by its own agency or civil service commission, with its own requirements and dates. We did not find official dates we could cite for them, so this page does not list any. Questions like when is the next Suffolk County police exam, when is the next Port Authority police exam 2026 date, or when is the MTA police exam 2026 date can only be answered by the agency’s official exam announcement. Check it before you plan your preparation.
What the written police exam tests
Written tests differ, but the two official examples here show the common core: reading and writing, plus reasoning. The California PELLETB measures writing (clarity, vocabulary, spelling) and reading comprehension. The NYPD notice lists reasoning abilities such as deductive and inductive reasoning, information ordering, memorization and problem sensitivity, alongside written comprehension and expression.
A good written police exam practice test therefore mixes reading passages, grammar and vocabulary items, and reasoning questions built around police scenarios, and is done under a time limit.
Source: NYC DCAS — Notice of Examination, Police Officer Exam Nos. 7311 to 7322. Checked 19 October 2026.
Police exam psychology questions
Police exam psychology questions belong to a separate step, not the written test. California’s POST standards require candidates to be free from any physical, emotional or mental condition that might affect the exercise of peace officer powers, including bias against race or ethnicity, gender, nationality, religion, disability or sexual orientation. The NYPD notice says officers may be medically and psychologically tested throughout their career.
The psychological evaluation is not something to cram for. Answer honestly and consistently; the written exam is where focused practice pays off.
Source: California POST — Peace Officer Candidate Selection Standards. Checked 19 October 2026.
Free police exam practice test and official sample questions
Looking for a free police exam practice test? California POST offers a free Applicant Preparation Guide for the PELLETB as a PDF. It includes police exam sample questions for each section and a practice test (form version 2025) with answers and explanations, so it is the most useful official answer to a search for police exam questions and answers PDF free. POST notes that the practice test is a shortened version of the real test.
The NYPD notice of examination does not mention a practice test or study guide. For other departments, check the official exam announcement; if an agency publishes police exam example questions, they are the best guide to its format.
Source: California POST — Applicant Preparation Guide for the POST Entry-Level Law Enforcement Test Battery. Checked 19 October 2026.
Police exam preparation and study guide
Police exam preparation starts with the official announcement for your department: it tells you which test is used, the passing score and the dates. Then practice for police exam formats in the same order the test is built: reading comprehension, writing (grammar, vocabulary, spelling) and reasoning.
Any police exam study guide or police officer exam study guide should match your agency’s test. The California POST guide is a useful model: it explains each section, gives test-day tips such as making no marks in the test booklet and answering every question, and ends with a practice test.
Source: California POST — Applicant Preparation Guide for the POST Entry-Level Law Enforcement Test Battery. Checked 19 October 2026.
Police exam practice test for NYPD and other departments
An NYPD police exam practice test should follow the abilities the city lists in its notice, under a time limit, at a computer. For California departments, use the POST guide’s sections and time your practice against the 2½ hours of the real test. Police exam prep for other agencies works the same way: match the test the agency names.
Source: NYC DCAS — Notice of Examination, Police Officer Exam Nos. 7311 to 7322. Checked 19 October 2026.
Police exam practice questions on Certsqill
Certsqill’s police exam practice questions are expert-developed and organised by the skills written police tests measure: reading comprehension, written expression, vocabulary and spelling, and reasoning. Every question comes with an explanation for each answer option.
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Police Exam questions people ask
What is on a police officer exam?
It depends on the agency. California’s POST test covers writing and reading comprehension; the NYPD multiple-choice test covers reasoning, memorization and written comprehension and expression. Checked 19 October 2026.
What is a passing score on the police exam?
Each agency decides. The NYPD requires at least 70%; California POST reports a T-score and each department decides what is acceptable. Checked 19 October 2026.
Is there a free police exam practice test?
California POST offers a free PDF preparation guide with sample questions and a practice test with answers. Source: California POST, checked 19 October 2026.
How do I prepare for my police exam?
Read your agency’s official announcement, find out which test it uses, then practise reading comprehension, writing and reasoning under time limits.
How much does the NYPD police officer exam cost?
The application fee is $0.00. Source: NYC DCAS notice of examination, checked 19 October 2026.
When is next Nassau County police exam?
No date was listed on the Nassau County Police Department recruitment page on 19 October 2026; the page offers registration for test notices.
How long is the POST police exam in California?
2½ hours. Source: California POST applicant FAQs, checked 19 October 2026.
Can I retake the police exam?
It depends on the agency. For the California PELLETB you must wait 30 calendar days after your last attempt. Source: California POST, checked 19 October 2026.
Do I need college to take the police exam?
Not for the Nassau County written test; 32 credits are required for appointment. The NYPD requires 24 credits or two years of military service by appointment. Checked 19 October 2026.
