Can You Pass a Police Entrance Exam?

Becky Stigall

Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Have you ever dreamed of becoming a police officer? Do you think you have what it takes to pass a police entrance exam? Take this quiz to find out.

The Police Officer Selection Test (POST) is much like many other civil service exams in that it is a test of basic skills, not necessarily specific law enforcement knowledge. Remember, when you take a police entrance exam, you are not expected to know a whole lot about law enforcement, but you are expected to be able to prove that you have the basic skills that you will need to learn how to be a police officer. To that end, you will need to know basic math and English, primarily. You will learn all about how to be a law enforcement officer if you pass the entrance exam and continue your law enforcement training.

The police officer entrance exam will test you on basic reading comprehension (necessary to complete your coursework), basic communication skills (necessary to be able to communicate with the public), and basic math (necessary to prove problem-solving skills). The exam is typically not difficult, but you may want to brush up on these basic skills before test day.

Do you think you can pass this quiz? Prove it.

A police department's Special Weapons and Tactics unit is known as which of the following?

SWAT is the name for a police department's Special Weapons and Tactics unit. These units were first assembled to manage riot control.

Select the word or phrase that most clearly completes the sentence: When the suspect refused to turn himself in, the police _______ a search warrant.

Carrying out search warrants is a duty of police officers.

The corner pharmacy has been robbed. The drugs stolen include: $7,000 in analgesics, $3,000 in barbiturates, $19,000 in narcotics, and $400 in miscellaneous medications. Which category of drugs represents the most costly loss to the pharmacy?

$19,000 worth of narcotics were stolen.

The judge in the case of a drunk and disorderly suspect has set bail at two million dollars. The bail bondsman requires a 10% deposit to issue a bail bond. What amount of money does the suspect need for bail?

Ten percent of two million dollars is $200,000. The suspect will need $200,000 for bail.

Choose the correct word or phrase to complete the following sentence: As soon as they arrived at the scene of the crime, police officers decided to ________ evacuating people right away.

As soon as they arrived at the scene of the crime, police officers decided to begin evacuating people right away.

Which word is misspelled? "The two suspects were having an arguement over a car."

Argument is spelled with only one "e."

Solve this equation: 18 - 4 + (- 6) =

18 - 4 + (- 6) = 8. Simply put, adding -6 is the same as subtracting six.

Cassidy has a bank balance of $347.08. She withdraws $230.00. What is her balance after the withdrawal?

$347.08 - $230.00 = $117.08. Don't be confused!

Starting from the ground floor, Chrissy takes an elevator to the 12th floor. She then goes down 3 floors, then up 6 floors. Chrissy is on what floor?

12 - 3 + 6 = 15. That's a lot of elevator rides.

The suspects said that ______ leaving town today.

The suspects said that they're (they are) leaving town today

Which word is spelled incorrectly? "The crime occured early Friday morning."

Occurred is spelled with two "r"s.

Which sentence is correct?

The correct sentence is "Officer Jane and I solved the case."

What does the acronym DWI stand for?

DWI stands for driving while intoxicated. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with DUI (Driving Under the Influence).

Which sentence is correct?

The correct sentence is "Yesterday, the sergeants had sensitivity training."

The city has a policy that allows searches to be carried out on any employee's city-owned property (lockers, desks, vehicles, etc.) even if the employee is not present. On what basis can an employee's city-owned property be searched?

Because searches are allowed by city policy, no further permission is necessary.

The witness said _______ were two suspects involved.

The witness said there were two suspects involved.

There were three ____________ to the robbery.

There were three witnesses to the robbery.

The corner pharmacy has been robbed. The drugs stolen include: $19,000 in narcotics; $3,000 in barbiturates; $7,000 in analgesics; and $400 in miscellaneous medications. What was the total value of the drugs that were stolen?

$19,000 + $3,000 + $7,000 + $400 = $29,400

Officer Colon prepared a police report on a theft from a beauty shop. He listed the stolen property as: Microdermabrasion Machine - $600; Hair Dryer - $100; Waxing Table - $250; Facial Steamer - $500. What is the total value of the stolen property?

$600 + $100 + $250 + $500 = $1,450.

Which word is the opposite of the word "inebriated"?

"Inebriated" means intoxicated or drunk.

Which word means the same as "lacerated"?

The word "lacerated" means cut or torn.

The U.S. Constitution provides that persons shall not be subject to unreasonable searches and/or seizures. This means that:

The U.S. Constitution guarantees that people can't be searched for just any reason.

The corner pharmacy has been robbed. The drugs stolen include: $19,000 in narcotics; $3,000 in barbiturates; $7,000 in analgesics; and $4,000 in miscellaneous medications. Which category of drugs represents the least costly loss to the pharmacy?

$3,000 worth of barbiturates were stolen.

Officer Colon prepared a police report on a theft from a beauty shop. He listed the stolen property as: Microdermabrasion Machine - $600; Hair Dryer - $100; Waxing Table - $250; Facial Steamer - $500. What is the value of the stolen property, not including the hair dryer?

$600 + $250 + $500 = $1350.

While you are on your beat, you see rival gangs about to start a fight. What should be your first course of action?

Always call for backup first.

As part of his duties, Office Clarke attends three block club meetings every week, except during his two-week vacation. How many meetings does he attend each year?

Officer Clarke attends 150 meetings every year. That's fifty weeks, three meetings per week.

Officer Carey works as a gang prevention liaison officer in the schools in his district. He visits four schools a week, 50 weeks each year. How many schools does he visit each year?

Officer Carey visits 200 schools every year.

While on patrol, Office Kandy saw glass falling from a building under construction. A crowd of people gathered to watch. What should Officer Kandy's first action be?

An officer's first action should be to remove the public from the immediate danger.

Which amendment states that citizens have the right to remain silent instead of giving incriminating information?

The Fifth Amendment gives you the right to remain silent.

Which word is misspelled? "The man who commited the crime received a sentence of five years in the county penitentiary."

The word committed is spelled incorrectly in this sentence.

A robbery victim testified that, while she was at work between 9/1/16 at 7 a.m. and 9/1/16 at 6 p.m., her residence was broken into and her flat screen TV was stolen. When did the victim discover the burglary to her home?

The victim discovered the robbery when she returned home from work on 9/1/16 at 6 p.m. or later.

An officer comes upon a young man with an obvious gunshot wound. The man says that he accidentally shot himself while cleaning his gun. What should the officer do?

The officer should help the man get medical attention but make sure he is accompanied by an officer who can question him later.

GSW is short for what?

GSW is short for gunshot wound.

A police officer may refer to a perpetrator as what?

Although any of the answer selections might be appropriate, we were looking for the word "perp."

An officer who uses force must do which of the following?

Officers must always be able to justify the use of force.

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