NYPD Lieutenant Exam - Learn What It Takes

The NYPD Lieutenant exam is in place to decide who has the skills, knowledge, and experience needed to step up to the plate and enter the officer ladder, with all the responsibility that entails. To do this, the exam tests three fields - task areas, police knowledge, and abilities. Each one of these fields ties in to the next, for example the police knowledge being tested is clearly relevant in task areas, and abilities will also manifest themselves in task areas. 

The questions are multiple-choice, and can be taken in a computerized or pen and paper format. You will need to achieve at least 70% correct answers to pass. 

Task areas represent categories of policework that you will need to lead as an NYPD Lieutenant, and measure three main areas: Administrative, Leadership, and Operational.

• Administrative -  Plan, administer, and monitor programs ; Prepare and review reports and forms ; Formal communications and notifications according to police procedures ; Safeguard police property, evidence, and non police property.
• Leadership - Assign and reassign personnel ; Monitor and inspect subordinates ; Train, evaluate, reward and sanction subordinates ; Cooperate with community groups, the public, and other agencies ; Prevention of alleged police misconduct and / or corruption.
• Operational - Monitor local area conditions and information sources ; Direct arrest and detention procedures ; Direct activities during operations.

This section of the Lieutenant exam aims to measure the knowledge you possess in a variety of fields that relate to the responsibilities of an NYPD Lieutenant, as found in the department guidelines and procedures. To pass this section, you will need to prove that if you are trusted to fill the position, you can serve as a source of knowledge and experience to your subordinates. 

• Written Narrative Reports
• Response Situations
• Patrol Supervision
• Special Patrol Operations
• Disciplinary Matters
• Personnel Matters

In this part of the NYPD Lieutenant your abilities, personality related, professional, and cognitive, will be measured in order to see that you fit the candidate profile that the NYPD is looking for. 

Although referred to in the test as abilities, some aspects are in fact personality traits or closely related to them. To learn more about the personality traits police departments look for in candidates, visit our police psych test page. 

• Self-control - represents your capacity to control anger and keep your emotions in check even in difficult situations. 
• Attention to Detail - closely related to the conscientiousness personality trait, this ability is crucial for the work of the NYPD lieutenant. 
• Initiative and Effort - to keep pushing the bar higher and encourage excellence, this ability requires taking on new responsibilities and setting challenging goals for yourself. 
• Dependability and Integrity  - the level to which you can be relied upon to act in a dependable and ethical manner. 
• Concern for Others & Active Listening - measures your empathy, which is an important aspect of the Lieutenant's work both with subordinates and with the community you work within. 
• Stress Tolerance and Persistence - with huge responsibilities that must be handled under pressure, being able to handle stress and to persevere despite it is a must. 
• Adaptability - in a dynamic work environment, you must be able to adapt in a constructive manner to changes, both positive and negative. 
• Teamwork, Persuading and Influencing Others - you will often be called upon to coordinate actions both with your department and across agencies, requiring a high level of teamwork. 
• Coaching and Mentoring - through intimate knowledge of your subordinates, you must identify development opportunities and serve as a source of information and experience. 
• Management of Material Resources - as a NYPD Lieutenant you must know how to utilize the material resources at your disposal in the most effective way.
• Management of Personnel - leadership is central to the role of the NYPD Lieutenant, and being able to motivate your team and know who is best for what job is a central aspect of your work. 
• Planning, Organizing, and Monitoring - the ability to identify needs in the field, build a plan and execute it, and then monitor the effectiveness and make the necessary adjustments. 
• Quantitative Analysis - in order to effectively carry out your responsibilities, you must be able to understand the data and underlying patterns within it, and use this information to better implement the department's policework. Please note that you can only use a simple calculator, and those with functions other than addition, subtraction, division and multiplication are prohibited. 
• Analytical Thinking - this ability involves using logical thinking in order to address issues and to identify problems, trends, or patterns that need to be incorporated into the work of the department. 

To learn more about preparation opportunities for the cognitive ability section of the NYPD Lieutenant exam, visit our police written test page or take our free police practice test.