Pass the NYPD Psychological Exam to Become an NYPD Officer
The NYPD is one of the largest and most prestigious police agencies in the USA. To join the force, New Yorkers need to go through a variety of tests – including both a written psychological examination and an interview by a psychologist. In this article, we will explain how to prepare yourself for these exams, with a particular focus on the written psychological examination, as well as provide you with prep packs that you can use to get ready.
What Is the NYPD Psychological Exam?
The NYPD psychological exam is part of the standard police hiring process. It is a written psychological exam involving Likert Scale questions, and will normally follow the cognitive section of the evaluation process – the police written exam. It is a personality test, ensuring that you have the right traits and attributes to serve as a police officer.
Most candidates will take the test as part of their entry-level hiring process, but it may also be a part of more advanced exams, such as the NYPD Sergeant Exam or the NYPD Lieutenant Exam.
The exam contains a variety of different statements that you need to answer by ranking them from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree.
Psychological Exam Sample Question:
Others turn to me to lead them when making choices
NYPD Psychological Exam Tips
In answering the questions, keep the following tips in mind:
Think Trait-Wise
The exam is meant to test your personality for traits and characteristics that are useful in police service, such as personal responsibility, impulse control, emotional resilience, emotional intelligence, stress tolerance, self-awareness, compliance, courage, and honesty. Choose answers that reflect these traits.
Opt For Moderation
The examiners prefer candidates who have picked only a few ‘extreme’ responses, i.e., ‘Strongly Disagree’ or ‘Strongly Agree’. Extreme responses are usually believed to be associated with candidates having difficulty contending with ambiguity.
Think Twice
Consider your answers. Avoid ticking off questions too rapidly without consideration – you might have missed some nuances or subtleties. It's better to expend a few extra moments than to realize after the fact that you could have presented yourself more optimally.
Take Your Time - Within Reason
On the other hand - though personality tests are usually untimed they do keep track of, and record, your response delay. Stalling for too long on questions may indicate that the candidate is not providing honest, natural answers.
What Is the NYPD Psychological Interview?
For many NYPD positions, the written psychological exam is followed up by an interview with a psychologist. You should not be nervous about this: the psychologist is not there to diagnose you, but only to evaluate your fitness for the position. You absolutely should, however, follow the following tips:
- Be professional. Be dressed neatly, and treat the psychologist with respect.
- Address the interviewer as “Doctor” or by their law enforcement rank if they have one.
- Be honest and confident in your replies while trying to showcase the best aspects of your personality.
- Do not attempt to conceal any parts of your medical and personal history – if you attempt to hide something and it is later revealed in a background check, this may lead to your application being disqualified.
- Remember that the interview is a direct follow-up of your psychological written exam, and the psychologist will expect both to align.
How to Prepare for the NYPD Police Psychological Exam
Familiarize Yourself with the Exam
Practice with sample questions: Take the time to practice answering sample questions that are similar to those that may be on the exam. This will help you become comfortable with the types of questions that may be asked.
Think like a police officer: Every question is designed to evaluate whether you possess a personality trait that is desirable for NYPD officers. Answer with that in mind.
Answer honestly: The police officer exam is evaluated for consistency to check for signs of dishonesty. While you want to put your best foot forward, if outright dishonesty is detected it may invalidate your entire application.
Take time to relax: Make sure to take time to relax and take care of yourself before taking the exam. This will help ensure that you are in the best possible frame of mind to answer the questions.
Practice Makes Perfect!
To get ready for the police exam, consider getting access to JobTestPrep’s Police Psychological Exam practice pack.
This pack includes:
- Over 200 practice questions
- A guide to police personality profiles
- Adaptive guides for passing the psychological exam, based on the position you’re applying for.
No matter what NYPD job you’re going for, this study pack will help you get it.
You can also read more about the PrepPack and what it has to offer.