Police Psychological Exam: Essential Tips, Sample Questions and What to Expect (2024)
Are you interested in pursuing a career as a police officer? Then you will have to take a police psychological test as an important step in the hiring process.
The Police Psychological Exam may differ among law enforcement agencies, but typically comprises three parts:
- Self-assessment: Candidates begin with a self-interview.
- Multiple-choice assessments: Following the self-evaluation, candidates undertake various surveys and multiple-choice tests that include around 100 questions and lasts 15 minutes.
- Face-to-face interview: The last phase involves candidates meeting with a psychologist for evaluation of their suitability for a police officer role, assessing strengths and traits.
Check out our dedicated Police Exam Practice Test or access our Police Psychological Test & Ability Test Bundle, covering the main parts found in police assessments.
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Table of Contents
What is the Police Psychological Exam?
A police psychological exam is a test used to assess an individual's ability to cope with the stresses of a law enforcement career. This includes dealing with violent situations, extended work hours, and confronting distressing crime scenes. The exam ensures that candidates have the mental resilience required for the job.
The questions delve into your personal preferences and behavior and measure your personality, motivations, attitudes, and values.
Most law enforcement agencies use a psych test to measure a variety of job-related behaviors and personality traits and to help them pick the best applicants for a job as police officers.
The police psychological exam is usually taken as the last/one of the last steps in the police recruitment application process, and is the last major hurdle you must face before becoming a police officer.
What is a Police Personality Test?
Unlike standard tests where answers can be distinctly right or wrong, the psychological evaluation seeks to construct a comprehensive personality profile through a series of psychological tests, interviews, and a review of the applicant's medical history and current lifestyle.
A psychological test is used by most police departments to select candidates, such as the Connecticut, NYPD, Chicago, PELLET B Test, LEAB Nassau County Police Exam and New Jersey, or national tests like the NPOST.
Personality tests and psychological evaluations are also used in other law enforcement positions, such as 911 dispatchers, FBI Special Agents, and more.
Interested in preparing for the police psychological exam as well as the cognitive written police test? Visit our new police bundle page for the most comprehensive prep.
Police Psychological Exam Questions and Answers
To get a taste of the types of statements you will be presented with on your police psychological test, let's go over a few sample questions and answers.
Press the correct answer to reveal the explanation:
Sample Question 1
I can stay calm and focused under pressure
Sample Question 2
I like to keep everything in its place so I know just where it is
💡 Tip: As shown in their solutions, these questions aim to understand your natural tendencies in leadership, decision-making, and organization.
This psychological evaluation is not just about right or wrong answers; it's an in-depth review of your personality profile and how it fits the unique nature of police work.
Important Things To Know About The Police Psych Test
Embarking on a law enforcement career with a reputable police department involves a comprehensive selection process, including the pivotal police psychological exam.
Law enforcement agencies, through standardized psychological tests and interviews, aim to assess an applicant's mental condition, fitness and compatibility with the demanding yet rewarding role of a police officer.
The psychological exam police officers need to pass is comprised of short statements, each followed by a five-point scale ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree”.
- Length: around 100 Questions
- Duration: around 15 minutes.
- Format: Questions on the police personality exam are standardized and formatted as either paper & pencil or computer-based.
- Tip: Look carefully at the response order, as some tests place “strongly agree” first, and other exams place it last.
By practicing for your police psychological exam prior to the actual testing date, you will become familiar with the format, questions, and answering styles found on the real test, allowing you to take the test calmly and confidently.
Don't Let This Tricky Test Catch You Unprepared!
The police psychological exam is how police departments decide who they can entrust with the responsibility of a badge and a gun, which is why they place such huge importance on this stage of the hiring process.
Our Police Psych Test PrepPack includes a unique study guide which goes over all the attributes that are examined in the test, explaining each one in depth to understand the actual meaning behind every question.
A police psych test is only part of a wider battery of tests used in the police hiring process, with cognitive ability tests a central part of how you are selected.
Police Psychological Exam Disqualifiers
The most popular type of psychological exam used by police departments is based on the Big Five Model, which uses the following traits as indicators to decide whether to qualify or disqualify a candidate:
- Extroversion – dominant, energetic, socially interactive, talkative.
- Agreeableness – sociable, sensitive, emotionally intelligent, friendly, kind, compassionate, cooperative, sympathetic.
- Emotional Stability – self-confident, ability to adjust to changing circumstances, emotionally positive.
- Conscientiousness – possessing integrity, dependable, thorough.
- Openness to Experiences – flexible, creative, possessing wide-ranging interests.
Note: Conscientiousness (dependability) is considered to be the most important factor in predicting job performance in law enforcement.
Some police personality exams focus on a more detailed set of 15 behavioral traits:
| Taking personal responsibility | Emotional resilience | Taking charge of victims, witnesses, and suspects |
| Teamwork | Independence | Acceptance of the views of other individuals |
| Desire for achievement | Self-confidence | Self-awareness |
| Logical analysis of situations | Consideration and sensitivity | Compliance |
| Stress tolerance | Desire to support and assist | Attention to detail |
| Dependability | Impulse control | General Intelligence | Motivation to enter the law enforcement field |
| Judgement | Ability to deal with supervision | Prior drug use | Honesty & integrity |
| Personal bias or lack of bias | Stress tolerance | Reasonable courage | Ability to perform tedious tasks |
Free Police Psychological Test Online
Want to try a Police Psychological Exam online? We've got just the thing for you. Click on the following link to access an exam modeled after the Big Five personality traits. Simply choose "Firefighter and Law Enforcement" from the dropdown menu and begin your practice session.
Other Free Police Test Resources
The police psych test is only part of the evaluation process a police department will administer to decide if a candidate is right for them. A cognitive ability test is usually a very central element of the hiring process, and getting to know the test in advance can boost your chances of passing significantly.
Click on the links below to see some of JobTestPrep's leading police PrepPacks and other useful resources:
Create Your Own Assessment Prep Kit!
Finding a job can be a lengthy and challenging journey, often stretching over months and requiring multiple pre-employment tests and interviews. With our Premium Membership, you'll have the support you need every step of the way.
Mix & match 3 Preparation Packs at 50% discount for 1,3, or 6 months
How Can I Prepare For My Police Psychological Exam?
The journey to becoming one of the esteemed police officers is rigorous, but with the right focus, work history and preparation, passing the psychological evaluation can be a significant milestone toward receiving that conditional offer of employment.
Some sites claim you don't need to prepare for your police personality exam, and that there are no right or wrong answers. This however is a common misconception that could seriously jeopardize you chances of passing!
The purpose of claiming you don't need to prepare is to make you feel more at ease and willing to answer each question without too much thought. But you must remember that the purpose of the police psychological exam is to sift candidates out of the law enforcement agency hiring process, and if you arrive at your test without a good understanding of what you are facing, you could find yourself failing the test.
This is why one of the main reasons you should practice for your police personality exam is to build familiarity with the test, and enhance your understanding of the logic behind it.
Indeed may offer insights and guidance on various aspects of the hiring process for police officer positions, including written exams and interview questions.
Eliminate the Element of Surprise!
We have created a specialized and accurate Police Psychological Exam PrepPack™ to ensure you have the the ability to understand what each question is really asking you.
The 233 question police psych test takes into account the specifics of the law enforcement position you are aiming for, showing you where you stand in relation to the desired profile.
This way, you can avoid common psychological assessment pitfalls such as answering differently for re-stated questions, or accumulating too many extreme answers.
With JobTestPrep's accurate police psychological assessments and exam practice materials your understanding of the test, its theory, and the traits expected from future police officers, will be enhanced - giving you the keys to success.
Remember, every aspect of the evaluation, from the background investigation to the psychological interviews, is designed to ensure that candidates are a low risk for the agency and a good fit for the demanding nature of law enforcement.
Find some exam tips in our NYPD Psychological Exam or visit our Free Practice Suffolk Police Exam and start the preparation for your exam!
How To Answer Police Psychological Exam Questions?
To pass your upcoming psychological screening, there are many things you should do as well as many things you should avoid:
Do...
- Practice. This will allow you to get used to the questions you are sure to encounter, and improve your time management and answering speed. Practicing gives you a chance to review and become familiar with the test format, thus giving you an advantage over other applicants.
- Read the instructions carefully. Even if the instructions tell you there are no right or wrong answers, this is not true. Being a selection tool, the way you answer a particular question on a personality test can be detrimental to your overall profile.
- Think like a police officer. Each question on the police personality test is designed to evaluate a specific personality trait. Think of what might be expected of you in each of the situations being presented and answer accordingly. Preparing in advance will help you avoid police psych exam disqualifiers - those questions which you mustn't get wrong.
- Answer honestly. The personality tests administered to police officer hopefuls can track whether you are really truthful or not. If a trend of dishonesty is detected during the psychological evaluation, you run the risk of invalidating the entire assessment. This could quash your chances of landing the role with the police department you are applying for. In other words, consistency is key.
- Be decisive. Another quality is measured by the police psychological evaluation is your ability to be decisive. Stand your ground when taking this test and avoid frequent extreme and middle ground answers.
- Show that you are right for the job. Remember, police work entails both working in a dynamic environment and many hours performing administration tasks. Be sure to show that you are right for the job in both ways.
Don’t…
- Accumulate too many extreme answers. These can be detrimental to your overall personality profile, whether they be positive or negative. Too many absolute answers (strongly agree/strongly disagree) can demonstrate a nature of inflexibility in certain areas.
- Panic! One of the main side effects of taking a personality test is anxiety. If you have practiced beforehand, this should not be an obstacle to your success.
- Become discouraged. If you don’t meet one the standard of one law enforcement agency, it doesn’t mean another one won't hire you. Just make sure that you get enough practice to understand what each of the questions is asking on the actual test and do your best!
Police Psych Test For Employment FAQs:
Statistics show that the psychological screening process results in the removal of approximately 15% to 20% of applicants. This elimination generally transpires due to one of two reasons: either the candidate has a change of heart regarding their pursuit of a career in this field, or they do not receive approval from the psychologist to progress further in the selection process.
Yes. A psychological or personality test is often one of the last steps in the police recruitment process.
A psychological or personality test is often one of the last steps in the police recruitment process.
The aim of the police personality test is to measure a variety of job-related behaviors and personality traits.
Questions on the police personality exam are standardized and formatted as either paper & pencil or computer-based.
The police personality test questions delve into your personal lifestyle, behavior, and attitudinal attributes.
These tests consist of at least 100 questions that you will need to answer within a very short time limit.
The time limit is typically around 15 minutes.
Tips for Passing your Police Personality Exam
Practice.
This will allow you to get used to the questions you are sure to encounter as well as improve your time management and answering speed.
Answer honestly.
The personality tests administered to police officer hopefuls have the ability to track whether you are really being truthful or not.
Try not to accumulate too many extreme answers.
Too many extreme answers (strongly agree/strongly disagree) can demonstrate a nature of inflexibility in certain areas.
Don’t get discouraged.
If you don’t meet one agency’s standard, it doesn’t mean another agency can’t hire you. Just make sure that you get enough practice to do your best!
Practice to ensure you will get your law-enforcement job.
We have a preparation package for this with a study guide, question and answer analysis, practice exams, and helpful testing strategies.
By using it you will be able to boost your understanding of the exam, learn how to answer each question properly, and know where to focus your preparation efforts.