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Top 5 Things to Study for the Police Exam

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Sergeant Betsy Brantner Smith

Law Enforcement Career Expert

Sergeant Betsy Brantner Smith is a 29-year veteran of a large Chicago suburban police department and has held positions in patrol, investigations, narcotics, juvenile, crime prevention, hostage negotiation and field training. As a sergeant, she supervised her department’s K-9 Unit, served as a field training sergeant, recruitment team sergeant, bike patrol coordinator, and supervisor of the Community Education/Crime Prevention Unit. As a patrol sergeant, Betsy served on the Elderly Services Team, the Crisis Intervention Team, and as a supervisory member of the Honor Guard.

Betsy served as a host and content expert for the Law Enforcement Television Network (LETN) from 1999 – 2003. A graduate of the Northwestern University Center for Public Safety’s School of Staff and Command, Betsy writes for numerous law enforcement and government publications and has been an instructor for the Calibre Press “Street Survival” seminar since 2003. She also manages and instructs for Dave Smith & Associates, a law enforcement training and consulting company based in Illinois and is featured in the Biography channel’s new reality show “Female Forces.” Together with her husband, Dave “JD Buck Savage” Smith, she trains law enforcement personnel throughout the United States and Canada.

About University of Phoenix

The administration of criminal justice and security are increasingly important in today’s complex world. If you are interested in learning more in these vital fields, University of Phoenix can help. We offer criminal justice and security degree programs at both the bachelor’s- and master’s-degree levels through our College of Health and Human Services.

Criminal Justice Degree Curriculum

Our criminal justice and security degree programs are thought-provoking and academically rigorous. They are designed to address today’s challenges, while anticipating emerging technologies and increasing responsibilities.

As a student in our criminal justice programs, you can gain an understanding of areas such as law enforcement, the courts, and community and institutional corrections. By comparison, our security programs primarily focus on safety, asset protection and the prevention of criminal activity and security problems.

Regardless of which program you choose, the College of Health and Human Services at University of Phoenix is dedicated to providing a quality learning environment, as well as the skills and knowledge needed in today’s world.

While widely available, not all programs are available in all locations or in both online and on-campus formats. Please check with a University enrollment advisor.

University of Phoenix is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (ncahlc.org). For more information regarding state licensure, please click here.

More articles from this author:

• College and Cops: Springboard Your Success in Law Enforcement
• Emailing, Texting, Social Networking and Other Ways to Screw Up Your Career
• How Much Will I Get Paid…Really

Wouldn’t it be great if there was one and only one police entrance exam for every department in the nation? However, as many of you know, that’s just not the case. Every police agency has different requirements and different attributes they are looking for in an employee, which means you could take a dozen police entrance exams and none of them would look the same. So how in the world do you properly prepare for an exam that you might not see until the minute you sit down to take it? Here are five basic things you can do to improve your chances of passing any police test.

Practice Your Memorization

A large part of most police exams is reading and memorizing. You may think “I’m not good at remembering people’s names” or “I was always bad at memorizing things in school.” What you’ve got to realize is that your memory can be exercised and improved just like any other skill. There are lots of great games and programs out there that can help you improve your memory. If you believe you are weak in this area, then you will be weak. You’ve got to change your “self-talk.” Remember, memory is not related to intelligence; regardless of what you’ve been told or what has happened in the past, believe in your memory and learn to make it work for you.

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Be a Confident Problem Solver

The term “problem oriented policing” is a big law enforcement buzz word, and with good reason. Cops spend most of their days and nights solving problems, so it makes sense that the police department you’re testing for wants to know what kind of problem solving skills you possess. This is where a good study guide will really come in handy. There are countless police exam study guides available in book stores and on the Internet, but don’t limit yourself to those that are law enforcement related. Get your hands on guides to study for the SAT’s, the LSAT, and the GRE to name just a few. It’s not just about your knowledge of police procedure, its all about your ability to successfully take a test.

Work On Your Reading Comprehension

Police examiners want to know that you are capable of reading a paragraph and then explaining what you just read. Nothing improves your reading comprehension better than actually reading. Read anything, fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, magazines, anything that is well-written and requires concentration. Your best friend’s MySpace blog or the local sports scores don’t count. You also need to be able to write about what you’ve read. Pick a good book, like Ben Sherwood’s The Survivors Club, read it a chapter at a time, and then ask yourself questions and write them down, or write a summary of what each chapter meant to you, and then go back and read that chapter again. Police agencies want to know that you can not only read, but that you can remember and use what you’ve just read.

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Refresh Your Basic Math and Intellectual Skills

Most police tests will include some form of mathematical equation, whether it’s measuring an accident scene or figuring out staffing levels for a certain size community. Again, the examiner isn’t interesting in finding out if you’re an accountant; they want to know if you can logically apply basic skills. Cops have to know a little about a lot of things, math is one of them. Studying math also helps structure your reasoning skills, so if x = 17 + (5×12)/3, what is the value of x?

Be a Good Test-Taker

This is a skill that most people have to study for and work at. Practice controlled breathing and other relaxation techniques; remember, anxiety is a performance killer when it comes to taking tests. Don’t let a difficult question stymie you, if you don’t readily know the answer, move on and come back to that question later. You’ll be surprised how often the answer comes to you while working on another question. Make sure you read each question carefully; many times you are able to mine part of the answer from the question itself. Police departments are looking to see if you are logical, observant, and can think critically, that’s why they “test” you.

Only about 30% of police test takers will pass the first test they take. Like any law enforcement survival skill, testing takes practice. Try to find out as much as you can about the type of test you’ll be taking, what the agency is looking for in a candidate, and if there is a study guide available. And then just do what you’d do if you’re on the range or on the mats, practice, practice, practice! Good luck! And by the way, the answer is 37.