What the NYPD Police Officer test looks like

The test is multiple choice, taken at a computer terminal. You must achieve a score of at least 70% to pass. Your score determines your place on the eligible list, so passing and placing well are different achievements — and only the second gets you appointed within any useful timeframe.

Some questions are answered on the basis of documents or other information supplied to candidates on the day of the test. That is worth knowing in advance: part of the paper is not a memory exercise but a reading-and-applying exercise against material you are handed.

Deductive reasoning — applying general rules to specific problems, illustrated by determining the appropriate dispatch code for a situation. Inductive reasoning — combining separate pieces of information into a general conclusion, illustrated by investigating specific offences. Information ordering — following a set of rules or actions in a given order, illustrated by storing found, seized or recovered property.

Memorization — remembering words, numbers, pictures and procedures, illustrated by searching for a person after being shown an image and description. Problem sensitivity — telling when something is wrong or likely to go wrong, illustrated by apprehending suspects or working with victims. Spatial orientation — knowing where you are in relation to things around you, illustrated by navigating an assigned precinct on foot or in a vehicle.

Visualization — imagining how something looks when moved or rearranged, illustrated by identifying someone believed to have changed their appearance. Written comprehension — understanding sentences and paragraphs, illustrated by reading policies, laws and summonses. Written expression — writing so that others understand, illustrated by recording information in a memo book.

Ten points are added to the multiple-choice test score of candidates who qualify for New York City Residency Credit. Qualifying means passing the test and maintaining continuous residency in New York City from the date of the test through the date the eligible list is established.

It must be requested by following the instructions given on the day of the test. Supplying a New York City address on the application does not count as a request, and requests cannot be accepted after the list is established. Eligibility is investigated, and the notice warns that a candidate who misrepresents residency is disqualified, removed from the list and may face criminal sanction.

Ten points on a ranked list is a large number. Veterans' preference and Legacy credits are separate schemes and must likewise be claimed before the list is established.

Calculators are not permitted. Neither is any other electronic device: the notice names phones, smart watches, cameras, e-cigarettes and vape pens among the prohibited items.

The stated consequence is severe. Using such a device at any time before, during or after the exam event nullifies your test score and disqualifies you. This is not a rule about one paper — it is a bar that follows the candidate.

Question count, running time, section boundaries and per-ability weighting do not appear in the notice, and neither does any past form of the paper. A source stating those numbers is not quoting DCAS.

Our own practice papers use a structure documented as ours, so pacing can be rehearsed honestly. Where we state a number, we say whose number it is.