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Exam Overview
The Trooper Exam is the entrance examination of the New York State Police. Candidates apply online with the State Police, receive an authorization from Pearson VUE, and schedule the computer-based exam at a Pearson VUE test center; there are about 250 centers in the United States, more than 50 of them in New York State, and additional locations on military bases. The exam measures cognitive abilities, behavioral characteristics, and attitudes. No law-enforcement knowledge or experience is required.
Exam Format
| Section | Questions | Time | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| CognitiveAbility | 65 | 1hour40 | Multiplechoicewithfouranswerchoices measuring12 , |
| minutes | abilitiesinfivedomains;includesfigures faces maps , , , | ||
| license-plate panels and images to study and recall , | |||
| PersonalityAttributes | 85(theremaining | 20minutes | Part 1: rate your agreement with statements on a five- |
| items) | pointscale(StronglyDisagreetoStronglyAgree) Part2: . | ||
| choosewhichoftwostatementsmorecloselyreflects | |||
| you Norightorwronganswers . |
The 12 Cognitive Abilities
The Cognitive Ability section groups its questions into five domains. Each ability has its own question format, and each has a matching chapter in this guide.
Domains,Abilities,Andwheretheyarecovered
| Domain | Ability | WhattheQuestionsAsk | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading/Writing | Reading | Understandpassages:mainideas details meaning , , | 1 |
| Reading/Writing | Writing | Choosetheonesentencethatbestsummarizesan | 1 |
| incident | |||
| FluidIntelligence | DeductiveReasoning | Applyaruleorpolicytoasituation;decidewhetheran | 3 |
| actionviolatesit | |||
| FluidIntelligence | OrderingofInformation | Puteventsorstepsintheircorrectorder | 3 |
| FluidIntelligence | InductiveReasoning | Combinewitnessstatementsorfactsintoasound | 4 |
| conclusion | |||
| FluidIntelligence | PatternRecognition | Findhowfigureschangeandchoosetheonethatcomes | 4 |
| next | |||
| CrystallizedIntelligence | Grammar | Spelling punctuation andsentenceconstruction , , | 2 |
Domains,Abilities,Andwheretheyarecovered(Continued)
| Domain | Ability | WhattheQuestionsAsk | Section |
|---|---|---|---|
| CrystallizedIntelligence | Vocabulary | Wordmeaningincontextandsynonyms | 2 |
| VisualIntelligence | Visualization | Recognizethesamefaceafteritsappearancechanges | 5 |
| VisualIntelligence | SpatialOrientation | Followdirectionsandroutesonamap | 5 |
| VisualIntelligence | FlexibilityofClosure | Findalicenseplateorcountatargethiddenamong | 5 |
| distractions | |||
| Short-Term Memory | Memorization | Studyimages thenanswerdetailquestionswithout , | 6 |
| lookingback |
The exam tests abilities, not job knowledge. Answer every question from the information given in the passage, policy, map, or image, even when you think real police practice would differ.
Scoring and the Eligibility List
Candidates who pass are placed on an eligibility list in rank order by exam score plus any veterans' credits. War-time veterans and disabled veterans (those receiving Department of Veterans Affairs payments for a service-connected disability rated 10 percent or higher) may claim extra credits added to a passing score. Candidates are called for the next stages in rank order as Academy classes are scheduled, so the goal is the highest score you can earn, not a minimum pass. Only correct answers count: answer every question. Candidates who are called then take the pass/fail Physical Ability Test and complete candidate processing, a psychological evaluation, a background investigation with polygraph, and a medical examination before appointment to the State Police Academy (Section 8).
Registration and Test Day
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Howtoregister | ApplyonlinewiththeStatePoliceduringanapplicationperiod;PearsonVUEthenemailsan |
| authorizationlink usuallywithin24hours toscheduleadate time andlocation , , , , | |
| Testingfee | $44 paidtoPearsonVUEwhenscheduling;mayberefundableifyoucancelatleast72hours , |
| beforeyourappointment | |
| Agetotest | Age20to43totaketheexam;appointmentrequiresage21andmustoccurbeforethe44th |
| birthday(extensionsformilitaryservice) | |
| ArrivalandID | Arrive 30 minutes early with two current forms of signature-bearing ID one a government-issued , |
| photoID | |
| Notpermitted | Phones smartwatches andotherelectronics;calculators;notesorstudymaterials;bags;food , , |
| anddrink | |
| Accommodations | Testingaccommodationssuchasaseparateroomorextratimeareavailablewithdocumentation |
| ofadisability |
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Next, start the first chapter.