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Exam Overview
What Is the PELLET B?
The PELLET B is a standardized, multiple-choice exam developed by POST for California law enforcement agencies and POST-certified academies. Agencies use it to screen applicants for entry-level peace officer jobs, and many academies use it as an admission requirement. It measures the reading and writing abilities that research links to success in the academy and on patrol: reading general orders, statutes, and reports accurately, and writing reports that are clear, correct, and easy to follow.
The exam does not test criminal law, police procedure, or math. Every question can be answered from the language in front of you. Questions are set in a law enforcement context, such as an officer's report sentence or a department policy, but no police knowledge is needed.
Exam Structure
The current PELLET B has two tests and four item types. POST publishes item ranges rather than fixed counts, so the exact number of items can differ slightly from form to form.
| Test | Item type | Items | What you do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing Ability | Clarity | 15–18 | Choose the more clearly written of two sentences |
| Writing Ability | Vocabulary | 15–18 | Choose the word or phrase closest in meaning to a word in a sentence |
| Writing Ability | Spelling | 15–18 | Choose the correct spelling of the word missing from a sentence |
| Reading Ability | Reading Comprehension | 20–24 | Read passages of one paragraph to one page and answer questions |
| Total | 65–78 | About 1 hour 45 minutes of testing time |
Timing and Delivery
- Total session: about 2 hours 15 minutes, made up of roughly 30 minutes of instructions and 1 hour 45 minutes of testing time.
- Delivery: paper and pencil. You mark answers on a separate answer sheet, not in the test booklet.
- Answer choices: Clarity items have two choices (a and b); Vocabulary, Spelling, and Reading Comprehension items have four (a through d).
- Where: the exam is given by participating California law enforcement agencies, academies, and some testing consortia, not directly by POST. You register through the agency or academy.
- Cost: POST supplies the exam to agencies at no charge, but the administering agency or academy may charge a local testing fee.
- Retakes: you may retest after 30 days from your most recent test date.
How the PELLET B Is Scored
Your raw score (the number of items you answer correctly) is converted to a T-score, a standardized scale with an average of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. Score reports show a reading T-score, a writing T-score, and a total T-score. Because the scale is standardized, a T-score means the same thing on every form of the exam.
| T-score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 40 or below | Below average |
| 42 | POST's recommended minimum (cut) score |
| About 50 | Average performance |
| 60 or above | Above average; competitive at most agencies |
POST recommends a cut score of 42 or higher, and POST research shows that the likelihood of completing the academy rises with every point above 42. Each hiring agency, however, sets its own passing score and decides how to use scores. Some agencies require a higher minimum, and many rank applicants by T-score, so a score well above the minimum makes you more competitive.
Retakes and Score Use
If you are not satisfied with your score, you may retest after 30 days from your most recent test date. POST does not set an expiration date for PELLET B scores, but each agency decides whether it accepts a score earned elsewhere and how old that score may be. Many agencies accept a T-score letter from another agency or academy, so keep a copy of every score report.
Test Day at a Glance
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