The NYPD Exam, also known as the New York City Police Department Exam, is a competitive exam for individuals who wish to join the New York City Police Department as a police officer. The exam measures an individual’s cognitive abilities, including reading comprehension, writing skills, and problem-solving abilities, as well as their physical fitness and suitability for the role of a police officer.
The exam typically consists of multiple-choice questions in areas such as reading comprehension, written expression, and memorization and recall, as well as a physical fitness test and a psychological evaluation.
The Basics of the NYPD Exam
Are you applying for the largest police department in the United States -The NYPD? Then you probably already know about all the perks of joining:
- Competitive salary
- Industry-leading holiday and sick pay
- Uniform allowance
- Overnight and overtime differential pay
- Amazing promotion and education opportunities
These perks are heavily protected through the use of stringent pre-employment testing, physical assessments, psychological evaluations, and academy training. Before you can even begin the hiring procedure with the NYPD, you will need to pass the NYPD Police recruiting exam.
The NYPD Hiring Procedure
The NYPD prides themselves on the prestige of the employees that carry their badges. To ensure that their reputation remains intact, they implement a long and strenuous hiring process. First, applicants must submit an application that meets the minimum requirements:
- 60 credit hours at an accredited college or university
- Minimum 2.0 GPA
- U.S. citizenship
- Residency in New York City
- Be at least 21 years old
- Have a valid NY State driver’s license
If you meet those basic requirements, you may be able to move forward to the more difficult steps in the hiring process.
NYPD Written Entrance Exam
The NYPD recruitment exam is provided by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services in NYC. The exam includes ten core testing sections, including:
Memory Booklet – This section of the exam can be incredibly difficult. You will be shown a photo and given 10 minutes to examine it. You will not be allowed to take any notes, nor will you be allowed to reference the photo after the 10 minutes have expired. After the timer ends, you will be asked questions about the details in the photo, and you must answer from memory.
Spatial Orientation – This testing section will put your directional, reading, detail, and problem-solving skills to the test. Some questions are based on maps and other visual pieces, some will be based on written scenarios.
Written Comprehension – The written comprehension section of the exam is standard in that it includes sections of written information that you will read and use to answer related questions. However, the written sections are catered to the NYPD and will look like lab reports, crime scene information, witness statements, etc.
Written Expression – This is the companion section to written comprehension. You will be given one long written document and be required to summarize it in a way that creates a concise look at the vital information from the original document.
Order of Information – Information ordering tests utilize your rule-following skills to see how well you can read directions and use the information provided to order a set of information.
Inductive Reasoning – This assessment section focuses on your ability to problem solve by forming generalizations based on the provided information. Specifically, you may be shown an incident report and then asked to classify the crime based on the information provided.
Shape Visualization – This portion of the test includes images of diagrams, faces, geometric shapes, etc., and requires you to visualize how the image may look in an altered state.
Deductive Reasoning – Deductive reasoning requires the ability to solve problems by deciphering specific details, facts, and rules that apply to the problem at hand.
Problem Awareness – This section includes a series of hypothetical scenarios, and you must determine the likelihood that a problem is happening or will happen.
Medical Exam
If you pass the exam, you will then be sent to take a medical exam. The purpose is to ensure that you are healthy enough to proceed with the physical testing required to continue your candidacy.
Psychological Testing
The psychological exam is especially important to help prevent those who are mentally disturbed or fragile from entering the NYPD.
Job Standards Test (JST)
The JST is a physical agility test and is very strenuous. It includes sprinting 50 feet, surmounting a barrier, climbing a set of stairs, physically restraining someone, running in pursuit of a person, dragging a 175-pound mannequin a 35-foot distance, and pulling the trigger of a firearm (unloaded) multiple times. This must all be completed in under 4 minutes and 28 seconds for a passing time.
Character Study
This section of the hiring process includes drug and alcohol testing.
Police Academy Training
If you manage to pass every step in the hiring process, you can be approved to enter the police academy. The position you are applying for will determine the length of time spent in the academy, but the shortest period of time is around 12 weeks.
