About the Police Promotion Exam
Overview
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The Police Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain Promotion exams are taken by those police officers seeking to further their careers by earning a promotion in rank. Unlike the entry-level exam you took at the beginning of your career, this exam will require you to have a thorough understanding of career-based knowledge.
Test Dates
Most civil service exams are administered as needed. Check with your state for exam dates and application deadlines.
Test Locations
Check with your state for the location of your exam.
Test Structure
Tests vary from place to place, but will likely run about 3 hours and include around 120 questions. The questions will cover a wide variety of subject areas. They will also very likely cover state and municipal law, so it is important to be well versed in local ordinances.
Your exam may cover:
- Administration and supervision
- Discipline and training
- Effective communication
- Evaluations and ratings
- Conferences
- Patrol procedures
- Handling complaints against police personnel
- Interviewing and handling employee grievances
- Constitutional law
- Evidence, criminalistics, and investigative procedures
Scoring
Your answer sheet will be read by a machine to determine your raw score. Then, using a confidential process, your raw score will be converted into a scaled score, from 1 to 100. A scaled score of 70 is usually considered a passing score.
