The police exam has two major parts; the police written exam and the police oral exam. When your career is on the line, as it usually is when you are taking an exam, you don't want to leave anything to chance. Therefore you need to learn as much about the test as possible so that you can prepare effectively.
The number one secret to passing the police written exam is to become an effective test taker. This means that you need to learn beforehand what is required of you and what the test aims to assess. For example, the police written exam is designed to assess your capacity for inductive and deductive reasoning, verbal comprehension, visualization, spatial orientation and other aptitude skills.
The police oral exam aims to assess your potential as a police officer as well as your dedication to the job. The life of a police officer is not an easy one and the pay doesn't even partially cover the sacrifice required. That is why seasoned officers need to assess whether the candidates have the dedication and love of the job that is needed.
Preparing for the police written exam is just like studying for any other exam. It requires a combination of long-term study and short term cramming to keep the information fresh in your mind.
Just like with any exam, you first need to find out what you need to study. Try to avoid wasting time on information that is not relevant and remember that the police written exam will contain very few on the job questions. You are not required to know police procedures for the police written exam but there may be some questions included in the test to determine your judgment and common sense.
Once you know what you need to study, you should prepare an overview of the material and extract the key ideas and facts. In fact, it would be best if you would write each key point down as well as pertinent facts as the act of physically writing helps you improve your rate of retention.
You will then need to read the material and memorize it using various memory techniques, such as those based on association. Next, make sure to test yourself on your ability to recall the information, preferably by taking practice tests. Of course, this will be a bit more difficult for the police oral exam but preparing for the written one will give a decided advantage.
You should also practice problem solving which you can do by taking practice tests. Since practice makes perfect, these tests are the key to your success because you will know what to expect and they will also help you retain the information. You also need to set your fear aside and be confident that you will succeed. However, do not allow overconfidence to make you reckless as you may end up losing out because you made silly mistakes.
The police oral exam is essentially a job interview and you wouldn't go to an interview without advanced preparation. This is why it is important to find out exactly what is expected of the ideal candidate and how you can highlight your qualities that match these expectations. Make sure you gather a complete file on yourself that shows your history. This will also be a great opportunity for you to determine your strengths and weaknesses.
If you truly wish to become a police officer then you shouldn't have any issues in passing the police oral exam because your dedication will show through. Remember that being prepared shows the greatest dedication and you will pass both the police written exam and the police oral exam with flying colors.