Free NPOST Practice Test
National Police Officer Selection Test Prep
Last updated: September 2026
The NPOST (National Police Officer Selection Test) is used by many U.S. law enforcement agencies to screen police officer, deputy sheriff, and corrections officer candidates. It tests basic arithmetic, reading, grammar, and report-writing skills — not policing knowledge. Use these free practice questions to prepare for all four sections.
Commercial Pre-Employment Exam Standard
NPOST (National Police Officer Selection Test) is a widely-used pre-employment written exam published by Stanard & Associates, Inc. Despite its name, NPOST is a commercial exam brand, not an official national government standard — individual law enforcement agencies choose which written exam to use, and NPOST is one of the most common. It tests basic cognitive skills relevant to police work, not law enforcement knowledge specifically — no prior policing experience is required.
NPOST Exam Format & Structure
The exam takes approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes total across four timed sections designed to evaluate cognitive job readiness.
- Arithmetic Section: 20 word problems requiring basic arithmetic, fractions, percentages, and unit conversions without a calculator.
- Reading Comprehension Section: 25 questions in 25 minutes based on law enforcement policies, procedure manuals, and factual passages — answering strictly from information provided.
- Grammar Section: 20 questions evaluating sentence structure, correct word choice (homophones/parts of speech), punctuation, and spelling.
- Incident Report Writing Section: 10 questions in 15 minutes based on a completed incident report form, requiring clear, short written answers in complete sentences.
- Sectional Scoring Mandate: Most law enforcement agencies require achieving at least a 70% passing score on each of the four sections independently.
- No Negative Marking: There is no penalty for incorrect answers; candidates should answer every question.
Since NPOST is utilized by various city, county, and state agencies with customized hiring cutoffs, always verify exact passing thresholds and composite scoring policies with your recruiting agency.
Core NPOST Tested Competencies
Section I: Arithmetic (Math Without Calculator)
Basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), speed/distance/time calculations, proportions, and law enforcement inventory/budget math.
Section II: Reading Comprehension
Evaluating departmental policies, standard operating procedures, and witness statements with strict factual deduction (no outside assumptions).
Section III: Grammar & Vocabulary
Sentence completion, identifying correct grammatical structure, subject-verb agreement, and spotting misspelled words commonly found in official reports.
Section IV: Incident Report Writing
Extracting key facts from sample police incident forms to formulate complete, grammatically accurate factual sentences without subjective bias.
Why Incident Report Writing Catches People Off Guard
The Incident Report Writing section is not testing writing creativity or personal opinion — it requires answering strictly and only from information explicitly stated in the given report. Candidates who introduce outside assumptions, common-sense speculations, or subjective interpretations often lose vital points even when their sentences are well-written.
Part A — Arithmetic, Reading Comprehension & Grammar Practice
Officer Davis is dispatched to a call 18 miles away. If the patrol vehicle maintains an average speed of 45 miles per hour through suburban traffic, how many minutes will it take Officer Davis to arrive at the scene?
A patrol division has an annual equipment budget of $48,000. In the first quarter, the division spends $14,400 on uniform replacements and tactical gear. What percentage of the annual equipment budget remains for the rest of the year?
Passage: "Department Policy 402 states that officers impounding a motor vehicle must complete an inventory form (Form V-12) prior to the vehicle being towed, except when exigent circumstances or immediate medical emergencies prevent doing so. In all cases where an inventory search is delayed due to exigency, the officer must document the specific reason in the primary incident narrative within 2 hours of clearing the scene." According to the passage, under what condition may an officer delay completing Form V-12 before a vehicle is towed?
Passage: "Officers responding to residential alarm activations shall conduct a complete perimeter inspection of the premises unless aggressive animals or locked security gates impede access. If an unsecured exterior door or broken window is discovered, the primary officer must request a secondary backup unit prior to entering the structure." Based ONLY on the provided passage, what is the primary officer required to do immediately upon discovering a broken window during a perimeter check?
Choose the word that correctly completes the sentence according to standard English grammar and spelling rules: "The investigating detective noted that the suspect had already ________ all the stolen electronic equipment before officers arrived."
Identify the sentence that contains an error in spelling or word choice commonly evaluated on the NPOST Grammar section:
Part B — Incident Report Writing Practice (Open-Ended Framework)
Incident Report 24-08912: Commercial Burglary at Apex Electronics
INCIDENT REPORT FORM — METRO POLICE DEPARTMENT Incident / Case No.: 24-08912 Date of Report: October 14, 2024 Time of Dispatch: 02:45 Hours | Time of Arrival: 02:52 Hours Reporting Officer: Officer Tyler Vance (#418) Location of Occurrence: Apex Electronics, 1420 West Elm Street Type of Incident: Commercial Burglary (Forced Entry) VICTIM / BUSINESS INFORMATION: Business Name: Apex Electronics | Owner: Marcus Sterling (DOB: 05/12/1976) Contact Phone: (555) 382-9011 INCIDENT SUMMARY / NARRATIVE: On October 14, 2024, at approximately 02:45 hours, Officer Vance was dispatched to a commercial audible burglar alarm at Apex Electronics (1420 W. Elm St.). Officer Vance arrived on scene at 02:52 hours. Upon arrival, Officer Vance observed a shattered glass pane on the rear west entrance door. Owner Marcus Sterling arrived on scene at 03:15 hours and unlocked the premises for inspection. Inside the showroom, glass display cases #2 and #3 were smashed. Mr. Sterling conducted a preliminary inventory and reported three (3) silver 15-inch ProTech laptops (Serial #PT-9081, #PT-9082, #PT-9083) valued at $1,200 each, and $450 in cash from the register were missing. No suspects were observed on scene. Officer Vance requested evidence technicians for latent print processing at 03:30 hours. QUESTION 1: What specific items and monetary assets were reported missing by the business owner during the initial inventory?
Incident Report 24-08912: Dispatch & Arrival Timeline Verification
QUESTION 2 (Based on Incident Report 24-08912): At what time did Officer Vance arrive at the scene, and what initial sign of forced entry did the officer observe upon arrival?
How to Prepare for the NPOST
Practice Arithmetic Word Problems Without a Calculator
No calculators are permitted on the NPOST. Rebuild your mental arithmetic, fractions, decimals, percentages, speed-distance formulas, and long division on scratch paper.
Answer Reading Questions Strictly From the Text
Never rely on your personal opinions or real-world assumptions. On policy and procedure passages, if a fact is not stated in the passage, it cannot be used to answer the question.
Focus on Spelling and Core Grammar Rules
The Grammar section tests subject-verb agreement, common homophones (their/there/they're, its/it's), and frequently misspelled words like "license", "statute", "vehicle", and "incident".
Practice Incident Report Writing in Complete Sentences
This is the most unique section of the NPOST. Practice reading filled-out police forms and writing concise, 100% fact-based complete sentences with proper punctuation.
Confirm Passing Standards with Your Target Agency
While 70% per section is the standard baseline cutoff for Stanard & Associates NPOST, competitive police and sheriff departments often rank candidates by higher composite scores.
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