How to Study for the Police Officer Certification Exam

How to Study for the Police Officer Certification ExamHow to Study for the Police Officer Certification ExamThe path to becoming a police officer is riddled with hurdles, from the extensive background investigations to the challenges of the police academy. Itdoesnt stop on graduation day, though. In order to make the leap from the classroom to the patrol car, youre going to have to take - and reisepass - a police officercertification exam. If you want to make it to field training, you need to know howto study for the state exam. Read the Book Before you go scouring the internet for state police exam study guides, remember this there is no substitution for actually reading and comprehending the curriculum. True, the police exam is long and theres a lot of material to cover, but the questions on the test arent going to come from your training officers lectures. Test questions are going to come straight from the books.The most important thing you can do to be ready fortest day is to become familiar with the curriculum by reading ahead of your daily lessons. Take Notes While youre reading, take good elendes. Your training curriculum will most likelycontainalistoftrainingobjectivesat thebeginningof eachchapteror module. Think of those objectivesasdeclarationsby the State Police Officers Standards and Training (POST) orequivalent,tellingyou exactly they want you to learn. As youre reading the chapter, write down therelevantportions of text thatcorrespondwith those objectives. This will help break the material down into moredigestiblechunks, which will make iteasierto review key information. Review Your Notes As you get closer to test day, review your notes. Doing so will jog your memory and bring old information to the forefront, helping it to stay fresh in your mind. It will also help you recall aspects of training you may not have fully grasped, and remind you to give certain areas or chapters a second look. Take Practice Exams Regardless of your st ate, the chances are high that there are plenty of places where you can find practice test questions, either online or in bookstores. Your academy may even offer them as part of the exam review. Be careful here. Far too many police recruits rely on practice exams as the primary means of prepping for any exam, much less one so important as a state certification test. Realize that practice exams are but one tool in your toolbox and, while valuable, can also be dangerous. These are not actual state exam questions, only made-up questions designed to test your ability to recall the objectives. The best use of practice exams is tonarrowyour focus byidentifying where youre knowledge is weakest. Studying is far moreefficientwhen you know what it is you dont know. Read and Review Again With the help of practice tests, you can identify which chapters or sections you dontrecallas well asothers. When youveidentifiedthose areas, go back and reread those chapters, and take notes again while y ou do. Then, review those notes. RestBefore the Test Its easier said than done, but if you dont do anything else the night before the test, be sure to get plenty of sleep. This may be the most important test of your life, and youll needyour faculties firing on all cylinders to be successful. That wont happen if youre sleep deprived.Relax, wind downand rest your brain. Youre going to have a big day ahead of you. Good Luck on Your Law EnforcementCertificationExam Remember, there is no substitute for reading your training material. No one can force the knowledge you need into your head.If you follow these tips, though, youll put yourself onbetter footing for the exam and be as ready as ever for the big day.