Pennsylvania Police Officer Written Exam Online Preparation and Tips [2025]

Have you been thinking about joining a Pennsylvania (PA) police department? If you are, you need to be prepared to take several written exams that will test your basic knowledge. Pennsylvania police departments often use one or more written exams to narrow down their list of candidates to those who scored the highest. If you want to be a top scorer, you need to know what to prepare for.

What Is the Pennsylvania Police Officer Hiring Process?

To qualify for a Pennsylvania police officer position, you must be at least 18 years old and free of any criminal convictions. Job seekers that have applied to a Pennsylvania police department will have their applications reviewed by a hiring panel. If you are qualified, you will be asked to take the Nelson-Denny Reading Test to verify that you read at a ninth-grade level or higher. Successful completion of this exam will lead to a second written exam that covers basic police officer skills and abilities. You will also undergo a physical fitness evaluation and a background check. Applicants who successfully complete all of these steps will move onto the final step in the hiring process and may receive a tentative job offer.

What Is the Pennsylvania Police Officer Written Exam?

As previously mentioned, Pennsylvania police departments initially require their candidates to pass a Nelson-Denny Reading Test. This test is used to ensure that future police officers are able to read and understand different texts. Afterward, the police departments may choose to administer a second test of their choice. Pennsylvania police departments are not required to administer a specific test, which means each police department may choose to use a different exam than the next one. In most cases, Pennsylvania police departments administer one of the following exams:

• Law Enforcement Aptitude Battery (LEAB) developed by EB Jacobs
• CWH-NGLE developed by I/O Solutions
• The National Police Officer Selection Test (NPOST) developed by Standard and Associates Inc.

Nelson-Denny Reading Test

This test was developed in 1929 and has been repeatedly used in Pennsylvania to test future police officers. The test was designed to measure each candidate’s ability for reading comprehension. The questions will measure your silent reading rate, comprehension, and vocabulary. There are two forms of this test, so you will need to verify which version you will be taking. The test takes between 35-58 minutes, depending on the version. In total, the test will include up to four subsections:

• Vocabulary: You will answer 80 multiple-choice questions that include incomplete sentences and five word options. You will choose the word option that logically completes the entire sentence.
• Reading Comprehension: You will answer 36 questions spread across seven passages. You will read through the passages and answer questions that are relevant to the passages.
• Reading Rate: This section requires you to record a specific number that corresponds with the first paragraph’s last sentence found in the reading comprehension section.
• Reading Ability: This section is scored by the test proctor, who will review your other sections and assess your general reading ability.

Pennsylvania State Trooper Exam

To become a Pennsylvania state trooper, you will need to complete the Law Enforcement Aptitude Battery, or LEAB. The LEAB is divided into three sections and has a completion time limit of 3 hours and 40 minutes. One of the test sections will involve an Abilities Test. During this test, you will need to allocate 2 hours to complete the entire thing, as previous candidates claim that this is the hardest section. The LEAB includes the following three tests:

• Written Abilities Test: In total, this test has 48 multiple-choice questions split across six subsections. You will need to answer questions from the following subsections:
  • Written Expression: tests your ability to understand vocabulary and grammatical nuances while also identifying statements that most accurately reflects a given idea.
  • Written Comprehension: tests your ability to comprehend written text that is related to law enforcement situations.
  • Inductive Reasoning: tests your ability to identify a specific rule that best applies to a certain scenario.
  • Deductive Reasoning: tests your ability to apply a general rule that applies to a certain scenario.
  • Problem Sensitivity: tests your ability to recognize a problem within a certain situation. You may need to recognize a witness statement that differs from other witnesses.
  • Information Ordering: tests your ability to place statements in logical sequences.
• Work Style Questionnaire: In total, this test has between 74-102 statements that will ask about your values, motivations, opinions, attitude, and preferences. You will choose a number between 1 through 5 that represents how much you agree with each statement.
• Life Experience Survey: In total, this test has between 47-96 questions that ask about your personality and background.

Gettysburg Police Officer Exam

The Gettysburg Police Department uses the National Police Officer Selection Test. The test is split into four sections and requires at least a 70% passing score. You will be asked about mathematical, writing, critical thinking, and verbal skills. During the first three sections, you will be asked true/false or multiple-choice questions. During the last section, you will be required to use complete sentences to answer questions. The NPOST includes the following four sections:

• Arithmetic Section: This section includes 20 multiple-choice questions with a 20-minute time limit. You will be asked basic mathematical questions and will not be allowed to use a calculator to solve the problems.
• Reading Comprehension Section: This section includes 25 questions that can either be multiple-choice or true/false. You will also have a 20-minute time limit. You will read through a passage and answer questions based on the written information.
• Grammar Section: This section includes 20 multiple-choice questions with a 15-minute time limit. You will need to spot misspelled words and choose a word that is correctly spelled.
• Incident Report Writing Section: This section includes 10 questions with a 15-minute time limit. You will need to read through a sample incident report and then answer questions about the incident using complete sentences.

Coopersburg Borough Police Officer Exam

The Coopersburg Borough Police Department uses the CHW Next Generation Law Enforcement Exam, or NGLE. This exam includes a cognitive abilities test and a non-cognitive abilities test. Both of these tests use questions designed to test your mental capacity and ensure that you have the interpersonal skills required to be a successful officer. You will have a 3 hour and 15-minute time limit to complete the entire exam.

• Cognitive Abilities Test: You will answer 40 multiple-choice questions about written expression and reading comprehension.
• Non-Cognitive Abilities Test: You will answer 96 questions that revolve around situational judgment scenarios. These questions will measure your practical judgment abilities, interpersonal skills, emotional skills, level of responsibility, work attitude, and ability to handle stress.

Other Pennsylvania Police Officer Written Exams by City or Position

How to Prepare for the Pennsylvania Police Officer Written Exam?

Preparing for the Pennsylvania Police Officer Written Exam may seem intimidating, especially with all of the different types of tests you may be asked to take. The process doesn’t have to be stressful. Instead, you can rely on free resources and materials found online that can guide you through the preparation process. You can take advantage of practice exams that include sample questions and explanations. These tools will show you what the test questions look like and explain how to answer challenging questions. At the end of the practice exams, you’ll have a better understanding of sections you need to focus on and where your strengths are. Additionally, you can gauge how long it takes you to complete the entire exam. As the actual exams are timed, you need to feel comfortable with answering questions at a fast pace. Otherwise, you may run out of time on the actual exam. Practice exams are a fantastic preparation tool that should be used to ace the Pennsylvania Police Officer Written Exam.