Police Officer

Entry Level Examination

Study Guide

As a matter of convenience, this study guide is provided at no cost to testing

candidates and may be reproduced expressly for the sole use by the City of
Ocean City and potential test takers for this examination.

Copyright © 2023 Ure Consulting Group, LLC

OVERVIEW

One of the first steps toward becoming a Police Officer for the City of Ocean City is
taking and passing a written examination. This examination study guide was written
specifically to assist you with test preparation, with understanding the different
components of the written examination, as well as providing helpful hints on test
taking, and lastly, to provide you with sample exam questions.

The Entrance Exam for Police Officer measures the basic skills necessary to perform
successfully as a Police Officer. The test covers four areas: (1) math skills, (2) reading
comprehension skills, (3) spelling, (4) vocabulary skills, (5) mechanical aptitude, (6)
the ability to understand and rationalize logical sequences, (7) reading retention.

Upon arrival to take the written test, applicants will need to allot up to an hour and a
half (1.5 hrs.) of time for the examination. Dress appropriately and comfortably;
business attire is not required. You may want to dress in layers in the event the test
room is too warm or too cold.

It is important to follow oral and written instructions that are given to you prior to and
during the examination. Failure to follow test day instructions can be detrimental to
your final score and you could be disqualified for failure to follow instructions. It is
therefore, important to ask the examination administrator for assistance if you do not
understand any of the instructions. It is each test taker’s responsibility to manage their
time.

Scratch paper is not provided; however, you are encouraged to use the examination
booklet as your “scratch paper” and write directly in it if it is helpful. Examinees will
not be allowed to utilize items of assistance, including, but not limited to, cell phones,
PDA’s, calculators, documents, dictionaries, or any other aid.
EXAM TIME LIMIT

The examination is designed to provide a maximum of an hour and a half (1.5 hrs.) to
take the exam. It is in the exam taker’s best interest to answer all the questions. If you
do not know the answer to a question, you should consider skipping it and return to
that question later. As the exam time concludes, be sure you have answered all the
questions. If you have some extra time at the end of the exam, you should review your
answers and be sure to answer any questions you skipped.

It is an advantage to answer all the exam questions. If you are not sure which answer
is correct, eliminate choices you feel certain are wrong. If you can narrow the number
of possible correct choices, you increase your chances of answering the question
correctly.

HONOR/INTEGRITY

Cheating on exams will not be tolerated. No exceptions. Applicants will be asked to

leave the room immediately or disqualified at a later date.

GENERAL POLICIES

 The testing room will close promptly at the start of the examination.

 Photo identification is required for testing.

 Snacks or drinks are prohibited in the testing area.

 No late arrivals. The testing room is closed when the examination begins.

 Cell phones and other electronics are not allowed in the examination room.
Please secure them prior to entering the test site.

 Test materials are to remain within the examination room.

 Books, notes and any other test aids not approved by the examination
administrator shall be removed from the room.

 Appropriate testing accommodations are available for those with

documentation of special needs. If special accommodation is required, contact
the City of Ocean City Human Resources Department as soon as possible.

 Individuals may not be accompanied by anyone while testing.

 Exam takers are responsible for adherence to test instructions.

 Coats, hats, purses, book bags and other personal belongings are discouraged
to in the testing room.
TIPS ON TESTING ANXIETY
Try to eat healthy meals and snacks. Avoid junk food. A good night’s rest the night
before is essential and an appropriate meal before the exam will help with hunger
pains and noisy stomachs.

Familiarize yourself with the examination site location and where the parking is.
Internet maps (Google, Yahoo, MapQuest, etc.) provide a great source to pinpoint the
exam site.

Most importantly, do not be late for the examination. Even if you are not a typical “early
arrival person,” strive to be early (at least one-half hour) the day of the examination.
The extra downtime before the exam may help settle testing anxiety.

DAY OF THE EXAM

Arrive at least thirty minutes early on the day of the exam. Applicants who are late will
be denied permission to take the exam. It is critical to bring photo identification such
as a driver’s license or other official picture identification. If you fail to bring official
government identification, you will not be permitted to test. Comfortable, casual attire
is recommended as the written exam is designed to take up to an hour and a half (1.5
hrs.). The City of Ocean City will provide all necessary supplies, such as pencil with
eraser. You are again reminded that you are not allowed to bring in any paper, books,
notes, cell phones, PDA’s, other any other items of assistance.

WHAT IS ON THE EXAM

The exam consists of (75) questions covering the following subject areas:

 Reading Comprehension
 Mathematics
 Logical Sequence
 Spelling
 Vocabulary
 Mechanical Aptitude
 Reading Retention/Memory

HOW THE EXAM IS SCORED (Scantron)

The exam is 75 multiple choice questions, with four (A, B, C, or D) possible answer
choices. The exam is graded on the number of correct answers. You should not leave
any answers blank. Any unanswered question is automatically counted as wrong.

The examination booklet may be used as “scratch paper” and may be used to mark
on; however, all answers must be indicated on the provided Scantron form. Using a
#2 pencil, completely bubble in your answer selection, A, B, C, or D on the provided
Scantron answer sheet (as in the example below):
 (Example)

A good tip is to erase as few times as possible; however, if it is necessary to change

your answer, erase carefully and completely. There should only be one answer
bubbled in on the Scantron sheet for each question.
As previously stated, if you do not know the answer to a question, you should consider
skipping it and return to that question later. As the exam time concludes, be sure you
have answered all of the questions. It is better to guess an answer than to leave it
blank. If you have some extra time at the end of the exam, you should review your
answers and be sure to answer any questions you skipped.

Each correct response will receive one point. The highest possible raw score is 100.
Applicants must make a minimum of 70% to successfully pass the examination.
Math Skills

In the math portion of the exam, examinees are provided with situations that require the use of
basic arithmetic. Examinees will be required to read a word problem, apply the appropriate
arithmetic operations, and then select the correct multiple-choice answer.

Sample questions

1. Following the arrest of three drug dealers, police officers took cash from the arrested persons in
the following bill amounts:
100’s 50’s 20’s

Johnson 20 2 10
Reed 50
Thompson 10 10 50

How much cash did the officers retrieve from suspect Johnson?

A. $2,300
B. $2,500
C. $5,000
D. $9,800

2. Bail for Mr. Anderson was set at $25,000. In order to be released, he must pay 10% of this in
cash. How much must Mr. Anderson pay?

A. $25
B. $250
C. $2,050
D. $2,500

3. A car skidded 8 feet, 11 inches before coming to a complete stop. The accident report must list
the distance in inches only. What distance should be entered on the report?

A. 12
B. 88
C. 107
D. 132

4. An appliance store is burglarized and 21 clock radios with a total value of $1050 are stolen.
What is the average value of the radios?

A. $21,575
B. $50.00
C. $105.50
D. $22,050
Math Skills (continued)

5. On Thursday, Officer Faber worked the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift. At 10:55 p.m. he was called to the
scene of an accident where he remained until 1:30 a.m. How long past his regular shift did Officer
Faber work?

A. 2 hours 30 minutes
B. 1 hour 10 minutes
C. 2 hours 15 minutes
D. 3 hours 25 minutes

6. The police officer is called to an accident scene across town from her present location. If she has
to travel three miles on Navarro Road, thirteen miles on Route 66, and 14 miles on Interstate 45,
assuming that she is traveling 60 mph, how long will it take to arrive at the accident scene?

A. 15 minutes
B. 1 hour
C. 20 minutes
D. 30 minutes

7. 8 5 = X. Which of the following equals X?

A. 2 1
2

B. 4 1
4

C. 4 1
6

D. 2 1
3

8. 5 = X. Which of the following equals X?

A. 3 2
7

B. 2 1
4

C. 1 11
14

D. 5 3
7
9. Calculate the following equation: Eight vehicles set out to drive to a destination that is 50 miles
away. Only seven vehicles completed the trip and the eighth vehicle only completed 50% of the
journey. What are the total miles that all eight vehicles drove?

A. 375
B. 225
C. 900
D. 450
Reading Comprehension Skills

In the reading comprehension portion of the exam, examinees will read passages relating to police duty
and will then answer questions based on these passages. No prior knowledge of law or law enforcement
will be needed to answer the questions. All the information needed to answer the questions will be
provided in the passage. The passages in the exam are not intended to represent actual law. The
passages present potential rules and laws relating to policework.

Sample questions

Read the sample passage below and then answer the sample questions. An example of each type of
question is provided.

Questions 1-3 are based on the following passage:

Every inmate entering the jail must be considered a potential carrier of disease and contraband. In order
to protect visitors, employees and inmates of the jail, a thorough search of each inmate must be
conducted. This search should be performed after booking but before the person has had an opportunity
to enter the cell area.

1. According to the sample passage, which of the following is the search specifically designed to
protect?

A. Inmates
B. Visitors
C. Employees
D. All of the above are correct.

2. According to the sample passage, who of the following is a potential carrier of disease and
contraband?

A. Inmates entering the jail

B. Visitors
C. Employees
D. All of the above are correct.

3. According to the passage, a search should be conducted:

A. Immediately after the person has entered the cell area.

B. After an inmate enters the holding cell.
C. After an inmate has been booked.
D. Immediately, upon an inmate’s arrival to the jail.
Reading Comprehension Skills (continued)

Questions 4-6 are based on the following passage:

Steve Lombardi, owner of Handyman Supplies at 1510 N. Nancy Bell Road, Houston, Texas called 911
at 1600 hours, Friday, July 1 to report that his store had been burglarized that evening. Officers Taylor
Brown and Mike Grayson arrived at the store at 1610 hours to investigate the incident. Officer Grayson
and Officer Brown noticed a green Chevrolet Malibu driving slowly from the area as they arrived, a
yellow Ford truck parked out front of the business, and a red Oldsmobile Delta 88 in the driveway across
the street. Mr. Lombardi reported that four high end drills, five hammers, and $198.64 from the cash
register were missing. Mr. Lombardi found three impact wrenches, eight boxes of nails, and five
toolboxes that were just inside the back door that the thieves apparently did not have time to come back
and get.

4. Which of the following vehicles were the suspects positively identified to be in?

A. Yellow Ford truck

B. Red Oldsmobile Delta 88
C. Green Chevrolet Malibu
D. None of the above are correct.

5. The incident was reported to police on which of the following dates:

A. Thursday, July 15
B. Friday, July 1
C. Friday, July 21
D. Wednesday, July 11

6. How many total tools were stolen from the store?

A. Three
B. $198.64
C. Nine
D. Sixteen

Reading Retention/Memory
In the reading retention portion of the exam, examinees are required to read a passage in which they
will have up to five minutes to review. Notetaking on provided paper is permitted during this time. At the
conclusion of the five-minute review and reading period, this document will be taken up and the 75-
question (1 ½ hour) examination will be distributed to test candidates.
Language Skills (Vocabulary & Spelling)

In the language skills portion of the exam, examinees are required to identify errors in grammar,
punctuation, or spelling. There are two types of questions presented in this section. The first type
presents incomplete sentences and the examinee must choose the alternative that best completes the
sentence. The second type presents sentences that contain a spelling error and the examinee must
choose the alternative that contains the misspelled word.

Sample questions

1. In the past year, the police department handled thousands of 911 calls. During that time, Officer
Ryan ________ over 1,800 calls.

A. received
B. recieved
C. receved
D. recievd

2. During an 8-hour shift, Dispatcher Jones’s stats indicated that she made five personal phone
.

A. call’s
B. calls
C. calls’
D. None of the above are correct.

3. All police officers really must have high regard for their own personal appearance because
police officers are public figures and are being observed by a perponderance of people on their
beat. Which word in the above sentence is misspelled?

A. perponderance
B. observed
C. because
D. appearance

4. Officer Mike Berman and his partner Officer Steve Bush searched the suspect and found eight
in the suspect’s back pocket.

A. knifes
B. knives
C. knife
D. knive’s

5. During time on the road, police patrol unit #20984 was an excellent running vehicle
and in fact, lasted for over 113,498 miles.

A. its
B. it’s
C. it’es
D. it
Logical Sequence (Logical Reasoning) Skills

In the logical sequence skills portion of the exam, examinees will be provided with different series of
letters, words, symbols, events, etc. This section tests examinee’s ability to think logically and
analytically. Examinees are required to assemble the data in a logical or meaningful order.

Sample questions

1. Arrange the following words in a meaningful order:

1. Death 2. Marriage 3. Education 4. Birth 5. Funeral

A. 5,1,2,3,4
B. 4,2,3,1,5
C. 4,3,2,5,1
D. 4,3,2,1,5

2. Arrange the following words in a meaningful order:

1. House 2. Street 3. Room 4. County 5. City

A. 3,2,1,4,5
B. 3,1,4,2,5
C. 3,1,2,4,5
D. 3,1,2,5,4

3. What number should come next?

42, 40, 36, 30, 22, _

A. 8
B. 16
C. 10
D. 12

4. What is the missing letter in this series?

Q P N M

A. Q
B. O
C. R
D. S
Mechanical Aptitude Questions

In the mechanical aptitude skills portion of the exam, examinees will be provided with different series of
diagrams. Mechanical aptitude tests is a broad term for assessment tests evaluating mechanical
understanding and mechanical knowledge.

Sample questions

1. Looking at the two examples in the diagram shown below, which of the two is physically
possible?

A. Only Example A is physically possible.

B. Only Example B is physically possible.
C. Both examples are physically possible.
D. Neither example are physically possible.

2. Based off the pulley on the right side, which direction will the pulley on the left side rotate?

A. Direction A
B. Direction B
C. Both Direction A and B
D. None of the above are correct.
 Entrance Exam Study Guide Answer Key

Math Skills

#1 A
#2 D
#3 C
#4 B
#5 A
#6 D
#7 A
#8 C
#9 A

Reading Comprehension Skills

#1 D
#2 A
#3 C
#4 D
#5 B
#6 C

Language Skills

#1 A
#2 B
#3 A
#4 B
#5 A

Logical Sequence (Logical Reasoning) Skills

#1 D (First of all, a person is born (birth), then takes an education, after is married,
then dies (death), and then a funeral.)
#2 D (Someone lives in a room, in a house, on a street, in a city, in a county)
#3 D (42-2=40; 40-4=36, 36-6=30, 30-8=22, 22-10=12)
#4 B (Reverse order of alphabet. M-N-O-P-Q in reverse)

Mechanical Aptitude

#1 A Only Example B is physically possible since the boxes are weighted equally, and the base balances
the two by being placed in the middle. Example A is physically impossible because the two boxes
are not weighted equally, and the base is not set in the middle.
#2 A The pulley on the far right is turning counter clockwise (left to right), which causes the pulley on the
left to turn clockwise (right to left), or answer A.