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Your FREE Police Officer Entrance Exam Practice Test 2026 – 190+ Q&A

Realistic POST questions across all four sections — math, reading, grammar, and incident report writing — each on its own clock and weighted like the real police exam, with instant scoring and explanations.

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The Police Officer Selection Test (POST) is the entry-level written exam built by Stanard & Associates, Inc. and used by police departments across the country to screen applicants for the academy. It is one of the first hurdles on the road to becoming a police officer. This free practice test mirrors the real four-section POST, so clearing it means you are ready for the real thing.[1]

Click Start Test above to run the complete POST simulation, take one section on its own clock, or drill a single skill. The hub groups everything under the exam’s four scored sections so your practice matches how the real test is built and timed.

The POST is taken in one sitting, but each of its four sections is separately timed: Mathematics (20 min), Reading Comprehension (25 min), Grammar (15 min), and Incident Report Writing (15 min). The standard requirement is 70% on every section.[1]

Every question is tagged to its section and includes a clear explanation, so you learn the reasoning behind each answer. To round out your prep, pair these with our free study guide, flashcards, and cheat sheet.[1]

Police Exam at a Glance

The single most important thing to understand about the POST is its four separately timed sections and the 70%-per-section pass rule. The table below lays out each section, its question count and clock, and the total testing window.

National POST (Police Exam) at a glance
DetailNational POST (Police Exam)
Test ProviderStanard & Associates, Inc.
Section 1 — Mathematics20 questions · 20-minute section limit
Section 2 — Reading Comprehension25 questions · 25-minute section limit
Section 3 — Grammar20 questions · 15-minute section limit
Section 4 — Incident Report Writing10 questions · 15-minute section limit
Total Questions75 multiple-choice questions
Total Testing Time75 minutes (sum of the four separately timed sections)
Section TimingEach section has its own clock; unused time does not carry over
Passing Score70% or higher on EACH of the four sections (agencies may set higher cutoffs)
FormatComputer- or paper-based, depending on the hiring agency
EligibilityEntry-level; no prior law enforcement experience required

The police exam (POST) has four separately timed sections — Mathematics (20 Q / 20 min), Reading Comprehension (25 Q / 25 min), Grammar (20 Q / 15 min), and Incident Report Writing (10 Q / 15 min) — for 75 questions in a 75-minute total window, and you must score 70% or higher on each section to pass.

Note: section question counts and the 70% cutoff are the common Stanard & Associates standard; individual hiring agencies can set their own thresholds, so confirm the exact requirement with your department.[1]

The Four POST Sections and How They’re Weighted

The POST is built from four skill sections, each taken on its own clock in a single sitting. There is no separate domain weighting inside a section — each section simply counts its own questions toward its own 70% pass line.[1]

Our complete practice exam runs all four sections back to back, each on its own timer, with the real question counts. Here is how the 75 questions are split across the sections:

POST — 75 questions across four separately timed sections
Reading Comprehension33% · 25 Qs · 25 min
Mathematics27% · 20 Qs · 20 min
Grammar27% · 20 Qs · 15 min
Incident Report Writing13% · 10 Qs · 15 min

The bars above show each section’s share of the 75 questions (with its question count and clock). Reading Comprehension is the largest section, but every section must independently clear 70% — so the small Incident Report Writing section deserves just as much attention as the big ones.

Police exam (POST) practice test — questions by section with answer explanations

Practice Questions by Section

Use Start Test for the complete weighted POST simulation, run a single section timed on its own clock, or open the hub and drill one skill. After each section you get a breakdown so you know exactly where to focus.

Most candidates need the most reps on Mathematics and Incident Report Writing, where the tight clocks and report-structure logic cause the most lost points.

Who Can Take the Police Exam?

The POST is an entry-level screening test, so no prior law enforcement experience is required to sit for it. It measures the basic reading, writing, grammar, and math skills the academy and the job demand.[1]

Beyond the test itself, each hiring agency sets its own applicant requirements — things like minimum age, a high school diploma or equivalent, citizenship or residency rules, and a background check.

Confirm your specific agency’s eligibility requirements before you apply, since they vary widely by department and state.[2]

How Do You Register for the Police Exam?

Registration for the POST runs through the hiring agency or its designated testing center, not through a single national portal. You typically apply to a specific department, and the POST is administered as part of that department’s selection process.[2]

Some agencies cover the test fee; others ask candidates to pay a modest fee at the testing site. Check the agency’s careers page for test dates, location, fee, and what to bring, because these details are set locally and change periodically.[3]

What Is the Passing Score for the Police Exam?

The standard POST pass requirement is 70% or higher on EACH of the four sections — Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Grammar, and Incident Report Writing.[1]

Because the sections are scored independently, a strong section cannot offset a weak one. Falling below 70% on any single section is treated as a failing result for the entire test.

Some hiring agencies set a higher cutoff than 70%, so the most reliable strategy is to score comfortably above the line on every section in timed practice before test day.

How Hard Is the Police Exam?

The POST measures foundational skills, not advanced knowledge, so it is very passable with preparation — but the tight, separately timed sections catch unprepared candidates off guard.

Two things make it trickier than it looks: the fast clocks (you have roughly a minute per question) and the Incident Report Writing section, which demands clear, logically ordered writing under time pressure.[1] Candidates most often lose points on math word problems and report structure.

75
Questions
across four timed sections
75 min
Total testing time
sum of the four section clocks
70%
Pass score
required on EACH section

The takeaway: practice each section under its own clock until you are consistently clearing 70% on all four before you book your test date.

What to Expect on Test Day

The POST is delivered in four separately timed sections taken in one sitting: Mathematics (20 questions, 20 minutes), Reading Comprehension (25 questions, 25 minutes), Grammar (20 questions, 15 minutes), and Incident Report Writing (10 questions, 15 minutes).[1]

Each section runs on its own clock — finishing one section early does not add time to the next. You answer based on the information given in each section, with no outside knowledge required.

Bring a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID that matches your application, and arrive early to check in. Simulating each section’s clock with full practice tests makes the pacing feel routine on test day.

How to Use This Police Exam Practice Test

  • Respect the four clocks. Run each section timed to its own limit — 20, 25, 15, and 15 minutes.
  • Diagnose, then drill. Take the complete simulation to find your weakest section, then drill it.
  • Mind the small sections. Incident Report Writing is short, but it still needs a 70% — don’t neglect it.
  • Beat the math clock. Math is mostly job-style word problems under a fast clock — practice setting up the operation quickly.
  • Learn the why. Read every explanation so you understand the reasoning, not just the answer.

Why Take the Police Exam?

The POST is the gateway written test for an entry-level law enforcement career — passing it is often the first step toward the academy and a police officer role.[1] This free police exam practice test is the most efficient way to get ready across all four sections.

Conclusion

Passing the police exam comes down to four separately timed sections, each needing a 70%. Use this free POST practice test to find your weakest section, drill it to mastery under its own clock, and reinforce it with our study guide, flashcards, and cheat sheet so you walk in confident on test day.

Police Exam Practice Test FAQ

The National Police Officer Selection Test, commonly called POST or NPOST, is produced by Stanard & Associates, Inc. Many U.S. law enforcement agencies use it as their entry-level written screening test for police officer applicants, so passing it is often the first hurdle in the hiring process.

References

  1. 1.Stanard & Associates, Inc.. “The National Police Officer Selection Test (POST).” Stanard.com, 2026. ↑
  2. 2.Stanard & Associates, Inc.. “Public Safety Testing Products.” Stanard.com. ↑
  3. 3.Stanard & Associates, Inc.. “POST Study Guide and Sample Test.” ApplyToServe.com. ↑
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