CA POST Dispatcher Test Online Preparation – 2024

What Is the CA POST Dispatcher Test?

Anyone in California looking to become a public safety dispatcher must take the CA POST Dispatcher Test. This exam assesses your ability to perform the duties required of the role. Four primary skills are examined during this test:

• Perceptual Ability: Perceptual ability questions will assess your ability to switch between several sources of information while performing a task.
• Verbal Ability: Verbal ability questions will examine your ability to understand written and oral information and test your written expression.
• Reasoning: Reasoning here refers to inductive and deductive reasoning skills and your ability to follow the rules.
• Memory: Memory questions will test your ability to recall information.

The POST Dispatcher Test takes two to three hours to complete and consists of 11 sections, each with a different topic and time limit. Some of these sections are text-based, while others are audio based.

Written Sections

Here are the written sections that you will encounter on the POST Dispatcher Exam:

• Evaluating Facts: You’ll have five minutes to complete this section. You’ll receive a set of rules followed by 15 statements, and you must determine whether each statement is true or false.
• Sentence Clarity: In this five-minute section, you’ll receive two versions of the same idea and need to decide which version is more straightforward. You’ll have to answer 15 questions in this section.
• Public Safety Bulletin: For this section, you will receive a “bulletin” containing details and facts you must memorize. You’ll have three minutes to study the bulletin, then six minutes to answer 15 questions about the information you saw.
• Setting Priorities: In this portion of the exam, you’ll receive a set of priorities, and you’ll need to determine which codes and statements match, following those rules. There are 15 sets of 45 questions, and you’ll have 10 minutes to finish this section.
• Assigning Field Units: After reading through a set of rules, you will receive hypothetical situations and determine which field unit should respond to each incident. This section has a five-minute time limit, and you’ll need to answer 20 questions.
• Reading Comprehension: Here, you will receive a short passage and answer questions on the details from the text or conclusions you can draw from the information. You will have 15 minutes to complete 20 questions.

Audio Sections

The other sections in the exam will need to listen to audio clips to answer questions. These sections include:

• Oral Directions: In this test section, you’ll listen to a simulated radio call and answer 17 questions on the details of the information. You will be allowed to take notes during the call and receive 14 minutes to complete this section.
• Checking Coded Information: An audiotape will give you a series of letter and number codes you must decipher using the code sheet. You’ll have 14 minutes to complete 60 of these questions.
• Recalling Facts and Details: This section contains an audio excerpt that includes information from law enforcement. You must listen to the audio and answer 18 questions about what you heard. You will have nine minutes to complete this section.
• Call Taking: You’ll receive a simulated emergency call and need to summarize, recall details, draw conclusions, and analyze the information you received. You will need to answer 25 questions within 17 minutes.
• Checking and Listening: This section requires you to multitask. You will need to compare data on a sheet and identify as many matches as possible while listening to a radio broadcast and recording status transmissions. You will have 13 minutes to complete 105 questions.

Example Questions

Here are a few sample questions similar to what you may see on the POST Dispatcher Exam:

Sample Question 1:

How many differences are there between the two columns below?

1. Three
2. Four
3. Five
4. Six

Sample Question 2:

Match the code with the scenario:

1. A woman says there is strange man outside her home.
2. A man has been stabbed on the street.
3. Someone is calling to report a noise disturbance.

Sample Question 3:

Which sentence is more clearly written?

1. The victim stated that he was in the parking lot when the woman attacked him.
2. The woman attacked the man. He was in the parking lot.

Answers:

1. B
2. 1 = B, 2 = A, 3 = C
3. A

How to Prepare for the CA POST Dispatcher Assessment?

The best way to prepare for the CA POST assessment is to use study guides and practice tests. There are several sections on the exam, and using these online tools is the best way to ensure you are studying all the material and can practice your timing.

Those who study for the exam are likely to do better on the test, so be sure to utilize all the materials available.