The CWH Firefighting Exam was developed in collaboration between human resources experts CWH Management Solutions and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IASS). The purpose of this exam is to identify candidates with the best chance of succeeding as firefighters while eliminating testing bias and maintaining a diverse workforce.
The CWH Firefighting Exam combines cognitive testing with personality assessment. The test provides a well-rounded view of candidates and helps identify potential red flags to eliminate people who would not be a good match.
Situational Judgement – The focus here is on how you respond to day-to-day situations.
Personal – This area focuses on experiences, and how they have shaped your personality. Personality attributes that are important to working with the public and performing as part of a team are the focus of these questions.
Factual/Cognitive Skills
The cognitive questions on the CWH test focus on 4 different areas of aptitude.
Mechanical Aptitude – This is your ability to understand and work with machinery, and your understanding of basic physics. The questions may include machinery diagrams that you need to interpret, building schematics, and photos.
Mathematical Skills – The CWH test includes some questions to evaluate your skill with basic mathematical functions. Your skills in subtraction, addition, multiplication, fractions, decimals, and the ability to determine the correct way to solve a problem will all be examined.
Reading Comprehension – Your reading and comprehension skills will be measured by having you read a passage and answer questions related to what you have read.
Writing Skills – Competency with grammar, spelling, and punctuation is a necessary skill. To demonstrate your proficiency in the English language the test questions will have you finding errors in a sentence, filling in blanks with the correct word, and picking the sentence with the best structure.
Situational Skills/Personal Skills
Making quick decisions, problem-solving, and sound judgment are required for a firefighter. The situational skills questions focus on these areas to help determine if you are capable of making decisions that are fair, and effectively solve the problem. These questions are multiple-choice, so the answer closest to the way you would handle the test scenario is the one you should select.
These questions also help identify specific personality traits that are necessary to work as a public servant. These traits include honesty, empathy, and dependability. The way you handle different situations gives an overview of your ability to show sympathy, handle your own emotions, and make ethical choices.
Example Question:
A co-worker has seemed different at work lately. Their work is starting to suffer, and they’re being short of colleagues. You feel they may have something going on in their personal life that is affecting their job performance. What do you do?
Pull them to the side and tell them to get it together.
Speak to a manager and have a private meeting with your colleagues to encourage them to seek help.
Get your colleagues together and stage an intervention.
Ignore it and try to pick up their slack.
How to Prepare for the CWH Firefighter Exam?
If you’re serious about becoming a firefighter, then using every resource you have to study is a must. The fire department you have applied for may have study guides you can utilize to perform your best. These guides will help you know what to expect from the test and familiarize you with the types of questions on it.
Once you know what to expect you can determine your weakest areas and focus your studies. Write some questions ahead of time, and then read an article or chapter of a book and try to answer the questions. This will help you learn to focus and promote reading comprehension.
Generally, no calculators are allowed when you take the test. Practice problems and flashcards will help strengthen your mathematical abilities, and practicing estimation can help you decrease the time it takes you to solve a problem and can be helpful when taking a multiple-choice test.
Finally, even though there is no way to prepare for personality questions, approach them from a professional standpoint. The way you handle situations can change based on the context, so answering as though you are on the job is best.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy
