North Dakota Police Officer Written Exam Online Preparation and Tips – 2025

Future North Dakota (ND) police officers will undergo a thorough hiring process that may include multiple rounds of examinations. The police officer written exam may be one of the most important steps in the hiring process. Make sure you know how to pass this challenging test by knowing how to prepare and understanding the test material.

What Is the North Dakota Police Officer Hiring Process?

Becoming a North Dakota police officer requires applicants to meet the state’s minimum requirements, followed by submitting a complete application. Job seekers must be free of any felonies and will likely need to go through a complete background check. Furthermore, you may need to pass a medical exam and a psychological evaluation. Throughout the hiring process, you will likely be instructed to take some sort of written police officer exam. Although each police department may choose to use a different test, the questions will be relatively similar. The questions will ask you about your professional work history, opinions on resolving difficult situations, and motivations for becoming a police officer. Your results from these police officer exams will determine your eligibility to become a North Dakota police officer.

What Is the North Dakota Police Officer Written Exam?

Individual police departments in North Dakota will have their own testing requirements. This means that some departments may choose to administer a standardized exam, while others may choose to use a lesser-known exam. Thankfully, most police departments in North Dakota choose one of four well-known written exams. Regardless of which exam you’re asked to take, you should know that the tests will be timed, and the questions are used to determine how successful you would be as a police officer. Achieving a minimum score does not guarantee you a job offer, which is why these exams need to be taken seriously and prepared for. In most cases, North Dakota police departments use one of the following four types of exams:

• PO-EL published by IPMA-HR
• Frontline National Police Officer Exam published by Ergometrics
• National Criminal Justice Officer Selection Inventory (NCJOSI)
• National Police Officer Selection Test

Bismarck Police Officer Written Exam

The Bismarck Police Department uses the PO-EL test created by IPMA-HR. This test requires each candidate to achieve at least a 75% on the exam. Successful completion of this exam may lead to progressing through the hiring process and completing an oral interview.

Dickinson Police Officer Written Exam

The Dickinson Police Department uses the Frontline National Police Officer Exam created by Ergometrics. This test is divided into two sections and has a 3.5-hour time limit. The first half of the test includes a Human Relations and Judgment Test, while the second part of the test includes a Writing Test. You must achieve at least a 75% on the first half and an 80% on the second half to receive a passing score.

Lincoln Police Officer Written Exam

The Lincoln Police Department uses the National Police Officer Selection Test developed by Standard. This is a timed test that is divided into four sections. These sections will include mathematics, grammar, report writing, and reading comprehension questions. These four sections measure your basic skills to verify that you have what it takes to be a reliable police officer.

Other North Dakota Police Officer Written Exams by City or Position

How to Prepare for the North Dakota Police Officer Written Exam?

Plenty of candidates will apply to work for a North Dakota police department, but not everyone will be hired. Only candidates with the highest written exam scores will move on in the hiring process, which can be extremely competitive. The surest way to score well on these police officer exams is by studying and preparing. Preparation needs to be done weeks in advance. These exams cover a wide range of material that you are likely unfamiliar with. If you wait until a few days before to start studying, you risk not retaining the information and forgetting it on testing day. While you’re creating a preparation plan, make sure it includes practice exams and study guides. There are free resources available online that will show you sample questions from each of these exams. However, practice exams offer more in-depth example questions that cover all exam topics. You need to run through these practice exams multiple times. Once you feel comfortable with the material, you can focus on individual sections that you struggled with. Practice exams are essential for scoring high on the North Dakota Police Officer Written Exam.