Applicants will have two hours to complete two exam sections with a total of 185 questions. The first section will assess cognitive abilities and consists of 60 multiple-choice questions across 12 topics. The second section is a personality exam where you must rate 125 statements.
Here are the sections within the OH-SELECT exam:
Deductive Reasoning
The deductive reasoning exam will assess your ability to read and understand a general rule and apply that rule to a specific situation. For example, you may be given a list of police procedures and policies and then given a situation where you must decide the best course of action.
Flexibility of Closure
In this section, you will be given an object to find and must identify it among similar things. For example, you may be told to look for a green-striped shirt and be given an image of a crowd of people.
Numerical Reasoning
This test will provide you with information, typically in the form of a table, chart, or graph; you must use that to come up with a general conclusion. Police officers are normally given specific pieces of information that they must build a general conclusion around. Therefore, all applicants need to possess this skill.
Information Ordering
Law enforcement officers are sometimes given witness statements out of order that they must use to construct the most likely scenario. This section will provide four or five statements, and you will need to put them in an order that makes sense, either chronologically or logically.
Mathematical Reasoning
The mathematical reasoning exam will test your ability to perform mathematical calculations, including percentages, determining an average, or using ratios and proportions. While not all officers use these skills every day, it is essential to have a solid mathematical foundation.
Number Facility
The number facility section will test basic math skills, such as performing calculations with addition and division. Cops must use these skills daily, such as when writing a speeding ticket.
Problem Sensitivity
Officers must understand what the main problem is in any given situation. In this section of the test, you will receive a text passage and must determine the main issue within the scenario that must be dealt with.
Selective Attention
Selective attention means that you can give your full attention to one task and not get distracted by what is happening around you. This is a critical skill for every officer to have. If you are chasing a suspect on a busy street, you do not want to get distracted by the people you are running past.
Spatial Orientation
Another critical skill for officers is spatial orientation. This means that you know where you are in relation to another object. For example, officers must understand that they are five blocks from a given scene on their way to investigate.
Verbal Comprehension
The verbal comprehension section will assess your ability to read and understand written information that is presented to you. Think about police reports, policies, and procedures that officers must be able to read, understand, and act on daily. Each applicant must have strong verbal comprehension to perform well as an officer.
Verbal Expression
In addition to reading and understanding, officers must also be able to communicate effectively. The verbal expression test will assess your ability to spell words correctly, detect errors in written language, and choose the correct word or phrase to complete a sentence.
Visualization
The last cognitive ability test you must take is the visualization test. This will test your ability to imagine objects in different orientations or if the appearance has slightly changed. For example, if you are looking for a particular person but they have died and cut their hair to avoid detection, you must be able to tell that it is the same person.
Personality Traits
The second part of the exam is the personality test, assessing traits such as agreeableness, leadership qualities, and perseverance. To complete this test, you will read a series of statements and decide how much you agree or disagree with each one.
The OH-SELECT exam can be difficult if you are not adequately prepared. The time limit and the number of questions can intimidate job seekers. However, online resources, such as practice tests, can help you overcome those fears.
You can find practice tests in every section of the OH-SELECT exam. These will allow you to answer sample questions and check your answers with provided solutions. They may also explain how to arrive at an answer so you can use that knowledge on future questions.
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