Police Memory Test Section Online Preparation – 2024

Police officers rely on their memory every day. They need to be able to remember details such as a suspect’s appearance, the street address where a crime occurred, or the steps of a procedure. When hiring for an open position, most police departments include a memory test as part of their cognitive assessment process.

What Is the Police Memory Test?

There are several different question formats you might see on your memory test, but they usually involve viewing an image and then answering questions about it. The image might be the following:

• A photo or sketch of a person’s face
• A building layout
• A street map
• A photo of a building, room, group of people, etc.
• An incident report

Some tests show a short video rather than a still image.

You’ll be able to view the image for a short amount of time, such as one minute. Some tests then require you to wait a certain amount of time before you begin the test.

You will not be allowed to take notes while viewing the image. However, most tests will let you take notes after the image has been removed. It may be helpful to jot down everything you can remember before you start answering the questions.

How to Prepare for the Police Memory Test?

People tend to assume that a good memory is an inherent trait and can’t be learned or practiced. This is not the case. There are effective strategies you can use to improve your memorization skills. Practicing memorization can help you increase your ability to commit details to memory and recall them later.

Some strategies for memorization include organizing information and attaching meaning to it. To mentally organize information, break it down into categories. For example, the memory test might consist of a photo of several suspects in a lineup. Organize what you see into categories such as hair color, eye color, shirt color and style, pants color and style, and shoe style. Then when you answer the questions, remembering each category will trigger your memory of each suspect.

To attach meaning to a piece of information, relate it to something relevant to your own life. If a suspect’s car is blue, remember the color by thinking of the fact that your mother’s favorite color is blue.

Online practice memory tests will help you practice these strategies and improve your memorization skills. Make sure to take practice tests that include different question formats, so you can practice remembering different kinds of information.

Practicing your memory skills will not only help you pass this part of your police test but will benefit you on the job as well.