Advice on how to pass the State Trooper exam

I get asked this question all the time by very enthusiastic pro-police people who are just out of the military or out of high school.

Do I need to apply to become a state trooper or a city/county police officer?

I always advise them to apply to both agencies. I tell them not to stop there either. Go ahead and apply to federal and county agencies as well. Why? Well, law enforcement jobs are really competitive. It is not unusual to see more than 500 applicants for just a handful of openings. Even people in the private sector are leaving that industry in favor of government job security.

That said, regardless of which agency you decide to follow, you’ll still need to pass the entrance exam. Let’s take a look at the state police entrance exam, which is probably one of the most difficult. The best way to ensure a passing score on the state police exam is to prepare beforehand. Don’t be like most recruits and walk into the exam room without any prior knowledge of what will be on the exam.

Well then, show me how to prepare for the state police exam.

The first thing you can do to prepare for the state police exam will not cost you a dime. Train yourself to be more observant when you are somewhere. For example, if you are in a park, try to pick a couple of people you don’t know and remember everything about them from head to toe. Then ask a friend to give you a test. If he does this long enough, he will be ready for the memory retrieval test.

Being able to remember the description of a person or a vehicle is a very important trait for a state trooper. If you don’t have this skill, you are likely to struggle on the exam.