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Police Maths Test | How to Prepare for the Written Exam

Posted on January 19, 2019 by admin - Blog, Police test guide info

Introduction

Many law enforcement candidates fear the police maths test. With enough preparation, though, there is no reason why you can’t ace the exam. The exam itself isn’t difficult. More often than not, though, it’s the long-term preparation that candidates find most challenging.

The police maths test is a part of the wider police written exam.

To succeed at the police written exam, you must score very highly on the police maths test. Many candidates struggle with the test – not so much because of the difficult of the exam but because they struggle to understand the relevance of the exam.

Many candidates mistakenly believe that there is no place for a maths exam on a police course. After all – they argue – what relevance does it have to the day-to-day function of a law enforcement officer?

These are fair questions.

The reality is that the police maths test plays a fundamental role in the overall determination of who will become the most optimum police officer.

Why? For three reasons.

Purpose of the Police Maths Test

First – math is a test of logical thinking. It tests your ability to read a problem and your capacity to identify a solution. Problem solving skills – no matter what form they take – are a valuable measure of one’s logical thinking abilities.

Second – you will be expected to play with figures as a law enforcement officer. Making data records, and analysing police reports, all require an elementary understanding of numbers and figures that you will be expected to know.

Third – thinking about numbers and their application mean that you know how to think outside the box. By forcing you to study police math questions, the test is improving your ability to critically analyse a situation and how best to react to it.

Knowing why you should study for the police maths test is important. It helps to motivate your learning. It helps you to understand that your study has value; and it helps to improve your critical thinking skills.

Given the competition for law enforcement jobs, you need to edge above the competition. Use the police maths test to gain that much-needed advantage.

Police Maths Test Questions

What should you expect, then?

How best should you prepare?

The answer is simple. You need to prepare not days in advance, but many weeks – even months – in advance. If you think you can wing the exam – think again! There are many more candidates out there who have pumped hour after hour into the exam – guaranteeing their place in a law enforcement department.

To combat and beat the competition, you need to invest the same time, the same hours, and the same dedication. Otherwise, you will lose out – and that’s the last thing you want. Put simply, it’s not enough to ‘do well’. You need to do your very, very best. That process beings with the police maths test.

Let’s review some sample police math test questions you can expect to face.

1 – What is 45 percent of 450?

225

210

2 – One quarter of documented police reports is 120. How many documented police reports are there in total?

240

480

700

3 – Which of the following fractions is equal to 0.57?

3/8

4/7

5/6

6/9

4 – Mr. Allen was awoken at 3.11am to learn that his home had been burgled. He reported the incident to the police later that day at 1.45pm. How long did Mr. Allen wait to report the incident?

11 hours 26 minutes

8 hours 34 minutes

12 hours 26 minutes

10 hours 34 minutes

How did you find these four police math questions?

Below, we go through each question in turn – offering the answer whilst also learning what makes each answer correct and what take home message you should take from each question.

Police Math Test Answers

Let’s review each of the above four questions in turn and learn how you scored.

The first question asks us to perform a percentage calculation.

The correct answer is b) 202.50.

Answer 1: Percentage calculations are, by their nature, related to values related to 100. For example: 45% is the same as 45 divided by 100. If we divide 45 by 100, we find the answer to be 0.45. When we multiple 0.45 by 450, the answer to be 202.50.

You will be asked percentage questions on the police maths test!

Answer 2: You are asked to determine how many reports there are. One quarter is the same as 25%. If 25% of the total reports is 120, then every other 25% of the 100% is also 120. There are four 25%’s in 100% – so we simply need to multiply 120 by 4 to find the total number of documents. Correct answer: c) 480 documents.

Answer 3: You are asked to determine what fraction is equal to 0.57. You need to use a calculator to learn the answer. Go through each question and divide the top value by the bottom value. When you do, you’ll find that 4/7 is equal to 0.57.

Answer 4: The final police maths test question asks about time. Given the importance of time to the job of a police officer, you can expect time questions on your police written exam. First, identify the difference between am and pm. Don’t rush into the answer.

Take your time and learn about the time of day that events have taken place. In this scenario, the individual woke up at 3.11am in the middle of the morning but only decided to report the incident the following afternoon at 1.45pm. Use your hands and fingers, if necessary, to count the number of hours. In this case, the individual took 10 hours and 34 minutes to file a report.

Conclusion

The police maths test doesn’t need to be difficult.

You must prepare, though, in the intervening weeks and months. Remember – there are many more candidates out there who are more than willing to invest that extra afternoon preparing for the exam.

You are in direct competition with them. Don’t lose sight, don’t lose focus, and don’t lose the organization and determination you need to beat them on exam day.

It’s not enough to ‘score well’. You must ace the exam. That means acing the police maths test – irrespective of whether you like math. Earlier, we talked about the relevance that this exam has to your future law enforcement career.

Bear that consideration in mind to motivate your study and practice police maths test questions. If you do, you’ll make a transformative difference to your exam result and, in the end, to your career as a law enforcement officer.

Want to practice more police maths test questions? Register to Police Test Guide today and gain instant access to amazing online learning tools to help you master the police test – gaining that extra advantage over the competition and helping you pass the exam first time, every time!