The Alberta Police Tests (APCAT / ACT) Study Guide by TEST PREP HACKER
CONTENTS: About this Guide | Police Officer Tests in Alberta | APCAT Police Judgment | APCAT Observation Questions | APCAT Learning / Memory Recall Questions | APCAT / ACT Written Communication Questions | APCAT Problem Analysis Questions | Conclusion: Preparing for the APCAT and ACT | Answers to Practice Questions |
About this Guide
Getting hired as a police officer in Alberta isn’t easy. Each year, departments across the province get thousands of applications. This study guide was developed to help you get a great mark on the Alberta Police Cognitive Ability Test (APCAT) and Alberta Communication Test (ACT), with the end goal of helping you get hired. It breaks down all the subjects covered on the tests, and provides examples and practice questions.
Practice Tests
One of the best ways to prepare for the APCAT and ACT is to take practice tests. Practice tests that cover the same subjects with similar questions. It has been proven that practice tests help students get better marks when it comes to the real test. That’s why there are practice questions throughout this guide. For the best prep possible, check out our Alberta Police Officer Practice Tests for thousands of additional practice questions.
Police Officer Tests in Alberta
All major municipal police departments in Alberta require candidates to write one or more aptitude tests as part of the application process. These tests are designed to measure aptitudes and qualities deemed necessary to be successful police officers. Candidates are ranked based on the results of the tests, with the resulting ranking often used to determine who continues in the application process.
The tests are designed by professional testing and assessment agencies, and the results of the test are shown to correlate to success in police training and job performance. In other words, doing good on the police officer recruitment / selection test means you should do good in training and working as a police officer in Alberta.
This guide contains chapters on all the common subjects found on the APCAT and ACT.
The Alberta Police Cognitive Ability Test (APCAT)
The Alberta Police Cognitive Abilities Test (APCAT), along with the Alberta Communication Test (ACT), are the two tests that all applicants to police services in Alberta must complete. The APCAT consists of 120 multiple choice questions, and candidates have 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete the test. As with all cognitive ability tests, it seeks to assess candidates’ ability to think and reason in the way required by police officers on a day-to-day basis.
The APCAT consists of 5 sections:
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Judgment
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Observation
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Learning / memory recall
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Written Communication
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Problem Analysis
The Alberta Communications Test (ACT)
The Alberta Communication Test (ACT) is the other of the two tests required to be completed by applicants to police services in the province of Alberta. The test consists of 134 multiple choice questions, and candidates have 1 hour and 35 minutes to complete the test. The overall goal of the ACT is to assess the candidate’s ability to communicate in written format in English through questions on spelling, vocabulary and grammar.
Check out the candidate brochure for the ACT from the Medicine Hat Police Service
Preparing for the APCAT / ACT
It is a mistake to think that you don't need to prepare for the Alberta police officer tests. The information covered in them may not be overly difficult, but the tests are designed in such a way that a large majority of takers should not be able to finish all the questions in the time allotted. The more you study, the better you will get at answering the types of questions on the tests. The better you get, the quicker you can answer questions, and the more questions you can answer without running out of time and having to guess.
Furthermore, the passing grade for the written tests is usually set higher than 50%, so just getting a pass will likely not cut it. The higher your score, the more likely you are to be invited for an interview. And that's where you want to be – in an interview, telling the department why you will be a great police officer, winning them over.
APCAT Police Judgment
This section of the APCAT could be titled ‘Exercising Common Sense.’ Questions seek to assess your ability to use sound judgment in dealing with possible or likely situations encountered by police officers in the course of their day-to-day duties.
These questions will put you in the position of a police officer, present you with a situation, and then list your possible responses. Questions are designed to have a number of similar answers. It is your task to choose the answer with the best or more positive set of outcomes, or the least negative set of outcomes.
Strategies for Judgment Questions:
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Start by eliminating the obviously wrong answers. Often, judgment and other questions on police officer tests will have an obviously wrong answer. A good strategy when tackling these questions is to start by getting rid of those answers, and then move on to parsing through the remaining answers.
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When responding to situations of conflict and fights, first act to CONTROL the scene. This could mean separating the conflicting parties. Next, act to ENSURE SAFETY. This means identifying potential weapons and threats. Next, ascertain if anyone has INJURIES. Following these steps, act to GATHER INFORMATION and determine what is happening.
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Remember, you are looking for the answer that provides the most positive set of outcomes, or the least negative set of outcomes.
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Remember the behaviour standards expected of all members of police services. This includes good character, ethical behaviour, and maintaining public trust.
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Always seek to minimize risk to yourself, and to the public. Generally speaking, do not choose answers that unnecessarily put yourself or the public at increased risk to safety.
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When you must choose between responding to two different problems / incidents, respond to the incident in which there is great potential for injury or harm, or threat to public safety.
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How does this situation affect my safety and that of my fellow police officers and the public? Safety is paramount on the job.
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Is this a life or death situation? If yes, then you must act immediately. But you must not take unnecessary or dangerous risks.
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Does the situation involve harassment or something illegal? If so, you must take immediate action, and report it to your Chain of Command.
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Does this situation involve the Chain of Command? You must respect the Chain of Command.
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Does this situation involve the privacy or personal life of a co-worker? Could the issue potentially affect the safety of your fellow officers or the public? If so, you must report it to the Chain of Command. If not, it may be better to approach the coworker and discuss it on a peer-to-peer basis.
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Are you jumping to conclusions? Is there enough evidence to support your decided action?
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Are you being honest and accountable for your actions? If you do something wrong, it is always best to own up to it.
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Are you being consistent with your answers? Tests that measure judgment skills will often have several similar questions to determine if the respondent is being truthful and consistent with their answers.
APCAT Judgment Practice Questions
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You are a police officer in a major urban center. You are patrolling at 2:00am when you notice smoke coming from a house on a quiet residential street. As it is late, and there are two cars in the driveway, you suspect that there are people at home, likely sleeping. As you approach the house, you can see flames through the basement windows. Which of the following is the best initial course of action? |
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a) Radio dispatch and inform them of the fire, and then wait for the fire department to arrive. b) Radio dispatch, inform them of the fire, then attempt to wake the residents of the home. c) Attempt to wake the residents of the home, breaking down the door or a window if necessary. There are lives at stake. Then inform dispatch of the fire. d) Radio dispatch, inform them of the fire, then enter the home and attempt to extinguish the fire |
APCAT Observation Questions
Observation questions are a type of question found on the APCAT that seek to assess your ability to analyze and find the key details and differences in sets of visual material like sketches of alleged criminal suspects.
Each question in this section will present you with a sketch of a suspected criminal. You will then be given a set of four similar (but altered) sketches. Your task is to then find the sketch that is nearly identical to the first sketch. In other words, you need to see through the disguise to find the same person as in the reference sketch.
Each of the sketches will be altered in obvious ways, and without plastic surgery. In answering these questions, you should hone in on obvious facial features that cannot be altered without plastic surgery. This includes the eyes, nose, ears, lips, chin and general shape and features of the face. Things like hair should be ignored, because they can be changed relatively easily.
A good overall approach to solving this type of question is to use the process of elimination.
Observation Example Questions
Let’s walk through an example of a typical observation question. Here is the sketch of the suspected criminal:
First, take note of the unique facial features of the individual in the sketch. Note the left ear is different than the right ear, with the one on the left being larger than the one on the right.
Second, take note of the individual’s nose. The right side has a pronounced curved line around the side of the nostril that is absent on the left side.
Third, take note of the individual’s slender, slightly pointed jawline.
Using these three features, and using the process of elimination, we can approach this question as follows.
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A |
B |
C |
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Option A can be eliminated right away because the sketch’s left ear is smaller than the one in the reference photo.
Option D can be eliminated because the left ear again does not match the reference photo, and the jawline as well is more square than the reference photo.
The ears, nose and jawline in Option C appear to match the reference photo, but upon further examination the right eyebrow and right eye itself are clearly different than the reference photo.
That leaves Option B. In this sketch, the ears, nose and jawline clearly match the reference photo, as does the eyebrows, eyes and lips. The answer is therefore Option B.
Note: Observation questions are currently the only type of police test question not currently included in the TEST PREP HACKER Alberta Police Officer practice tests. We are working on developing them, and they will be included in the near future.
APCAT Learning / Memory Recall Questions
This section of the APCAT assesses candidates’ ability to learn and remember information presented in writing and by video. The first part of this section involves reading a fictional police bulletin. Candidates must remember as much as they can without taking notes. The second part involves watching a video of a fictional crime in progress. Again, candidates are to remember as much as information as they can without taking notes. Candidates then answer 15 multiple choice questions on the information presented in the video, followed by 5 multiple choice questions on the information presented in the written police bulletin.
This can be one of the most challenging sections of the APCAT. The best way to prepare for memory and observation questions is to simply practice. These questions require you to commit a lot of details to memory in a short amount of time.
Here are some strategies to help you:
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Pay close attention. Focus. This is not easy for some. Practice will help you develop your focus.
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Repeat key details to yourself, under your breath, or in your head. If you are allowed, of course take notes. But if you cannot take notes, then try and quick repeat key details to help them stick in your memory. A good strategy for practicing is to start your practice by taking notes and then answer some practice questions. Then work your way to answer questions without notes.
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Visualize the information. Try visualizing the scene or person in your head as you read or watch, connecting details.
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Make associations. While reading and watching, try to make associations between details, times and dates, and locations. They can help you recall information when answering questions, particularly if one of the details is presented in the question.
APCAT / ACT Written Communication Questions
The written communication portion of the APCAT and the entire ACT seek to assess your ability to communicate in written format. Your ability to communicate will be assessed through a series of vocabulary, spelling and grammar questions.
This section is a measure of your written communication skills developed throughout your education. One of the best ways to prepare is to read, read, and then read some more. Read in areas outside of your normal comfort zone. Another great prep strategy is to go over lists of commonly misspelled words, as well as grammar and spelling rules.
We all know that English language can be tricky, and there are many words that aren’t spelled as they are pronounced. Therein lies one of the challenges for this section.
Spelling Rules!
Need a little help with your English spelling? One of the best overviews we have found is the Cambridge English Dictionary’s overview of English spelling rules: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/spelling
APCAT / ACT Written Communication Practice Questions
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Choose the correctly spelled word from the following lists. |
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1. a)absence b)abscence c)abcence d)absense 2. a)cieling b)ceiling c)ceeling d)ceileng 3. a)desision b)deicision c)decision d)dicesion
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Choose the word most different in meaning from the other words in the following lists: |
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4. a) happy b) joyful c) morose d) content 5. a) scared b) frightened c) petrified d) sullen 6. a) hot b) boiling c) heated d) humid
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7. Before going back to the station, __________ partner and I __________ to respond to one last call. |
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a) my, decided b) his, decide c) he, decided d) the, choose |
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8. All involved in the incident said that the accused displayed very bad judgement. Which of the words in this paragraph is misspelled? |
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a) involved b) accused c) judgement d) displayed |
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9. Which of the following words can be defined as: “The action or fact of making something smaller or less in amount, degree, or size.” |
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a) reduction b) deduction c) induction d) production |
APCAT Problem Analysis Questions
The problem analysis section of the APCAT can contain any number of questions that require candidates to think critically and reason their way to an answer. Question types include math word problems, logic problems, diagram problems, and letter/number series.
APCAT Word Problem Questions
This section of police officer tests aims to test your arithmetic or mathematical reasoning. Rather than presenting straight arithmetic or algebra questions, this sections contains mathematical word problems. Candidates are given a word problem involving a real world description of a mathematical problem. The math involved is not overly complicated, as with the section on arithmetic. Candidates should be comfortable with topics such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, decimals, fractions, percentages, and averages.
Again, keep in mind that calculators are not allowed while writing police officer tests, so everything must be done the long way, by hand. Also, these tests have time limits, so not only must you be comfortable performing math by hand, you have to be able to do so quickly. The more time the math section eats up, the less time available for the rest of the test. Therefore, practice math. A lot.
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Check it out! For a great review of the mathematical skills you need to be successful on police officer tests, complete the following learning tracks at the Khan Academy: |
Word Problem Practice Questions
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1. Shannon got 35 of 50 questions correct on her math test. What percent did she score on the test? |
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a) 35% b) 70% c) 50% d) 75% |
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2. A bundle of 6 candles costs $24. What is the cost per candle? |
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3. George has $20 on hand, and bought groceries worth $12.43. How much money does he have left? |
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4. What is the total after tax cost of a flat screen television worth $1515 if there is 13 % tax? |
APCAT Logic Questions
Logic questions use similar reasoning to syllogism questions. This part of police tests is about measuring your ability to use your logical reasoning to make sense of real world problems or scenarios. Questions will involve you either using:
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Deductive logic: using general rules to solve a problem and reach a logical conclusion;
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Inductive logic: using provided info to come up with general rules which can be applied to solve the given problem.
One of the best strategies for tackling logic questions is to visualize the presented data. That means using scrap paper and creating a diagram from the given data. This will help organize all the data in an easier to process and understand format than just dealing with a paragraph of words.
Logic Practice Questions
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1. Five cars are driving in a single file line. The first car slams on the brakes to avoid hitting a cat on the road, causing a chain reaction collision, with each car behind the first hitting the car directly in front of it. The colours of the cars involved are: blue, black, grey, white and red. The grey car is in the middle of the line of cars. The blue car caused the accident. The red car is one vehicle behind the grey car, and is next to the white car. Which car crashed into the back of the blue car? |
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a) Black b) Red c) Grey d) White |
APCAT Letter Series Questions
Letter series are very similar to number series. With this type of question, a series of letters are provided, and the candidate must determine the relationship between the letters in order to complete the series.
Letter series questions can be approached in the same way as number series. The common patterns that apply to number series also apply to letter series. Series can move forwards or backwards through the alphabet, and then can jump letters in any number of ways. Also, note that a letter series can extend through the alphabet into another alphabet. For example:
A, B, C -> X, Y, Z, AA, BB, CC, DD …
This can be thought of as one continuous alphabet.
Here is an easy example of a letter series:
A, D, G, J, __
Examining this letter series, we can see that the difference between the first and second letters in the series is two letters. It starts with A, then skips over B and C, before reaching the second letter, D. The same pattern applies to the second and third letters, and the third and fourth letters. It is safe (and easy) to conclude that the next letter in the series will be two letters more than J. The answer is therefore M.
Let’s take a look at the example provided in the official sample questions for the Test of Reasoning.
Which of the following responses completes the series?
R, U, X, AA, DD, ___
1. V
2. Z
3. EE
4. GG
If you have trouble visualizing the alphabet, it can help to write out the letters of the alphabet across a page, and then mark where the letters in the series are appearing. Another strategy is to write out the series, and fill in the missing letters. Here’s how the above letter series would look in this format:
R S T U V W X Y Z AA BB CC DD __
Visualized in this manner, it is apparent that the letters in this series are always two positions further down the alphabet than the previous letter. With that, we can easily state that the answer is GG (4).
Letter Series Practice Questions
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1. What letter comes next in the following sequence: OO, KK, GG, CC, __ ? |
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2. What letter comes next in the following sequence: U, W, Z, EE, __ ? |
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Conclusion: Preparing for the APCAT and ACT
The TEST PREP HACKER method for doing well on all recruitment and entrance exams, like the two Alberta police officer tests, is to take practice tests.
The most current research into test preparation concludes that the most effective way to get ready for the big test, regardless of the subject, is to take practice tests. Tests that are similar in format to the actual test, and tests that contain similar questions on the same subjects.
That’s why TEST PREP HACKER has developed thousands of practice questions and similar practice tests. To help you get the most of your test prep, and to help you use the most current insights into to test prep to get the best mark you can, and ultimately get into the school or career of your choice.
When it comes to getting ready for police officer recruitment and selection tests, preparation is key. The better your score, the better your chances of moving through the following stages of the hiring process. Practice is key. Don’t underestimate the importance of studying, particularly the math section involving by-hand math calculations.
Our practice test packages provide thousands of practice questions, along with full practice tests, for the APCAT and ACT.
One last note. Don’t stop here. If you are determined to get hired as a police officer, pursue all prep and study resources you can find. Good luck!
Answers to Practice Questions
Judgment
The best initial course of action is to: Radio dispatch, inform them of the fire, then attempt to wake the residents of the home.
Written Communication
1. absence
2. ceiling
3. decision
4. morose
5. sullen
6. humid
7. My, decided
8. judgement
9. reduction
Word Problems
1. b
2. $4
3. $7.56
4. $1711.95
Logic
The black car
Letter Series
1. Y 2. NN (the space between each letter doubles each time: 1, 2, 4, 8)
License, Attribution and Disclaimer
This study guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. This study guide makes use of other resources made available through similar Creative Commons licenses.
This study guide is available free of charge. It makes no guarantees or promises of high marks. The materials and images contained in this guide are from open sources made available under various Creative Commons licenses, or are made available without license or attribution requirements, or developed by TEST PREP HACKER. All recruitment and selection tests such as the APCAT are the property of the the organizations that developed and administer them. Any resemblance of the practice questions in this guide to actual recruitment and selection test questions is purely coincidental. This guide does not contain any such actual questions, but rather questions of similar types and formats covering the subject areas tested during these tests.