Firefighter written exam practice test

What the real test usually looks like

There is no single firefighter written exam. Each department, or the city or civil service office that hires for it, chooses its own test, so the sections, the number of questions and the time limit all vary. Some departments use a test from a publisher, such as FireTEAM from Ergometrics or the National Firefighter Selection Inventory (NFSI); others write their own. Your job announcement or test invitation is the best guide to yours.

One example: FireTEAM. The Madison, Wisconsin, fire department's candidate study guide describes it as four tests, each presented on video and in multiple choice (Madison Fire Department):

• Video-based human relations: 28 scenarios, 76 questions, 57 minutes. You watch firefighters at work, then pick the best and the worst course of action, and later answer questions about the firefighters' behavior.
• Animated mechanical aptitude: 36 questions, 43 minutes. Questions about an animated factory, its valves, water pressure and everyday mechanical objects.
• Math: 31 questions, 25 minutes. Presented on video, done in your head, with no written calculation permitted. It covers addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and proportions.
• Reading: 25 to 27 questions, 15 minutes. Passages based on training material, where you choose the word that best fits a blank.

The Salt Lake City fire department describes the same four areas and notes that all or only parts of the FireTEAM test may be used, so even two departments using the same exam may not give the same sections (Salt Lake City Fire Department).

What our mocks cover. Our full mocks have 80 questions in 90 minutes, in four sections in this order: reading comprehension (25), math (20), human relations (20) and reasoning (15). The human relations questions are written scenarios with a crew member, a member of the public or a supervisor, and four possible responses, of which one is best. There is no calculator. You can go back to earlier questions and flag them. Our mocks are a text-only blend of the areas departments commonly test. They are not FireTEAM's format, NFSI's format or any other publisher's. They leave out video scenarios, mechanical diagrams, maps, memory sections and any work-style questionnaire your exam may include. If your exam has those, add your department's or the publisher's own practice material.

Question types with worked examples

One worked example for each section, with the trap most people fall into.

1. Reading comprehension. Text: "Breathing apparatus must be checked at the start of every shift and after every use." A firefighter used the apparatus at a call at 2 p.m. and checked it at 7 a.m. Does it need checking again? Yes: it was used after the morning check. Trap: stopping at the first condition that seems to fit. Check every condition in the rule.

2. Math. A hose line flows 150 gallons per minute. How much water flows in 8 minutes? 150 x 8 = 1,200 gallons. Without a calculator, split it: 100 x 8 = 800 and 50 x 8 = 400, so 1,200. Trap: rushing a mental sum. Some exams, like FireTEAM's math test, allow no written calculation at all (Madison Fire Department), so practice breaking numbers into easy parts.

3. Human relations. A resident at a community event keeps asking you questions while you are packing up equipment. The best response is to stop briefly, answer politely, and point them to someone who can help further if you must leave. Trap: picking the answer that gets the job done fastest. These questions usually favor respect, teamwork and safety over speed.

4. Reasoning. All members on the ladder truck are trained in rope rescue. Kim is trained in rope rescue. Is Kim on the ladder truck? Not necessarily: people elsewhere may be trained too. Trap: reversing the rule. "All A are B" does not mean "all B are A."

How to prepare

1. Find out which exam your department uses. Read the job announcement and any candidate guide. Check the sections, the time limits and whether any part is on video.
2. Use the department's or publisher's own material. Madison's guide, for example, gives sample items and tips for each FireTEAM test (Madison Fire Department). Salt Lake City says there is no study guide for FireTEAM and points to practice tests sold by the publisher (Salt Lake City Fire Department).
3. Read training text slowly enough to catch conditions. Words like "every," "only," "unless" and "before" decide many answers.
4. Do math in your head. Practice the four operations and proportions, such as flow rates, tank sizes and mixes, without paper or a calculator.
5. Answer people questions as a calm professional. Choose the response that is safe, respectful, follows the chain of command and solves the problem, not the one that sounds toughest.
6. Practice reasoning carefully. Look for the rule in a sequence and check it on every step. In logic questions, take only what must be true.
7. Practice at a steady pace. Our full mocks give about a minute and seven seconds a question. Take timed mocks so the pace feels normal, then check your department's own time limits.

How scoring usually works

Scoring and cut-off scores depend on the department. There is no national scale and no universal pass mark. Two public examples:

• Madison: the guide says the FireTEAM answer sheet is machine scored, that marking more than one answer gets the question wrong, and that there is no penalty for guessing (Madison Fire Department).
• Salt Lake City: the department says a cut-off score is set after the exam, based on the department's needs, potential adverse impact and other factors, and that it expects to invite the top 50 to 100 candidates to the oral board (Salt Lake City Fire Department).

Other departments may use a pass or fail result or a rank list. Your department's announcement says how it uses the written exam.

Our practice score is the number of our own questions you answered correctly, with a breakdown by section, so you can see where to focus. It is a practice score: it is not a score on FireTEAM, NFSI or any department's exam, and it does not predict whether you will pass.

Common mistakes on firefighter written exams

• Assuming every department uses the same test. Even departments using the same exam may give only some of its parts. Check yours before you plan.
• Picking the "toughest" answer in people questions. Departments look for firefighters who work well with a crew and the public. Calm, respectful and safe answers usually win.
• Combining two answers in your head. Madison's guide advises choosing the one answer that, by itself, is better than any other (Madison Fire Department).
• Leaving questions blank. Where there is no penalty for guessing, as Madison's guide says of FireTEAM, an answered question can only help.
• Practicing only reading and math. If your exam includes mechanical or video sections, which our mocks do not cover, add practice for those too.