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🇺🇸 United States · Civil Service
Police Officer Selection Test (POST) Syllabus
A widely used entry-level written exam screening candidates for municipal and state police officer positions.. The complete Police Officer Selection Test (POST) outline — 7 subjects, 23 chapters and 74 topics — laid out so you can see exactly what has to be covered and tick each item off as you go.
Police Officer Selection Test (POST) subjects
Each subject below has its own page with the full chapter → topic → sub-topic tree and a set of real exam-style flashcards.
3 chapters · 12 topics · 25 sub-topics
Written Communication and Grammar4 chapters · 13 topics · 28 sub-topics
Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning3 chapters · 10 topics · 21 sub-topics
Reasoning and Problem Solving4 chapters · 12 topics · 24 sub-topics
Memory and Observation3 chapters · 9 topics · 18 sub-topics
Spelling, Grammar, and Vocabulary Skills3 chapters · 9 topics · 18 sub-topics
Police Scenario Application and Job Knowledge3 chapters · 9 topics · 18 sub-topics
Police Officer Selection Test (POST) flashcard decks
355 question-and-answer cards across 7 decks, written against this syllabus. Preview any deck free.
- Reading Comprehension — 51 cards
- Written Communication and Grammar — 52 cards
- Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning — 50 cards
- Reasoning and Problem Solving — 50 cards
- Memory and Observation — 51 cards
- Spelling, Grammar, and Vocabulary Skills — 50 cards
- Police Scenario Application and Job Knowledge — 51 cards
How to work through the Police Officer Selection Test (POST) syllabus
The outline on this page is arranged the way the syllabus itself is: subject, then chapter, then topic, then sub-topic. That last level is what most study plans skip, and it is where coverage actually goes wrong — a chapter marked "done" often has three sub-topics inside it that were never touched.
Weight your plan accordingly: Written Communication and Grammar carries 13 topics while Police Scenario Application and Job Knowledge carries 9. Giving both the same number of weeks is the most common planning mistake for Police Officer Selection Test (POST).
The ~85 hour estimate above is a first pass only: roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic. Revision cycles, past papers and mocks sit on top of that number.
Police Officer Selection Test (POST) syllabus FAQ
What subjects are in the Police Officer Selection Test (POST) syllabus?
Police Officer Selection Test (POST) covers 7 subjects: Reading Comprehension, Written Communication and Grammar, Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning, Reasoning and Problem Solving, Memory and Observation, Spelling, Grammar, and Vocabulary Skills and Police Scenario Application and Job Knowledge. Together they contain 23 chapters and 74 named topics.
How many topics does the Police Officer Selection Test (POST) syllabus contain?
The full Police Officer Selection Test (POST) outline breaks down into 23 chapters, 74 topics and 152 sub-topics. Written Communication and Grammar is the largest single subject with 13 topics across 4 chapters.
How long does it take to cover the whole Police Officer Selection Test (POST) syllabus?
Roughly 85 hours for one full pass. That estimate allows about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, so it is first-pass coverage — revision, past papers and mock tests sit on top of it. At 3 hours a day that is about 4 weeks.
Are there Police Officer Selection Test (POST) flashcards?
Yes — 355 question-and-answer flashcards across 7 decks, one per subject, written against this syllabus. A sample of every deck is readable on this site for free, and the complete decks are in the Examius app.
Is this Police Officer Selection Test (POST) syllabus free to use?
Yes. Every page here is free to read, and importing the Police Officer Selection Test (POST) syllabus into the Examius app to tick off topics as you finish them is free too, in United States and everywhere else. No account is needed to start.
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