I have taken quite a few written exams in the Police Department, whether it was a entrance exam or promotional exam, one factor has always been critical.  Reading…

If you think you are a good reader, I have news for you.  You are not.  Reading is more than just being able to understand words and process what you are reading.   It is a simple process to become a good reader, specifically for a Civil Service exam.  You must work at it for hours.

This is my suggestion, that has worked for thousands of current Police Officers.  Pick up a copy of the Wall Street Journal or New York Times.  They are both at a higher reading level than any other paper.  Plan out two months of time.

Week 1:  Turn off the cell phone, music, tv or any other distractions.  Read for 15 minutes straight.  Absorb everything that you read.  If you are not sure what a word means, look it up in a dictionary.

Week 2: Increase your reading another 15 minutes with no interruptions.   Your total reading time would now be 30 minutes.  Once again, if you need to look up a word, look it up.

Now continue until you have 2 1/2 hours a day under your belt.  This should take about 2 1/2 months.

The reason this is so critical is that most people become mentally tired during an exam.  A Police Exam is testing your mental endurance.  If you can read and understand everything that you read for 2 1/2 hours, you are ready to sit down and take an exam.  Although there are other areas that we will discuss, this is the hardest to get down.

So try this tactic and see how much more your test results improve.