{"id":24157,"date":"2019-09-10T14:32:40","date_gmt":"2019-09-10T19:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=24157"},"modified":"2020-09-11T20:40:42","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T20:40:42","slug":"police-psychological-exam-and-polygraph-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/police-entrance-exam\/police-psychological-exam-and-polygraph-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Police Psychological Exam and Polygraph Test"},"content":{"rendered":"

Other than the physical fitness exam, police applicants will have to take a psychological exam and a polygraph test.
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The Psychological Exam<\/h3>
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\nIn general, people tend to get nervous at the mention of \u201cpsychological\u201d anything, but there\u2019s really no point in getting wound up about this portion of the application process. Actually, this might be one of the easiest parts of the whole process\u2014you can\u2019t study for this test and you can\u2019t outguess it, so there is really nothing to do to prepare. Here is some information about what the psychological test entails.
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The Written Test<\/h4>
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\nAlmost all departments give applicants a standardized multiple-choice test\u2014either one they have designed themselves or one that is commonly used in psychological settings.
\nThe most common test is the Minnesota Multiphasic Psychological Inventory (MMPI). Updated versions of the test include the MMPI-2 and the MMPI-2RF. These tests are comprised of over 500 true-false statements, which you read and respond to. Just to give you some idea of what it\u2019s like, the statements range from things like \u201cI prefer romance novels to mysteries,\u201d to \u201cMy father is a good man,\u201d to \u201cI am an important person.\u201d You mark your answers, depending on whether the statement never applies to you, sometimes applies to you, often applies to you, or always applies to you. And that\u2019s it. Another commonly used self-reporting instrument is the California Psychological Inventory. This instrument is comprised of over 400 similar questions.
\nOther tests may ask you to complete sentences or to react to specific phrases, such as \u201cWhen I\u2019m at home\u201d or \u201cMy mother\u2019s favorite.\u201d Don\u2019t obsess over your answers. Answer honestly, but think about what you are writing. \u201cMy mother\u2019s favorite color is purple\u201d will probably send a better message than \u201cMy mother\u2019s favorite was always my worthless brother.\u201d However, do not waste a lot of time trying to come up with the \u201cright\u201d or the \u201cbest\u201d answers. You are better off just answering honestly. The MMPI and all psychological tests are specifically designed to pick up inconsistencies that indicate someone is manipulating the answers. You don\u2019t gain anything by being dishonest in your responses.
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The Psychological Interview<\/h4>
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\nIn some departments, you will have an interview with a psychologist, usually sometime after you complete the written test. The psychologist will probably ask you some follow-up questions about the results of your written test, and he or she may also ask other questions to find out a little more about what kind of person you are.
\nDon\u2019t worry too much about this. Anything you say is private, and you are not going to leave the testing room in a straitjacket. You may be asked questions no one\u2019s ever asked you before\u2014things like \u201cWhat\u2019s the worst thing you\u2019ve ever done?\u201d or \u201cDo you have a happy marriage?\u201d Don\u2019t say, \u201cNone of your business\u201d\u2014although that will probably be your first impulse.
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The Polygraph Test<\/h3>
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\nMany police departments require polygraphs. If you have never taken one before, the idea can be intimidating. You may be asking yourself the following: How does it work? What are they going to ask about? What if I\u2019m nervous during the test?
\nThe polygraph measures several involuntary physiological responses to stress\u2014specifically, the stress involved in lying. When you are actually \u201chooked up,\u201d you will be seated in a chair near the polygraph. Three sensors will be attached:<\/p>\n
    \n
  1. Blood pressure cuff, to measure heart rate<\/li>\n
  2. Convoluted rubber tubes, attached around the abdomen and chest, to measure respiratory activity<\/li>\n
  3. Two small metal plates, attached to the fingers, to measure sweat gland activity<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Before you are hooked up to the polygraph, the examiner will ask you several questions. There are the baseline questions\u2014\u201dIs your name Jane Doe? Were you born in Peoria, Illinois?\u201d Then there are the real questions, such as \u201cHave you ever manufactured, transported, or sold illegal drugs?\u201d You are not going to lie about your name or where you were born; even if your heart is beating faster than it normally would because you are nervous, that elevated heart rate is going to register as the baseline for the test.
    \nThe pretest may ask you questions outside of the application, like \u201cDid you ever steal candy when you were younger?\u201d or \u201cDid you lie as a child?\u201d For the most part we have all done something like that. Remember: no one is perfect, and the examiner doesn\u2019t expect anyone to be. But what the examiner will expect is honesty.
    \nAfter you are hooked up to the polygraph, the examiner will go through the questions again. There will also be follow-up questions that aim to catch you off guard and elicit an immediate, uncontrollable response. For example, an examiner might ask, \u201cDid you lie when you told me you haven\u2019t manufactured, transported, or sold illegal drugs?\u201d The examiner might also drill down on certain topics that seem to provoke an unusual physiological response.
    \n

    Polygraph Tips<\/h4>
    <\/div><\/div><\/div>
    \nAs you can see, taking a polygraph test can be nerve-wracking, and it will likely create some anxiety or stress. There are a few things you can do to eliminate some of the stress you may be feeling that day.
    \nFirst, do not be late. Being late to any type of job interview can cause stress or anxiety. Because the polygraph is part of the hiring phase, being on time is also part of the process. Remember, the test measures stress and nervousness. Give yourself plenty of time to get there and keep yourself relaxed. Stay away from caffeine that day; drink water instead. Also try to relax your breathing.
    \nDress appropriately and professionally. This is no ordinary job interview. You need to act and dress professionally at all stages of the application process, including this one.
    \nFinally, during the test, do not give evasive answers. Try to keep your answers to a simple \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d if at all possible. Also make sure that any information you provide during the polygraph matches the information you provided elsewhere during your application.
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    \nReady to start studying for the Police Exam? Try out Kaplan’s resources.<\/p>\n<\/div>

    Police Exam Prep<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Other than the physical fitness exam, police applicants will have to take a psychological exam and a polygraph test.   In general, people tend to get nervous at the mention of \u201cpsychological\u201d anything, but there\u2019s really no point in getting wound up about this portion of the application process. Actually, this might be one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28002,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[395],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24157"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24157"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34244,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24157\/revisions\/34244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}