Police Exam Ready

National Testing Network · police written test

NTN police exam, the FrontLine National test

When a police department tells you to "take the NTN test," it almost always means FrontLine National: a video judgment section, a report you write from a video scene, and a fill-in-the-blank reading test, all in one sitting from home or at a test center. You test once, the scores go to every department you picked, and each department decides what counts as a pass.

  • Video + Writing + Readingthree sections, one sitting
  • About 2 h 15 mintotal testing time
  • Set by the departmentpassing score
  • 3 monthswait before a retest
  • 1 yeara score stays valid

Try 5 questions from the three sections

0 of 5 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 5 · Human Relations (video)Not answered

Officer Tate is called to a gas station where an elderly man has been sitting in his parked car for two hours. He is polite but can't say where he was going or where he lives, and he keeps asking what day it is. His wallet has an ID with a local address. What should Officer Tate do?

Answer explanations

A

Incorrect: More rest does nothing about his confusion, and it still ends with him driving home alone.

B

Correct: Confusion about the day, the trip and his own address means he is not safe behind the wheel. Keeping him off the road and calling family protects him while help is found.

C

Incorrect: Directions do not help a driver who cannot keep track of where he is or what day it is. He would still be driving in that state.

D

Incorrect: Towing the car leaves the man himself stranded and confused at the gas station, which is the real problem.

Question 2 of 5 · Human Relations (video)Not answered

A woman arrives as her illegally parked car is about to be towed. She is upset and says her baby's car seat and diapers are inside, and asks for a minute to get them. The tow truck driver is impatient to leave. What should Officer Frost do?

Answer explanations

A

Incorrect: Sending her to the lot without the baby's things leaves her stuck with an infant and no supplies over something a minute could fix.

B

Correct: Letting her take the baby's things out takes a minute and costs the tow nothing. The tow still happens, and she keeps what the baby needs.

C

Incorrect: The officer is standing right there and can solve this himself. Pushing her off to the towing company leaves her without the items.

D

Incorrect: Canceling the tow over sympathy alone goes too far. The baby is a reason to help her get what she needs, not grounds to drop the tow of an illegally parked car.

Question 3 of 5 · ReadingNot answered

All weapons recovered at the scene must be _____ in the evidence log before the officer goes off duty.

Which word best completes the blank?

Answer explanations

A

Incorrect: "Must be recording" would mean the weapons are doing the recording, which makes no sense.

B

Incorrect: "Must be record" uses the base form where the passive needs a participle, so it is ungrammatical.

C

Correct: After "must be," the sentence needs a past participle to form the passive: weapons "must be recorded."

D

Incorrect: "Records" is a plural noun or a present-tense verb, and neither fits after "must be."

Question 4 of 5 · ReadingNot answered

Blood and other body fluids can carry disease. Officers wear gloves when handling such evidence to _____ themselves as well as the evidence.

Which word best completes the blank?

Answer explanations

A

Incorrect: Expose means the opposite of what gloves do. They reduce contact with fluids.

B

Incorrect: Gloves do not help an officer identify anyone, and identifying yourself makes no sense in this sentence.

C

Correct: Body fluids can carry disease, so gloves protect the officer. They also keep the evidence clean, which is the "as well as the evidence" part.

D

Incorrect: Nobody can arrest themselves or a piece of evidence, so the word does not fit.

Question 5 of 5 · Incident Observation and Report WritingNot answered

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

Answer explanations

A

Incorrect: A comma after "left" makes "the store" seem to start the main clause, which leaves the rest of the sentence garbled.

B

Incorrect: This comma separates the suspect from the verb "left," so the opening clause falls apart.

C

Correct: The comma goes after the full introductory clause "After the suspect left the store," which separates it from the main clause "the clerk called 911."

D

Incorrect: Putting the comma between "the clerk" and "called" splits the subject from its verb.

Answer every question to see your score

FrontLine National: key facts

Checked Oct 21, 2026 against each source linked in the table. Every rule with its source, plus the PSSA and the physical test: FrontLine exam facts.
FactDetailSourceChecked
Run byNational Testing Network, Inc. (NTN)NTN registers candidates, runs the sessions and sends scores to departmentsNational Testing Network: testing process · National Testing Network: candidate FAQsOct 21, 2026
Developed byErgometrics & Applied ResearchNational Testing Network: practice testsOct 21, 2026
SectionsHuman relations (video), incident observation and report writing, readingNational Testing Network: Law Enforcement Testing System (FrontLine National)Oct 21, 2026
QuestionsNot published by NTNthe Ergometrics practice tests are a different size from the real examNational Testing Network: Law Enforcement Testing System (FrontLine National) · National Testing Network: practice testsOct 21, 2026
Testing timeAbout 2 hours 15 minutesdepartments quote 2 to 2.5 hours; the video section allows 10 seconds per answerNational Testing Network: Law Enforcement Testing System (FrontLine National) · Portland Police Bureau: phase 1, the testOct 21, 2026
FormatComputer and video based, at home (virtual) or at an NTN test centerNational Testing Network: testing process · National Testing Network: Law Enforcement Testing System (FrontLine National)Oct 21, 2026
How it is scoredA score for each section; each department sets its own standardsNational Testing Network: candidate FAQs · San Francisco Police Department: written testOct 21, 2026
Passing scoreSet by each hiring departmentpublished cuts run from 55 / 65 / 65 (Santa Clara County Sheriff) to 65 / 70 / 70 (Oakland, Salem), video first; San Francisco and Portland use 60 / 70 / 70; each part is passed on its ownNational Testing Network: candidate FAQs · San Francisco Police Department: written test · Portland Police Bureau: phase 1, the test · City of Oakland police officer trainee job on NTN · Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office deputy sheriff cadet job on NTN · City of Salem, OR police officer job on NTNOct 21, 2026
ResultsSent by NTN to every department you selected; departments decide how they use themNational Testing Network: testing process · National Testing Network: candidate FAQsOct 21, 2026
Retake ruleAfter at least 3 months; a retest deletes your earlier scores and department listNational Testing Network: candidate FAQsOct 21, 2026
Score valid for1 year from the test datedepartments choose how long they use a score within that yearNational Testing Network: candidate FAQsOct 21, 2026
Test feeVaries by test location, test type and department; NTN publishes no single pricea job added after the test costs $15, and only jobs opened since your test can be addedNational Testing Network: test pricing · National Testing Network: candidate FAQsOct 21, 2026
Extra online stepsMost departments also require the online Public Safety Self Assessment (PSSA), parts 1 and 2, and a personal history questionnaireNational Testing Network: testing process · National Testing Network: open law enforcement jobs (counted 2026-10-21)Oct 21, 2026

What the three sections ask of you

One session, three scored parts. How many questions each? Not published by NTN; the Ergometrics practice tests are a different size from the real exam.

  • Human relations (video). A short scene plays, then you choose the best of several actions. The video does not pause and the answer window is short, so you decide on the first viewing. No police knowledge is needed: answers rest on what the scene shows and on common sense.
  • Report writing. You watch an incident twice, take notes and write a factual report against the clock. Multiple-choice questions follow, and you answer them from the report you wrote.
  • Reading. Passages built from law enforcement training material, each with a blank; you pick the word that fits.

Source: National Testing Network, law enforcement test page · checked Oct 21, 2026

Who decides whether you passed

The department, not the testing company. NTN reports a score for each section, and every hiring agency applies its own cut. Published cuts we checked (video / reading / writing):

  • Santa Clara SO: 55 / 65 / 65
  • SFPD and Portland PB: 60 / 70 / 70
  • Oakland PD and Salem PD: 65 / 70 / 70

Each section is passed on its own, so a strong reading score does not rescue a weak video score. Every cut we have on file, by department: departments that use FrontLine.

Myth: "the NTN test" is one test

NTN is the testing company. The same account sells firefighter (FireTEAM), corrections and dispatch tests, and for police it lists two products: FrontLine National and a text-only Law Enforcement (Express) exam. Check that your job posting names FrontLine National before you book; the differences are under FrontLine vs Express.

How the process runs, in order

  1. Choose departments before you test. Until test day you can add any department job to your order. Afterward, only jobs opened since your test can be added, at $15 each (candidate FAQ).
  2. Pay and book a session. The price depends on the location and the departments you pick: cost.
  3. Finish the online parts. Most departments also require the online Public Safety Self Assessment (PSSA), parts 1 and 2, and a personal history questionnaire.
  4. Sit the test, from home by virtual testing or in person at a test center.
  5. Scores go out. Sent by NTN to every department you selected; departments decide how they use them.
  6. Retest if you need to, after 3 months. A retest deletes your old scores and your department list, so you choose and pay for departments again.

Where FrontLine is used

About 350 agencies in 31 states, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands listed it as required on NTN's job board on Oct 21, 2026. Ohio (121 agencies), Oregon (66 agencies) and California (63 agencies) carried the most. California's state rule is the PELLETB or another validated reading and writing test, so FrontLine is one of the accepted routes there: San Francisco and Oakland take either test, and the LAPD accepts a FrontLine score in place of its own exam (California, LAPD). The full list with each cut score: departments that use FrontLine.

Departments and states that take FrontLine

FrontLine questions in an app

FrontLine National practice app

More FrontLine National practice questions with explanations, in a study app. Not affiliated with NTN.

Get the practice appDownload on theApp StoreAndroid: practice in the browser

Practice one section at a time

More on FrontLine National

NTN police exam, quick answers

What does the NTN police test consist of?

Three sections: a video human relations test, report writing (a report you write from a video, then multiple-choice questions on it) and a fill-in-the-blank reading test. NTN puts the total at about 135 minutes. Most departments also want the online Public Safety Self Assessment; what that is.

How often can you take the NTN exam?

You can retest after 3 months. The retest deletes your previous scores and department list, so you cannot keep a better old score next to a new one. Any score expires 1 year after the test date.

Is the NTN test hard?

No pass rate is published, and NTN staff will not discuss how the test is scored. The hard parts are pace and recall: video answers come on a short clock with no pause, and the report questions ask for details you only have if you wrote them down. Start with the practice test.

Is the NTN police test the same as the firefighter test?

No. Firefighters take FireTEAM through the same NTN account; police candidates take FrontLine National. Book under law enforcement, and check that your department job is in the order.

Can you take the NTN test at home?

Yes. From home by virtual testing, or in person at an NTN test center; one sitting reaches every department you choose. Some departments also run their own in-person sessions.