FrontLine exam facts, from the PSSA to retakes

Most departments also require the online Public Safety Self Assessment (PSSA), parts 1 and 2, and a personal history questionnaire. Both are filled in online after you pay and before you test, and their results reach your chosen departments automatically (testing process page).

• It is not one of the three test sections. It is a self-assessment: there is no reading passage or report, and nothing to memorize. Answer it straight and consistently.
• Part 1 and Part 2 are both done in your account. The testing-process page does not describe what each part covers.
• Baltimore runs its version as the Work Attitude Questionnaire (WAQ): mandatory, scored, timed at about an hour, and due before your test date (Baltimore PD).

Each hiring department sets its own cut. The testing company's FAQ says departments choose their own scoring standards, and its staff do not discuss scoring details. San Francisco and Portland publish 60 / 70 / 70 (video / reading / writing), each section passed on its own (SFPD, Portland). Others differ:

• Santa Clara SO: Video 55, writing 65, reading 65
• Oakland PD: Human relations video 65%, writing 70%, reading 70%
• SDPD (in place of its own test): Video 55, reading 65, writing 65, within 6 months of applying

The cut for each department we have checked: departments that use FrontLine.

• Scoring: A score for each section; each department sets its own standards.
• Results: Sent by NTN to every department you selected; departments decide how they use them.
• Timing: departments can see your scores as soon as you finish. There is no central ranking; a department contacts you if you move to its next phase (candidate FAQ).
• Veterans' preference: where it exists, each department sets it.

You can retest after 3 months, and a retest deletes your earlier scores and department list. That second part matters: you cannot keep an old score while you try for a better one, and you have to select (and pay for) every department again, even ones from your first order. Before retesting, check whether a department you need closes its posting inside your waiting period.

A score lasts 1 year from the test date; departments choose how long they use a score within that year. Your score has to be active on the day a department's job posting closes, or you are not eligible for that job. Some departments set a shorter window of their own: SDPD counts only a score from the months right before you apply.

Price: Varies by test location, test type and department; NTN publishes no single price.

Adding a department later: $15 per job added after the test; only jobs opened since your test qualify.

Waivers, department vouchers and what a retest costs: FrontLine test cost.

Where: From home by virtual testing, or in person at an NTN test center; one sitting reaches every department you choose. Either way you test once and the results go to every department on your order.

• ID: a valid government photo ID with the same name as your account.
• Timing: arrive 30 minutes early at a center, as the FAQ recommends; a late arrival may not be admitted (candidate FAQ).
• Rescheduling: Fees are non-refundable; you can reschedule up to one week before the test.
• Accommodations: ADA requests need medical documentation and must be approved before you schedule.
• Age: every job currently posted requires applicants to be at least 18.

Many FrontLine departments also require a physical test, booked through the same account and, if the schedule allows, on the same day as the written test.

• Events and cost: Push-ups, sit-ups, a 300-meter run and a 1.5-mile run; some departments skip events; each attempt costs the same as the first.
• State versions and retests: Oregon uses ORPAT and Washington WAPAT; not every department accepts PAT retest results, and some require 6 months between submissions (candidate FAQ).

Versions: FrontLine National; NTN also lists a separate Law Enforcement (Express) exam that few jobs require. Book the one your job posting names. How they differ:

• Judgment: FrontLine plays video scenes; Express gives written scenarios.
• Report: FrontLine has you watch an incident twice and write from your notes, then answer multiple-choice questions from your report; Express plays an audio recording of an officer and a witness, and adds a language-skills test (pick the best correction of underlined words in a sample police report).
• Reading: fill-in-the-blank in both.
• Extra: Express adds a Role Fitness Questionnaire.

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

• FrontLine National →The three sections, who sets the pass mark, retakes and where it is used
• FrontLine National practice test →Questions from all three sections, every option explained
• FrontLine National cost →No single price: base fee, per-department charges, waivers and vouchers
• FrontLine National departments →Who requires FrontLine, by state, with each published cut score
• FrontLine National study guide →How to prepare for video judgment, report notes and reading