Guide · state police and highway patrol
There is no national state trooper exam. Each state police or highway patrol picks its own written test. CHP gives the PELLETB, UHP and Iowa DPS give the NPOST, and NYSP has its own entrance exam. Find your agency below, then practice that test's sections.
| Department | State | Written test | Where you test | Passing score | Retake rule | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Highway Patrol | CA |
| Your chosen CHP Division | — | 30 calendar days | CHP: Written Exam · CHP: How to start your career as a CHP Officer | Oct 21, 2026 |
| Iowa Department of Public Safety | IA |
| — | 70% each · 75% avg | No retest | Iowa DPS: Police Officer Selection Test study guide resources | Oct 21, 2026 |
| New York State Police | NY |
| Pearson VUE | — | — | Pearson VUE: New York State Police · NYSP Candidate Handbook (Pearson VUE, July 2023) | Oct 21, 2026 |
| Utah Highway Patrol | UT |
| Utah test sites | — | — | Join UHP: NPOST | Oct 21, 2026 |
Not listed yet: the Pennsylvania State Police, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Massachusetts State Police and the Florida Highway Patrol. We add an agency once its own pages confirm which test it gives.
Details: CHP written exam · PELLETB practice test
No test on this site is the NYSP exam. We don't offer practice for it.
Details: Utah · NPOST practice test
We haven't checked the Florida Highway Patrol's own hiring page yet, so it isn't in the table. Details: Florida · CJBAT practice test
A PELLETB score from a city department doesn't carry over to CHP
At CHP, you take the PELLET-B with CHP each time you apply, even if you passed it elsewhere. Other California departments decide for themselves: some accept another agency's T-score letter, others test you again. CHP always tests you again.
Choose the correct spelling of the missing word: Enter the case number in the first ______ of the property form.
Answer explanations
Incorrect: "collumn" doubles the "l" (co[l]lumn).
Correct: "column" is the correct spelling: c-o-l-u-m-n.
Incorrect: "colum" leaves out "n" (colum[n]).
Incorrect: "colunm" reverses "mn" to "nm"; the correct order is colu[mn].
Park rules "prohibited" alcohol on the beach. As used in this sentence, "prohibited" most nearly means:
Answer explanations
Incorrect: A limited activity is restricted but still permitted; prohibited means not permitted at all.
Incorrect: Allowed is the opposite of prohibited.
Correct: Banned fits: a prohibited activity is one that is forbidden outright.
Incorrect: A discouraged activity is frowned on but not forbidden.
Warrantless arrests. An officer may arrest without a warrant when: (1) a person commits a felony or a misdemeanor in the officer's presence; (2) the officer has probable cause to believe a person committed a felony, even outside the officer's presence; or (3) the officer has probable cause to believe a person committed one of the following misdemeanors outside the officer's presence: battery on a family or household member, retail theft, or violation of an injunction for protection. For any other misdemeanor not committed in the officer's presence, the officer must obtain a warrant or refer the case to the State Attorney.
During one shift, Officer Collins handles four misdemeanor cases, each of which happened before he arrived and each supported by probable cause. Which person may Officer Collins arrest without a warrant?
Answer explanations
Correct: A shoplifter on store video committed retail theft, which is on the warrantless-arrest list.
Incorrect: A tenant who broke a door committed property damage, which is not on the list.
Incorrect: Battery is on the list only against a family or household member, not a stranger.
Incorrect: Leaving after hitting a parked car is not one of the listed misdemeanors.
Which of the following sentences is punctuated correctly?
Answer explanations
Incorrect: The comma in "qualification, must attend" cuts the subject off from its verb.
Incorrect: "Officers, who fail" opens a clause with a comma that never closes.
Correct: In "Officers who fail the annual qualification must attend remedial," the clause limits which officers attend, so it takes no commas.
Incorrect: The comma in "attend, remedial" separates the verb from its object.
Answer every question to see your score
The written test comes early. Here is CHP's published order, as one example:
Create a profile and apply through one CHP Division
Physical Abilities Test and written exam (PELLET-B)
Background investigation
Source: CHP: Written Exam · CHP: How to start your career as a CHP Officer
Medical and psychological evaluations
Academy invitation
The CHP Academy is in West Sacramento; the invitation is the official job offer.
Other agencies may order the steps differently and add steps such as an oral board. Age, education and residency rules are also set by each agency. Read your agency's own process page, and see all departments and states for the rules we have checked.
County sheriff's offices choose their written test the same way:
Practice for the FrontLine is on the FrontLine practice test.
PELLETB practice app
More PELLETB practice questions with explanations, in a study app. Not affiliated with California POST.
NPOST practice app
More NPOST practice questions with explanations, in a study app. Not affiliated with Stanard.
CJBAT practice app
More CJBAT practice questions with explanations, in a study app. Not affiliated with FDLE.
Optional. Everything on this page stays here, with no sign-up.
It depends on the agency's test. The NYSP exam is long (150 items · 2 h), so pacing matters. The CHP's PELLETB is scored as a T-score, so you're compared with other test takers rather than marked on percent correct. Iowa DPS asks for 70% in each section and a 75% average.
Sometimes. CHP gives the PELLETB, and California city departments such as SFPD and Oakland PD accept it. Utah Highway Patrol and SLCPD both give the NPOST. In New York they differ: NYSP has its own exam and NYPD uses the NYC DCAS exam.
Not at CHP, where you test again each time you apply. Rules elsewhere vary, so check the agency's own page. A FrontLine score taken through NTN goes to every department you choose, but that only helps where the agency uses the FrontLine.
At the agencies in the table, the PELLETB and the NPOST test reading and writing, and the NPOST adds arithmetic and report writing. The NYSP exam tests cognitive ability and personality attributes, and its handbook says it needs no law enforcement knowledge.