Police Exam Ready

State · Florida

Florida police exam: CJBAT first, SOCE last

"Florida police exam" can mean two different tests. Before the academy, the CJBAT, a Commission-approved Basic Abilities Test. After it, the State Officer Certification Exam (SOCE), a certification exam. This page keeps the two apart.

  • $39per CJBAT attempt
  • 70, plus 30 of 50CJBAT pass rule
  • 4 yearsa CJBAT pass lasts

From CJBAT to FDLE certification: the Florida police academy path

  1. Pass the CJBAT

    The entry test. Taken at Pearson VUE test centers in Florida only, before you start an academy.

  2. Enter a basic recruit academy

    Law enforcement or corrections; the CJBAT matches the track. Two disciplines: CJBATLEO (law enforcement officer) and CJBATCO (correctional officer).

  3. Finish basic recruit training

    Completing it is what makes you eligible for the certification exam.

  4. Pass the SOCE

    The State Officer Certification Exam (SOCE). This site does not cover it.

Before the academy: the CJBAT

ItemWhat appliesSource
Written test
  • CJBAT requiredbefore a Florida basic recruit academy
  • FrontLine National acceptedOrlando PD uses it as its civil service exam
Fla. Admin. Code R. 11B-35.0011 (via LII) · Florida Statutes s. 943.17 · Orlando Police Department police officer job on NTNchecked Oct 21, 2026
State rule on the written testA Commission-approved Basic Abilities Test (CJBAT) before entering a basic recruit academyFla. Admin. Code R. 11B-35.0011 (via LII) · Florida Statutes s. 943.17checked Oct 21, 2026
Passing score70 or higher across all three sections, plus at least 30 of the 50 questions in sections II and IIIpass/fail; no number is reportedFDLE Basic Abilities Test candidate handbook (Pearson VUE, Aug 2025)checked Oct 21, 2026
Test fee$39paid each attempt, non-refundableFDLE Basic Abilities Test candidate handbook (Pearson VUE, Aug 2025)checked Oct 21, 2026
Retake ruleYou can rebook 24 hours after a fail; at most 3 attempts per discipline in 12 monthsFla. Admin. Code R. 11B-35.0011 (via LII) · FDLE Basic Abilities Test candidate handbook (Pearson VUE, Aug 2025)checked Oct 21, 2026
Score valid for4 years from the test dateFla. Admin. Code R. 11B-35.0011 (via LII)checked Oct 21, 2026
Where you testPearson VUE test centers in Florida onlyFla. Admin. Code R. 11B-35.0011 (via LII) · FDLE Basic Abilities Test candidate handbook (Pearson VUE, Aug 2025)checked Oct 21, 2026
Who can skip the testVeterans, and holders of an associate degree or higherlaw enforcement academy only; not correctionsFla. Admin. Code R. 11B-35.0011 (via LII)checked Oct 21, 2026

The CJBAT has 97 items in 1 h 30 min. Sections: Section I behavioral attributes; Section II memorization; Section III written comprehension, written expression, deductive and inductive reasoning. Scoring: Pass/fail only; no score number is given to candidates, academies or agencies. The degree and veteran waiver covers only one of the two tracks: law enforcement academy only; not corrections. Corrections candidates start at the corrections page.

Budget for retakes as well as the first sitting. The fee is $39 (paid each attempt, non-refundable), and retakes are capped at 3 per discipline in 12 months; you can rebook 24 hours after a fail. Full rules are on the exam facts page.

CJBAT practice questions

0 of 4 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 4 · Deductive ReasoningNot answered

Battery occurs when a person (1) actually and intentionally touches or strikes another person against his or her will, or (2) intentionally causes bodily harm to another person. Touching includes contact through an object or substance the person throws or propels, such as a liquid, and contact with an object closely connected to the victim's body, such as clothing the victim is wearing or an item in the victim's hand. Accidental contact is not battery.

At a bar, Rhonda Mills argues with Kim Tate and throws her drink at Kim. The drink misses Kim entirely and splashes Kim's purse, which is sitting on the empty chair beside her. Rhonda then slaps Kim's phone out of her hand, and it falls to the floor. Kim is not hurt. Which of Rhonda's acts is a battery under the definition?

Answer explanations

A

Correct: Touching includes an item in the victim's hand, so knocking the phone away is battery.

B

Incorrect: Both acts are not battery: the purse was on a chair, not closely connected to her body.

C

Incorrect: Calling neither act battery ignores that contact with an item in her hand counts as touching.

D

Incorrect: The purse sat on an empty chair, so it was not on her body or in her hand.

Question 2 of 4 · Written ComprehensionNot answered

Read the following incident report and answer the question: 'On 07/04/2024 at 2310 hours, Officer Kemp responded to a disturbance at 88 Harbor Court, Apartment 2B. Neighbor Janet Cho, of Apartment 2A, stated that she first heard a door slam at about 2250 hours, then a man and a woman shouting, and then something glass breaking against the wall they share. She called 911 at 2258 hours. On arrival, Officer Kemp found broken glass in the hallway and spoke to both residents separately. The woman, Dana Price, said the argument started over car keys. The man, Victor Price, said nobody had been hurt.'

According to Ms. Cho, what did she hear first?

Answer explanations

A

Incorrect: The glass breaking came last of the three sounds.

B

Incorrect: The shouting came after the door slammed.

C

Correct: Ms. Cho says she first heard a door slam at about 2250.

D

Incorrect: The car keys came from Dana Price's explanation, not from anything Ms. Cho heard.

Question 3 of 4 · Written ExpressionNot answered

Which sentence has the same meaning as the following statement? "Officers may enter the evidence storage room only when accompanied by an evidence technician."

Answer explanations

A

Incorrect: Saying only technicians may enter shuts officers out, while the rule lets them in with a technician.

B

Incorrect: "May be accompanied" makes the technician optional, when the rule makes it required.

C

Incorrect: "Officers must enter" whenever a technician is present reverses the rule.

D

Correct: In "technician must be present whenever officers enter," a technician must be there every time, which is what "only when accompanied" means.

Question 4 of 4 · Written ExpressionNot answered

Which sentence has the same meaning as the following statement? "The deputy smelled a strong odor of marijuana coming from the open driver's window."

Answer explanations

A

Incorrect: "Faint" changes the strength from strong.

B

Incorrect: The deputy smelled marijuana; nothing says he saw any.

C

Correct: "Noticed a strong marijuana smell" keeps the strength, the substance, and the window as the source.

D

Incorrect: It adds smoke and moves the source from the window to the driver.

Answer every question to see your score

After the academy: the SOCE

Many search results for "Florida police exam" are prep for the SOCE, not the entry test. It is a separate exam you become eligible for through basic recruit training, so you cannot sit it before the academy. This site covers only the CJBAT; for the SOCE, the rule that sets eligibility is Fla. Admin. Code R. 11B-30.006.

Florida agencies we track

Some departments add a hiring test of their own on top of the state CJBAT.
DepartmentStateWritten testPassing scoreTest feeWhere you testSourceChecked
FloridaFL
  • CJBAT requiredbefore a Florida basic recruit academy
  • FrontLine National acceptedOrlando PD uses it as its civil service exam
70, plus 30 of 50$39Florida test centersFla. Admin. Code R. 11B-35.0011 (via LII) · Florida Statutes s. 943.17 · Orlando Police Department police officer job on NTN · FDLE Basic Abilities Test candidate handbook (Pearson VUE, Aug 2025)Oct 21, 2026
Orlando Police DepartmentFL—Free in OrlandoOrlando or NTNOrlando Police Department police officer job on NTNOct 21, 2026

The Orlando Police Department is one example: it uses FrontLine National as its civil service exam. Where: In person in Orlando on a date OPD sets, or through NTN at a test center or online. Cost: Free when OPD gives the test in Orlando; the NTN fee is not reimbursed.

CJBAT practice in an app

CJBAT practice app

More CJBAT practice questions with explanations, in a study app. Not affiliated with FDLE.

Get the practice appDownload on theApp StoreGet it onGoogle Play

Florida police exam questions

What does it take to be a police officer in Florida?

For the written side: pass the CJBAT (70, plus 30 of 50), finish a basic recruit academy, then pass the SOCE. Your hiring agency adds its own steps.

How many questions are on the FDLE state exam?

"State exam" usually means the SOCE, taken after the academy, which this site does not cover. The entry CJBAT has 97 items.

How much does the CJBAT cost?

$39, paid each attempt, non-refundable.

How many times can you take the CJBAT?

You can rebook 24 hours after a fail; at most 3 attempts per discipline in 12 months.

How long is a CJBAT pass good for?

4 years from the test date.